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PATIENT INFORMATION

Muscle aches on a statin

You have told us your tablet may be causing symptoms. We take that seriously, and we can almost always sort it out.

The honest picture

Aches are common in people who take nothing at all.

So when someone on a statin gets an ache, the question is whether the tablet caused it. Often it did not.

This is not us saying it is in your head. Your ache is real.

It means it is worth finding out where it comes from. If the tablet is not the cause, stopping it gives up the protection for nothing.

What we do about it

Step 1: a blood test

We check a muscle enzyme called CK, and usually your liver and kidneys at the same time.

This tells us whether anything is being damaged. That is a different question from whether you are aching.

Step 2: a break

If the ache bothers you, we stop the tablet for 4 to 6 weeks and see what happens.

If the ache goes, that points at the tablet. If it does not, we have found something else and can look into it.

Step 3: try again, differently

Most people who cannot get on with one statin can take another. Or the same one at a lower dose, or every other day.

We work down that list until we find something you can live with. If none of them suit, there are cholesterol tablets that are not statins.

Information:

We go through this rather than just stopping because going without cholesterol treatment puts your risk back up. It is worth a few weeks to get it right.

What you need to do

Do

  • follow what your text message says, either stopping the tablet or carrying on
  • book the blood test we have asked for
  • note when the ache is worst, whether it is both sides, and which muscles

Do not

  • do not guess at a half dose or take it every few days instead
  • do not start anything new from a pharmacy or online without checking with us, because some products interact

Immediate action required: Call 999 now if you have:

  • chest pain at rest, or chest pain lasting more than 15 minutes
  • sudden weakness or numbness in the face or one arm
  • sudden trouble speaking or understanding speech

Urgent advice: Stop the tablet and contact the surgery the same day if you have:

  • dark or cola-coloured urine
  • muscle pain or weakness bad enough that stairs or standing up are hard
  • yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes

More information

NHS.UKStatins: side effects and what to dowww.nhs.uk/medicines/statins/ HEART UKQuestions about statins, answeredwww.heartuk.org.uk/getting-treatment/questions-about-statins

Reviewed 26 August 2026 ยท next review 26 February 2027