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Statins that won't cause/worsen neuropathy
Are there statins that won't cause or worsen neuropathy in my feet? I began taking Atorvastatin in 2018 and in 2020 my feet started tingling from the balls of my feet to the ends of my toes. Over time the tingling has spread to include my whole foot (both feet) and started to spread up the left leg. There is no pain with the tingling. My PCP didn't know the cause. I went to a neurologist, a podiatrist and a vascular specialist and none could determine a cause. In March, 2025, my sister sent me a study done by the NIH in which 17% of patients taking Atorvastatin and 50% of patients taking Rosuvastatin developed neuropathy. I took a 5 month break from the Atorvastatin and there was a slight improvement in the tingling but it didn't go away. I need to go back on a statin. Can anyone recommend one that won't worsen my neuropathy? Does anyone have experience with CoQ10 keeping neuropathy from worsening or even improving neuropathy when taking a statin?
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As a long term user of statins (predominantly atorvastatin), i sympathize with you. I cannot be sure, but after 4 years of many tests, my length-dependent, idiopathic polyneuropathy continues to worsen. I have been taking supplements of CoQ10 for the past year, and that seems to have improved some of my pertinent blood test results, but no noticeable improvement in my condition.
My suggestion is that you aggressively push this issue with your doctors before your condition worsens, as it is likely unreversible.
I went off of rosuvastatin (20 mg) after reading that study, too. I developed severe small fiber neuropathy in 2024 in hands and arms, then feet and legs. I went off of the statin and at the same time started R-ALA (600 mg, daily). My symptoms improved about 2 months later, but I am a skeptic about the rosuvastatin being the cause. My cholesterol again bounced up when checked 6 months later. Mine is genetic because I eat a plant based diet with plenty of fiber and almost no processed foods. Anyway, Zetia (generic ezetimibe), a non statin, brought it down quite a bit. With my family's history though, I need to bring my LDL down even further, so after much research, I decided to combine Zetia with a very low dose of rosuvastatin (5mg. every other day). I think that the study that you mentioned was in PUBMED and Lancet has been disputed. There really are not enough good studies. I am monitoring my symptoms, but think that this combination should be a lot less likely to worsen neuropathy. The inhibitors would be my first choice; however, I am tired of fighting insurance to pay for it. This trial of the combo will help me determine whether I need the inhibitors (much more costly). I had no side effects on Zetia after the second week and it lowered my LDL from 149 to 115. Good luck with whatever you decide.
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2 Reactions@jankavs
Wow. Am in your situation. Familial. Levels way too high as is calcium score.
Cannot go off Crestor Zetia and probably Repatha soon
Sucks.
So using RALA . Benfotianine
B12
Excercise etc
Anything else I could do?
Best of health to you.
Feel free to message
@jav
@jankavs
Hello,
I have family related hi cholesterol too & was just diagnosed w/ myasthenia gravis. I am on simvastatin & Ezetimibe. I cannot get a straight answer from either my primary dr or neurologist whether to stop the statin & only tk Ezetimibe...my neuro NP said Ezetimibe does not work by itself to control cholesterol. Did you say you took Ezetimibe w/o a statin & if so, how did it work for you?
Im so 😕 confused
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1 ReactionHi,
The Ezetimibe lowered my LDL from 149 to 115. That is actually great, but due to my family history, I need it below 100. So, I am taking 5 mg. of rosuvastatin every other day and will see what my numbers are in a few months. You could try the ezetimibe for 8 weeks and see what it does for you.
I'm sorry you have just gotten another diagnosis. Do you have PN or SFN?
@mkk0124
Ezetimibe took me from 149 to 115 for my LDL.
@mkk0124
My Doctors keep pushing me to take statins and I refused cuz it does exacerbate my PN caused by chemo . My cardiologist prescribed Zetia and cholesterol dropped from 329 to 266. I read that they keep adjusting those numbers so I’m very skeptical about all pills now.
@acmayo @mkk0124 @jankavs After taking a 5 month break from atorvastatin due to PN, I went back on pravastatin (which I took from 2013 to 2018 with no PN). The PN had somewhat improved during the 5 month break but got worse when taking the pravastatin. I gave up the pravastatin and all statins after one month and began taking ezetimibe (zetia). After 4 months my LDL went from 145 to 112 and my total cholesterol and HDL are in the normal ranges. My PN has improved somewhat; but after years of taking statins, I fear that I have permanent nerve damage. I plan to continue with 10mg of ezetimibe daily since my Chol/HDLC ratio is 3.3 (Ref is < 5). I have also started drinking oolong tea due to a recent study showing that it can reduce LDL. Search for the study information on WebMD and also look at interaction information to make sure it is safe for you to drink. I don't know if the tea will help, but since it is natural it is worth a try!
I have also had good results with Zetia (ezetimibe), dropping off and additional statin. Zetia is nit as aggressive as others, but low side effect profile, and, for me, keeps my chol controlled, though maybe not as low as the Doc would like. I’m satisfied, compared to experiences with the ‘true’ statins!
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