“Cholesterol-lowering pill leaves man unable to walk: A cautionary tale”

01:18 PM

Sunday 07 May 2023

I wrote – Yasmine El Sawy:

A 47-year-old man who took a statin, a popular cholesterol-lowering pill, left him unable to walk and needed to be in a wheelchair.

The man, named Mark Firman, had started taking Astanin 4 years ago, and he did not feel any health problems until he was doing everything in his power to get out of bed every morning, according to “The Sun” website.

Also read: 4 magical ways to lower cholesterol in 30 minutes

The 40-year-old also started complaining of muscle pain and a high body temperature in the evening. Within 9 months, he lost his mobility, quit his job, and needed to sit in a wheelchair all the time.

Ferman had a rare autoimmune disease called myopathy, which causes chronic muscle weakness and inflammation, which doctors confirmed during his diagnosis.

Doctors hope his symptoms can be brought under control by changing the plasmapheresis, a liquid part of the blood that can be removed and replaced.

Doctors explained this case that Ferman’s body had shown a violent reaction to statins, and then the immune system attacked the muscles, i.e. causing an autoimmune disease, which is an uncommon condition.

Myopathy is one of the very rare symptoms of Astanin, as it can occur in a small group of people who take cholesterol-lowering drugs, so caution and continuous follow-up with the specialist doctor must be exercised.