Sebastian Rushworth, a medical doctor in Sweden, takes us on an interesting tour of the medications we take for our health through the lens of two thought experiments, the NNT measurement, and the "number needed to harm" (NNH) measurement. 15% of adults in Western countries take Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications despite their 14% effectiveness (NNT = 7) and 25% chance of seriously harmful side effects (NNH=4). Worse, a quarter (25%) of adults over 40 take a high dose of a statin every day despite their 2% effectiveness (NNT = 40) and NNH = 2.4, i.e. 42% of these adults suffer a significant, harmful side-effect. A few years ago, I went to my physician because of my ancestors' heart disease issues. He told me to go running more and eat better instead of taking harmful medications.
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See also: https://sebastianrushworth.com/2022/06/14/should-the-patient-really-get-the-drug/
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