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Side effects of statin drugs for lowering cholesterol
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Statin drugs, which include mevacor, pravachol, lipitor and crestor, block the synthesis of cholesterol in the liver and effectively lower the LDL (bad) cholesterol. These drugs demonstrate impressive efficacy in reducing cardiovascular disease and mortality, and are used by millions of patients. However, as expected for such widely used drugs, there have been reports of side effects.
Most statin-related side effects are relatively minor and often go away as the patient adjusts to the medication. These side effects include muscle pain, usually in the back, legs or jaw, nausea, diarrhea and constipation.
More serious side effects of statins may include liver abnormalities and muscle damage. Statins elevate liver enzymes in approximately one percent of patients, usually within the first few months of therapy. Elevated liver enzymes are usually not associated with any symptoms, and are reversible upon discontinuation of the statin. However, this side effect has raised concerns about statin-induced liver failure, since occasional, but rare reports of liver failure have appeared.
In rare cases, statin-induced muscle breakdown can lead to release of muscle contents in the blood stream and development of rhabdomyolysis, or rhabdo for short. If severe and undetected, rhabdo may cause kidney failure and death. The major symptoms of rhabdo include profound muscle pain and bloody urine. Rhabdo occurs in one in ten thousand patients taking statins,
Expert groups such as the American Heart Association agree that the benefits of statins far outweigh the risks for the vast majority of patients.
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