Hello,
I started taking pravastatin about a month ago, after my tests showed I have too high bad cholesterol. Ever since I started taking this medication I feel like I have flu that just won’t go away: my muscles hurt, my joints hurt and I’m having constant headache that comes back as soon as the painkiller wears off.
I know that statin medications often cause side effects, but is this constant headache common side effect? I’m still waiting on my doctor’s appointment to check if there is any alternative to pravastatin because I just can’t go on like this.
Hi,
what you're experiencing definitely sounds to me like fairly common group of side effects caused by statin medications such as Pravastatin. Usually these symptoms subside in a few weeks, but the longer they persist, the more important it is for you to report them to the doctor who prescribed you pravastatin.
That's because all statin medications carry the risk of potentially very serious and irreversible damage to muscles, kidneys and liver - so it's by far the best that your doctor is informed and that you possibly do the test necessary to see what kind of damage, if any, is pravastatin causing you.