As a category medicinesstatins are among the most studied drugs in the history of pharmaceutical science. These safe, inexpensive, generic drugs lower harmful LDL cholesterol and the risk of heart attack and stroke (see “What are statins?”). However, on social media sites such as YouTubethe Instagram and the Facebookstatins are often portrayed as dangerous, as posts and comments overemphasize the side effects of statins and downplay their benefits.
Inaccurate sources
More than 75% of Americans use social media, which has become a popular source of health information – a trend that is of particular concern to cardiologists. According to an article published in the December 2025 issue of The American Journal of Preventive Cardiologymisinformation about statins poses a significant threat to public health. When some people who would reasonably be taking statins avoid or stop taking them, they become more vulnerable to heart attacks, which can be disabling or even fatal.
“Social media posts about statin side effects are usually dominated by unsubstantiated experiences and invalid information,” states Dr. Jorge Plutzky, director of preventive cardiology at the Harvard affiliate Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Users of these agents sometimes describe muscle pains that immobilized them, or memory problems they developed, or express fears of diabetes related to taking statins. One reason these posts are gaining popularity simply has to do with how social media works. “Reiterating well-documented information that statins are safe and protective is not particularly attention-grabbing. Sharing side effects is much more engaging,” explains Dr. Plutzky. But what does the evidence show about the incidence and severity of statin side effects?
Muscle aches: Real or imaginary?
Muscle pain or weakness that some people may experience when taking statins is called statin-related myalgia. In several large studies with participants randomized to either a statin or a placebo (but not knowing which one they were receiving), about 5 to 12% of participants in both groups reported muscle side effects. However, in observational studies and in real-world studies (clinical and office settings), the percentage of people taking statins who report muscle pain ranges from 10 to 29%.
One possible explanation is the nocebo effect, which is the opposite of the well-known placebo effect: people experience and report symptoms because they expected them to occur.
A study published in 2020 at The New England Journal of Medicine tested this hypothesis in people who had previously taken statins but stopped them because of bothersome (but not dangerous) side effects. Participants were given unlabeled prescription vials containing either a statin, a similar-looking placebo, or no drug, which participants used for one month at a time, in random order. Over a year, participants reported muscle symptoms with the same frequency whether they were taking the statin or the placebo.
“People usually start taking statins after the age of 50, 60 or 70, which is when pain becomes more common, mainly due to obesity, arthritis or just aging,” says Dr. Plutzky.
Also, when younger people with genetic conditions that cause extremely high cholesterol and early heart attacks take statins, they rarely report the side effects that older people describe, he adds.
Other possible side effects of statins
Problems such as memory loss and brain fog are some of the other complaints often attributed to statins. Like muscle aches, cognitive problems become more common with age, affecting about one in 10 people aged 60 and over.
However, a large study published in 2021 found no evidence of an association between statins and cognitive problems. In fact, a 2025 analysis of data from 55 previous studies suggested that statin users have a lower risk of both Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia compared to non-statin users.
Taking statins (especially at higher doses) can cause a moderate increase in blood sugar levels and appears to increase the risk of diabetes by about 7 to 12%. But in large clinical studies, people who took statins and developed diabetes—a major risk factor for heart disease—still had fewer heart attacks. As a result, the guidelines for the treatment of diabetes and cardiovascular disorders unanimously recommend statins for all people aged 40 to 75 years who have diabetes.
For more information on statins and cholesterol management, see Harvard Health Special Report with a title Managing Your Cholesterol (www.health.harvard.edu/cho).
What are statins?
Statins block an enzyme in the liver that helps make cholesterol, and help the body reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol from the bloodstream. Lowering circulating LDL slows the growth of fatty plaque in the arteries. Statins also suppress inflammation in artery walls, and as a result, existing plaque is less likely to rupture, releasing blood clots in plaque-narrowed arteries.
Common statins
Statins currently on the market include:
• atorvastatin
• fluvastatin
• lovastatin
• pitavastatin
• pravastatin
• rosuvastatin
• simvastatin.
