There is a backlash developing against the tendency to medicate a healthy population.
But in a letter to NICE and ministers, the experts expressed concern about the medicalisation of healthy people.
The letter said the draft advice was overly reliant on industry-sponsored trials, which “grossly underestimate adverse effects”.
And it added: “The benefits in a low-risk population do not justify putting approximately five million more people on drugs that will then have to be taken lifelong.”
That’s refreshing. As a middle-aged male with an estimated 10% chance of developing cardiovascular disease based upon things like age, lifestyle, weight, blood pressure and so on, I would likely as not be offered statins to control my cholesterol. I would refuse, though. I am perfectly healthy and will take my chances. What I will not be doing is taking unnecessary medicine “just in case”.
Yup, those NICE food fascists just won’t leave us alone…
http://britain-today.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/food-fascism-latest.html
I had the conversation with my doctor tail end of last year. He did the usual blood tests and then told me I had a 20% of a stroke or heart attack within 10 years and asked me how I felt about that. I said it sounded pretty good to me as it meant there was an 80% chance of it not happening.
After a lot of bullying and a discussion with Mrs D, I’ve been taking a 20mg dose daily since. Interestingly there has been no follow up to see if they are having any effect at all, but I reckon 3 weeks on a cruise boat might have kicked the old cholesterol up a fraction in any case.
My dad died at 61 from a heart attack. On 17th November last year, I outlived him. Touch wood I’m pretty healthy so far and intend to stay that way.
Statins. Well, I’m open minded but when my wife was put on them briefly when she had a suspect heart condition (turned out it wasn’t) they gave her horrendous side effects. I’m not anti medication per se but dislike taking pills for the sake of it. If they can prove they’re working then fair enough but if they’re not then I shall stop taking them.
Guess the jury’s out…
When I hit 60, I went in to my doctor’s for a full MOT.
Hmm, your blood pressure is a bit high… I read newspapers and watch the BBC news sometimes, what do you expect?… Well here are some tablets for that, oh and as you’re 60, here’s one for Statins…And what are they for?… oh they stop you getting a heart attack- stroke etc.
Well we are conditioned to believe Professionals aren’t we? So I took them. I immediately started to feel old. Aches and pains, joint problems etc etc. So I stopped the Statins but kept on with the blood pressure ones. Lo and behold, my joint pains etc stopped. I am now back to my old 23 year old self.
Doctoring is supposed to be about Science not doling out drugs like Smarties as a universal panacea, which make loads of money for Big Pharma.
Mrs D had terrible problems with leg cramps and muscle pains on 40mg of the stuff. Said she’d rather have the heart attack.
I’m on 20mg and I’ve been fine as far as I know. I seem to remember some side effect about memory loss but I can’t remember where I heard that 😉
I found blood pressure tablets made me very ill very quickly so I stopped taking them. Besides, it was all white coat syndrome anyway.
What I object to here is not the prescribing of statins to those who have a diagnosed need, it is the idea that everyone over 55 falls into a category that required routine medication. i will not be routinely medicated, ta very much.
I was given some statins as my cholesterol was a bit high. I took them for awhile, cholesterol went down slightly.
Then last year, I saw a picture of myself taken at the beach. I promptly decided to lose a stone as it was a horrible sight. I also stopped the statins (Im not very good at pill taking anyway).
Funnily enough, the cholesterol went down well within limits.
My partner was on statins because some years ago he had a stroke, 2 years ago he refused to take them any more as the side effects were by far and a way out weighing the benefits.
He was appalled to see the NICE guidance and very glad to see the stance taken by some quarters of the medical profession over the ridiculousness of medicating healthy people.
When he was on statins they made him ill and caused his hair to fall out (a major issue for him as he is a tad on the vain side) once he ceased taking the dreaded drugs his GP said well it doesn’t really matter you don’t really need them now anyway it was just a precautionary measure.
Talk about light blue touch paper and retire to a safe distance, I was very glad NOT to be in the doctors surgery that day I can tell you.
It is ludicrous to me to give people who to all intense and purposes don’t need them, drugs especially when you don’t know all the side effects and the information you base the judgment on is from the bloody company that produces the drug. See ms to me NICE had a D’oh moment or took a backhander.