Ask Dr Miriam

QI’m 62 years old and my doctor has discovered that I have high cholesterol. She suggested I go on statins. But I’ve read there are lots of side effects so I’m reluctant to take them. Can you reassure me about them? A I’m a fan of statins and take them myself. Let me put the side effects into perspective. For every 10,000 patients treated, there will be in the region of 10-20 cases of muscle aches over the period of a year.

There may be the same number of extra cases of diabetes, and one extra case of a rare condition involving muscle pain (myopathy). This last side effect had the most publicity but it’s very rare. The increased risk of diabetes is mainly in people who already have an increased risk of developing the condition because they are overweight. Scare stories about strokes have put off some people, but the effect of statins in reducing stroke numbers is much greater than any increase in strokes. Most side effects of statins disappear when you stop taking them. A heart attack or stroke, however, doesn’t.