Do Statins cause palpitations?

[oceanminded]

I've been off my statins (Zocor and Tricor) for a couple of months now and it seems my palps are way less frequent. I'm not sure if it's coincidence or if I'm just in one of those quiet palp times that we all experience. The problem is that I'm sure my cholesterol has gone up since I've been off  my meds. I'm going to get it rechecked soon and then weigh my options. I was just curious though if there was any documented relationship between statins and PVC/PAC's as a potential side effect. I know there are millions of folks on statins so if it was a common side effect we probably would of heard about it by now.

[Nat20189]

Today is my second day of  Rosuvastatin 5mg and last night I had 7 hours of bad palpitations. I’m so worry. Help

[tom_h]

Don't you hate the inability to edit a post..... I've been on both for 10 years...

[tom_h]

Interesting.... my primary care physician, who is pulmonary specialist thinks the EVERYBODY should be on a statin and a beta blocker (or something else for hypertension) considering the diet we are exposed to these days.  He claims that in Europe, there is a "pill" that combines both into one dose. Consequently, I've been on both a statin (Simvastatin) and a beta blocker (Metoprolol) for 1 years.  My total cholesterol was 135, and my BP  was 110/68.  I feel no ill effects whatsoever from either drug, and will continue to take both, although I do get a biannual blood test to monitor.  On the negative side, I feel the statin was largely responsible for my Type II status.  Again, my physician feels the positives far outweigh the Type II.

[Bungleeuhvayguh]

I feel the same way from looking at both the research, as well as real life observations of the total destruction and deterioration of relatives(physical and mental-they all aged horribly) from statin drugs. There are major problems with the entire cholesterol hypothesis itself. It has poor predictive power.

[RNRita]

Just a note: I will NEVER take statins.  Nope.  My cholesterol is 240 and three cardiologists told me that they would not even use statins for this level unless I had hypertension and a few other symptoms. I told them I was happy about that, as I would refuse anyway.  That is my opinion on taking them and is in no way meant to advise anyone else to disregard them.  I won't, though.

[Crickett0621]

Karen I took CoQ10 it helps with statin side effects. It s a vitamin sold at any drug store. It help me to where mine are not so scary anymore. Completely safe.  

[itdood]

Just to report in on this, I was put on Zocor 10mg for high cholesterol back in 2009.  This was when I was getting about 6,000 PVCs per day.  For some unexplained reason, my PVCs have come back to basically normal since then.  

I have since gone off the zocor about 3 months ago due to lower back and glute pains that I just couldn't shake.  Pretty sure it was the zocor.  Since coming off it, my PVCs have increased a bit.  The lower back pain is now gone.  My cholesterol before zocor was running about 240.  On zocor about 170.  Since going off it, it has shot up to 270 and no plan yet.  From what I've read, there is a rebound if you go off the med that should settle down in about 6 months.  SO I"m going to see if it settles back in the next 2 months, if not, I'll have to come up with a new plan.

So my experience was the opposite.  On statin, lower PVCs.  Off it, PVCs started to come back.  Not sure if it's even related.  There is a recent study showing that statins lower palps, specifically, they lower exercise induced PVCs.

[Karen_E]

I am reading this because this is exactly what I am going through! Lipitor for over 5 yrs..low dose.. preventative or so he says.. Im 70 now. I was also put on low dose blood pressure meds at the same time a the Lipitor. It was just a routine annual check up and I was feeling just fine. Within the first 6 months I started to have palps and my legs continued to get weaker and I got slower and slower. I quit the Lipitor and the Dr. now put me on Crestor and the palps are severe. I get very little sleep they are so severe and I have to get up and walk around. Now all kinds of heart tests! These station in just my opinion cause a much issues as they solve. Getting desperate as well for answers.

