“We gathered over 8400 on-line drug reviews prepared by patients on statin therapy, and compared them to an equivalent number of reviews for a broad spectrum of other drugs.”
That seems like a pretty sketchy analysis method, given all the FUD about statins that people are likely to read when they go online and search for information. I’m sure there are tons of people who, just like me, wonder “I’m experiencing XXX, could it be a med side effect?”. How many convince themselves that’s the case after reading things online and then go add their own voice to the signal?
That's fair -- I'd forgotten the context of the quote I picked out, as it's been years since I read this article.
Generally when it comes to a medication you're expected to take for years or the rest of your life, I'd want very strong evidence in its favor. The well-known problems and biases in biomedical research mean I need to consider a wider range of claims than the most official reviews, unfortunately.
I'd think the sort of things in statin reviews would have a lot to do with the health of people who tend to be taking statins. Obesity, lack of exercise, sleep apnea, etc. Along with age.
That seems like a pretty sketchy analysis method, given all the FUD about statins that people are likely to read when they go online and search for information. I’m sure there are tons of people who, just like me, wonder “I’m experiencing XXX, could it be a med side effect?”. How many convince themselves that’s the case after reading things online and then go add their own voice to the signal?