Common Misconceptions About Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs

In the age of information explosion, especially through social networks, we need to clearly understand information about drugs, such as statins - used to lower bad cholesterol, to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

Statin use can cause muscle pain but it does not happen often - Photo: TOI

Statins are the most studied class of prescription drugs for lowering bad cholesterol (LDL). Some side effects can occur, but decades of randomized trials have shown that lowering LDL with statins significantly reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Therefore, we need to clearly distinguish between possible side effects, rare side effects and completely fabricated information about statins, according to the Times Of India newspaper on September 4.

Myth 1: Statins often cause muscle pain

Muscle pain can occur with statins, but not as often as people fear. In blinded clinical trials, muscle pain was only slightly more common in people taking statins than in those taking placebo.

Many scientific reports suggest that this is due to the nocebo effect - where the expectation of side effects makes the user more sensitive.

If you have muscle pain, your doctor will usually reduce your dose, switch to a different statin, or change to an alternate-day dose.

Myth 2: Statins cause memory loss/confusion

In 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) noted rare, often reversible, cases of short-term cognitive problems with statins. However, the FDA stressed that the cardiovascular benefits far outweighed the potential risks.

Additionally, several studies have also shown no association between statin use and dementia, mild cognitive impairment, or memory/executive function impairment.

Not all statin users cannot eat grapefruit - Photo: TOI

Myth 3: Statins damage the liver and kidneys

In fact, severe liver or kidney damage from statin use is rare. Today, medical experts believe that statins are even safe for people with fatty liver or compensated cirrhosis (the early stages of cirrhosis), and that statins should not be stopped because of their cardiovascular benefits.

For the kidney, anecdotal evidence suggests no clear increase in acute kidney injury with regular statin use.

In fact, medical guidelines recommend statin use for people with chronic kidney disease (except those on dialysis) because of their higher cardiovascular risk.

However, a large study found that high doses of rosuvastatin slightly increased the risk of hematuria, especially in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease. Therefore, these patients need to pay attention to the statin dosage.

Myth 4: Statins cause diabetes

Statins may slightly increase the risk of diabetes, especially at high doses and in people with existing risk factors such as prediabetes or obesity. However, this increase is small compared with the benefits of statins against heart attacks and strokes.

For those at risk, attention should be paid to a healthy lifestyle: weight management, healthy eating, exercise and regular blood sugar testing.

Myth 5: You can't eat grapefruit if you're taking statins

Not all people taking statins can't eat grapefruit. Grapefruit can inhibit the enzyme CYP3A4 that breaks down certain statins, increasing their levels in the blood. It's recommended to avoid eating a lot of grapefruit if you're taking the medication.

Grapefruit does not interact significantly with pravastatin or rosuvastatin, so it is generally safe for people taking these two statins to eat this fruit. It is also best to read the instructions for use of the statin you are prescribed.

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ANH THU

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhung-ngo-nhan-pho-bien-ve-thuoc-giam-cholesterol-2025090411320343.htm