Statins side effects: The ‘strange’ aftereffect that has been reported in men – case study

Statins: How the drug prevents heart attacks and strokes

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The list of statin’s side effects is extensive and wide-ranging. When consumed in high doses, the drug can cause blood sugar levels to rise, heightening the risk of diabetes. But patients are more often deterred by widespread reports describing intolerable muscle symptoms. Some lesser-known side effects may include aching of the testicles, according to a case study.

The People’s Pharmacy states that testicular pain could be a “strange statin side effect,” after a case study described the symptom in a middle-aged man.

The report, published in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy in January 2007, details the case of a 54-year-old man who experienced an ache in his testicles after taking lovastatin.

The researchers wrote: “The patient’s pain increased when sitting, driving or wearing tight clothing.

“The pain ceased shortly after he stopped taking the drug, but later reappeared when he resumed treatment.

READ MORE: Two healthy foods to avoid on statins – they ‘reduce absorption’ of the drug warns study

The authors added: “Testicular pain is rarely caused by medications.

Product labelling for statins does not list urinary adverse events as common.

“However, labelling for atorvastatin and pravastatin lists rare urologic adverse effects.”

Although the cause of this aching remains unknown, the researchers noted that the drug could inhibit cholesterol in the testis. They said: “A literature search did not reveal any previously reported cases of testicular adverse effects from statins.

“[However] Some data indicate that statins reduce serum testosterone concentrations, but other data indicate that statins have no effect on sex hormones or spermatogenesis.

“Data are also available indicating that aspirin might affect testosterone concentration and testicular function.

“It is difficult to know whether either of the above hormonal mechanisms was associated with our patients’ testicular discomfort, but the time course and challenge / re-challenge aspects of the case suggest that the statins were the cause.”

Irwin Goldstein, director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital in Sant Diego, explained that “statins may disrupt the pituitary feedback to the testicles, telling them to produce testosterone”.

He added that the message was for men on statins to pay attention to the early warning signs of testosterone deficiency. These typically include falling asleep after meals, experiencing mood swings, and a reduced sex drive.

Anyone who suspects they may have a testosterone deficiency should get their levels checked by a doctor.

Common side effects

Muscle pain is a widely reported side effect of statin, but one line of research has put widespread reports of the symptom down to the “nocebo effect”.

The nocebo effect – opposite of the placebo effect – occurs when a person experiences harmful symptoms from medicine after having negative expectations about it.

Findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year showed that 90 percent of the symptoms attributed to statins are already present before the drug is taken.

The findings suggested that those who had to stop taking the drug due to unwanted aftereffects could resume treatment knowing their symptoms may have not been real.

What’s more, previous research has shown that those who take the drug into old age reduce their risk of having a stroke by a quarter, and their risk of heart attack by half.

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