Drug-Induced Myopathies
| Drugs | Major Toxic Reaction |
|---|---|
Lipid-lowering agents Fibric acid derivatives HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors Niacin (nicotinic acid) | Drugs belonging to all three of the major classes of lipid-lowering agents can produce a spectrum of toxicity: asymptomatic serum creatine kinase elevation, myalgias, exercise-induced pain, rhabdomyolysis, and myoglobinuria. |
| Glucocorticoids | Acute, high-dose glucocorticoid treatment can cause acute quadriplegic myopathy. These high doses of steroids are often combined with nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents but the weakness can occur without their use. Chronic steroid administration produces predominantly proximal weakness. |
| Nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents | Acute quadriplegic myopathy can occur with or without concomitant glucocorticoids. |
| Zidovudine | Mitochondrial myopathy with ragged red fibers |
Drugs of abuse Alcohol Amphetamines Cocaine Heroin Phencyclidine | All drugs in this group can lead to widespread muscle breakdown, rhabdomyolysis, and myoglobinuria. Local injections cause muscle necrosis, skin induration, and limb contractures. |
Autoimmune toxic myopathy | Use of this drug may cause polymyositis and myasthenia gravis. |
Amphophilic cationic drugs | All amphophilic drugs have the potential to produce painless, proximal weakness associated with autophagic vacuoles in the muscle biopsy. |
Antimicrotubular drugs | This drug produces painless, proximal weakness especially in the setting of renal failure. Muscle biopsy shows autophagic vacuoles. |