Statins Have a Low Side-Effect Risk

[Jim Allen]

Full poz.com write-up: https://www.poz.com/article/statins-low-sideeffect-risk
In Short:

Statins are currently under investigation as a preventive for inflammation-related health problems in people with HIV.

Cholesterol-lowering stains have numerous benefits, including a reduction in heart attacks and strokes; they also are associated with a low risk of side effects. Consequently, their benefits outweigh their risks for the general population, according to the American Heart Association.

One quarter of Americans 40 years old and older take a statin. However, up to 10 percent of those prescribed such a drug stop taking it because of what they presume are side effects related to the drug.

Publishing their findings in Circulation: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, researchers reviewed multiple studies to evaluate the safety and potential side effects of statins in the general population.

“In most cases, you should not stop taking your statin medication if you think you are having side effects from the drug,” Mark Creager, MD, former president of the American Heart Association and director of the Heart and Vascular Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, said in a press release. “Instead, talk to your health care provider about your concerns. Stopping a statin can significantly increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke caused by a blocked artery.”

An exception is if someone on a statin passes dark urine, which may indicate a serious health condition called rhabdomyolysis, which can lead to sudden kidney failure. In the event of such a symptom, an individual on a statin should stop the drug immediately and consult with his or her physician. Less than 1 in 1,000 people on statins develop this condition.