Drug-induced Muscle Disease

Agents that are implicated in drug-induced muscle disease include both medicinal and recreational drugs. While the list of drugs is long, we will focus on the most common medicinal offenders. It is important to recognize drug-induced disease because withdrawal of the offending agent is often curative. Diagnosing drug-induced muscle disease The manifestations of drug-induced muscle disease (aka, myopathies) are variable so that the actual incidence of disease is unknown.1 Signs and symptoms of drug-induced muscle disease can be seen anywhere from weeks to month after drug initiation. Be suspicious of new onset myalgias, elevated creatine kinase (CK), weakness, and myoglobinuria. Symptoms usually resolve within weeks to months after discontinuation of the offending agent. If the patient doesn’t improve as expected, a further search to better define the illness is necessary and may includ