Statins that won't cause/worsen neuropathy

I was on rosuvastatin (20 mg) for over 2 years when I developed SFN, but I have no idea if that is the cause. I read the one study from NIH about it causing neuropathy if used long-term. I also read that up to 50% of the people taking rosuvastatin had some neuropathy in the study, but it is still being listed as safer than other statins. Unfortunately, long term was considered over one year in that study. I stopped it, but my numbers bounced back up and there is not much room for improving my lifestyle since I have eaten a plant-based diet with lots of fruits, veggies, grains, etc. and always exercise. I chose to try Zetia. Recently, it showed that it has been working and my LDL has dropped to near optimal. I also take the omega 3 (from algae).

@jankavs
Thank you for this information. I read recently that Zetia should be taken with a statin. Are you taking it alone?

@phpilgrim Yes, just Zetia. I lowered the LDL with just Zetia; however, adding a statin does lower it further. I don't want to take a chance with my neuropathy increasing though and taking the two together actually increases the risk of adverse effects.

@jankavs
Thank you!
I took pravastatin from 2013 to 2018 and didn't have side effects. I went back on pravastatin after my 5 month break from atorvastatin and after a little over a month both feet (tops and bottoms) tingled and I had pain in both ankles while walking my dog. I just stopped this statin. I don't think I can take any statin at this point so I will be pursuing alternatives with my PCP or a cardiologist.
In 2021 my B12 was in the normal range but low. My PCP told me to take B-Complex. While I was off atorvastatin, I learned that too much B6 can cause neuropathy. My diet is rich in foods that contain B6 so I stopped taking B-Complex. The neuropathy in my feet improved. A couple weeks later, my hands began to tingle and one finger got numb. I had my B12 tested and it was back to where it was when my PCP told me to take B-Complex. I started B12 when I started the pravastatin. I think it helped because my hands didn't tingle after taking it for a short time but my feet continued to tingle probably due to the pravastatin and maybe permanent nerve damage due to taking atorvastatin for 5 years. I plan to stay on the B12 and try a statin alternative.

@phpilgrim
There are alternatives besides Zetia, like bempodoic acid. I supplemented with b12 when I developed this small fiber neuropathy because I was vegan, so it was not a b12 deficiency. It's definitely a cause for some people. I would like to get my LDL a bit lower, so I am thinking of trying a supplement containing plant sterols (like cholestoff). I hope that you can find an alternative that does well for you.

I'm coming to this conversation very late, but I've had peripheral neuropathy in my feet for over a decade and assumed it was either hereditary (my mom had it long before she was diagnosed with diabetes) or the fact that I've been pre-diabetic for over a decade. Either way, my feet gradually took a turn for the worse when my doctor prescribed me 20mg of Atorvastatin (Lipitor), and later upped it to 40mg, which I took for years.

Finally, I read that Atorvastatin is one of the worst statins for neuropathy and when my lipid bloodwork came back last year close to normal, I decided to take a "statin vacation" to see what would happen to both my neuropathy and my cholesterol. So I went 4 months without statins, and while my feet improved pretty dramatically, my cholesterol skyrocketed.

So with some help from ChatGPT, I read that Crestor (Rosuvastatin) was better for neuropathy in trials. My doctor initially prescribed 20mg of Crestor, which gave me instant myopathy (leg muscle pain), so I switched to 5mg Crestor. Within months, my cholesterol was back to normal, and while my feet got a little worse than they were with no statin, the pain was not nearly as bad as it was with 40mg Atorvastatin.

I also discovered a study that suggested Pitavastatin was the best for neuropathy, but I've been taking 1mg of that for 6 weeks and I believe my feet are slightly worse now than when I was on 5mg of Crestor. I'm going to wait a couple more weeks and get a new lipid panel to see how the Pitavastatin affected my cholesterol numbers, but right now, I'm inclined to go back to 5mg Crestor. My feet still hurt and tingled when I was on 5mg Crestor but *far* less than with the Atorvastatin, plus my cholesterol was basically normal.

