Muscle Aches and Pains Are Not Caused by Statins in 90 Percent of Cases
Millions of Americans are prescribed statins, medications that help lower cholesterol and have been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Even though the medications have decades of safety and efficacy data behind them, many people decide never to fill the prescription, and it’s estimated that between 40 and 75 percent of people discontinue therapy within one year of starting it.So what’s the problem? It’s not access, as many statins are available in generic form. Instead, the most commonly cited reason for not taking a statin is the potential side effects, specifically muscle aches or pain, stiffness, or cramps.But a new study by researchers at Oxford Public Health suggests that statins are being unfairly blamed for aches and pains that they aren’t causing. In a review of…