Thread: Millions taking statins 'needlessly'

Up to 3 million people are taking statins needlessly, doctors warn today in a comprehensive study that suggests they are ineffective in many cases and could be doing more harm than good.

Hmm, luckily I don't need them

LINK HERE

Ive been on stains for a couple of years now. They were hailed as the wonder drug not too long ago, there was an article in Readers Digest a while back saying that everyone over 40 should be on them whether they needed them or not. Now the consensus is that they may do more harm than good. I was taking them as my cholestrol was very high, but now its normal to low, so im considering coming off them. I hate taking drugs anyway, but as Im diabetic I dont have a lot of choice, but I am worried about the statins, especially as I have now completely re-educated myself diet wise. Every 3 months I have a liver function blood test as part of my routine diabetic check up and the one before last did show up some liver function problem but that had sorted itself out by the last test and could have been because I picked up a nasty virus back in August. So my Dr has put it down to that. But it does worry me.

Thanks for this - will be taking it back to a good friend who needs to know.

see this is why I dont wanna go on them! i need to get weight down and quit smoking- how will a statin help me do that???

I don't need them & I'd certainly think twice before I took them.

What are they never heard of the

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins

I'm on them because my mother had angina so I've been prescribed them as 'preventive medication'...me thinks I should have a chat with my quack!!

i am glad i don't need any medication at the moment[have being on my fair share of all different types of medication over the years] ..I have learned in the last few years the hard way that all medication has side effects. i plan to to make sure i read the package of any leaflets including antibiotics [or if my bad eye means i can't see well enough to do that get somebody else to read it out loud to me] and all the side effects and if they are worse than the condition they are to treat i will think 10 times before taking it

anyway i aim to stay off any type of medication for as long as possible[i think to say i will never need any medication again is unrealistic .]

I'm in agreement that in no way will statins help for anyone who smokes and/or is overweight and eating unhealthily.... changing your life will do 10x what any drug can do. Its like masking over a crack with wallpaper... sure it looks good now but it won't be long before the wallpaper starts to tear!

But on the other side of the coin.... my family (male side) has a very high heart attack risk. My granddad died when he was 44, and my gran didn't even have a house phone to ring an ambulance in those days! So I suppose in a ways we're lucky we have what we do now in terms of preventative medication, knowledge and support when anything does happen.

My father had a heart attack about 5 months ago. His GP had been debating putting him on statins for a while as his cholestrol was high despite the fact he was living a very healthy and low fat diet! So the statins could very well have prevented the heart attack in the first place.

There's definitely a case for statins as a preventative measure, and I would stress that under no circumstance should you stop taking statins (without talking to your doctor) based on an article on the internet...

My dad was diagnosed with raised cholesterol not long ago and was asked if he wanted to go on statins or try and reduce it with diet first. He chose diet, and his cholesterol is now within normal levels.

As with any drug, it can be good if used for the right people, but you should always try a lifestyle change first (unless the condition is life-threatening). We're costing the NHS way too much money as a society due to preventable diseases caused by lifestyle choices.

Hi Stu!...Didn't know you were still on here!..
How's it going?
As regards the statins ...I was put on them sometime back and then I saw a prog on TV which showed lots of people who had suffered terrible pains from taking them and one man had actually become soo bad that he was now disabled!! Having a bad back and lots of other arthritic pains, plus a rash on my arms as well, I decided not to take them anymore.
Like was said..much better to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Take care and hope you let me know how you are..

Thanks for posting really interesting stuff!

sorry to be ignorant but what r theye ? x