Statin meds not at fault for triggering muscle aches, study says By (0) People taking statin drugs often complain of muscle aches, but a new study finds the medications are unlikely to be the culprit. The results come from a trial involving patients who had quit taking their statins, or were considering quitting, due to muscle pain. Advertisement The researchers found that those aches were just as likely to flare when the patients were given a placebo -- inactive pills -- rather than an actual statin. Experts said the findings add to evidence that statin patients' muscle complaints often reflect a "nocebo" effect. That is, people expect to have muscle woes, so they do.