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Health See other Health Articles Title: Healthy patients using statins are 'more likely to suffer side-effects than gain health benefits' Most healthy patients should 'exercise more rather than be given the drug' Anyone suffering side-effects should stop using cholesterol-busting drug Warning reignites debate over statins which are taken by 10million Britons Healthy patients given statins are more likely to suffer side-effects than they are to gain any benefits, doctors warn Fewer than one in every 200 healthy patients who take statins actually benefit, doctors have warned. Reigniting the debate over the cholesterol-busting drugs, the experts warn that too many patients are given statins without proper information about their drawbacks. They say people should stop using them if they are suffering side effects - and call for patients to have a greater choice over taking the pills in the first place. People should be advised to take up more exercise and improve their diet before they are directed towards statins, the experts say. Their editorial, published last night in the Prescriber medical journal, points to industry-sponsored studies which found that only 0.5 per cent of healthy people avoided a heart attack or stroke by taking statins for five years. While accepting that those with a history of heart disease can benefit from statins, they say that a tiny minority of people who take it as a ‘preventative’ medicine will actually live longer. The authors - London cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra, Canadian pharmacist Professor James McCormack, and US physician Professor David Newman - called for a complete rewrite of British and American guidance. Their editorial will add fuel to the controversy raging over the use of statins. Many cardiologists say that prescribing statins to people at risk of heart attack or stroke saves countless lives, reducing cholesterol and preventing deaths. But others are concerned about the over-prescription of statins, which some say needlessly exposes people to side effects such as muscle pain and diabetes. Between 8million and 10million Britons take statins, and they are the most widely prescribed drugs in the UK. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Horse (#0)
Got my cholesterol levels and BP to well within recommended limits by briefly taking 80 mg Atorvastatin and continuing exercise and low cholesterol/sugar diet. Take a leftover statin only in the case of severe constipation.
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