Are statins safe for most people?
Statin Safety and Associated Adverse Events: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Most muscle aches on statins aren’t caused by the drug
Patients and doctors often assume statins cause muscle pain, but in randomized trials, the difference between statin and placebo groups is less than 1%—meaning most symptoms are likely psychological or due to other causes.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t stop your statin because of muscle aches without talking to your doctor—your symptoms may not be from the drug.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Most muscle aches on statins aren’t caused by the drug
Patients and doctors often assume statins cause muscle pain, but in randomized trials, the difference between statin and placebo groups is less than 1%—meaning most symptoms are likely psychological or due to other causes.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t stop your statin because of muscle aches without talking to your doctor—your symptoms may not be from the drug.
Publication
Journal
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
Year
2019
Authors
C. Newman, D. Preiss, J. Tobert, T. Jacobson, R. Page, L. Goldstein, Clifford Chin, Lisa R Tannock, Michael Miller, G. Raghuveer, P. B. Duell, E. Brinton, A. Pollak, L. Braun, F. Welty
Related Content
Claims (5)
For people who are supposed to take statins, the good stuff — like avoiding heart attacks and strokes — far outweighs the possible downsides, like muscle aches or other side effects.
Taking statins might slightly increase your chance of getting diabetes — about 1 in 500 people per year — especially if you already have a higher risk for diabetes.
Most muscle aches people get while on statins probably aren’t actually caused by the drug, since nearly the same number of people on sugar pills have them too.
If you're taking statins for cholesterol, the chance of getting a serious muscle problem like rhabdomyolysis is less than 1 in 1,000 — so it's very rare.
Taking statins doesn’t seem to actually cause memory problems, cancer, cataracts, nerve pain, erectile issues, or tendon problems, based on what we’ve seen so far.