What Causes Increased CPK Level In Blood While On Allopurinol?

Posted on Tue, 26 Sep 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 26 Sep 2017 Answered on

Fri, 13 Oct 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : my question concerns the the topic of myositis. I have asked about before, and have appreciated the information I received. I have a couple of follow up questions; I recently had my cpk tested and the number was 530. I know that's outside the normal range but is that level seriously high and cause for concern? I had been on both a statin drug for quite awhile as well as Allopurinol but both were discontinued,the statin about 4 months ago and the Allipurinol about 2 months ago. Could this be responsible for my high cpk level and should this number go down further with the discontinueation of those meds? Also is their a need for an UE EMG to aid in diagnosing myositis. It was mentioned before by one of your doctors that a muscle biopsy is required in order to make the diagnosis; but which muscle(s)?

Answered by Dr. Ivo Ditah (49 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
This is caused by statins!

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

I have reviewed your information fully.

1. The increased CPK is caused by statins. It will drop after discontinuing the medication. This is a well known and well documented side effect of statins.

2. You need no biopsy for the diagnosis of myositis at this point. The cause is known. Biopsy is needed in cases where the cause is not known.

I hope this helps. I wish you well. Feel free to follow up with me if need be.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar