Harvard Health Publishing: People who have negative expectations about medicine or a treatment experience harmful symptoms they otherwise wouldn't have.
People who are worried about statins because of possible side effects may experience what's called the "nocebo effect" when they try taking the drugs. This is the opposite of the placebo effect; with the nocebo effect, people who have negative expectations about medicine or a treatment experience harmful symptoms they otherwise wouldn't have.
Researchers recruited 60 people, average age 66, who had previously stopped statins after two weeks because of side effects.
READ MORE (Source: Harvard Health Publishing, 02/01/2021)