Statin and muscle pain NOT cause and effect
 

A new study published in Lancet, one of the world's leading journals, reviewed all the published data on statins and muscle pain. You can read the original study, no paywall.

HERE

The simple summary of the findings, looking at a series a studies all of which had over 1000 patients each and lasted at least 2 years:

Those on statins are very slightly more likely to have muscle complaints than those on a fake drug, about 1 in 100 patients. 27.1% of statin users complained of muscle symptoms. But 26.6% of people NOT taking a statin had those same complaints over an average of over 4 years of follow up. Almost all the difference is during the first three months of statin use and more common with intense medication [higher dose].

Take home message is that you should not be avoiding statins because of muscle complaints. You should not be automatically blaming statins if you have aches as they are so very common in all of us.

The study concluded that the known benefits of statins on cardiovascular health far outweighed the small increase in muscle pain or weakness.

Now one note of caution. This Lancet article reviewed clinical trials of statins. It is almost always true that entry into a clinical trial requires that the participant pass some screening criteria. I did not review the many studies included. It is however likely that exclusion criteria may have included taking multiple other drugs, uncontrolled diabetes, renal or liver failure etc. So this conclusion that statins have minimal impact on muscle complaints should be limited to the range of patients that were able to participate in the statin studies.

I am sure that several people are going to be here absolutely certain that their pain was statin induced and that they are "allergic" to statins. No way could your pain be the result of age or activity or serendipity because you got better when you stopped and got pain again when you tried another statin. Argue with the authors and the data. Do what you think is best for you. I am just the messenger of this important contribution to the medical literature.

Statins are the most miserable pill in existence. Took months to get that. Poison out of my system. Studies are pharma ads.

[QUOTE=blueash;2131223]A new study published in Lancet, one of the world's leading journals, reviewed all the published data on statins and muscle pain. You can read the original study, no paywall.

HERE

The simple summary of the findings, looking at a series a studies all of which had over 1000 patients each and lasted at least 2 years:

Those on statins are very slightly more likely to have muscle complaints than those on a fake drug, about 1 in 100 patients. 27.1% of statin users complained of muscle symptoms. But 26.6% of people NOT taking a statin had those same complaints over an average of over 4 years of follow up. Almost all the difference is during the first three months of statin use and more common with intense medication [higher dose].

Take home message is that you should not be avoiding statins because of muscle complaints. You should not be automatically blaming statins if you have aches as they are so very common in all of us.

The study concluded that the known benefits of statins on cardiovascular health far outweighed the small increase in muscle pain or weakness.

Now one note of caution. This Lancet article reviewed clinical trials of statins. It is almost always true that entry into a clinical trial requires that the participant pass some screening criteria. I did not review the many studies included. It is however likely that exclusion criteria may have included taking multiple other drugs, uncontrolled diabetes, renal or liver failure etc. So this conclusion that statins have minimal impact on muscle complaints should be limited to the range of patients that were able to participate in the statin studies.

[QUOTE=Babubhat;2131229]Statins are the most miserable pill in existence. Took months to get that. Poison out of my system. Studies are pharma ads.

Yep, they can cherry pick participants to get desired results.

Some years ago my wife was on zocor and developed leg pains.

Remembered reading about this as a side effect and we told Dr about her pains and he immediately switched her to lipitor and the pain went away and has stayed away.

That is a completely untrue statement. Unlike many other facets of our lives, medical studies can NOT cherry pick their participants. They have to report exactly what the criteria was to include and exclude participants. The profiles are reviewed by institutional boards, journal editors, and printed very clearly in the study for your edification, if you are capable of reading the material.

The statin studies, again I did not read them, but would have had as inclusion requirements that patients had elevated lipid profiles for which taking a statin might be of benefit. It would perforce include men and women, all races if done on a population that is not homogenous.

So everyone is included in the study who might in the real world take statins except those where some other condition would disqualify. If you so distrust medicine please don't avail yourself of any product made by a major pharmaceutical company or approved by the FDA. Stick with only those things made by unregulated businesses. Have your surgery done with unapproved anesthesia and use untested materials to fix your problems. Please, see only healers who have not gone to rigorous intensive schools for their training. Please do not trust your healing to people who understand medicine and believe in science as a method to test and examine what does or does not actually work.

Learn how science and medicine work, how self correcting it is, how any paper or approach is always subject to alternative approaches and re-examination. This does not mean that medicine is always right at this or any moment. But it will find its errors, and it will find better methods. Because people are always retesting, refining, and improving with the goal of improving health outcomes.

All generics are not created equal
 

Been on a Lipitor generic for years. Doing fine. Except for one bout with a new-to-the-game generic Lipitor. My numbers went haywire, but I had not been doing anything differently. I did have a few aches that I had never had before, but as soon as I saw the numbers, I tracked down the previous generic, switched back, and everything was fine again.

I do not think all generics are created equal. I suspect quality control varies a lot........

and DAW does not do much good because the pharmacists often cannot locate the branded or if they do, it costs a fortune.

Pharmacists are pretty much held hostage by the contracts their employers, the big box drugstores, negotiate with the wholesalers. Those contracts change on a regular basis; therefore, the generic versions you get can change.

I will continue to take a statin. The numbers show they work for me, but I will continue to pay attention to which generic I am getting.

Boomer

Hmmmm........are night time wake you out of your sleep leg cramps the same as 'muscle pain' in those studies? Never had them 'til I started on statins - potassium level is great - as are cholesterol numbers w/statin and the rest of blood work numbers, too!

Crestor, the poison that caused my life to be worse than hell. I guess it’s muscles but it felt like my tendons stretching beyond their limits.. toes, feet , and hands contorted into positions they shouldn’t ever be. I personally believe statins are not for everyone..

Take CoQ10

Well, as Mark Twain once observed, ‘There are three kinds of untruths. Lies, damned lies and statistics”.

My own experience: simvastatin made me feel like I was run over by a bus. Pravastatin doesn’t.

Been on Pravastatin for over 30years.
Still here, and had no problems with it at all.

Guess statins are not for everyone but they do seem to work for me and my wife

There are biases in every study whether recognized or not. Family member began taking statins years ago and cholesterol was lowered so Dr issued RX to continue the med. Pharmacist asked patient if any aches and pains were bothering them. Patient mentioned shoulders and arms were very painful. Pharmacist sent patient back to Dr. for labs, liver enzymes were way off. Three different statins were attempted, same result every time.

As an aside, three male friends on a certain medication all developed myelogenous leukemia and expired. Coincidence? (This medication was not a statin.)

I have a bridge to sell you. Dig deeper. Drug trials are paid for by the pharmaceutical company producing the drug. The doctors running the trials ? Look up Dr Sinatra. The CDC has a board of doctors who agree or disagree on administering drugs or vaccines they feel are safe to the public. Research how the majority voted no recently on a few but were ignored and the drugs were made available to public. The FDA allows and has increased arsenic and heavy metals in baby food while other countries don’t allow it. No one knows the short term or long term effects of Covid vaccines but you can’t sue the drug companies. What’s going on here? Those of you who still believe the federal government protects and serves the people better wake up.I could go on and on but why waste my time.

Hoping a physician will notice this thread and give their opinion