Physicians are receiving an increasing number of reports linking cholesterol drugs, commonly known as statins, to the development of several side effects associated with aging. Many patients using the medications are reportedly beginning to complain of muscle pain, weakness, fatigue, memory problems and erectile dysfunction.

In recent months, researchers have conducted numerous studies on the topic. In October, the medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine featured a study conducted by Dr. Paul Phillips, director of interventional cardiology at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego, on the drugs' connection to side effects of aging. According to Dr. Phillips, who examined nearly 60 statin users, patients were much weaker when using the drugs (most complained of muscle aches) but regained strength when they stopped taking the medications. In response, the National Institutes of Health plans to sponsor a 1,000 patient study next year involving the cholesterol medications Zocor and Pravachol.

In August 2001, one statin, Baycol, was pulled from the market after it was linked to myositis and rhabdomyolysis, conditions characterized by severe muscle weakening, soreness, and kidney damage.