Warning over serious statins side effect as health chiefs urge patients taking cholesterol-busting pills to ‘be alert’ to potentially killer complication
- Seven types of statins have been linked to a muscle-weakening condition
- Patients should beware of drooping eyelids and double vision, the watchdog warned
Millions of Britons taking cholesterol-lowering drugs should be wary of a potentially deadly side effect, health chiefs have warned.
Seven types of statins, including all five distributed in Britain, have been linked to myasthenia gravis – a long-term muscle-weakening condition that can be life-threatening in severe cases.
Patients taking the once-a-day pill should watch out for symptoms such as drooping eyelids, double vision and difficulty swallowing, the medicines watchdog has warned.
Atorvastatin, sold under the brand name Lipitor, pravastatin (Lipostat) and lovastatin (Mevacor) – which reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes – are among the statins affected.
Cases of myasthenia gravis were also detected in patients taking fluvastatin (Lescol), simvastatin (Zocor), rosuvastatin (Crestor), and pitavastatin (Livalo).
Seven types of statin drugs have been linked to myasthenia gravis – a long-term muscle-weakening condition that can be life-threatening in severe cases
The new advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) states that a ‘very small number’ of cases of myasthenia gravis have been linked to statin use.
Around 8 million Britons take statins, which usually need to be taken to keep cholesterol low. The complication is thought to be ‘very rare’, the MHRA said.
Most patients who experienced the side effect recovered after they stopped taking the medication, but a minority continued to experience symptoms.
Some of those who restarted their medications or tried a different type of statin reported that their symptoms returned.
The MHRA told doctors to refer patients who experienced new-onset myasthenia gravis after starting statins to a neurology specialist.
And patients who already have the condition should monitor whether their symptoms worsen while taking the medications.
Patients may need to stop taking statins depending on their individual benefits and risks, the watchdog said.
Statins work by lowering the levels of ‘bad’ low-density lipoprotein (LDL) produced by the liver.
Too much LDL cholesterol can lead to atherosclerosis (when the arteries harden and narrow), heart attacks, strokes and heart disease.
Britons who have been diagnosed with a form of cardiovascular disease or those with a family history of the condition may be recommended the drug.
Headache, nausea and diarrhea are known mild side effects of statin use. But the MHRA warning adds myasthenia gravis to the list.
The condition usually weakens the muscles that control the eyes, eyelids, facial expressions, chewing, swallowing and speaking.
Difficulty making facial expressions, slurred speech, weak shortness of breath are among the most common symptoms.
Medicines to increase muscle strength and surgery to remove a small gland in the chest that has been linked to myasthenia gravis may be offered to relieve symptoms.
Although the condition does not affect life expectancy for most people, it can be life-threatening if the muscles needed for breathing become weakened.