I am happy to finally have some good news – My muscles no longer hurt when I run. I’m a bit out of shape after a few weeks of very little exercise, but there is no doubt the pain, soreness and fatigue I have been feeling in my legs when I run is gone, and although I haven’t run more than 7 miles in the past two weeks I feel faster than I did a month ago.
The change is no doubt (well maybe there is still a hint of doubt) a result of my decision to stop taking a statin a little over two weeks ago. After months of pain, soreness and a lot of frustration, I decided to stop taking all of the pills I was taking (four, including metformin, aspirin, ACE Inhibitor and the statin).
I knew it was probably the statin that was responsible for the muscle pain I had but fed up with everything, I decided to just stop taking all of the pills and then, if the pain went away, I’d slowly add the others one by one.
Prescribed by my doctor to keep my LDL cholesterol under control (or under the level someone decided people with diabetes have to have = 100), I’ve been taking statins off and on for a long time. I wasn’t very good at taking my oral medications until a few months ago when I was scolded by my endo and GP for not keeping my cholesterol under control. So after the Milano Marathon I decided to make sure to take my statin every night.
The result, I think, was that my body did not recover well from the marathon. Between that and the problems the statin causes me, I kept feeling pain and soreness in my legs when I ran and sometimes when I was just sitting around. Even the small effort of pressing my foot down on the gas pedal while driving was causing leg pain.
This was a real blow to someone who needs to run both for physical and metal health. I was depressed and frustrated and didn’t know what to do.
I know my medical team will not take my decision well, but I don’t care. I have said goodbye to statins. For now, at least.
Your post sounds familiar, Michael. The safety profile of statins, particularly impacts on muscle, are concerning for many. Perhaps some of us are among a genetically at-risk subset. But, when I weigh out the risk-benefit of statins for myself, it does not make sense for me to use them. LDL is high at about 135 mg/dl, but HDL is also high and other cardiovascular risk factors are low. You may want to consider a more detailed assesment of your CV risk (See Liposcience.com for diagnostic details). All things considered, after insulin, I think regular exercise is the single best thing… Read more »