People often stop taking statins due to perceived side effects but a new study should give them pause. In a clinical trial of 60 patients, led by researchers at Imperial College London and clinicians at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, 90% of symptoms experienced by patients while taking statins were all present when they took placebo pills.
Most people tolerate statins but it is estimated that around one-fifth of patients stop taking or refuse the drug due to reported side effects such as muscle aches, fatigue, or joint pain. The researchers behind the new study suggest that these side effects are mostly caused by the nocebo effect—where people experience side effects from a therapy because of a negative association with it—rather than an actual pharmacological effect of the drug.
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The team suggests that doctors should inform patients of the nocebo effect when prescribing statins and manage their expectations of taking them, to help encourage people to stay on or take the medication.
"Our study suggests that the reported side effects of statins are not caused by the statin themselves but by the effect of taking a tablet. Some of the side effects could also be from the typical aches and pains of getting older. Our findings are significant because they are further evidence that side effects from statins are minimal. These drugs play a significant role in keeping patients who are at risk of cardiovascular disease healthy. One way to help encourage patients to take or stay on their medication is for doctors to talk to their patients about the nocebo effect," Dr. James Howard, an author of the correspondence published recently in The New England Journal of Medicine, explained.