Cholesterol Meds Fail to Make Life Longer

Do cholesterol meds make life longer?

While most studies on cholesterol meds (statins) have focused on their ability to lower cholesterol or reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems, a recent study took a surprising look at whether cholesterol meds actually lead to a longer life.

The goal of any medication should be to give the user a longer and/or healthier life. But often that research is deemed too expensive and complicated (or impossible), so drug companies don't bother. Instead, researchers test for a change in some other number that they believe is significant. When it comes to cholesterol medications, it's a simple matter of looking for a drop is cholesterol. If cholesterol goes down, the medication is a success! But is it really? Or are we spending billions of dollars on a faulty assumption? Cholesterol meds don't make you feel better, so they better lengthen your life.

To find out if cholesterol meds really lengthen life, researchers performed a meta-analysis of available research. The results were surprising. The median postponement of death after taking medication was 3.2 - 4.1 days. Yes, DAYS! Taking cholesterol meds added less than 5 days to the length of life for most patients. Patients were followed between 2 and 6 years so it's possible that another 6 or more years on cholesterol meds could add more time, but we're talking DAYS, not even weeks based on the research.

With growing recognition of serious side-effects from cholesterol meds (muscle soreness, loss of memory, increased risk of diabetes), this study should cause doctors to reconsider the high rates of statin prescriptions. The researchers did not go so far as to recommend a change in treatment guidelines but did note:

"If the patient has intolerance or unpleasant side effects from statins, for example, muscular problems, physicians should not be too insistent on the patient continuing them. Also, for patients whose life expectancy is short, the benefit of statin therapy in terms of survival gain may be quite limited."

If you are noting muscle aches or other symptoms related to your cholesterol meds, consider this study on length of life and have a discussion with your doctor.

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