Irregular heartbeat/simvastatin?

Question

Hi,

I am a healthy 44 yo male, non-smoker, non-drinker, not over-weight.  I do however have a general anxiety disorder.  Over the summer my primary care physician finally convinced me to go on simvastatin (I have a combined cholesterol of 240). Since then I have had 3 episodes (a few weeks apart) in which I wake up around 4 AM and have an irregular heart beat.  The irregular beats last about 6 hours, and usually subside by noontime.   The first time it happened I was worried so I saw my PCP and they did an EKG, put me on a 24 monitor and followed up with a heart ultrasound.  All tests came back normal.

I have reduced my caffeine intake since the first episode, and the latest episode was in fact milder than the first two. My first guess is that this is mainly anxiety induced.  However,  I never had these episodes until I started the statin.  I am also on Androgel for low testosterone and take St, John's Wort as a supplement (in addition to a multi-vitamin).

I am going to bring up my concerns with my primary, but thought I'd put it out on this forum.

Thanks

Mike

seawalker05 · Answer

I started irregular heartbeats after going back on statins when diagnosed with possible angina, (then found as hiatus hernia) Ran out of statins for about 5 days. Symptoms improved but did not connect. Two weeks ago decided to cut statins. Took about ten days for normal heartbeat to return. Will watch for any return.

moe513 · Answer

I too started taking statins and my heartbeat became very rapid and I had to be taken to hospital, they said that the statins would not cause this but I stopped taking them and have been fine since. It took a couple of months to feel normal and we'll again. So can statins cause rapid heartbeat? I think so..

DeltaDawn23 · Answer

I have not been able to tolerate any of the statin drugs due to the severe gastric distress they cause.  This, in turn, will result in palpitations for me.  I have lowered my cholesterol with plant sterols, exercise and diet.

MiloC · Answer

Though rare, medhelp talked about these side effecs: "The experts at Drugs.com state that while rare, severe side effects may accompany the use of simvastatin. If you experience any of the following, you need to seek immediate medical attention. These side effects include ... rapid heartbeat, irregular heartbeat ... These side effects most frequently occur when simvastatin is coupled with niacin, another cholesterol-lowering drug.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/36077-side-effects-simvastatin/#ixzz1yJHJ2XDX"

medic0084 · Answer

there is no evidence that a statin will cause an irregular heartbeat.  Unless your hypersensative (allergic) there are almost no side effects, and the benefits far outweigh the risks

MikeDouglas · Answer

Thanks for the reply.  I'm leaning towards stress as the main culprit.  However, I did find an ealier post in this forum where a poster claims their irregular beats started after they went on the drug, and disappeared after stopping.

Jerry_NJ · Answer

Yes, do discuss with your doctor.

You bring up an interesting question, I too had no heart rhythm problems before I started taking a Statin drug, my total cholesterol also was 240.  That said, I have had three heart specialists over the years who know I'm on a statin and have never commented.  My conclusion is there is no relationship.  But, your post does make me wonder, I watch for other replies to see what others know.