Social media myths ‘make millions give up on statins’

HEART patients are falling victim to dangerous myths spread online about the sideeffects of lifesaving statins.

Millions at risk of heart attacks are giving up their statins over scare stories from social media, experts warn.

Roughly six million people in Britain take the cholesterol-busting drugs, but another six million who should be taking them do not.

Doctors believe tens of thousands die in Britain every year because they shun the pills – concerned about side-effects such as sleep problems and cognitive impairment.

Researchers from Duke University in North Carolina, writing in the Journal of the American Heart Association, tracked 5,700 pensioners who were eligible for statins. They found a quarter of people who should be on the drugs were not taking them. Of these, one in ten had turned them down and one in three started the pills but then stopped taking them.

‘Fear of side-effects and perceived side-effects were the most common reasons cited for declining or discontinuing a statin,’ the experts wrote.

Senior author Dr Ann Marie Navar said: ‘Misconceptions about statins are everywhere and are fuelled by false information on the internet.’

Experts stress that rare side-effects of statins do exist, including muscle weakening myopathy and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.