What Are the Side Effects of Stopping Statins Suddenly?

Key Takeaways

If you stop taking statins, it can lead to high cholesterol levels within a few weeks, putting you at a greater risk of heart attack and stroke. Talk to your doctor before stopping statins.
Statins can cause side effects such as muscle aches, cramps, weakness, and fatigue. Taking statins can slightly increase the risk of high blood sugar and developing diabetes.
If you have side effects, talk to your doctor before stopping statins, lowering the dose, or trying another statin.

Statins, also called HMG-CoA (hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA) reductase inhibitors, are a group of medications that are used to lower cholesterol levels, specifically low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which is the “bad” cholesterol. Taking statins can reduce your risk of heart disease and cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.

In some circumstances, it's necessary to stop taking statins. If you experience muscle pains or other side effects that won’t go away after the first few weeks, your doctor may recommend stopping the medication. It’s important to talk to your doctor before you stop statins to avoid a dangerous increase in cholesterol levels over time. This could result in a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. Your doctor may recommend lowering your statin dose, switching to a different statin, or taking a different medication for cholesterol (non-statin cholesterol-lowering drug).

Please continue reading to learn about the side effects of discontinuing statin use.

What happens if you stop taking statins cold turkey?

You won't experience any withdrawal effects if you stop taking statins cold turkey or gradually. However, stopping statin can lead to high cholesterol levels within a few weeks, putting you at a greater risk of heart attack and stroke.

This is especially true if you have a history of stroke or heart attack. Studies have shown that stopping statin treatment 3-6 months after an ischemic stroke is associated with an increased risk of recurrent stroke within a year of stopping statin therapy.

Never stop taking a statin medication without talking to your healthcare provider first. Your provider may recommend lowering your statin dose, switching to a different statin, or other treatment options (non-statin drugs) for lowering cholesterol.

How long does it take to detox from statins?

Cholesterol levels usually return to pre-treatment levels a few weeks to a few months after stopping statins, depending on lifestyle modifications. Side effects of statins usually go away within a few weeks of taking the last dose.

How long does it take for muscle pain to go away after stopping statins?

Muscle pain usually goes away within 1-2 weeks of stopping statins. If you continue to have side effects such as muscle aches, cramps, or weakness, tell your doctor. There may be some other reason for your symptoms.

Why should statins be stopped?

Most people tolerate statin drugs without serious side effects. However, some people may need to stop taking statins due to:

Muscle problems

Statins can cause side effects such as muscle aches, cramps, weakness, and fatigue. Up to 20% of patients cannot tolerate statins due to muscle symptoms. Reducing the statin dose or switching to a different statin may help.

While mild muscle pain associated with statin therapy is common, on rare occasions, it can lead to more serious muscle problems. If you have severe muscle pains from taking statins, your doctor may check your creatine kinase (CK) level. If your CK is elevated, it may be a sign of rhabdomyolysis, a rare but potentially life-threatening adverse effect of statin. In this case, you will need to stop taking statins.

Increased blood sugar

Taking statins can slightly increase the risk of high blood sugar and developing diabetes, especially in people with prediabetes. This is because statins can prevent insulin from working properly. However, the cardiovascular benefits of statins often outweigh the slight increase in diabetes risk, particularly in high-risk individuals. Healthcare providers recommend statin therapy for many people, both with and without diabetes, because the benefits outweigh the risks. As mentioned, statins help to lower bad cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Other reasons for stopping statin medication altogether may include:

Elevated liver enzymes, signaling liver inflammation and liver damage.
Reduced need for taking statins due to lifestyle changes such as a heart-healthy diet, regular exercise, and a healthy weight.
Pregnancy: There isn’t enough data on the safety of statins during pregnancy.
Concerns about statins and dementia risk.

The decision to stop statins should always be made in consultation with a healthcare provider based on individual risk factors and health status.

What are statins?

Statins are lipid-lowering drugs that are used to control high cholesterol. The following statins are FDA-approved in the U.S.:

Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
Simvastatin (Zocor, Flolipid)
Fluvastatin (Lescol)
Lovastatin (Mevacor, Altoprev)
Pravastatin (Pravachol)
Rosuvastatin (Crestor, Ezallor Sprinkles)
Pitavastatin (Livalo, Zypitamag)

How do statins reduce LDL cholesterol?

Statins reduce LDL cholesterol by blocking an enzyme that the body needs to make cholesterol. These drugs, therefore, reduce the amount of cholesterol produced by the liver.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that can cause plaque build-up in the walls of the arteries, blocking blood flow to vital organs such as the heart and brain. This can increase your risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes.

Statins also stabilize pre-existing plaque in blood vessels, lowering the risk of a blood clot. In addition, these drugs have anti-inflammatory effects.

Lifestyle changes are the first line of treatment for high cholesterol. If diet and exercise are not successful in controlling cholesterol levels or you have already suffered a cardiac event such as a heart attack, your doctor may recommend taking a statin drug. Statins can lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) levels by 25 to 60%. Notably, this reduction in LDL-C is dose-related. A higher dose of statin results in a higher reduction of LDL-C levels.

Do statins cause any vitamin deficiency?

Some reports show that statins reduce levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in the body. This is a vitamin-like nutrient which plays a role in muscle function. However, research has not shown that taking oral CoQ10 supplements can reduce the severity of muscle symptoms in statin users.

What lipid-lowering drugs can I take instead of statins?

There are several other cholesterol-lowering drugs you can take instead of statins. Doctors can prescribe the following medicines for high cholesterol:

Selective cholesterol absorption inhibitors such as ezetimibe (Zetia)
Bile acid sequestrants such as cholestyramine (Prevalite, Questran, Locholest), colestipol (Colestid), and colesevelam Hcl (WelChol)
Fibrates such as fenofibrate (Tricor, Lofibra, Triglide, Antara), gemfibrozil (Lopid), and clofibrate (Atromid-S)
Niacin (nicotinic acid or vitamin B3) sold under trade names Niaspan and Niacor
Omega-3 fatty acids such as Lovaza, Omtryg, Epanova, and Vascepa
PCSK9 inhibitors such as evolocumab (Repatha) and alirocumab (Praluent)
ACL inhibitors such as bempedoic acid (Nexletol)

If you have side effects, talk to your doctor before stopping statins. Changing the dose or trying another statin might help alleviate side effects. Your doctor can also give you tips on dealing with a particular side effect. For example, if you experience muscle aches, your doctor may recommend avoiding intense exercise. If these tips do not help improve the side effects, you may be prescribed a different type of drug that is effective at lowering your cholesterol levels with minimal side effects.

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