Statins have virtually no side effects, a major study shows.
Scientists found that patients taking the cholesterol-busting drugs were less likely to suffer adverse symptoms than a control group taking a placebo.
For years, statins have been linked to numerous side effects including nausea, insomnia, fatigue, kidney issues, muscle problems and even erectile dysfunction.
Statins: Draft NHS guidelines will advise men over 50 and women over 60 to take the drugs as a precaution
But researchers at Imperial College London, who looked at 29 trials with more than 80,000 patients, found the drug raised only the risk of diabetes.
Draft NHS guidelines will advise men over 50 and women over 60 to take the drugs as a precaution.
This could see the number of people taking statins – currently around seven million – rise to 12 million.
The research, published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, shows that only a small amount of the reported symptoms are attributable to statins.
Judith Finegold, of the heart and lung institute at Imperial College, said: ‘Most people in the general population will not feel perfectly well in every way on every day.
A MILLION PRESCRIPTIONS FOR THE CHOLESTEROL-BUSTING DRUGS
More than a million prescriptions for statins – dubbed a miracle drug – are written each week in England, up from a few thousand in 1981.
The drugs reduce cholesterol, the waxy fat-like substance which can build up in the arteries, raising the risk of heart disease and stroke.
They work by blocking an enzyme involved in the production of ‘bad’ cholesterol, especially in the liver.
Studies suggest statins may also protect against health problems such as eye disorders and Alzheimer’s by maintaining a healthy supply of blood to the brain.
The most serious side effect was previously thought to be myopathy, resulting in muscle pain. Others include cataracts, headaches, loss of appetite and nerve pain.
For years, a medical debate has raged over the risks and benefits of statins. Some have questioned their benefits for women, as fewer women have taken part in drug trials.
‘Why should they suddenly feel well when taking a tablet after being warned of possible adverse affects.
‘We believe that patients should be empowered to make their own decisions, but we must first make sure they have top quality unbiased information. This is why we call on drug regulators to highlight in the long list of side effects those few whose rate is incrementally greater than that experienced with a dummy tablet.’
However, some sections of the medical community still believe it is wrong to dismiss side effects of statins, because many patients under-report them in clinical trials.
Aseem Malhotra, a cardiology specialist, told the Daily Telegraph: ‘To suggest that these symptoms are imagined is an insult to patients who have suffered, many for months, from side effects that are real and increasingly appreciated by frontline doctors.’ Earlier this month doctors recommended Britons should be taking more statins to decrease their chances of heart attacks and strokes.
They used to prescribe only to those who had a 30 per cent or greater risk of suffering a heart attack within a decade.
This was lowered to a 20 per cent risk in 2005, but now medics could be handing pills to those with just a 10 per cent risk.
Even patients aged 80 and over are likely to get them despite little evidence they will benefit.
The new rules would make at least ten million patients eligible for anti-cholesterol drugs, securing Britain’s place as the statins capital of Europe.
Nice says the draft guidance will make clear that doctors should first work with patients to help put them less at risk, such as stopping smoking, drinking less, taking exercise and eating healthily.
High intensity statin therapy, with a drug such as atorvastatin, should be offered to patients once these factors have been addressed.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2579739/Statins-NOT-major-effects-claims-study-Research-finds-users-likely-suffer-maladies-control-group.html#ixzz2vs6ZPGwF
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