Statin discontinued due to neuropathy. What are some alternatives?

Welcome @jjazzbel, Congratulations on getting your numbers down. You do have a very good question but it's a discussion you should have with your doctor. If it were me I definitely call the doctor and ask if the statins can have an impact that quickly or if your diet played a part in the numbers.

Here's some information on the topic --- Lowering your cholesterol: How long does it take?: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-long-does-it-take-to-lower-cholesterol

I know you don't want to take the medication if you can manage without it. Are you planning to call your doctor to share your concerns and thoughts?

Dr took me off statin cause of leg and calf pain on nexlizet numbers went down significantly but still have calf pain so they think its from neuropathy

Thank you @johnbishop and yes, I will definitely bring that up next week at my pcp followup. The concern I have is not pushing too hard. It seems to take time to work with these guys. However, I am also thinking about see a cardiologist for a different perspective.

Your link was great... especially looking at how effective plant fiber can be for binding to and clearing cholesterol.

Have you seen the cardiovascular risk calculators that can be used by those who have not yet had a cardio or stroke event? There are 3 that I am aware of.... Framingham, Reynolds and ASCVD (by the American College of Cardiology)

Thank you for the heads up on the cardiovascular risk calculators! I'll have to check them out when I get my next labs, or find last years 🙃

I have chemo induced neuropathy. In April my doctor told me my cholesterol was too high. Because of posts I'd seen on Mayo Connect I knew I didn't want to take statins. Instead my doctor directed red yeast rice which he also takes. Within 3 weeks my neuropathy seemed worse in both hands and feet. Doing some research it appears that red yeast rice works because it has the same active ingredient as statins. I've switched to citrus bergamot and will see what happens when I go back in October. https://www.health.harvard.edu/cholesterol/can-i-use-red-yeast-rice-instead-of-a-statin-to-lower-my-cholesterol

My doctor put me on Rapatha, maybe ask your doctor about that one.

You’ve got this! I am in the camp of having a heart to heart with your doctor.

This is a topic near and dear to me because of my history of genetically high cholesterol and treating it since my mid-twenties. I definitely am not a medically trained person but I have a tremendous amount of experience myself and have a circle of what we call FHamily (familial hypercholesterolemia - FH). It is not unusual for some to treat LDL cholesterol with a handful of drugs, something that was difficult to wrap my brain around. I say this to let you know I have learned the hard way that 1) your situation is unique to you, 2) not all doctors are equal, and 3) how you handle today affects all the days to come. You can’t reverse poor decisions you make today but your body will thank you down the road for good ones. If you wait to understand it all yourself the damage will already be done.

I have figured out it is important to learn what I can but not depend on other people to assess how to treat my personal decision. My best resource is my doctor that knows me and that I can trust. Some folks have problems with statins, but fewer than I had thought judging by all the chatter out there. Most likely, something else is going on. And, statins do more than lower cholesterol. They actually are protective. If I am not mistaken, can actually do some vascular repair work. Cholesterol is created all over our body in all kinds of ways. Measuring it is simply a first line defense to recognize there is a problem. We are so fortunate to have a blood test that can alert us that something is going wrong in our bodies before we ever physically feel the problem and permanent damage is done. The test is not a tell-all though. On a bad day, I want to hate my doctors (I really don’t ever say I hate anyone or anything). On a good day, I am completely blown away by just how much they do know and am so, so grateful each has been able to persevere to even be in the position to be able to help me.

My husband has genetically high cholesterol and he reduced it from 221 to 131 by going on a vegan diet.

Awesome! Good for him.

Absolutely, I went pescatarian about 13 years ago and substantially reduced my cholesterol to the best numbers
of my life and I’m 74 now.