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What Causes Nausea And Blurred Vision After Taking Statins?
Question: I have been taking statins for more than five years, with no apparent side effects. But recently my doctor increased my dose from 20 to 40 mg and I was immediately stricken with nausea, visual disturbance and feeling unsteady. I stopped the 40's and these effects stopped immediately. That made me recall that I have had the visual disturbance for several years now ( the rain on the window/flashing lights type ). So I stopped the statins at 20mg and the visuals stopped. I restated my 20 mg statins again two days ago and withing a day had a bad visual disturbance. Will that indicate that my statins might be the cause?
Brief Answer:
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
I carefully passed through your question and would explain that blurring vision is not a common adverse effect of statins.
Which statin are you currently taking?
They are known to cause adverse effects like dizziness, muscular pain and cramps, but not vision problems.
Before concluding that this problems is related to statins intake, I would recommend performing some tests to exclude other possible causes of blurring vision:
- a resting ECG
- a Doppler ultrasound of the cervical vessels to examine blood flow to the brain
- some blood lab tests (complete blood count, PCR, sedimentation rate, blood electrolytes, kidney and liver function tests)
Consulting with an ophthalmologist would also help exclude eye disorders possibly related to this symptomatology.
I would also advise you to closely monitor your blood pressure, because blood pressure fluctuations could lead to such clinical scenario.
If all the above tests result normal, you should discuss with your doctor on the possibility of switching to another therapy for your dyslipidemia.
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
I carefully passed through your question and would explain that blurring vision is not a common adverse effect of statins.
Which statin are you currently taking?
They are known to cause adverse effects like dizziness, muscular pain and cramps, but not vision problems.
Before concluding that this problems is related to statins intake, I would recommend performing some tests to exclude other possible causes of blurring vision:
- a resting ECG
- a Doppler ultrasound of the cervical vessels to examine blood flow to the brain
- some blood lab tests (complete blood count, PCR, sedimentation rate, blood electrolytes, kidney and liver function tests)
Consulting with an ophthalmologist would also help exclude eye disorders possibly related to this symptomatology.
I would also advise you to closely monitor your blood pressure, because blood pressure fluctuations could lead to such clinical scenario.
If all the above tests result normal, you should discuss with your doctor on the possibility of switching to another therapy for your dyslipidemia.
Hope you will find this answer helpful!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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