Are statin side effects real?

Statins, the widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs, have well-known side effects, but some of the most common may be caused more by psychological factors than by the drugs themselves.

Researchers looked at more than 10,000 patients who had been randomly assigned to take either atorvastatin (Lipitor) or a placebo. They tracked their reports of more than two dozen different side effects over an average of more than three years. Those taking statins reported slightly more renal and urinary side effects, but otherwise there were no real differences in side effects between the two groups.

Then they revealed to patients whether they were taking a statin or a placebo, and for the next three years tracked 6,409 patients who continued to take the medicine and 3,490 who took none. The study, published in The Lancet, was paid for by drug companies.

Now, when patients knew whether or not they were taking statins, statin users reported a 41 percent higher rate of muscle pain or weakness than those taking no medicine.

The senior author of the study, Dr. Peter Sever, a professor of clinical pharmacology at Imperial College London, said that when patients on statins report muscle pain, the pain is real, but it may have little to do with the drug itself.

“It’s a real phenomenon that if you’re aware of a problem with a drug, you’re more likely to complain about it,” he said.

Pain relievers and heart risks

The pain relievers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, are known to carry heart risks. A new analysis found that those risks can arise within a week of starting the drugs.

Researchers did a systematic review of studies involving more than 446,000 people ages 40 to 79, of whom more than 61,000 had heart attacks.

In those who used NSAIDs for one to seven days, the risk of heart attack increased 24 percent for celecoxib (Celebrex), 48 percent for ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), 50 percent for diclofenac (Voltaren), and 53 percent for naproxen (Aleve). The increase for rofecoxib (Vioxx), which was taken off the market in 2004 because of its cardiovascular risks, was 58 percent.

The study, in BMJ, found that the risk increases with higher doses and duration of treatment, but there was no significant increase in risk after one month of taking the drugs.

Red meat tied to 9 diseases

The more red meat you eat, the greater your risk of dying from one of nine diseases, according to a new report.

Researchers studied more than 536,000 men and women ages 50 to 71, tracking their diet and health for an average of 16 years. They recorded intake of total meat, processed and unprocessed red meat (beef, lamb and pork), and white meat (poultry and fish).

Compared with the onefifth of people who ate the least red meat, the one-fifth who ate the most had a 26 percent increased risk of death from various causes. High red meat consumption increased the rate of dying from cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, infections, Alzheimer’s disease, kidney disease and liver disease. The study is in BMJ.

White meat, on the other hand, may be good for you. The researchers found that those who ate the highest proportion of white meat had a 25 percent reduced risk of dying from various causes.