Statins far safer than believed, major study shows
Cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins, taken by millions of people worldwide, are far safer than commonly believed, according to a major scientific review published in The Lancet. Researchers say patient information leaflets should be updated to reflect the evidence and prevent people from being unnecessarily deterred from using the life-saving medication. The review, funded by the British Heart Foundation and led by researchers from the University of Oxford, analysed data from clinical trials involving more than 120,000 participants. The trials compared people taking statins with those given a placebo. The findings show that statins do not cause most of the side effects frequently listed in medicine leaflets, including memory loss, depression, sleep problems, weight gain and impotence. Reports of these symptoms were almost identical among patients taking placebo pills, suggesting they were not caused by statins. Statins are proven to […]
