DEAR DR. ROACH: I have read that there is a correlation between the use of statins and suicide in men over 60, especially if they have suffered chronic depression. Can you tell me if this has been studied more?
An older class of cholesterol medication, the fibrates, was associated with a small increased risk of suicide and violent deaths in several large studies. However, a very large study published in 2020 showed no increase in risk of death by suicide among those taking statin drugs. In fact, that study, as well as several others, have shown a decrease in depression risk among statin users. Statins have even been found to be effective in treatment of drug-resistant depression.
People are also reading… DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 74. I have always been described as “small boned.” I am on a statin, but otherwise, I’m healthy. I was recently diagnosed with osteopenia. I do not eat dairy, but I do take vitamin D. I am vegetarian and eat lots of tofu. I am very concerned about taking any additional medicines. Suggestions, please?
You should have received a T-score on your report, which compares your bone density for a given bone to a healthy young adult. The worse the T-score, the closer you are to osteoporosis, which is a T score below -2.5. DR. ROACH WRITES: In a recent column on glaucoma, I described it as a disease of the retina. Several eye physicians wrote to clarify that it is really a disease of the optic nerve. Eye professionals look in the back of the eye at the optic nerve for “cupping,” which is an increase in the size of the optic cup, related to the loss of nerve cells in the retina.
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