How long does statin induced myopathy last?
For most patients, myopathy symptoms induced by statin therapy resolve relatively quickly; however, the results of the PRIMO study showed that it may take up to 2 months for resolution of symptoms.
Will statin myopathy go away?
Statin-associated myopathy or myalgia is a well-known side effect of lipid-lowering agents. Usually, after discontinuation of the drug, symptoms alleviate and patients may be re-challenged with another statin. However, in rare cases, symptoms of myalgia do not subside after statins are discontinued.
How do you treat necrotizing myopathy?
Treatment includes high-dose corticosteroids, early administration of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), plasmapheresis, and immunotherapy with methotrexate, mzathioprine, rituximab, cyclophosphamide, and mycophenolate mofetil, addressing the underlying cause if any.
Which statins are associated with myopathy?
Certain statins are associated with a higher incidence of myopathy. Bruckert et al used pravastatin as a reference and demonstrated that atorvastatin and simvastatin were associated with higher incidences of myopathy, whereas fluvastatin XL was associated with a lower incidence.
How do you reverse statin induced myopathy?
Currently, the only effective treatment of statin-induced myopathy is the discontinuation of statin use in patients affected by muscle aches, pains and elevated CK levels.
What does statin myopathy feel like?
Symptoms of statin-induced myopathy During the advanced stage of the disease, the muscles of the feet and hands can be affected. Common complaints, especially in the lower body, include: cramps. heaviness.
Is statin muscle damage reversible?
The damage is typically reversible once the person stops taking the statin. More rarely still, a severe type of muscle damage called rhabdomyolysis may occur, in an estimated 23 in 100,000 people taking this type of drug per year.
Do statins cause muscle wasting?
The side effects most commonly associated with statin use involve muscle cramping, soreness, fatigue, weakness, and, in rare cases, rapid muscle breakdown that can lead to death. Often, these side effects can become apparent during or after strenuous bouts of exercise.
Can you get permanent muscle damage from statins?
Very rarely, statins can cause life-threatening muscle damage called rhabdomyolysis (rab-doe-my-OL-ih-sis). Rhabdomyolysis can cause severe muscle pain, liver damage, kidney failure and death. The risk of very serious side effects is extremely low, and calculated in a few cases per million people taking statins.
How long can you live with necrotizing myopathy?
For dermatomyositis, polymyositis, and necrotizing myopathy, the progression of the disease is more complicated and harder to predict. More than 95 percent of those with DM, PM, and NM are still alive more than five years after diagnosis.
Is necrotizing myopathy curable?
The condition is characterized by signs of necrosis, or cell death, in the muscles, which causes weakness and fatigue. As with other types of myositis, there is no known cause or cure for necrotizing myopathy. However, treatments are available that can successfully manage symptoms.
What does muscle necrosis feel like?
The first symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis may not seem serious. Your skin may become warm and red, and you may feel as if you’ve pulled a muscle. You may even feel like you simply have the flu. You can also develop a painful, red bump, which is typically small.
Which statin causes less myopathy?
These statins, including atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor) and fluvastatin (Lescol), are more likely to cause muscle aches. The hydrophilic statins, including rosuvastatin (Crestor) and pravastatin (Pravachol), have to be actively transported and cause fewer muscle aches.
Why do statins cause myopathy?
Recently, a new etiopathogenetic mechanism has been proposed, in which the immune system also plays a role. This is the case of immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy and antibodies against HMGCR, the enzyme that is usually upregulated by statins.
What is necrotizing myopathy?
Definition. Necrotizing autoimmune myopathy (NAM) is a rare form of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy characterized clinically by acute or subacute proximal muscle weakness, and histopathologically by myocyte necrosis and regeneration without significant inflammation.
What can be taken instead of statins?
7 cholesterol-lowering alternatives to statins
- Fibrates. Mostly used for lowering triglyceride levels in patients whose levels are very high and could cause pancreatitis. …
- Plant stanols and sterols. …
- Cholestyramine and other bile acid-binding resins. …
- Niacin. …
- Policosanol. …
- Red yeast rice extract (RYRE) …
- Natural products.
Is statin myopathy permanent?
The injury is dose dependent and reversible after withdrawing the drug, with most recovery of symptoms occurring within 23 months (3). However, a different form of statin myopathy has been identified in recent years.
Can you take vitamin D with statins?
Conclusion. Vitamin D status may be considered a modifiable risk factor for muscle-related adverse effects of statins, and supplementation of vitamin D (particularly when 20 ng/mL) may improve statin tolerance.
Do statins make you age faster?
Statins do have side effects, all medication does to some extent. And some of those side effects reported could also be deemed to be signs of premature aging. Memory loss and weakness or fatigue are both listed under ‘uncommon side effects’ on the NHS website.
Why was Crestor taken off the market?
As you are aware, on March 4th of this year, we petitioned the FDA to ban the recently-marketed cholesterol-lowering drug rosuvastatin (Crestor/AstraZeneca) because of seven post-marketing cases of life-threatening rhabdomyolysis and nine cases of renal failure or renal insufficiency, both of which problems had also …
What are the symptoms of statin induced myopathy?
Symptoms of statin induced myopathy include fatigue, muscle pain, muscle tenderness, muscle weakness, nocturnal cramping, and tendon pain. The muscle symptoms tend to be proximal, generalised, and worse with exercise.
Why Lipitor is bad for you?
High doses of Lipitor can increase the risk of statin toxicity, which can lead to potential side effects. Statin toxicity typically presents with symptoms such as muscle pain, muscle weakness, and muscle inflammation with elevated levels of creatine kinase (CK) in the blood, an enzyme muscles use to store energy.
At what age should you stop statins?
Statins are drugs that lower your cholesterol. But if you are age 75 or older and you haven’t had symptoms of heart disease, statins may be a bad idea. Here’s why: Adults age 75 and older may not need statins.
How long before statin side effects appear?
In most cases, if you’re going to have muscle pain from statins, you will notice it as soon as you start taking the medication. If you can tolerate the discomfort, it’s a good idea to keep taking the statin as prescribed for at least 2 to 3 weeks. The side effect may go away after your body gets used to the medication.

Graduated from ENSAT (national agronomic school of Toulouse) in plant sciences in 2018, I pursued a CIFRE doctorate under contract with Sun’Agri and INRAE in Avignon between 2019 and 2022. My thesis aimed to study dynamic agrivoltaic systems, in my case in arboriculture. I love to write and share science related Stuff Here on my Website. I am currently continuing at Sun’Agri as an R&D engineer.