Rhabdomyolysis: What are the symptoms?

How do you know if you have rhabdomyolysis from statin use? What are the symptoms?

- Marcela / Arizona

Mayo Clinic cardiologist Gerald Gau, M.D., and colleagues answer select questions from readers.

Answer

Rhabdomyolysis is a rare but potentially life-threatening side effect of statins. The most common signs and symptoms of rhabdomyolysis include:

Severe muscle aching — in which all your muscles may hurt and be tender to the touch
Muscle weakness
Dark or cola-colored urine from muscle breakdown products

At high doses, statin medications can impair production of certain proteins involved in muscle metabolism and function. This may result in muscle pain and tenderness (statin myopathy). If you notice muscle aching — but it's not severe — you should stop taking the medication and contact your doctor. Muscle aching usually goes away within a couple of weeks after stopping the statin drug.

In severe cases, statins may cause muscle cells to break down (rhabdomyolysis). If you have signs and symptoms of rhabdomyolysis, stop taking the medication immediately and seek medical treatment without delay.

The risk of rhabdomyolysis increases with the dose of statins. In addition, certain drugs when taken in combination with statins increase the risk rhabdomyolysis. These include: