Statins are generally very well tolerated and most people will not experience any side effects. For more specific information on side effects for a particular statin, see Medicines information.
Muscle effects
Statins can occasionally cause inflammation (swelling) and damage to your muscles. Speak to your doctor if you experience muscle pain, tenderness or weakness that cannot be explained (for example, not due to physical work).
Your doctor will carry out a blood test to measure a substance in your blood called creatinine kinase (CK), which is released into the blood when your muscles are inflamed or damaged. If the level of CK in your blood is more than five times the normal level, your doctor will advise you to stop taking the statin. Once your CK level has returned to normal, your doctor may suggest you start taking the statin again, but at a lower dose.
Common side effects
Up to 1 in 10 people may experience the following:
- gastrointestinal disorders, such as constipation, diarrhoea, dyspepsia (acid in the stomach) and flatulence (passing wind)
- headache
- insomnia (difficulty sleeping)
- myalgia (pain in the muscles) and arthralgia (pain in the joints)
- nausea (feeling sick)
Less common side effects
Up to 1 in 100 people may experience the following:
- loss of appetite
- myopathy (muscle damage)
- peripheral neuropathy (loss of sensation or pain in the nerve endings of the hands and feet)
- skin rash
- vomiting (being sick)
Rare and very rare side effects
Between 1 in 1,000 and 1 in 10,000 people may experience the following:
- dizziness
- hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)
- rhabdomyolysis, kidney damage caused by a substance caused myoglobin, which is released into the blood when a muscle is severely inflamed and damaged
