Statin Side-effects: Muscle pain and weakness

@rashida It's hard to know without a formal assay of your system's levels. There is a test, and it will cost you, to establish your body's interstitial and cellular levels of Mg. The blood test is not a great indicator...you need a special diagnostic called an RBC (red blood cell):
https://biologyinsights.com/how-to-check-your-magnesium-levels-what-the-results-mean/
But what if your Mg levels are already at the high end of the 'normal' range? Neither of us knows. Would jumping up to 200 mg make a difference? No, not if your kidneys are dealing comfortably with any excesses....which 'sound' kidneys will do, day after day. If you have marginal or poor kidney function, excesses of potassium (K) are most problematic, but Mg might pose a risk as well. So, I cannot answer your question with a simple 'Sure, go ahead and try it,' as it might be dangerous (not to mention I am not a doctor, and certainly not your doctor).

Most healthy people can take upwards of 400 mg of Mg daily and it won't affect them...they'll just pee it out. I know one person who mixes his own magnesium drinks because his kidneys dump it all. He ingests 1000 mg daily!! If he DOESN'T do that, he experiences more AF. I would strongly recommend you not take more than 400 mg daily, but only if you do know for sure your kidneys are robust and that you aren't already skirting around the highest recommended sustained levels in your blood serum.

Dont know but a friend of mine who is 73 said that” as we get older, our immune systems as we get older, gets older with us so statins really start doing damage as our immune systems get overloaded, ( weakness, tiredness and other side effects become more pronounced. He said to eat”Pecans instead of taking Atorvastain. They do the same thing without the side-effects.👍

@ginnyjm
I have been on a statin for over 10 years. Only until about 6 months ago did I start experiencing thigh muscle weakness, heaviness, and slight pain. I have been put on additional medications and wonder if those interactions had an affect of the statin interaction with my body.

Brought the complaint about my thigh muscle weakness, slight pain, etc. and was told by PCP to do more exercises to strengthen my thigh muscles. Did this and no change.

I described the feeling as like I had walked up a hill, or did 100 squats. The muscle in thigh upward gets so fatiqued and weak. Seems only to do with with walking or standing a long time. Biking does not cause it nor water aerobics. Seems the thigh muscles and exercise, movements for walking, etc. cause it.

Got my heart failure doctor working on this via a portal message

I was prescribed statins years ago and during this treatment my luscles got weak and ly legs became clumsy when walking to the point I fell twice with no bad consequences but it was due to the statins. I discontinued them and I told my physician that I was going to follow the Mediterranean diet, do exercises and no fats. As today I feel stronger and with God’s blessings my lipids are normal. Statins debilitate muscles no matter what the physicians say and remember the heart is a muscle too and the statins definitely must affect it too even the physicians say the opposite. Our brains need cholesterol to function properly and taking statins it depletes the cholesterol needed for brain function. Always ask your physician before doing anything different. My decision worked for me. Stay healthy and safe.

@naiviv thanks for your info! I’m seeing my cardiologist in June & will discuss it with him then. I’ve had osteopenia for years & my recent DEXA scan shows I’m now very close to osteoporosis. My dr wants me to start Prolia injections every 6 months for 2 years - now I’m wondering if statins could have caused that, too?! God gave us brains to make wise decisions & I’m trying to research all the facts!

I found if I stopped the statin for just a couple of days, I was better indicative of the statin causing the pain. Finally switched to Repatha without statin and cholesterol is in normal range and don’t have the muscle aches.

Yes, side effects from Statins can develop even after many years of uneventful use, and new symptoms like worsening leg pain and especially progressive weakness such as needing to use your arms to stand up can occur due to delayed statin-associated muscle problems, age-related increased sensitivity, interactions with other medications, or underlying issues like thyroid or vitamin deficiencies, and in rarer cases conditions like Statin-Induced Necrotizing Myopathy, so while many people do report similar late-onset problems that improve when the statin is adjusted or stopped, your level of weakness is significant enough that it should be evaluated promptly by a doctor with blood tests and a medication review to determine the cause and safest next steps.

I’m new to this website. I was diagnosed with statin induced necrotizing myopathy in Oct 2025. Since then I was under treatment of IVIG and prednisone plus Azathioprine. My legs are very weak. I’m still dealing with a lot weakness in my legs and arms. I fell twice, I tendons and biceps were torn. I just went through a rotator cuff surgery which made my mobility even 100 times worse. I was hospitalized last week for 4 days to start a new treatment plan which consist of steroids, IVIG infusion and Rituximab infusion. I’m still on high dose steroids. It has been 6 months with no improvement for me. Is there any other treatment option that worked for some other patients?! Or if somebody had the same treatment plan that I have and the outcome.
Mana

My husband had terrible leg pain and weakness on statins. His doctor put him on CQ10. In two days his leg pain and weakness was almost gone. It is OTC and was a miracle for him. Check with your doctor.

Thank you for the info. I will check it out for sure.