Patients taking atorvastatin twice as likely to report muscle pain

A study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session showed myalgia, muscle pain, was twice as likely to be reported in patients taking atorvastatin than those taking a placebo.
Statins are effective at reducing LDL cholesterol levels in the blood and are taken as a preventative measure against heart disease and stroke. Muscle aches are one of the side effects associated with statin use.
The trial involved over 400 patients, 203 took 80mg of atorvastatin daily and 217 patients took a placebo. Participants were a 50/50 split between genders, were middle aged and healthy. Of the patients taking statins, 23 patients reported muscle symptoms compared with 10 in the placebo group. The study involved a rigorous definition of myalgia to ensure muscle pain was not associated with activities such as exercise. To confirm a link, the study looked at whether symptoms ended after stopping treatment and reoccurred when treatment was re-started.
Whilst no significant difference in muscle strength or aerobic activity was observed between statin use and placebo in the study, Dr Parker of the department of preventive cardiology at Hartford Hospital noted, “It is worth noting that, regarding myalgic outcomes, we saw significant decreases in many strength variables in the myalgic patients in the atorvastatin group. However, how specific this is to myalgia and statins remains unclear.”