<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Statins, </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national" rel="" target="" title="Australia's"><span>Australia's</span></a><span> most prescribed </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/drugs" rel="" target="" title="drug"><span>drug</span></a><span>, do not cause most of the side effects listed on the packaging, new research has found.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A study found that the heavily prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs do not cause side effects such as </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/memory" rel="" target="" title="memory"><span>memory</span></a><span> loss, depression, </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/sleep" rel="" target="" title="sleep disturbance"><span>sleep disturbance</span></a><span>, and erectile and sexual dysfunction.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Statins are used to lower cholesterol levels and have been proven to reduce </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/heart-disease" rel="" target="" title="cardiovascular disease"><span>cardiovascular disease</span></a><span> risks and reduce mortality in both men and women.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/protest-restrictions-remain-in-place-ahead-of-israeli-president-visit/cf060331-5e1e-4445-a7f7-de6178c5f710" target="_blank"><strong><span>Police extend protest restrictions ahead of Israeli president's visit</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Associate Professor at Oxford Population </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/health" rel="" target="" title="Health"><span>Health</span></a><span> and lead author of the study Christina Reith said people have been deterred from using the "life-saving drugs" due to safety concerns.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Our study provides reassurance that, for most people, the risk of side effects is greatly outweighed by the benefits of statins," Reith said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The research collected data from 23 large-scale randomised studies from the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists' Collaboration, which comprised more than 150,000 participants, comparing the effects of statin therapy against a dummy tablet and comparing more and less intensive statin therapy.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/side-effects-of-statins-may-be-overstated/3ef93070-9f33-4de7-bfd5-407793c1b951" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Studies found that while people may notice the side effects while taking statins, there is no good evidence that suggests they are caused by the drug.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It was found that the number of reports of cognitive or memory impairment, one of the listed side effects, was 0.2 per cent in those taking the drug, but also 0.2 per cent in those taking a placebo dummy pill.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/woman-stabbed-man-shot-dead-manning-great-lakes/1f67fabc-732a-4a5b-96bc-246e1d32c845" target="_blank"><strong><span>Man shot dead by police after woman stabbed on NSW's Mid North Coast</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Although people may experience problems whilst taking statins, using the most reliable evidence from large randomised placebo-controlled trials provided the best evidence that statins do not cause most of the side effects listed in product leaflets," Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Cardiologist Anthony Keech said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The studies also found that there was no statistically significant excess risk from statin therapy for nearly all the potential side effects named on the package leaflets.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A small increase in risk for liver </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/blood-donation" rel="" target="" title="blood"><span>blood</span></a><span> test abnormalities was also found however, there was no increase in liver disease, such as hepatitis or liver failure, meaning that the blood test changes do not result in serious liver problems.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><span>Please note the information in this story is general in nature. Please always consult your GP or health professional for advice that is tailored to your specific health concerns.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><strong><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>ticking this box here</span></em></strong></a></li><li><strong><em><span>Sign up to</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></em></strong></a></li></ul></div></div>