The controversy over statins has revealed something: the nocebo effect is real | Ann Robinson
by Ann Robinson from on (#2N777)
Just as placebos can have a positive effect, expectation of side-effects can have a negative one. That's why proper doctor-patient communication is so vital
Statins are back in the news; a new study shows that media-fuelled controversy among health experts has dented public confidence in the cholesterol-lowering drugs that prevent 80,000 heart attacks and strokes every year in the UK. The benefits far outweigh the harm from rare side-effects, according to a review of the evidence in the Lancet medical journal. But 200,000 people stopped taking their statins in 2013 following six months of "disputed research and tendentious opinion" on their potential side-effects.
Related: Statin side-effects only felt by those who believe in them - study
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