Overview
- Guidance for atorvastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin advises stopping the medicine and calling 111 or a GP for unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, weakness or cramps.
- Signs of possible liver injury — yellowing of the eyes or skin, pale stools or dark urine — should trigger urgent medical assessment.
- Severe stomach pain may indicate acute pancreatitis, while a persistent cough with shortness of breath and weight loss may suggest lung disease.
- Weakness that worsens with activity, double vision, drooping eyelids, swallowing difficulty or shortness of breath could signal myasthenia gravis.
- Call 999 or go straight to A&E for severe breathing or swallowing problems or other signs of a serious allergic reaction; most side effects are mild, and clinicians can adjust dose or switch statins if needed.