What we do when a statin seems to be causing symptoms, and why we test it rather than just stopping.

Muscle aches and other problems 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 are not taking anything. So when someone on a statin gets an ache, the question is whether the tablet caused it, and often it did not.

Out of 100 people who took a statin for a year

72 did not get muscle pain
26 got muscle pain, but would have got it anyway
2 got muscle pain because of the statin

This is not us saying it is in your head. Your ache is real. It just means it is worth finding out where it comes from, because 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 actually being damaged, which is a different question from whether you are aching.

Step 2: a break

If the ache is bad enough to bother 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 properly.

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 other cholesterol tablets that are not statins.

The reason we go through this rather than just stopping is simple: going without cholesterol treatment altogether puts your risk of a heart attack or stroke back up. It is worth a few weeks of getting it right.

What you need to do

Follow what your text message says: either stop the tablet for now, or keep taking it, but not a guess in between.
Book the blood test we have asked for.
Note when the ache is worst, whether it is both sides, and whether it is your thighs and upper arms or somewhere else. It genuinely helps.
Do not start anything new from a pharmacy or online without checking with us, as some products interact.

Contact us straight away if

the muscle pain or weakness is severe, or you cannot manage stairs or getting out of a chair;
your urine turns dark or cola-coloured, in which case stop the tablet and contact us the same day;
your skin or the whites of your eyes turn yellow.

Chest pain at rest, or sudden face, arm or speech changes: call 999.

More information

NHS.UKStatins: side effects and what to dochmg.co.uk/nhs-statins - opens their website HEART UKQuestions about statins, answeredchmg.co.uk/heartuk-statins - opens their website

Emergency? Chest pain at rest, or sudden face, arm or speech changes: call 999. Otherwise contact the practice.