AED defibrillators can be used to treat cardiac arrests when used correctly, and statins have been used for long time now to help prevent them.

Statins were hailed as a wonder drug when they first became available, as they both reduce the cholesterol levels in the blood stream and therefore reduce blood pressure. Many people who have hereditary high cholesterol, which is hard to treat with lifestyle changes, had their life expectancies improved significantly by using the drug.

As time has gone on the impact of the drugs and its lack of side effects has led to doctors being keen to prescribe it for milder cardiovascular conditions such as slightly raised blood pressure.

Now many are asking if prescribing statins in such high quantities was such a good idea after all.

It is thought that their safety has been exaggerated, and while they save over 80,000 lives a year, there are side effects that are being over looked.

The side effects are known to affect two per cent of patients and include including muscle pain, memory loss, sexual difficulties and depression. A study published in the Lancet in September which promoted the use of the drugs, has now been criticised by a number of scientists who say that the side effects were minimised and the positive impact reported based on forecasts rather than existing data.

This has been rebuked by NICE researcher Professor Mark Baker who told The Telegraph: “The effectiveness of statins is now well proven, as is their long-term safety, and they are relatively cheap.

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