That's a lie spread by people that don't understand medicine.  The problem is that every now and then, a person will have a very bad reaction to a medication.  Then they blow it out of proportion, go to the media and try to convince everyone that the medicine is evil and doctors and pharmacists don't know what they're doing.  Hate to tell you this, but there is no such thing as a medicine that doesn't have side effects.  Also, there is no such thing as a medicine that no one is allergic to, even ones you would think are completely harmless. For example, Neosporin is safe, right?  Wrong.  I know someone who can't even touch it because they're so allergic that all of their skin will blister and dissolve, leaving huge swollen, bloody, gaping wounds that are so deep you can see the muscles.  The reaction is so severe that the area won't even close over enough to stop oozing for several months.  And that's just over the counter ointment. As for statins, yes they can cause some muscle pain if you choose one of the lipophilic ones, and on extremely rare occasion they can actually cause muscle damage (I'll say it again, extremely rare), but the truth is that they reduce the risk of ASCVD (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease), stroke and heart attacks.  They're also beneficial in a number of other conditions pertaining to the circulation, reducing symptoms and slowing the rate of progression. If you want to know something about a medicine, ask a pharmacist.  Some of the older ones only have bachelors or masters, but all current ones have a doctorate.  They study a lot of the same basic classes as medical doctors, but specialize more in medications and treatment.  Doctors specialize in diagnostics.  The younger doctors actually rely heavily on pharmacists to prevent them from making mistakes and killing people.  Even experienced physicians occasionally make horrible mistakes because they don't know the fine details about every single medication.  Trust me, it's a lot more complex than most people realize. Please don't fall for the "Google said so" mentality.  If you do that, you might as well become an anti-vaxxer and flat-earther, because they have just as much proof for their theories as the groups that are screaming that medications are evil.