on PinterestA major review has found that the majority of statin side effects are not scientifically backed.
on PinterestA major review has found that the majority of statin side effects are not scientifically backed. Image Credit: BSIP/Getty Images
- Most statin side effects listed on drug packaging are not supported by strong evidence, a new study suggests.
- Out of 66 potential side effects, researchers only identified four that were linked to statin use.
- Statins remain broadly safe and effective, despite persistent fears and misinformation.
Take a look at the product insert for a statin and you’ll see a long list of side effects. The majority of them, a new study suggests, are likely exaggerated.
Cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins are some of the most prescribed drugs in the world, with an estimated 200 million adults using them globally. In the United States alone, more than 92 million adults are estimated to take them to treat high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia).
Despite their widespread use, many individuals remain unclear about what risks they actually pose. Individual concerns about side effects can lead to hesitancy in taking a prescribed statin or even discontinuing use.
To assess whether these concerns are supported by high quality evidence, researchers conducted a large meta-analysis published on February 5 in The Lancet.
The study, which is the result of a global research initiative known as the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ (CTT) Collaboration, appears to refute many of those claims. Researchers did not find evidence to support the vast majority of side effects reportedly linked to statins.
In fact, out of 66 side effects investigated, only four were found to be attributable to statins. The findings suggest that most reported side effects may not be caused by the drugs themselves.
Rigved Tadwalkar, MD, consultative cardiologist and director of Digital Transformation Pacific Heart Institute in Santa Monica, CA, told Healthline that the findings should be reassuring for individuals and doctors alike. He wasn’t involved in the research.
“What this study adds is clarity, confirming that the real risks are limited and well defined, while many widely cited concerns don’t hold up when tested rigorously. It reinforces that, for appropriately selected patients, the benefits of statins overwhelmingly outweigh the risks,” Tadwalkar said.
Only 4 out of 66 statin side effects linked to the drug
Potential side effects are clearly printed on the package insert for medications.
However, drugs often carry warnings for side effects, which are known in the industry as “adverse reactions,” even though there may not be a demonstrated causal link between them and the drug.
Drug labels are designed to be transparent about potential side effects, not to convey specifics about risk.
“Anything that happens to a patient while they are taking the drug during a study has to be listed, from common colds to stubbed toes to auto accidents,” said Donald Lloyd-Jones, MD, past president of the American Heart Association (AHA), and section chief of preventive medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. He wasn’t involved in the research.
“But just because these things happened, it does not mean that they were attributable to, much less caused by, exposure to the drug,” he told Healthline.
Although the drug labels for statins may include
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