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Statin discontinued due to neuropathy. What are some alternatives?
Neuropathy | Last Active: Aug 27 11:56am | Replies (360)Comment receiving replies
Thanks for the compliment, @iceblue.
I certainly agree that we all must be active participants in our own health care, without being dismissive of the experts.
Regarding statin use, I have done some more research regarding whether or not they can cause PN.
I found one paper from 1999 which claims they do. However, they were all case studies (not double blind placebo controlled) so they were not optimum. I also don't agree with the conclusions they drew from the info they presented.
Another paper from 2019 is a meta-analysis (literature search) which claims they don't.
I have small fiber neuropathy, so I am mostly interested in that diagnosis. All the cases that were in the first paper involve axonal neuropathies, which I don't have. The PN of those patients was irreversible.They also all involved long term use of statins. I believe someone posted here that he took statins for a few weeks and thinks he developed PN because of the statins, and when he stopped, the PN was "cured". I don't find that very convincing.
For myself, after not taking statins for 2 years, and seeing my PN progress, I decided to go back on them.
Who knows?
Replies to "Thanks for the compliment, @iceblue. I certainly agree that we all must be active participants in..."
A so-called Cardiologist had me on Crestor for 8 years and now I have confirmed Peripheral Neuropathy for which there is NO CURE!
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Many thanks for the additional info @jeffrapp ! I have only seen my new doctor once, but the intake to his clinic (conducted by a resident?) took a full hour. I couldn't believe how thorough they were! Upon getting the results of my blood tests, they called TWICE to request that I come back into the clinic to discuss blood test results (upward creeping cholesterol was the only thing out of range). I will chat with the doctor about any concerns he may have about statins impacting SFN, and am sure that he and I will build a good, solid relationship over time.
But - I think it's also time to step out of denial and conclude it's time to start making a serious effort to shed the pounds I put on when I quit smoking last year. And if I was completely honest - I was 20 pounds overweight even before that, so I'm packing around an extra 40 pounds and live the life of a slug (partially because of the pain in my feet), and - I eat more junk food than I should. It's time to make some changes to improve my own health - even if statins (which I've been nervous about for years) are part of that recipe...