Statins are very effective
Around 7.6 million people in Germany took a statin every day in 2020. CSE inhibitors are very effective at lowering elevated blood lipids. They reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease such as a heart attack or stroke and are proven to be life-saving. With drugs like statins that have proven benefits, it’s important not to stop them immediately if milder adverse effects occur. A high cholesterol level does not hurt, but damages the blood vessels in the long run.
Muskelschmerzen as Nebenwirkung
Statins can have undesirable effects on the muscles. Muscle pain, particularly in the legs, occurs in 1 to 10 out of 100 people taking a statin – often in the first year of treatment or when the dose is increased. However, they are usually not serious and resemble a sore muscle.
Severe muscle damage is very rare. Muscle problems during statin therapy can also be triggered by a so-called nocebo reaction. This effect is the opposite of the well-known placebo effect.
Of imaginary (side) effects
- Placebo
- comes from Latin and means “I will please”. In the case of the placebo effect, a dummy drug also has a positive effect on symptoms of the disease.
- and plan,
- translated “I will harm”, describes the opposite effect. Negative expectations based on information from the package insert, media reports or previous experiences can lead to negative effects – even with a sham treatment.
Study results prove the nocebo effect
Muscle problems are often the reason why statins are rejected by patients. New findings now show that statins are often wrongly blamed for such complaints. Among other things, an im British Medical Journal published study: 200 participants received a statin or a dummy drug several times over a few weeks – without knowing what they were taking and when. In the periods of time, however, there were about the same number of muscle complaints. So they were probably mostly not a real side effect of the statins.
Rule out the nocebo effect
In the case of mild muscle complaints, doctors and those affected can clarify a few points and thus better assess whether it is a nocebo effect. Some examples:
- Clarify the temporal connection. Muscle pain often occurs in the first year of treatment or when the dose of statins has been increased.
- Rule out alternative causes. In most cases it will be a simple muscle soreness that will go away on its own after a few days. Muscle problems can also be caused by viral infections or various other diseases such as rheumatism.
- Checking Wechselwirkungen. The desirable and undesirable effects of statins can be compounded by other medications. Then the risk of muscle damage increases.
Patients who are taking statins and suspect side effects should talk to their doctor – for example, if muscle pain lasts longer than two days and is not due to physical activity.
Tipp: You can find detailed information about the benefits and risks of statins and a total of over 9,000 evaluated drugs in the drug database of Stiftung Warentest.