Professional
Technical
In the Industry Vocabulary Test
statin intolerance
Inability to tolerate statin therapy due to adverse effects or drug interactions.
Full Definition
Statin intolerance refers to the clinical scenario where patients cannot tolerate statin medications due to adverse effects, most commonly muscle-related symptoms such as myalgia, myopathy, or rarely rhabdomyolysis. True statin intolerance is relatively uncommon but requires careful evaluation to distinguish from nocebo effects. Management strategies include dose reduction, alternate-day dosing, switching statin types, or using alternative lipid-lowering therapies such as ezetimibe, PCSK9 inhibitors, or bile acid sequestrants.
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish between true intolerance and statin-associated muscle symptoms. Hyphenate when used as compound modifier.
In Context
- "The patient's documented statin intolerance necessitated alternative lipid-lowering strategies." — Treatment plan
- "Statin intolerance evaluation should include rechallenge with a different statin at lower dose." — Clinical protocol
Also known as
statin-associated muscle symptoms
SAMS
Contrasted with
statin tolerance
Don't confuse with
statin-associated muscle symptoms
nocebo effect