Statins fear is 'putting patients health at risk', researchers say.

Everyone over 50 should consider taking statins to reduce the risk of a heart attack because the possible side effects have been exaggerated, a leading expert has said.

Sir Rory Collins, of Oxford University, said taking cholesterol-lowering statins before warning signs start to appear could provide much more protection from heart attacks or stroke.

He accused medical regulators of overstating the possible sideeffects of statins, the majority of which have not been borne out in clinical trials, because it could encourage them to stop taking the medication and put their health at risk.

He disputed claims that statins can cause sleep disturbances, memory loss, sexual dysfunction, depression, lung disease, cataracts, diabetes, memory loss and confusion.

The only sideeffect proven by experiments is a very low risk of myopathy - a condition which causes muscles to weaken - which is easily outweiged by the benefit to the heart of taking the drugs, Sir Rory said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9504753/Statins-fear-is-putting-patients-health-at-risk-researchers-say.html

From Dr. Malcolm (Butt Kicker) Kendrick commenting on his blog.

Dear Dr Kendrick – If you can, I’d appreciate your view of this and the research that informs it.

Kendrick replies.

This research comes from the Clinical Trials Service Unit at Oxford who run the Cholesterol Triallists Collaboration, and who run clinical studies – mainly funded by the likes of Merck and Schering Plough. This unit is exceedingly pro-statin and do post-hoc analysis of all the cholesterol trials again, and again. They point blank refuse to release the data they have on adverse effects of statins, claiming it is commercially sensitive. Not perhaps as sensitive as the muscles of those who take these damned things. He states that only one in ten thousand people suffer serious side-effects. This must make me a most amazing doctor as I have seen two cases of rhabdomyelosis, three severe liver failures and umpteen problems with mood swings, depression, impotence, cognitive problems and one case of possible motor neurone disease. These drugs create a vast range of side-effects, some very serious. Yet, still, there is no evidence of any significant effect on overall mortality.

Hi Dr Kendrick,
Me again, sorry! What about Prof. Sir Rory Collins latest? How can taking toxic poison be good for anyone and everyone over the age of 50 regardless? I would love to see your response to his statement, will you be publishing one?
Best wishes
David 

David, Hi.

My opinion on Professor Sir Statin cannot be published, or else I would be instantly sued for libel. You may be interested in my latest propaganda http://www.statinnation.net/

http://drmalcolmkendrick.org/about/

Eddie