New Report: Risk of Cholesterol Drugs

How will history judge me for questioning the benefits of cholesterol-lowering drugs (CLDs)? I’ll never know. But a report in the British Medical Journal that studied 226,000 people taking (CLDs) now says that the side effect of muscle and back pain may be more frequent than originally believed. For instance, muscle pain and weakness occurred in up to one-third of patients, with moderate or severe muscle pain in 100 to 300 women. Severe muscle pain is a worrying symptom as it may be the prelude to rhabdomyolysis. This is a life-threatening condition where a large amount of muscle tissue is destroyed, causing kidney failure. This complication occurs in about one in 10,000 patients. So if muscle pain develops it should be reported immediately to the doctor.