1. < Neuropathy

Statin discontinued due to neuropathy. What are some alternatives?

Posted by Nazir Khan @nukhan, Jan 19, 2020

I have been using Lipitor since 2007 for lowering my cholesterol which is on the list of those medicines that are suspected to cause neuropathy. I am thinking of discontinuing this menace but before doing so want to check with those members who have discontinued using statin and what is their experience. What alternative methods have they since adopted for lowering their cholesterol .. diet, alternative medication, exercise or anything else ?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Neuropathy Support Group.

mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Mar 8, 2023
In reply to @molly7234 "I would also like to hear from those who have stopped statins, and if it helped..." + (show)
@molly7234

I would also like to hear from those who have stopped statins, and if it helped neuropathy. There are so many studies, mostly in Europe, connecting statins with neuropathy.

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molly7234,

Can you provide citations for those studies in Europe?

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mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Mar 8, 2023
In reply to @decopainter62 "I was on Crestor about 9 months due to extremely high cholesterol. I was 59 at..." + (show)
@decopainter62

I was on Crestor about 9 months due to extremely high cholesterol. I was 59 at the time I refused it all these years. My pcp said it’s just too high I need to get on a statin. I did reluctantly cause I’m very pill sensitive I went on Crestor 5 mg. It started out better than expected and 3 months later lowered bad cholesterol 100 points. Then after 9 months I started getting neuropathy, in my hands and feet where it would last a hour at a time. It was gradual here and there and kept getting worse and worse knifes jabbing me along with pins and needles and felt like bugs crawling on me. I called the pcp and told him I wasn’t going to take the statin anymore. I gradually got better and better it took 90 days for the majority of it to go away but still have fleeting neuropathy that hasn’t left. I hope it’s not permanent! Had all kinds of blood work and have not received a definitive answer on my condition from the neurologist, or a hematologist. I do not recall any neuropathy before I started on the Statin. I’m a painter and really pay attention to my aches and pains - neuropathy was never one of them!!!!

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decopainter,

I am assuming you tried several different statins? There are several versions.

How about injectables that are now available?

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mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Mar 8, 2023
In reply to @rlh "I stopped taking a statin after reviewing the research on its effectiveness and side effects. I..." + (show)
@rlh

I stopped taking a statin after reviewing the research on its effectiveness and side effects. I have eliminated sugar, seed oils, and most grains from my diet. So far I am managing my triglycerides and cholesterol with these changes. My weight and blood pressure have also dropped. My neuropathy is mostly staying fairly much the same, neither improving nor getting worse.

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rlh,

Can you provide citations to and urls of, the research you mention regarding statin use?

Further, given the need to be clear, can you provide before and after lipid panel, weight, age, BP (are you taking BP med?) numbers? All these bear on your condition and path to improved health.

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1 reply
rlh | @rlh | Mar 8, 2023
In reply to @mayoconnectuser1 "rlh, Can you provide citations to and urls of, the research you mention regarding statin use?..." + (show)
@mayoconnectuser1

rlh,

Can you provide citations to and urls of, the research you mention regarding statin use?

Further, given the need to be clear, can you provide before and after lipid panel, weight, age, BP (are you taking BP med?) numbers? All these bear on your condition and path to improved health.

Jump to this post

Google Dr Ken Berry statins. In the comments section he cites the research that he bases his recommendations upon. There are also numerous other doctors who post to you tube. Unfortunately it is a controversial topic and you will find both sides of the issue. In my own experience my neuropathy came on after being on statins for several months.

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1 reply
mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Mar 8, 2023
In reply to @rlh "Google Dr Ken Berry statins. In the comments section he cites the research that he bases..." + (show)
@rlh

Google Dr Ken Berry statins. In the comments section he cites the research that he bases his recommendations upon. There are also numerous other doctors who post to you tube. Unfortunately it is a controversial topic and you will find both sides of the issue. In my own experience my neuropathy came on after being on statins for several months.

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Yeah - no. I don’t do YouTube doctors.

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mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Mar 8, 2023
In reply to @decopainter62 "One other thing many people are not aware of. I went to a heart doctor to..." + (show)
@decopainter62

One other thing many people are not aware of. I went to a heart doctor to see if he thought I was going to have a stroke or heart attack. He was very concerned how high my cholesterol was I told him it’s hereditary not a lot I can do. So he had me do an advanced lipid test. He said I scored a 4. He prefers 3.5 but considering how high my bad cholesterol is he said that’s not too bad. He said in bad cholesterol there is big fluffy kind (hereditary) that won’t do all the damage and in bad cholesterol there is the small that causes heart attacks and strokes. So he went one step further and had me do a calcium test to see if I was at risk. They scanned my chest and gave me a score of 1. 2 You want a score of 0-10. Anything higher you’re at great risk for a stroke or heart attack. He was really pleased with my score! See for some reason Doctors make bad cholesterol all bad and it isn’t!! It’s basically so they can jam statins down your throat and make money for pharmaceutical companies and wouldn’t be surprised if pcp are getting a kick back also. Everyone should get a advanced lipid test my insurance covered and the calcium screen which insurance does not cover. Mine cost $100.00. Find out how bad your bad cholesterol really is!!!

