What side effects should I expect from cholesterol lowering medication?

What side effects should I expect from cholesterol lowering medication?

Rose Marie Robertson, MD, FAHA, FACC, FESC (Chief Science Officer and Past President of the Board of American Heart Association) gives expert video advice on: How soon will I start to feel better after taking heart medication? and more...

Many cholesterol lowering medications can be taken with no side effects at all, and in fact, these days it's very common for us to be able to really perfectly well control cholesterol levels and have the patient really have no sense that they're taking a pill at all. That's particularly true of the statins, which in most people have no side effects. However, there are a couple of side effects that you should be aware of because they can be important. A few people who take statins will have problems with muscle pain, and that muscle pain can turn into a serious problem because you can actually have muscle cells be sufficiently damaged that they release what's called myeglobin. If that myeglobin rises to high enough levels, it can damage the kidneys. So, developing muscle pain after you've been started on a statin is a reason to call your physician on that day. If you develop dark urine, a dark color to the urine after you've started a statin or after the dose has been increased, that would be a reason to stop taking the statin long enough to call your physician, and ask for advice. With statins, occasionally liver function tests, blood tests that we measure, can go up, but in most cases they will come back down again without really any change. Still, blood tests need to be checked. Now there are other cholesterol lowering medications and they have different kinds of side effects, potentially. Again, many people take them without any side effects at all. Some of the medications can cause some nausea, constipation or symptoms in the GI tract. Others, particularly niacin, can cause flushing, a feeling of heat and redness. Again, many of these side effects either will disappear over time or can be managed. But, it's important to let your physician know if you develop any side effects with the medicine because we would like to find a regimen that makes your levels perfect without having you have to suffer side effects. We certainly want to be certain that you don't suffer any side effects that would cause you any serious problem.