A pharmaceutical expert has explained why millions of Britons should be aware of potential side effects from statins, one of the UK's most prescribed medications.
An estimated 7 to 8 million adults take these cholesterol-lowering drugs, with over 5.3 million prescribed in England alone according to NICE data.
Common and rare side effects
Dipa Kamdar, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy Practice at Kingston University, said: "Like all medicines, statins have side effects. Common ones include headache, digestive upset and dizziness."
More serious but rare effects include liver inflammation and muscle problems, with severe muscle breakdown affecting only a few people per million users.
Drug interactions and blood sugar
The main risks come from drug interactions with medications like antifungals, certain antibiotics, and even grapefruit, which can increase statin levels in the blood.
Statins can also cause a small rise in blood glucose, particularly affecting people with prediabetes or diabetes, though the heart attack prevention benefits outweigh this risk.
Lifestyle changes remain crucial
Ms Kamdar emphasised that lifestyle changes remain crucial, with national guidelines recommending reduced saturated fat intake and increased fibre consumption alongside medication.
"Statins have transformed cardiovascular care and saved millions of lives," she added, stressing that treatment decisions should balance proven benefits against potential side effects.
