Are Physically Active Individuals Taking Statins at Increased Risk for Myopathy?

Statin drugs are generally well tolerated in most patients. A limited number of studies have been published that look at the relationship of skeletal muscle injury in patients who take statin medications and exercise compared with taking statin medications without exercise. To date, the sample size of these studies is small, but there appears to be evidence to show that statin medications may exacerbate exercise-induced skeletal muscle injury. In addition, a study of professional athletes with familial hypercholesterolemia showed that 16 of 22 athletes could not tolerate statin medications. Patients with dyslipidemia who experience muscle pain and discomfort may be less likely to be compliant with their medication and/or physical activity regimens. Educating patients to recognize the signs and symptoms of medication-induced myopathy versus exercise-induced muscle soreness is an important counseling topic for health care providers.