Higher Doses of Statin Drugs= Diabetes Risk
People with heart problems who were started on cholesterol-lowering statins were more likely to develop diabetes if they were prescribed stronger versions of the drugs, a new study finds.
“This is not about stopping statins,” lead author Colin R. Dormuth, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, told Reuters Health. “These patients should be on a statin, the question is, should they be on a higher or a lower dose?”
The researchers considered rosuvastatin (brand name Crestor) prescribed at 10 milligrams or more per day, atorvastatin (Lipitor) at 20 mg or more and simvastatin (Zocor) at 40 mg or more to be higher-potency statins. All other dosages were considered lower potency.
About 3,600 of the patients were diagnosed with diabetes within two years of starting the drugs, according to results published in BMJ.
Those prescribed a higher-potency statin were 15 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than those given lower dosages.
SOURCE: bit.ly/RQnlnr BMJ, online May 29, 2014.
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