FAMILY MEDICINE® COLUMN
By John C. Wolf, D.O.
Associate Professor of Family Medicine®
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

[HUSBAND'S MEDICATION MAY BE CAUSING MUSCLE PROBLEMS]

Question: Can the blood pressure medicines that my husband takes, Hytrin, Hyzaar and Corgard, be causing him to have muscle problems the way I know statin cholesterol-lowering drugs can?

Answer: We take medicine to get better and usually experience that desired result. Occasionally, however, we suffer an undesirable consequence of ingesting the "wonder drug" our doctor has prescribed. Sometimes this unwanted result is a true allergic response, but more frequently it's a known reaction that only occurs in a small number of individuals.

Before I answer the question about your husband's blood pressure medications, I would like to give you some background on the adverse reactions you astutely observed can come from certain cholesterol-lowering drugs. I'll then compare these reactions with what your husband might be experiencing.

The problems caused by high cholesterol are well known. Those unfortunate individuals who can't bring their values into the normal range by diet alone often are given one or more medications, frequently one of the statin family. In some people, these cholesterol-lowering drugs can cause muscle damage, and in certain cases this can be severe. The severe form - called rhabdomyolysis - is often further complicated by kidney failure. Fortunately, these life-threatening complications are quite infrequent, but rarity doesn't make much difference if it happens to you or your loved one.

The medications your husband is taking - Hytrin, Hyzaar and Corgard - are used to treat high blood pressure in addition to heart and prostate disorders. These drugs work differently to achieve their desired effect and work together in a complementary fashion. As is true for all drugs, they can each occasionally produce an undesirable response. Specifically, each of these drugs has rarely - in 1 percent or less of patients - caused muscle pain and weakness. One or more of your husband's medicines, therefore, may be the cause of his muscle problems.

Fortunately, the muscle problems caused by Hytrin, Hyzaar and Corgard are not rhabdomyolysis, that severe condition caused by the statin drugs. Instead, they produce a much milder disorder that heals after the medicine is no longer used. The important message from this is to be sure to report to your doctor any new symptom that is mentioned in the drug information sheet you received with your prescription. Don't throw it into the recycling bin until you have read it carefully. If you have concerns about taking the medication, talk to you doctor or pharmacist that day! Fortunately, there are usually treatment alternatives that avoid, or at least lessen, any undesirable side effect you may be experiencing.

Family Medicine® is a weekly column. To submit questions, write to John C. Wolf, D.O., Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Grosvenor Hall, Athens, Ohio 45701.