Statins: Do they cause ALS?

There’s no good evidence that statins cause or trigger amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. However, there have been reports of people who have developed ALS while taking statins. Other studies have shown a decreased risk of ALS in people who take statins.

ALS is a serious neurological condition that causes disease and death in the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscles. ALS may begin with muscle twitching, weakness in an arm or leg, or changes in speech. Eventually, it affects the ability to control the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe.

Statins are medicines prescribed for the treatment of high cholesterol. These medicines can sometimes cause muscle pain or muscle weakness. Very rarely, statins may cause serious muscle damage, a condition known as rhabdomyolysis. But these muscle issues occur as a result of direct muscle damage, not damage to nerve cells.