@kevinking and @gman007 - I also will not take any statins. I have neuropathy and statins cause neuropathy or make it worse if you have PN. Lots of evidence to support the downsides of statins. I'm not a doctor but when decisions are made on medications I take, my feeling is that you need to be informed and know the risks...and discuss them with your doctor. I had the discussion with my pcp after she wanted to put me on simvastatin to help reduce my cholesterol levels. Basically told her no, that I would work on the diet and natural methods of bringing the numbers down.

Statins make PN Worse:
The implications of statin induced peripheral neuropathy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3103035/
Statin Neuropathy Masquerading as Diabetic Autoimmune Polyneuropathy
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/28/8/2082.1
Medication Induced Neuropathy
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11910-003-0043-8
It's always best to have the discussion with your doctor but you really need to learn everything you can about the medications and treatments so that you can work with your doctor for the best outcome.

Hoping all my PN pals are having a pain free day.

John

Could not agree more with being your own advocate because no one else is applying for the job. As far as addressing cholesterol with diet, I could show you mine going back over at least eight years and you would never suspect that I had any cholesterol issues, but heredity can not always be exorcised on a treadmill or squat rack. So, we always have to make choices between the lesser of evils and our decisions won't ever be the same, but the discussion is a very good thing. Take care John. Gary

We never know what DNA will do. I know what statins do and I will take my chances with my LDL being a bit on the high side as statins and I do not get along well. My diet is healthy and the HDL is above normal. Mayhap they will balance out??

@parus and @gman007 you are right about choices, discussions and more. I've never really been concerned too much about my cholesterol levels (maybe I should be but that's the choice thing). I have done a little reading about there being some disagreement in the medical community on cholesterol levels. Mine has always been borderline according to my Mayo doctor teams over the years, probably since my 50s. I did find a nice chart that kind of gives some "normals":
https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/summer12/articles/summer12pg6-7.html
So, I'm voting with you @parus and taking my chances ☺

John

@gman007, what does CoQ10 have to do with statins? It sounds like you’ve done some research on this. I’m on rosuvastatin (generic Crestor). I don’t really know what CoQ10 is but my parents who were Amway/Nutrilite distributors and carried it, thought it was wonderful and that I should take it.

@johnbishop, I have peripheral and autonomic neuropathy due to diabetes. My primary and my endocrinologist wanted me on meds to reduce cholesterol & to help protect me from increased risk of stroke &/or heart attack. At first I was on Lipitor, then Crestor, then the generic, rosuvastatin. I never heard of a connection between statins and neuropathy as you showed in the links you provided from your research. Hopefully my medical providers are aware of these things. When I have labs for lipids the results are great. I have CKD and will be needing a kidney transplant at some point. I was at Mayo in Rochester for pretransplant evaluation and those providers (lots of them including endocrinologists, nephrologists, surgeons, nutritionists, pharmacists etc.) all thought the same.

Hello @cahunt57, I take Qunol which has up to 3x better absorption than regular CoQ10. Mayo Clinic has some information here on your question:

Coenzyme Q10: Can it prevent statin side effects?
-- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/expert-answers/coenzyme-q10/faq-20058176

John

@cehunt57

To all in the statin conversation. I take a small amount of a statin and get along OK with it. Even if your cholesterol is not super-high, statins have a protected effect on the blood vessells, making them stronger, if you will. Thereby they are good for folks who might have aneurysms, be susceptible to DVTs etc.

Here is a quote from Mayo's website about the advantages of statins (outside of the cholesterol lowering use), this quote is taken from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statins/art-20045772

"What other benefits do statins have? Statins may have benefits other than just lowering your cholesterol. One promising benefit seems to be their anti-inflammatory properties, which help stabilize the lining of blood vessels. In the heart, healthier blood vessel linings would make plaques less likely to rupture, thereby reducing the chance of a heart attack. Researchers are also studying whether statin therapy could prevent venous thrombosis, which includes blood clots in the lungs (pulmonary embolism) or deep veins (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT)."

I don't like taking meds either but I think it is important to look carefully at the pros and cons and then make an informed decision.

Teresa