Myalgia & Statins

Myalgia is muscular pain. It is a common symptom in many diseases, disorders and muscle-damaging injuries. Statin drugs are those that help to lower cholesterol levels by binding a specific enzyme involved with the body's cholesterol production process. By binding to this enzyme, cholesterol production is markedly slowed and thus blood levels are reduced.

As a result of this diminished cholesterol process, the production of Ubiquinone (CoQ10) is also reduced. Ubiquinone is an essential component of many of the body's processes. Decreased production of this can lead to the aforementioned myalgia, or even possibly rhabdomyolysis, the pathologic breakdown of skeletal muscle. This can ultimately result in acute kidney failure if untreated. CoQ10 supplementation is essential for any patient on statin drugs to prevent this scenario from occuring.

Statin drugs bind to HMG-CoA and do not allow for cholesterol synthesis.
Ubiquinone (CoQ10) synthesis is also inhibited.