1. < Neuropathy

Statin discontinued due to neuropathy. What are some alternatives?

Posted by Nazir Khan @nukhan, Jan 19, 2020

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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tbucksr | @tbucksr | 6 days ago

Please, try a foot soak. Fill with water, a couple cups of vinegar, a couple cups of Epsom salt. After soaking pour some baking soda on. It's not a cure but a relief. Let me know if it does anything for you. I do it before bedtime. If the burning persists i roll a frozen water bottle under each foot. I feel your pain. Retired and 68 and have had idiopathic neuropathy for about two years now. No known reason. I've tried all of the buy one bottle for $79 or 6 for $39 ea. Don't work for me. I did find ground cayenne pepper and baking soda a half teaspoon each in a shot of water helps. Again, not a cure.

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1 reply
lasttry | @lasttry | 6 days ago
In reply to @suzmccl "I was a perfectly healthy person when I retired. Three months after retirement one of the..." + (show)
@suzmccl

I was a perfectly healthy person when I retired. Three months after retirement one of the cervical discs in my neck moved to rest on a nerve that caused pain you cannot live with, thus the need for surgery. the neuropathy in my shins and feet started five months after my ACDF surgery to fuse three discs in my neck. It takes up to 6 months for those discs to fuse, oddly coincidental. My surgeon shrugs and puts me on gabapentin. I have tried many things for this neuropathy. Some creams and sprays give you relief for a short while. I sleep with flexible ice packs on top of my covers every night because the COLD from them deadens the burn some. I also use sleep aid occasionally when I need a good 6-hr sleep.
I've had all the neurology and circulation tests there are available. They were all negative, nothing shows up 'wrong'. But my 'ON-FIRE' legs and feet are very real every night when I lay down to sleep. I'm usually very active all day and wear all the correct shoes. The neurologist increased my gabapentin even though all my tests were negative. I took myself off of gabapentin shortly after. All it does is mask the burn a little and make me feel so drugged that it changes my lifestyle. It also adds so much cramping in my calves, feet, and toes all night long.
The timing of this neuropathy is odd, and somehow related to my surgery five months prior.
So.... next I have an appointment to start going to a clinic called "New Promise Neuropathy" for treatments that have shown results for some people. I'm only 70 years old, not diabetic, about 20 lbs overweight since my surgery, otherwise healthy my whole life. After several weeks of treatments, my next thing to try might be a low-does anxiety or antidepressant drug to see if stress is a factor or trigger. I can't imagine living with this for the rest of my life, so I am not willing to give up researching a way to make it better. I still feel so young.
Good luck to all of you with neuropathy, it's not fun! But also, by comparison to some others' issues, I don't like to complain much!

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Please post if treatments at new clinic works for you!
A friend who's being treated for arthritic pain told me there is a setting on their ortholazer machine for peripheral neuropathy.....her treatments are quick, painless, and work for her!

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kjdrak01 | @kjdrak01 | 4 days ago

I had an issue with Crestor. My doctos office recommended berburine. Natural prodoct. I haven't used it yet, but intend to try it.
Vibrant Health is where I go.

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1 reply
gus0557 | @gus0557 | 3 days ago
In reply to @kjdrak01 "I had an issue with Crestor. My doctos office recommended berburine. Natural prodoct. I haven't used..." + (show)
@kjdrak01

I had an issue with Crestor. My doctos office recommended berburine. Natural prodoct. I haven't used it yet, but intend to try it.
Vibrant Health is where I go.

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Hello,
My only advice is to be highly careful with trying anything new as your body may react to it differntly from anyone else. Please dig deep into medical research about it and not rely on what the general internet says about it.
I am saying this because my primary care physician told me back in February of this year to stop everything I was taking including cholesterol medication and vitamin supplements.
Best wishes.
Take care and have a serene night,
gus

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eunice1 | @eunice1 | 3 days ago

I am an 80 year-old female, actually almost 81 have always been very active in volunteer work and other work. I didn’t expect my old age to look like this. I’ve had back surgery. I can deal with that but the neuropathy in my feet and my lower legs ache. It takes a couple hours before I can even get around. I’m wasting so much time. I want to be in Chair yoga and water therapy but I just can’t get my act together. I’m so glad to be following you. Any comments you have for me I would really appreciate.

