David Purkiss became depressed, desperate and ended up in a wheelchair by taking statins - but doctors insisted he keep taking them. After deciding to stop he's now a competitive weightlifter.
Dailymail: Crippled by statins: Cholesterol-busting drugs left David in a wheelchair - but doctors insisted he keep taking themThis is an excellent illustration of a basic fact. The positive effect of statins is often quite small and it's not always worth suffering side effects for it. At the very least people deserve to know the truth about the effect - not propaganda - so that they can make an informed decision.
The truth? Statins every day for five years can lower the risk of a heart attack by about 1 percent and can on average make you live 3 to 4 days longer. These are results from studies done by the pharmaceutical industry, who sell the drugs, and so probably represent the best-case scenarios.
Is that kind of an effect worth suffering side effects? Only the person taking the drug can decide. David Purkiss decided it was not.
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Demonization and Deception in Cholesterol Research - Great New Presentation by Professor David Diamond
