Statin pills much safer than advertised, major review finds

Cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, used by millions, are far safer than previously thought, a major review has found.

Leaflets in packs should be changed to reflect this and avoid scaring people off using the life-saving pills, say the authors.

Statins do not cause the majority of the possible side effects listed, including memory loss, depression, sleep disturbance, weight gain and impotence, says the team funded by the British Heart Foundation. Meanwhile, they can slash a person's risk of heart attacks and strokes.

The results, in The Lancet journal, come from trials involving more than 120,000 people comparing statins with a dummy drug or placebo.

Statins are highly effective at lowering "bad" LDL cholesterol levels and have been repeatedly proven to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease - a condition that causes some 10 million deaths worldwide and a quarter of all deaths in the UK, say the researchers from Oxford University.

As with any medicine, there can be side effects, but these are few.

Reports of adverse effects were almost identical in the placebo group that was not on the medication, suggesting statins are not the cause.

None of the patients in the trials knew if the pill they were taking was real or a pretend one.

In the review, only four side-effects out of 66 listed were found to have any association with taking statins, and only in a very small proportion of patients.

The four were:

• liver test changes
• minor liver abnormalities
• urine changes
• tissue swelling

There was no increase in liver disease such as hepatitis or liver failure, suggesting that the liver blood test changes did not lead to more serious liver problems.

Statin therapy can sometimes cause muscle damage, but this is rare. They can also cause a small increase in blood sugar levels which might bring on diabetes sooner in people who are susceptible. Again, this is rare.

Lead author Prof Christina Reith said worries about statin safety had deterred many people who could benefit from taking them.

"Ongoing confusion and concern about side effects mean many people are not willing to start them or stop them. This is a major issue."

That's not to say people do not experience things while on them," she added, "but we now have really good evidence that statins are not the cause of common problems.

"Our study provides reassurance that, for most people, the risk of side effects is greatly outweighed by the benefits."

Her colleague Prof Sir Rory Collins, who is the review's senior author, said: "Now that we know that statins do not cause the majority of side effects listed in package leaflets, statin information requires rapid revision to help patients and doctors make better-informed health decisions."

Prof Bryan Williams, from the British Heart Foundation, suggested many people were missing out on statins due to stories around unproven possible side effects.

"Prescribers have been intoxicated by this negative publicity.

"We are absolutely delighted to see the outcomes of this study. These findings should provide very powerful reassurance," Prof Williams said.

Experts stress statins save lives, but if you have any problem with your medication you should chat with your doctor.