The statin drugs make my legs ache...why?

Myopathy: You may be having muscle pains as a side effect of the station drugs. This is fairly common. Talk to your doctor about switching to another medication. Some statin drugs are less likely to cause this side effect. You could also try co-q 10 with your statin which may help the muscles. Talk to your doctor more about what to.

Known side effect: The statin class of medications lower cholesterol by inhibiting hmg coa reductase. At the same time, these medications also inhibit the formation of coenzyme q10, a necessary mitochondrial antioxidant. Some believe that low levels of coq10 can predispose some to muscle aches. Some studies suggest that extra coq10 can alleviate this but strength of evidence isn't very strong. Try different statin.

It's probably geneti: Aching muscles occur in less than 10% of patients on statin drugs. This usually resolves after discontinuation of the drug. Some statins may be more likely than others to cause muscle symptoms. Long term muscle damage is rare. Patients with abnormal kidney function and the elderly may be more susceptible. A change of drug to intermittent use may improve symptoms. Talk to your prescribing md.