Despite their effectiveness in lowering cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, hydroxyl methyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) have been associated with an extremely wide variety of adverse events. Pharmacovigilance groups from different parts of the world have implicated statins as a potential cause of severe psychological adverse events. The New Zealand Center for Adverse Reaction Monitoring (CARM) reported the association of 285 cases of psychological adverse events with statins. Another review of spontaneous adverse events in an Italian database identified 71 psychological adverse events. Adverse events included insomnia, somnolence, agitation, confusion, hallucinations, mood disorders, cognitive disorders, and perception disorders. Case reports, case series, and small randomized controlled studies have linked statin use to the increased risk of psychological disorders, such as violence or depression. The recent FDA warning of cognitive disorders associated with statins has raised additional concerns.
The objective of this study was to determine if statins were associated with an increased risk of psychological disorders, including schizophrenia, psychosis, major depression, and bipolar disorder in a military population that requires a high degree of psychological preparedness.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
