I have long warned against the dangers of taking statin drugs to reduce cholesterol—especially for those who can reduce cholesterol with the help of natural substances and lifestyle changes. But now there is even more reason for concern. New research has uncovered disturbing information that muscle damage is much more common among statin users than was previously known. If you take a statin, such as simvastatin (Zocor) or atorvastatin (Lipitor), you risk the breakdown of the muscles in your arms and legs and suffering myalgia (muscle aches and pain) or myopathy (a disease in which muscle fibers cease to function).

It is estimated that myalgia develops in 10% of statin users. Based on the patients I see, I believe the percentage is much higher. (Rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which muscles actually dissolve, is another potential consequence of statins, although this side effect is not as common as myalgia and myopathy.)

Researchers at University of Bern, Switzerland, and Tufts New England Medical Center, Boston, reported in Canadian Medical Association Journal that 57% of study participants suffered statin induced muscle damage. Some even had muscle damage after they had stopped taking the drugs. That same study also found that the blood test commonly used to measure muscle damage, creatine phosphokinase, was useless at picking up muscle damage caused by statins. The researchers used muscle biopsies to determine the damage. I find that the best way to detect muscle damage is to ask patients about their symptoms—and I suggest that you speak to your physician about your symptoms.

According to research published several years ago in Clinical and Investigative Medicine, microscopic signs of muscle damage often occur in people within one week of starting to take statins. I believe that statins exacerbate the normal age-related loss of muscle known as sarcopenia. In your 60s, you lose about 1% of muscle mass each year, and the percentage of muscle loss doubles with each subsequent decade. Who gets the majority of statin prescriptions? Middle-aged and elderly people—the very same people who are at the greatest risk for age-related muscle loss.

Remember, too, that the heart is your body’s most active muscle. It’s no surprise that there is a strong relationship between the use of statins and the development of cardiomyopathy, a life-threatening disease of the heart muscle.

NUTRIENTS THAT PROTECT YOUR MUSCLES

Several dietary supplement regimens can help protect muscles.

If you take a statin, then take the first two nutrients for as long as you are on the statin…

• Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). While reducing the body’s production of cholesterol, statins also interfere with the body’s manufacture of CoQ10, a vitamin-like nutrient. Many side effects of statins appear to be related to low levels of CoQ10. CoQ10 supplements can significantly reduce statin-induced muscle myopathy. Considerable research supports the use of CoQ10 in treating statin side effects. Take 100 milligrams (mg) to 200 mg of CoQ10 daily.

• Vitamin D. Vitamin D is needed for the normal synthesis of muscle tissue. Current medical thinking is that weak muscles, not weak bones, lead to most falls and fractures. Add statins to the picture, and connect the dots. Statins disrupt the biochemical process that makes vitamin D in your body, and it’s likely that statins will significantly increase the incidence of sarcopenia and fractures. Take at least 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily. Have your vitamin D level checked by a physician and take a higher dose if necessary.

If you have stopped taking a statin because of muscle pain, try either of the following (in addition to the two nutrients above)…

—If the muscle pain is bearable, try one or two of the supplements below for one month and then evaluate how you feel. If you still feel pain, try different supplements from the group below.

—For severe pain, take a more aggressive approach and use all the supplements below until your muscle pain subsides.

• Magnesium. Your body uses this essential mineral to help break down food and make adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the chemical form of energy in the body. Take 300 mg to 400 mg daily of magnesium citrate, aspartate or amino acid chelate.

• Amino acids. You need these protein building blocks to make muscle. Best: Take an amino acid supplement that contains eight to 10 amino acids. Most important amino acids to supplement: The three branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), which are L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine. Studies have shown that these supplements increase muscle synthesis in seniors. They are made by many companies. Take 5 grams (g) to 10 g daily of a multi–amino acid blend or 3 g daily of BCAAs.

• Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM). MSM supplements are rich in the sulfur and chemical methyl groups, both important building blocks of tissue and biochemicals. MSM supplements are a safe, natural anti-inflammatory that can help muscles recover from statin-related damage. Take 3,000 mg to 4,000 mg daily.

• Turmeric extract. Rich in curcumin, turmeric is an anti-inflammatory that aids muscle healing. Curcumin blocks dozens of different inflammatory processes in the body. Brand to try: Terry Naturally’s CuraMed (EuroPharmaUSA.com). Take 600 mg three times daily.

If you have muscle pain and continue to take a statin…

I believe that anyone taking a statin who experiences muscle pain should stop taking the statin (under a doctor’s supervision)—and I think that most conventional physicians would agree with me. If you do continue to take the statin, you can take all of the remedies described above indefinitely.