Doctors prescribe statin drugs to lower cholesterol. Researchers believe that blood cholesterol readings over 200 mg/dl increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. When statin drugs were first released, the adverse side effects of long-term statin use were unknown; the preliminary indications were that the drugs were generally considered safe. However, the FDA approves medications based on short-term studies. As more patients take statin drugs for longer periods of time, potentially serious side effects of long-term statin use have emerged. Never stop your medication abruptly, but talk to your doctor if you're experiencing any side effects.
Muscle Weakness
Muscle weakness is one of the most common adverse side effects from long-term statin use. Patients may feel an ache across the shoulders, legs or back. Neuropathy, or nerve pain, may accompany muscle weakness. Among the various statin side effects, muscle weakness is the most common. The FDA estimates that 1 percent to 5 percent of patients taking statin drugs over a long period of time will develop muscle problems.
Rhabdomyolysis or Muscle Pain
The longer statin drugs are used, the greater the chance that rhabdomyolysis sets in. In rhabdomyolysis, muscle fibers are broken down by the body and excreted through the urine. Symptoms include worsening pain and strangely colored urine. The urine may turn reddish brown; some people say the color looks like cola. Kidney damage or failure may occur. This is an extremely serious side effect and can lead to death.
Memory Loss
Many people taking statin drugs think they're also developing Alzheimer's disease. The truth is that one of the long-term adverse reactions to statin drugs is memory loss. Usually, such side effects set in within 60 days of starting statin drugs, but in some people the short-term memory loss only grows noticeable when they're taking statin drugs over a longer period of time. Mood swings and behavior changes have also been reported.
Liver Damage
The most serious long-term side effect of statin drugs is potential liver damage. Statin drugs not only affect cholesterol levels, but they also affect liver enzymes. Over a long period of time, they may damage the liver. Additional stress on the liver from muscle fibers filtered out of the body through rhabdomyolysis, or the breakdown of muscle tissue, may also add to the cumulative liver damage.
