Statins do cause muscle weakness, new alert admits
A special health alert has gone out to people taking cholesterol-lowering statins. Health regulators have finally admitted the drugs cause muscle weakness and can trigger a condition known as myasthenia gravis, a chronic problem that can be lifethreatening in the most severe cases.
People taking statin medications have been warned to look out for symptoms such as droopy eyelids, double vision and difficulty swallowing.
Seven of the top-selling statins have been included in the warning, with Lipitor (atorvastatin), Lipostat (pravastatin) and Mevacor (lovastatin) designated as the ones most likely to cause the problem. People taking other statins, such as Lescol (fluvastatin), Zocor (simvastatin), Crestor (rosuvastatin) and Livalo (pitivastatin), have also suffered from myasthenia gravis, says the UK’s drug regulator, the Medicines and…