Australia's most-prescribed drug doesn't cause most side effects on the label, study finds
Statins, Australia's most prescribed drug, do not cause most of the side effects listed on the packaging, new research has found.
A study found that the heavily prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs do not cause side effects such as memory loss, depression, sleep disturbance, and erectile and sexual dysfunction.
Statins are used to lower cholesterol levels and have been proven to reduce cardiovascular disease risks and reduce mortality in both men and women.
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New research has found that statins, Australia's most prescribed drug, do not cause most of the side effects listed on the packaging. Getty
Associate Professor at Oxford Population Health and lead author of the study Christina Reith said people have been deterred from using the "life-saving drugs" due to safety concerns.
"Our study provides reassurance that, for most people, the risk of side effects is greatly outweighed by the benefits of statins," Reith said.
The research collected data from 23 large-scale randomised studies from the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists' Collaboration, which comprised more than 150,000 participants, comparing the effects of statin therapy against a dummy tablet and comparing more and less intensive statin therapy.
Studies found that while people may notice the side effects while taking statins, there is no good evidence that suggests they are caused by the drug.
It was found that the number of reports of cognitive or memory impairment, one of the listed side effects, was 0.2 per cent in those taking the drug, but also 0.2 per cent in those taking a placebo dummy pill.
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Studies found that while people may notice the side effects while taking statins, there is no good evidence that suggests they are caused by the drug. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
"Although people may experience problems whilst taking statins, using the most reliable evidence from large randomised placebo-controlled trials provided the best evidence that statins do not cause most of the side effects listed in product leaflets," Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Cardiologist Anthony Keech said.
The studies also found that there was no statistically significant excess risk from statin therapy for nearly all the potential side effects named on the package leaflets.
A small increase in risk for liver blood test abnormalities was also found however, there was no increase in liver disease, such as hepatitis or liver failure, meaning that the blood test changes do not result in serious liver problems.
Please note the information in this story is general in nature. Please always consult your GP or health professional for advice that is tailored to your specific health concerns.
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