STATINS are not responsible for the majority of side effects listed in package leaflets, according to a comprehensive review published in The Lancet.
The researchers, including Australian experts, analysed data from 23 large studies involving over 150,000 people.
Similar numbers of reports were found for those taking the statins and those taking the placebo for almost all the conditions listed in package leaflets as possible side effects, including memory loss, depression, sleep disturbance, and sexual dysfunction.
Lead author Associate Professor Christina Reith, from Oxford Population Health, said: "Statins are life-saving drugs used by hundreds of millions of people over the past 30 years.
"However, concerns about the safety of statins have deterred many people who are at risk of severe disability or death from a heart attack or stroke.
"Our study provides reassurance that, for most people, the risk of side effects is greatly outweighed by the benefits of statins."
The same researchers established in previous studies that most muscle symptoms are not caused by statins, and the 1% of people who did experience statin-related muscle symptoms did so mainly in the first year of treatment.
However, it has been found that statins can cause a small increase in blood sugar levels, so those already at high risk may develop diabetes sooner.
Study co-author, cardiology professor Anthony Keech from the University of Sydney, said, "Although people may experience problems whilst taking statins, [this study has] provided the best evidence that statins do not cause most of the side effects listed in product leaflets."
Read the paper HERE.
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