The life-changing side effects of statins you really need to know about
Statins users should be aware of some of the less pleasant side effects associated with the use of the medicine, according to health chiefs.
While most people will experience mild symptoms related to taking the drug, some will experience a greater effect on their health and in rare cases will suffer long-term conditions which could be life-changing, according to the NHS. The mild effects can include headaches, dizziness, feeling sick, feeling unusually tired or physically weak, problems with the digestive system, such as constipation, diarrhoea, indigestion or flatulence, and they can also include having muscle pain and problems with sleeping.
Statins can cause a long-term condition called myasthenia gravis (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Statins are medicines that can help lower the level of "bad cholesterol" produced inside the liver. And just as with all medicines, they can cause side effects, with most people who experience them not having any real problems. But there are more serious conditions that can result from taking them, such as vomiting, problems with memory, hair loss, pins and needles, hepatitis, skin problems and in the more serious cases, muscle weakness, called myopathy, problems with tendons and loss of sensation in the nerves.
And the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), recently warned that they had heard of a very small number of reports of a rare long-term condition which causes muscle weakness – myasthenia gravis. This condition can commonly be identified by drooping eyelids, double vision, difficulty with facial expressions, problems chewing and difficulty swallowing, slurred speech, weak arms, legs or neck and shortness of breath. It can affect people of any age, typically starting in women under 40 and men aged over 60.
There are a number of drugs within the statins group that are issued in the UK and are taken by millions of people to help cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes – atorvastatin, fluvastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin – which have been identified as carrying the risk of this condition. Rosuvastatin has also been linked with an increased risk Type 2 diabetes.
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Most of those who developed symptoms of myasthenia gravis recovered after they stopped taking the drug, but a small number continued to suffer. And some of those who tried a different type of statin or restarted their medication found the symptoms came back.
The number of suspected cases of myasthenia gravis were "very small", with just 10 cases reported to the MHRA in the last three decades. The people who were affected were in their 60s, on average, and no cases were fatal. Most patients started to display symptoms between a few days and three months after starting to take the statins.
And with Rosuvastatin, a study in the British Medical Journal found 7.2 percent on the drug got Type 2 diabetes compared to 5.3 percent taking atorvastatin. It concluded that “further dedicated investigation with longer follow-up is warranted”.
Study author Prof Myeong-Ki Hong, of Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, said: “Rosuvastatin was associated with lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels."
In all cases of experiencing side effects from statins, it is important to talk to a healthcare professional and always read the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with the medicine. However, do not stop taking the medicine without talking to your doctor first.
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