Although many people have complained that certain statin drugs made them feel more tired, especially when they tried to exercise, their doctors usually discounted the complaints saying that they would get "used" to the meds and would be okay. Others even questioned whether or not the medication was being used as nothing more than an excuse to not exercise as directed. A new study has revealed that the exhaustion, especially upon exertion is actually real with higher fatigue levels for women.

Beatrice A. Golumb, MD, PhD of the University of California, San Diego was the leader of the research and author of the paper published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. That research showed that increased fatigue and lowered energy frequently left these patients with lowered ability to exercise or be active as they are directed to by doctors. Statins are drugs that are typically used to reduce cholesterol levels in people after dietary changes are ineffective.

Using just over one thousand people of both genders, the study used groups that were meant to be treated with either one of two different drugs or a placebo. Each of the participants had low density profiles (LDL) at 115-190 at the start of the study. One group would get a 20 mg dosage of Simvastin, also know as Zocor. A second group would get 40 mg dosing of pravastin, (brand name : Pravachol) or a placebo. The medications were to be taken for a period of six months.

At the end of the study, Dr. Golumb found that nearly forty percent of the participants reported being tired with that feeling worse during or just after starting exercise. Many of the patients admitted that the fatigue level was high enough to make them stop trying to exercise all together. After comparing the scores for fatigue to the medications that were taken, she found that the people who were most likely to report fatigue were taking one of the statins.

Many doctors are concerned about statins in general because they often take a long time to start showing any effectiveness but, in addition to benefits, side effects often start showing up after a few weeks of taking the medication as the drug builds up in the system. Other ways of treating cholesterol, including diet and exercise are not often effective, especially if the cholesterol levels are very high. In addition, diet is not the only cause of higher cholesterol levels, with genetics playing a role as well.