MOOD MEDICINE

HOW drugs change our behaviour. This week: Statins may make some women aggressive CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING statins — which work by blocking an enzyme that controls cholesterol production in the liver — are the most commonly prescribed medicines in the UK. But they have been linked with increased irritability and aggression, particularly in women.

A study at the University of California San Diego, reported in the journal Drug Safety, explored why this could be. For example, statins may alter levels of testosterone or the brain chemical serotonin which might affect aggression.

A second study of 1,016 people at the U.S. university found statins reduced aggression in men, particularly younger men, but increased it in post-menopausal women. Gender differences in hormone activity may be implicated.

The drugs have also been linked with anxiety, nightmares, feelings of detachment, joylessness and impatience, according to a study in Drug Safety — Case Reports.