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Statin discontinued due to neuropathy. What are some alternatives?
I have been using Lipitor since 2007 for lowering my cholesterol which is on the list of those medicines that are suspected to cause neuropathy. I am thinking of discontinuing this menace but before doing so want to check with those members who have discontinued using statin and what is their experience. What alternative methods have they since adopted for lowering their cholesterol .. diet, alternative medication, exercise or anything else ?
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I wish! I eat no meat (just fish), no dairy and practically the only sugar
I get is in a bit of dark chocolate after dinner. For years I have only
used olive oil (very little, at that) and I take an Omega 3 supplement. I
have aerobics, strength training and stretching classes three times a week.
I am 5' 4" and weigh 128 lbs. Still, my cholesterol was at 336!
I always avoided statins because my Cardiac Calcium Score came back
as Zero! No blockage of any arteries. But, last year my CAC (Coronary
Artery Calcium) score crept up to 20% and while that is not bad, I'm not
comfortable with the somewhat sudden increase. So, here I am,
experimenting with the lowest dose of statin that might keep the
cholesterol levels in check, but not exacerbate the peripheral neuropathy.
While diet and lifestyle are the answer for some, it is not
necessarily going to work for everyone.
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2 ReactionsI refused to take Statins and Had stroke in my eye.
Now must take 20mg and baby aspirin.
I have been on Repatha for a couple of years and it has done a great job of lowering my cholesterol. Almost cut it in half. I was on the Pushtronic sub cutaneous infuser and having trouble getting it, then found out it was discontinued by Amgen. I switched to the Sure Click auto injector and don’t like it. It really hurts because it injects a ml of fluid too fast. So I will try the prefilled syringes that I can inject slowly under my control. The Healthwell Foundation will help with Repatha copays, but the high cholesterol fund is currently closed. It may reopen and is worth checking periodically since the copay is about 400.00.
There are a few good alternatives to statins, REPATHA, ZETIA, BEMPEDOIC ACID,LOVAZA. LEQVIO. Talk to your cardiologist to find the right medication for you. It took a couple of tries to find the right one to lower my LDL-C and Tricycycerides.
Be patient, be sure to get enough protein for blood draws and good luck.
My numbers were not better on any statins as when I was taking Crestor 5mg twice weekly. More didn’t necessarily mean lower LDL. My understanding is they all stay in your body a different amount of time and that twice a weeks is sorta that balance where there’s some in your body all the time, and all statins are different in this regard. Curious, where is your leg pain?
My total cholesterol dropped to 178 while taking the tiny 5mg tablets of Rosuvastatin (Crestor). Good enough for me to consider every other day! I sure hope the small amount I'm taking is not exacerbating the peripheral neuropathy!
Well, darn! Maybe I'll try my 5 mg twice a week and see what happens. The 5mg daily quickly dropped my levels from almost 300 down to 178. I'll never understand why they start people on 20 and sometimes 40mg.
The leg "pain" I've always developed while on statins is a nerve pain in the front of my thighs. At higher doses it was there all the time and I noticed it even when simply walking. At this lower dose of 5mg I have that same pain, but only with certain movements (mainly where weight is on one leg with knee bent.) I always wonder if I should avoid that movement while exercising/playing, etc. Or should I do the opposite and practice working thru the pain. It is sharp enough to cause my leg to immediately retract or collapse.
Years ago I had some dry needling done, but never really sure if it made a difference.
I’m with you there. It gets complicated, too when a 20mg of one statin isn’t necessarily the same strength as 20mg of another. I also read some statins are fat soluble and others are water soluble, so they must have different ways of breaking down in our bodies? My doctor kept my Crestor at 2 times a week and added other drugs.
Your pain is interesting. I have struggled with a variety of pain and wondered the same thing as you. It’s difficult to know what will get better with rest and when I should forge ahead and work through the pain. I’m not sure we can figure that out without our doctors help. We live in a good time now that they have more and more treatment options to consider.
I hate to be a pessimist, but I don't see my Dr. helping much at all. I do the "figuring out possibilities" and then basically ask permission to take particular actions. The Dr. seems to not really care and I even worry that she thinks I'm a bit whack-o.
As to the thigh pain, I'm wondering if a physical therapist might be more useful. But, again, it can be hit or miss.
Overall, I'm with you on the attitude that at least we are ahead of where we were years ago. And I definitely think that progress is being made!
I’m currently on Ratha and it’s doing a great job. I also have a co-pay card which I pay five dollars per prescription, and it’s good for a couple of years. Just go to their website and they’ll give you instructions to apply for the copay card.