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2 replies
Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | 3 days ago
In reply to @eunice1 "I am an 80 year-old female, actually almost 81 have always been very active in volunteer..." + (show)
@eunice1

I am an 80 year-old female, actually almost 81 have always been very active in volunteer work and other work. I didn’t expect my old age to look like this. I’ve had back surgery. I can deal with that but the neuropathy in my feet and my lower legs ache. It takes a couple hours before I can even get around. I’m wasting so much time. I want to be in Chair yoga and water therapy but I just can’t get my act together. I’m so glad to be following you. Any comments you have for me I would really appreciate.

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Welcome @eunice1, You are not alone! It's great to see that you are proactive in dealing with your neuropathy symptoms. Learning as much as you can about the condition and what might provide some relief is the best thing we can do to help ourselves. If you haven't seen the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy site, you might want to bookmark it for frequent sessions - https://www.foundationforpn.org/living-well/.

You might also find it helpful to scan through the search results of Connect for "neuropathy what helps" - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/?search=neuropathy+what+helps.

One of the things that helps me get going in the mornings is setting a regular time for going to bed at night. I know it's difficult when you have neuropathy but do you try to maintain a regular daily sleeping routine?

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Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | 3 days ago
In reply to @tbucksr "Please, try a foot soak. Fill with water, a couple cups of vinegar, a couple cups..." + (show)
@tbucksr

Please, try a foot soak. Fill with water, a couple cups of vinegar, a couple cups of Epsom salt. After soaking pour some baking soda on. It's not a cure but a relief. Let me know if it does anything for you. I do it before bedtime. If the burning persists i roll a frozen water bottle under each foot. I feel your pain. Retired and 68 and have had idiopathic neuropathy for about two years now. No known reason. I've tried all of the buy one bottle for $79 or 6 for $39 ea. Don't work for me. I did find ground cayenne pepper and baking soda a half teaspoon each in a shot of water helps. Again, not a cure.

Jump to this post

Hello @tbucksr, Welcome to Connect. Thanks for sharing what helps with your idiopathic neuropathy. If you haven't already seen the list of complementary and alternative therapies for neuropathy, the Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy keeps a pretty comprehensive list that might be worth taking a look - https://www.foundationforpn.org/therapies/.

What are the symptoms that bother you the most?

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MamaMarch | @mamamarch | 3 days ago
In reply to @eunice1 "I am an 80 year-old female, actually almost 81 have always been very active in volunteer..." + (show)
@eunice1

I am an 80 year-old female, actually almost 81 have always been very active in volunteer work and other work. I didn’t expect my old age to look like this. I’ve had back surgery. I can deal with that but the neuropathy in my feet and my lower legs ache. It takes a couple hours before I can even get around. I’m wasting so much time. I want to be in Chair yoga and water therapy but I just can’t get my act together. I’m so glad to be following you. Any comments you have for me I would really appreciate.

Jump to this post

Eunice, if you can find either one of those classes nearby just do it! One time and you will be hooked, so motivating will not be a problem.
I am 75 and in a similar situation as you. I wish I could afford to join the YMCA for the water classes, but just can't. However, I joined a Chair Arthritis class and it is perfect. It doesn't deal directly with Arthritis, just generic movement. I wish I could make myself do it everyday, but need the motivation of a teacher and class, I guess. This is at a local Senior Center, which provides all kinds of activities. The chair workout is my favorite. Just seems like the right amount of movement without the stress of being on my feet and jumping around.
Try it, if you can find something nearby (if it's too far or too much trouble, I probably wouldn't commit.)

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ahimsa | @ahimsa | 2 days ago

If you have muscle aches due to a statin (not unusual) try a supplement called CoQ10. I use the Qunol brand which I get from Amazon.
If you want to quit statins altogether while keeping your LDL cholesterol under control there is a new class of drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors. I take incliseran (brand name, Leqvio) which is a subcutaneous injection every 6 months. The drug is expensive and your doc has to apply to your insurance and make a case as to why you need it. Merck is coming out with a PCSK9 inhibitor in pill form.

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