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Statin discontinued due to neuropathy. What are some alternatives?
Neuropathy | Last Active: Feb 9 11:50am | Replies (312)Comment receiving replies
I am both a sufferer and a doctor.
I have recently joined this forum, looking for an answer to this maddening disease. My diagnosis is idiopathic small fiber peripheral neuropathy.
With all due respect, I find posts such as the one by dutchman09 above to be unhelpful at best.
As far as I can tell, there is no definitive evidence that statins cause PN, although there is some evidence. I myself have taken statins for high lipids, but have stopped because of the possibility that they have contributed. When I discussed this with my MD, she was not dismissive, but pointed out that instead of suffering with PN, I may instead suffer from a stroke or heart attack. Chose your poison. It's complicated.
Almost all MD's I know do their best to provide validated information to their patients. They generally do not push medications, unless there is good scientific evidence of their effectiveness (as is true of statins). BTW, there is no good scientific evidence that apple cider vinegar works for PN. However, if it helps you, and doesn't hurt (which you may not realize for several years) go for it!
The doctor's do not "cop out" when there is no definitive cure. They simply do not know. They stopped being God a long time ago. My experience is that most MD's are quite open to trying new things (alternative medicine), when they do not have the cure.
Getting angry will only make you feel worse.
Replies to "I am both a sufferer and a doctor. I have recently joined this forum, looking for..."
Hello, Dr. Rapp, I am also a medical doctor, and during a fellowship in 1986, we performed EMG and nerve testing on test subjects taking either Mevacor (an early statin) or placebo, for eventual approval by the FDA. The eventual study demonstrated that 5% of patients on Mevacor (no longer in use, I believe) developed peripheral neuropathy, with none in the control group. I, too, am on Crestor and over the past few months I have started to develop symptoms of PN. Numbness over the toes and ball of the foot. Crestor was the first statin I have taken, and I do not have any other risk factors, to my knowledge. So I am going to ask my internist whether I might D/C this med, although it really did reduce my LDL cholesterol.
@jeffrapp, I'm new to Mayo Clinic Connect, just seeing this post and wanted to comment. I am in agreement with your take on the medical professionals, but I do see how people might feel "dismissed" after visiting their respective doctors. If I quote some of the things my neurologist has said, I can make him out to look dismissive, but, I can tell you he is NOT. Right now after some thorough testing, I've basically been told that I have polyneuropathy, some vitamins may help and it isn't likely to progress.
I wish that I could sit him down and discuss everything he knows and doesn't know about my exact condition; what he's learned from the research and from the hundreds of patients he's treated. I'd like for him to give me a detailed explanation of the terms used and results given on the tests I've taken. And I want him to explain to me exactly why he chose the diagnosis he did and his likely prognosis for progression of my particular disorder. Oh, and why the condition has so many variables.
But, that is really asking a lot. It would require having him over for dinner followed by several hours of discussion. And that's only because I have a decent background in anatomy and physiology. Otherwise, we might need a week-end together or maybe a semester of classes!
I've learned that I need to take on more responsibility for learning and understanding the details of my exact condition and it's status in the medical field. Basically, that's why I'm here! I want to pick the minds of those who know! So, if you're free for dinner, I still have a ton of questions, LOL!
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Many doctors today still like to play "God". I was relating a personal experience with a doctor who does not deserve to keep her license. Back in the day doctors hated when patients got used to the Internet and would start to contradict their diagnosis. I'm just sorry I did not do it sooner. You twisted my words around but that's not uncommon for someone in the medical profession. It's not worth the argument. If your both a sufferer and a doctor then I'm sure you've heard the expression "Physician heal thyself"!