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decopainter,
While it nice of you to share your thoughts, most of what you shared doesn't make much sense ... you do not specify which advanced lipid test was a 4 ... or, why the doctor said he "prefers 3.5" - or, not sure what a calcium score of 1.2 would be since they don't have decimal places, or, why would you categorize something by saying at "great risk," or why you think doctors would be making the broad assessments on cholesterol you note since they are scientists and very bright, and really why you have bought into this weird anti-statin thing ... in summary, you do not sound like someone who should be making statements like you make ...

So, please folks, talk to your doctors - if you are unsure, seek second opinions from other doctors - NOT, online on forums.

I'm sorry, but good grief!

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cgs | @cgs | Mar 9, 2023

One thing that my doctor told me was if you drink coffee for one cup of coffee you have to drink two cups of water be sure to drink plenty of water there's plenty of diet change that you can make that will improve your cholesterol that will improve your LDL and your HDL berries blueberries mixed berries avocados spinach go on a just tweak these things you don't have to change overnight little changes make big differences I have went from a 6.4 A1c to a 6.1 and I've also improved my cholest both of my cholesterols by just making small changes don't eat white bread make sure you're eating good whole grains I eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast I do have some bad habits of eating chocolate and drinking coffee then I'm battling coffee is not good for you if you're a diabetic with neuropathy it helps if you don't if you're not a diabetic but once you have diabetes and neuropathy is it's too acidic and it does it's a stimulant and it's not good for your nerves you can you can take Lifestyle Changes exercise is very big there's all kinds of things you can do besides taking the statins the doctors have tried to get me to take statins every every time I go in it seems like they want to try me on a different Statin I took metformin and it hurt me I believe I took phenofibrate and I couldn't tolerate that I took a Statin at and then it hurt really bad trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding and all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path he's a great physician he uses doctors to help us but doctors make mistakes I was misdiagnosed for 4 years they said I had depression when it was anxiety I even got shock treatments which were no help at all I'm the Lord finally after four or five hospitalization sent me a doctor that help me put me on the right medication that I've taken for about 30 years with no problems and I still take it I take less than what I did when I started everyone said I would have to keep taking more and more but the Lord has helped me he's a great physician he died on the cross for our sins he loves us he will use any sickness or any kind of a problem in our life to get us to look to him as our savior and our God he died for us and he is God and he will help us he does love us and turn to him and in Jesus in Jesus name

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mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Mar 9, 2023

cgs,

Metformin is used to treat high sugar levels ...

Phenofibrate is not a statin - comparison - https://www.uclahealth.org/news/ask-the-doctors-which-are-better-for-cholesterol-statins-or-fibrates

You mention taking a statin or trying different ones, but don't say which ones.

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daniel777 | @daniel777 | Mar 14, 2023

First, a good-news article from NPR:

Got muscle pain from statins? A cholesterol-lowering alternative might be for you

March 13, 20235:00 AM ET
Heard on Morning Edition

When the FDA approved bempedoic acid, marketed under the brand name Nexletol, back in 2020, it was clear that the drug helped lower LDL — "bad" cholesterol. The drug was intended for people who can't tolerate statin medications due to muscle pain, which is a side effect reported by up to 29% of people who take statins.

What was unknown until now, is whether bempedoic acid also reduced the risk of cardiovascular events. Now, the results of a randomized, controlled trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine point to significant benefit. The study included about 14,000 people, all of whom were statin intolerant. "The big effect was on heart attacks," says study author Dr. Steven Nissen of Cleveland Clinic.

People who took daily doses of bempedoic acid for more than three years had about a 23% lower risk of having a heart attack, in that period, compared to those taking a placebo. There was also a 19% reduction in coronary revascularizations, which are procedures that restore blood flow to the heart, such as a bypass operation or stenting to open arteries.

With these findings, the benefits of the medication are now clearer, says Dr. John Alexander, a cardiologist and professor at Duke University. "Bempedoic acid has now entered the list of evidence-based alternatives to statins,"

REPLY
1 reply
mayoconnectuser1 | @mayoconnectuser1 | Mar 15, 2023
In reply to @daniel777 "First, a good-news article from NPR: Got muscle pain from statins? A cholesterol-lowering alternative might be..." + (show)
@daniel777

First, a good-news article from NPR:

Got muscle pain from statins? A cholesterol-lowering alternative might be for you

March 13, 20235:00 AM ET
Heard on Morning Edition

When the FDA approved bempedoic acid, marketed under the brand name Nexletol, back in 2020, it was clear that the drug helped lower LDL — "bad" cholesterol. The drug was intended for people who can't tolerate statin medications due to muscle pain, which is a side effect reported by up to 29% of people who take statins.

What was unknown until now, is whether bempedoic acid also reduced the risk of cardiovascular events. Now, the results of a randomized, controlled trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine point to significant benefit. The study included about 14,000 people, all of whom were statin intolerant. "The big effect was on heart attacks," says study author Dr. Steven Nissen of Cleveland Clinic.

People who took daily doses of bempedoic acid for more than three years had about a 23% lower risk of having a heart attack, in that period, compared to those taking a placebo. There was also a 19% reduction in coronary revascularizations, which are procedures that restore blood flow to the heart, such as a bypass operation or stenting to open arteries.

With these findings, the benefits of the medication are now clearer, says Dr. John Alexander, a cardiologist and professor at Duke University. "Bempedoic acid has now entered the list of evidence-based alternatives to statins,"

Jump to this post

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2215024?query=featured_home

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