We’ve written so much about statins and the damage they do (irrespective of lowering one’s cholesterol or not) and it seems as if the topic is a never-ending source of discussion and debate.

In the past two weeks I’ve heard from many of our regular readers all with the same concern: Muscle pain. And yes, all of those writing in are using statins.

Here’s what some of you have said:

Jill: ‘Since taking Simvastatin I have experienced muscle pain in the lower legs, is there anything I can do to relieve the pains?’

Mick: ‘I experienced severe muscle pain – stop taking the tablets and go on a totally fat free diet with plenty of porridge.’

Judy: ‘I have been on Lipitor for some years now and I have been taking Co-Enzyme Q10 to replace what the statins deplete. However, I have experienced upper arm and shoulder pain for some time, which has recently become much worse, keeping me awake at nights. How can this be overcome?’

And the list goes on but the complaints and concerns are all the same.

Statins and muscle pain

For some of us the use of statins is a necessary evil and those taking it know that they are not free from side effects. Statins are well known to induce muscle pain (myalgia) and this appears to have at least some relationship with the fact that they deplete the body of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). In fact, CoQ10 therapy has been found to be an effective treatment for reversing the side effects of statin drugs.

Another cause of muscular pain is vitamin D deficiency. A recent US study at the Cholesterol Centre, Jewish Hospital of Cincinnati looked at the relationship between vitamin D levels and myalgia in more than 600 individuals taking statins.

Some of the study subjects had myalgia, and others had no symptoms of muscle pain. Low blood levels of vitamin D were found in 64 per cent of patients with myalgia, compared to 43 per cent of symptom-free individuals. In those with myalgia, blood vitamin D levels were generally lower (28.6 versus 34.2 ng/ml – nano-grams per millilitre). An optimum level of vitamin D in a person enjoying good health, would be 45-55 ng/ml.

During the study some of the myalgic patients with vitamin D deficiency were treated with vitamin D at a dose of 50,000 IU each week for 12 weeks. Vitamin D levels rose from an average of 20 ng/ml to an average of 48 ng/ml. But perhaps most importantly, after vitamin D treatment 92 per cent of the individuals treated reported myalgia to have disappeared.

In an earlier study in 2008 by Dr. Barton Duell from the Oregon Health & Science University in the US, similar results transpired in an effort to determine whether vitamin D deficiency may contribute to symptoms of myalgia in 99 patients. In this study Dr. Duell concluded that while vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with risk of cardiovascular disease , statin-associated myalgias were more commonly related to vitamin D deficiency. Dr. Duell also said vitamin D deficiency either leads to statin-induced myalgias or may cause drug-unrelated myalgias in a subset of patients taking statins.

It is perhaps an argument for individuals having their vitamin D levels assessed, particularly if they did not respond to CoQ10 therapy for their myalgic symptoms.

Related Reading:

Tug of War Over Cancer-risk In Patients Using Statins

Crestor : The Super Strong Statin Drug

Sources:

Study suggests vitamin D deficiency can be the cause of muscle pain in statin-treated individuals’ by Dr. Briffa, published online 07.04.09, drbriffa.com

‘Statin-Associated Myalgia Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency: Presented at AHA’ by Lexa W. Lee, published online 12.11.08, docguide.com

‘Supplementation with vitamin D may reverse statin induced myalgia in vitamin D deficient patients’ published online 06.04.09, bioticsresearch.com

---

Disclaimer: Bear in mind the material contained in this article is provided for information purposes only. We are not addressing anyone’s personal situation. Please consult with your own physician before acting on any recommendations contained herein.

---