I know many people who take medications for lowering their cholesterol. Some of them complain of a non specific muscle aches. Now there seems to be a definite proof that these muscle pains may be caused by the interaction of Statins (a class of cholesterol lowering drugs) with other medications a person might be taking. Here is an article on that subject published in a New York Times' Well blog recently;
People who use statin drugs to lower their cholesterol sometimes
complain of muscle pain and soreness. But a new study suggests that in
some cases these side effects may be a result of combining statins with
other medications.
The research found that people taking statins had double the risk of
muscle pain when they were prescribed various other drugs, and often
these side effects were what prompted people to stop taking statins.
People in the study who quit using statins because they could not
tolerate them were, on average, taking as many as three other drugs that
could increase the risk of side effects.
Statins are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the world and used
by roughly 20 million Americans to reduce the risk of heart attacks and
stroke. But the new research suggests that doctors and pharmacists may
need to do a better job of managing the medications that are prescribed
in combination with them. (Complete Article)
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