[darius_doc_in_training]

atorvastatin gives me PVCs

[normag70]

HI my name is Norma. I am having palpitations pretty frequently. I took Crestor for 3 years and Lipitor for 1 year (so a total of 4 yrs).  I started having palpitations and finally in the past 1 1/2 years pin pointed it to the stantins. I advised my doctor that prescribed me the statins of the palpitations and he just sent me to a cardiologist.  (He never told me this was a side effect to the statins).  I went to the cardiologist.  I had an EKG done and stress test on treadmill done.  They couldn't find anything wrong with my heart. (Cardiologist never told me palpitations are a side effect to the statins) I kept getting palpitations so I went and got a second opinion to a 2nd cardiologist.  They did a echo, I wore a heart holster twice and did several EKGS. They found nothing wrong with my heart. This 2nd cardiologist still didn't tell me that the statins would do this to me. So I had to do my own research online and bring it to his attention 6 months ago. I told him that I believe the statins are doing this to me. So he took me off the drug and its been 6 months since I've been off statins and I  AM STILL GETTING THEM!  I've never had heart palpitations until I took Crestor and Lipitor. Because I have these palpitations it has caused anxiety to kick in because it scares me when it happens.  HELP?  Is there any class action lawsuits anyone knows about against these stain companies?  I hope I don't have to live like this for the rest of my life. I don't know what to do at this point.

[larryh1966]

I have been on Statins for 4 years but this year my heart keeps missing beats. My doc said theres nothing wrong with my heart. im having a heart monitor on sometime soon, but I came off metformin and statins just for about 5 days as I didnt want to stay off too long in case I had other issues rise, my heart beat started to settle.  I went back on statins, within 24hours my palpatations are back.  I am getting anxiety over this as i fear something major will happen if this continues but theres no real importance everytime I see the Doc about it. I am going to come off them all together.

[DeltaDawn23]

I am really glad it worked for you.

[LindaTX]

My Dr told me upfront that more women will have to undergo a 2nd ablation than men. Something about the septal wall being thinner, I can't recall exactly.  The first time he said 70-75% and for the 2nd one it was 90-95% success rate....so far so good!  No arrhythmias!

[DeltaDawn23]

Linda, what kind of odds did they give you before your first ablation?  Second?   They're telling me 50% 1st time, then 70% second time.

[LindaTX]

I went off the Cresto last year for a few months...still had a-fib and tachycardia episodes.  My cholesterol went from 160 to 220.  Went back on it and again my chol. is 140-160.  Had 2nd ablation for afib in May and haven't had any arrhythmias since.

[tom_h]

I have taken 20 mg of simvastatin for years, and although I use to get occasional clusters of PVC's felt that it in no way was the cause of them.  I continue to take it today, and have no "palpitations" to speak of.

[Bamajoe]

After reading this I wonder if that is why I started my a fib back in the day? I started and took crestor for a while. This is right around the same time my afib started. I wonder if that is why I was getting it? Now I am getting because of Paricardial Effusion hopefully it will just go away! I cannot stand afib!!!!

[IglooUsher]

I was on statins for about two weeks and the palps began. I was taken off the statins by my Doctor. It has been seven (7) weeks now and I'm still having palps. When will they stop. I have never had any heart issues until I took statins. No statins for me ever again!

[LindaTX]

You just may have something there.  I started Crestor about 3-4 mo ago.  In less than a month my cholesterol went from 240 to 144.  I thought that was amazing.  My chol. has always run between 200 and 240.  I thought that was just normal for me.  Well since starting Crestor, I'm pretty sure that's about the time I started having more PVC's and more frequent a-fib.  It's an interesting theory.  Don't you just love it when we take something that we think is really helping us ( according to ALL of the Dr.s) only to find it is causing other problems.  My husband has a saying,,,"where there's a ying...there's a yang"  :)

[itdood]

I went on a statin in the middle of a 12 month long episode of PVCs.  I went on Simvastatin 10mg.  The PVCs have since gone down a lot for me.  My experience was opposite yours.  WHo knows....  I haven't seen any studies on the subject.

[TatiSD]

Hi there.  I was on Simvastatin for about 7 months and I got the impression that I was palpitating more than before taking the statin, so I stopped it. The pvc's lessened as soon as I stopped, but overtime (months) I started to go again through the up and down cycle of less and then more pvc's, so now I can't determine whether or not the statin contributed to more activity.  
I've been watching my cholesterol levels and they have stayed within normal limits, but if the numbers go up, I already have trepidations about the statins since I had the same impression as you.  But in the end, controlling the cholesterol is much more important.