Statins ‘not linked’ to muscle pain
Statins do not cause muscle pain or stiffness any more than a placebo, a study suggests.
Many people have been put off taking the cholesterol-busting drugs because of the potential side effects.
But a new study found that the drugs – which are widely used to prevent heart attacks and strokes – are no more likely than a placebo to cause muscle problems.
Muscle aches and pains are common among older people, and “it's not surprising people look for a cause for those”, one of the authors said.
The new trial, published in the BMJ, examined people who had recently stopped, or were considering stopping taking statins because of muscle symptoms.
The study, called an “n-of1” trial, saw participants given both the placebo – or a "fake" drug with no active medical substance – and atorvastatin at different periods over the course of a year.
Police Scotland has no plans to use drones "covertly", Chief Constable Iain Livingstone has said.
Hedescribedthehigh-tech devices as having a "critical" role to play in policing, saying their use in areas which would otherwise be impossible to reach meant they could help save lives.
Whilemrlivingstonesaid the use of the devices could "at times be misunderstood", he insisted the force has no plans to use them covertly.
Police Scotland is currently working with watchdogs at the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) to develop memorandum of understanding on their use.
Speaking at the latest SPA meeting, the Chief Constablesaid:"forme,ourdrones are extremely useful, they are critical. They have been usedtoassistinmissingperson searches and on occasion support public order incidents, orcritical incidents,suchasthestonehaven rail derailment, where it was very difficult to get a sense of the locus. They are not used covertly and we have no plans to do so."