Crestor Leg Pain Side Effects

Crestor is the brand name for the medication rosuvastatin calcium, prescribed to treat high cholesterol. A statin drug manufactured by AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, it can cause some rare but serious side effects.

Myopathy

• Muscle pain while taking statin drugs can be an indication of statin myopathy, an abnormal condition in muscle tissues; the muscle aches usually go away within a week or two after discontinuing the drug.

Rhabdomyolysis

• More severe problems involving leg pain occur when statins cause muscle cells to break down, a condition called rhabdomyolysis.

Warning

• Although the disorder is rare, if contracted, rhabdomyolysis progresses rapidly. Deteriorating muscle cells release a protein called myoglobin into the bloodstream, which can cause kidney obstruction and renal failure.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of rhabdomyolysis include joint pain, leg pain or swelling, weight gain, fatigue, dark urine, and muscle tenderness, weakness or stiffness.

Precautions

• People using Crestor who experience unexplained muscle pain and tenderness ( especially in the legs), should stop taking the medication immediately and contact their physician.