Should he stop taking statins?
Q
My husband is a bit overweight and has high blood pressure. His GP has put him on statins but he says he’s getting muscle aches. Should he stop taking them?
A
I get more questions about statins than any other tablet – hardly surprising, given they’re the most commonly prescribed medicine in the UK. Everyone worries about side-effects, but for many medicines you can weigh up the side-effects against the benefits yourself – for instance, getting pain relief compared with indigestion.
With ‘preventive’ medicines like statins, you don’t feel better in the short-term. Instead, effectiveness is measured by nothing happening – you don’t have a heart attack or stroke. It can be easy to forget the positives if you’re suffering with side-effects, which is why a worrying number of people stop taking them. It’s also easy to blame medicines for side-effects when, in fact, they’re not at fault.
Media headlines about statins and ‘nocebo’ – where expectations of side-effects make patients more likely to report them – are a case in point. A major study involved a double blind element – where patients were assigned to statin or placebo tablets, with neither group knowing which one they were taking. Then all the medicines were stopped and everyone was given the option of taking the statin. During the double-blind part of the test, the number of patients suffering muscle aches was the same among statin and placebo takers. However, once patients choose to take a tablet that could cause muscle aches, 41% more complained of muscle pain compared with those who had opted not to.
So while your husband’s muscle aches may be related to his statin, they could also be general aches and pains. I suggest you get him to see his GP to discuss his concerns, and why his GP has recommended statins. Being overweight increases his risk of raised cholesterol and type 2 diabetes as well as high blood pressure – so he has a lot to gain from statins.
Q
I’ve struggled to keep New Year resolutions before, but I really want to get fit this year, despite a recent knee injury. What can I do?
A
Being more active is one of the best things you can do for your health. Start by asking yourself why you’ve given up before. Have you found the exercise you’ve tried boring, or been tempted to stay home when the weather is bad? Then think about how you could avoid sabotaging your efforts. Start slowly – just 10 minutes’ brisk walking a day will make a big difference. Could enlisting a friend to go walking with or taking a dance class instead of slogging on a treadmill make it seem less of a chore? Do you have time at the weekends to go rambling – countryside, community and exercise! Take a look at patient.info, which has a wealth of content on the healthiest sports depending on your priorities and any previous health problems you may have. Good luck making those resolutions stick this time!