Re: Statin Associated Myopathy

[Guest guest]

Hello everyone,

I have been researching Statins. They are wonder drugs to be sure for

most people. Yet, some people have troublesome side-effects with

muscle weakness and high CK levels. I remember at least one post here

whose muscle weakness was related to a statin.

Thanks, Barbara, (wheatchild2) for that great article you started me

out with - I post it again here.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/444385_print

Conclusion: (from the article)

Myalgias and cramps are the most common muscle-related side effects

reported with lipid-lowering drugs, although the overall frequency is

low (approximately 0.1%). The concomitant use of drugs such as

cyclosporine or erythromycin with nicotinic acid, fibrates, or statins

as well using a combination of lipid-lowering drugs increases the risk

of myotoxicity. Patients with uncontrolled hypothyroidism, muscle

coenzyme Q10 deficiency, muscle glycogenoses, or mitochondrial

cytopathies should not use these medications.

If a patient taking a lipid-lowering drug develops myopathy, the drug

should be discontinued. A trial of coenzyme Q10, 60 mg orally twice a

day for 2 months, may be considered in patients who were taking a

statin. If symptoms persist despite these interventions, a muscle

biopsy is probably indicated. The use of a lipid-lowering agent may

have unmasked an underlying condition. However, the myopathy might be

unrelated to the lipid-lowering drug. The list of conditions and

diseases that can cause muscle cramps, weakness, and elevated serum CK

levels is lengthy, even in those patients.

Some researchers are questioning if normal CK levels and muscle

weakness/pain is also due to statins.

PS is looking into this further- (G. Vladutiu is also

co-author of that article. I respect her a lot.)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?

cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12353945

Conclusion

CONCLUSION: Some patients who develop muscle symptoms while receiving

statin therapy have demonstrable weakness and histopathologic findings

of myopathy despite normal serum creatine kinase levels

This paper only talked about 4 patients. Histopathological can include

irregular muscle biopsy. It may be very rare, but worth looking into

for that rare person.

That is a PubMed source. Worth learning how to use. You can then

check " Related articles " in PubMed. Most of ' references are

in letters, but a Medical Library would have some of them. Definitely

worth checking into, IF your muscle problems got worse after taking a

statin or combination drugs for high cholesterol or triglycerides

(hyperlipedimia). (The long words in medicine always slay me. It

would be just as easy to use common words, but then it wouldn't be

quite as much of a mystery, now would it? ) Phillps is making a

connection between Impaired B-Oxidation of Fatty Acids and problems

with statins - mostly in patients whose triglycerides are high.

Interesting findings.

Any comments on statins from personal experience is welcome by me. I

am still gathering information so that I can discuss it with my doctor

next visit.

Best Regards

Sunny