My experience is that many doctors prescribe high doses first rather than starting with lower doses and titrating up as needed. For anyone who is interested, this is the study ChatGPT referred me to: https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/ijfn.2020.3

As for CoQ10, my brother-in-law is a pharmacist and says he thinks everyone taking a statin should take CoQ10. I hope some of this helps.

I'm coming to this conversation very late, but I've had peripheral neuropathy in my feet for over a decade and assumed it was either hereditary (my mom had it long before she was diagnosed with diabetes) or the fact that I've been pre-diabetic for over a decade. Either way, my feet gradually took a turn for the worse when my doctor prescribed me 20mg of Atorvastatin (Lipitor), and later upped it to 40mg, which I took for years.

Finally, I read that Atorvastatin is one of the worst statins for neuropathy and when my lipid bloodwork came back last year close to normal, I decided to take a "statin vacation" to see what would happen to both my neuropathy and my cholesterol. So I went 4 months without statins, and while my feet improved pretty dramatically, my cholesterol skyrocketed.

So with some help from ChatGPT, I read that Crestor (Rosuvastatin) was better for neuropathy in trials. My doctor initially prescribed 20mg of Crestor, which gave me instant myopathy (leg muscle pain), so I switched to 5mg Crestor. Within months, my cholesterol was back to normal, and while my feet got a little worse than they were with no statin, the pain was not nearly as bad as it was with 40mg Atorvastatin.

I also discovered a study that suggested Pitavastatin was the best for neuropathy, but I've been taking 1mg of that for 6 weeks and I believe my feet are slightly worse now than when I was on 5mg of Crestor. I'm going to wait a couple more weeks and get a new lipid panel to see how the Pitavastatin affected my cholesterol numbers, but right now, I'm inclined to go back to 5mg Crestor. My feet still hurt and tingled when I was on 5mg Crestor but *far* less than with the Atorvastatin, plus my cholesterol was basically normal.

My experience is that many doctors prescribe high doses first rather than starting with lower doses and titrating up as needed. For anyone who is interested, this is the study ChatGPT referred me to: https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/ijfn.2020.3

As for CoQ10, my brother-in-law is a pharmacist and says he thinks everyone taking a statin should take CoQ10. I hope some of this helps.

I'm coming to this conversation very late, but I've had peripheral neuropathy in my feet for over a decade and assumed it was either hereditary (my mom had it long before she was diagnosed with diabetes) or the fact that I've been pre-diabetic for over a decade. Either way, my feet gradually took a turn for the worse when my doctor prescribed me 20mg of Atorvastatin (Lipitor), and later upped it to 40mg, which I took for years.

Finally, I read that Atorvastatin is one of the worst statins for neuropathy and when my lipid bloodwork came back last year close to normal, I decided to take a "statin vacation" to see what would happen to both my neuropathy and my cholesterol. So I went 4 months without statins, and while my feet improved pretty dramatically, my cholesterol skyrocketed.

So with some help from ChatGPT, I read that Crestor (Rosuvastatin) was better for neuropathy in trials. My doctor initially prescribed 20mg of Crestor, which gave me instant myopathy (leg muscle pain), so I switched to 5mg Crestor. Within months, my cholesterol was back to normal, and while my feet got a little worse than they were with no statin, the pain was not nearly as bad as it was with 40mg Atorvastatin.

I also discovered a study that suggested Pitavastatin was the best for neuropathy, but I've been taking 1mg of that for 6 weeks and I believe my feet are slightly worse now than when I was on 5mg of Crestor. I'm going to wait a couple more weeks and get a new lipid panel to see how the Pitavastatin affected my cholesterol numbers, but right now, I'm inclined to go back to 5mg Crestor. My feet still hurt and tingled when I was on 5mg Crestor but *far* less than with the Atorvastatin, plus my cholesterol was basically normal.

My experience is that many doctors prescribe high doses first rather than starting with lower doses and titrating up as needed. For anyone who is interested, this is the study ChatGPT referred me to: https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/ijfn.2020.3

As for CoQ10, my brother-in-law is a pharmacist and says he thinks everyone taking a statin should take CoQ10. I hope some of this helps.