Statins are generally very well tolerated and most people will not experience any side effects.

However, statins can occasionally cause inflammation and damage to your muscles. You should speak to your doctor if you experience muscle pain, tenderness or weakness that can not be explained (for example, not due to physical work).

Your doctor will carry out a blood test to measure a substance in your blood called creatine kinase (CK) which is released into the blood when your muscles are inflamed or damaged. If the level of CK in your blood is more than five times the normal level then your doctor will advise that you to stop taking the statin. Once your CK level has returned to normal, your doctor may suggest you restart taking the statin but at a lower dose.

Common side effects (up to 1 out of 10 people) include:

• gastrointestinal disorders e.g. constipation, diarrhea, dyspepsia (acid in the stomach), flatulence (passing gas),
• headache,
• insomnia (difficulty sleeping),
• myalgia (pain in the muscles) and arthralgia (pain in the joints),
• nausea (feeling sick).

Uncommon side effects ( up to 1 out of 100 people) include:

• losing your appetite,
• myopathy (muscle damage),
• peripheral neuropathy (loss of sensation or pain in the nerve endings of the hands and feet),
• skin rash, and
• vomiting (being sick).

Rare side effects (up to 1 out of 1,000 people) and very rare side effects (up to 1 out of 10,000 people) include:

• dizziness,
• hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), and
• rhabdomyolosis (kidney damage caused by a substance caused myoglobin which is released into the blood when a muscle is severely inflamed and damaged).

Ability to drive

Statins are unlikely to affect your ability to drive. However, they may occasionally cause dizziness and if this affects you then you should not drive.