Leading doctor says statins ‘safe and effective’ after study highlights patient concerns
Statins are “safe and effective”, one of the nation’s top doctors has said, after new research shed light on why people are concerned about taking the drugs.
Professor Helen Stokes Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said that patient concerns over statins are “understandable”, but that research shows they are safe to use.
The comments come following a study which identified some of the issues behind why people are averse to taking the drugs.
A team of Australian researchers conducted a systematic review of qualitative studies on patient perspectives of the cholesterol-busting drugs.
Thirty-two studies involving 888 participants aged 22 to 93 years across eight countries were included in the review, published in the British Journal of General Practice.
The “barriers to uptake” identified were: prolonged dependence on medications, uncertainties about the pharmacological mechanisms, risks to health, side effects, costs, and some participants had scepticism about clinicians’ motives for prescribing statins.
Meanwhile, patients also wanted to avoid being identified as “sick”.
Commenting on the study, Professor Stokes-Lampard said: “It’s understandable that patients have concerns about the benefits and risks of taking statins given the controversy that has surrounded them in the media, and the diverging views that exist around statins amongst healthcare professionals.
“But actually, there is high-quality recent research that demonstrates they are safe and effective drugs when prescribed and monitored appropriately, and that in most cases where adverse side effects are seen, these are reversible by stopping taking statins or switching to an alternative drug.
“GPs are highly trained to prescribe based on the individual circumstances of the patient in front of them, and a decision to prescribe statins will never be taken lightly.
“Patients certainly have the right to question whether statins is the best course of treatment for them – as they do with any medication they are prescribed – and this should be part of a conversation between doctor and patient about all the potential risks and benefits to their health and wellbeing.
“It is essential that patients who are prescribed statins undertake regular medication reviews with a healthcare professional to determine whether or not they remain the best treatment option, based on their current circumstances.”
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