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 ?

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artemis1886 | @artemis1886 | Jul 15 6:39am

Leqvio is not a statin. I use it. Take one shot, three months later another shot and then every six months. It has brought mine down.

suzeb50 | @suzeb50 | Jul 14 9:58am

I was able to switch to a non-statin (I refuse to take statins) called Zetia. It’s been very effective.

liloldlady | @liloldlady | Jul 11 11:32pm

Many years ago, when i was first told i had high cholesterol, all i did was watch what i bought. Canned soup, looked for cholesterol amounts, etc. And I ate oatmeal every morning, as i heard it helps . I watched what i ate in regards to cholesterol, plus the oatmeal, and after 2 or 3 months, my cholesterol went down. But, then over the years, i sort of went back to eating every thing. the last few years, I decided to take a couple of supplements, One is Cholest MD, i get from amazon. It has Citrus Bergamot, plus i take additional citrus bergamot from HP Life Science., and also Berberine. Garlic really does not help., but, it still is good for the heart. when i take these every day, then my cholesterol levels drop, even when i eat limited amounts of ice cream. Also as we age, my primary care dr, along with many info on websites, state, that when you get older, i would ....assume.....over 60, not sure what age, you need a little more cholesterol. I will not let mine go below 200 total. And by taking high doses of vitamin C daily, my arteries are clear. Over 25 years, i have checked, with ultrasounds, how my arteries are. when i back off the vitamin C.........they get a mild build up. then i go back on aprx 4,000 mg a day, when i do another ultrasound, they are clear again. I used to think it was coincidence. but, i've had so many ultrasounds, when i reduced the C, then after increasing it for a few months, it is then always clear., so for me, that works. I'm not sure, but i think i read many years ago, that if you have kidney problems, not to take high doses of C. well, i have stage 3 kidney failure, which cold be from several uti's, and all the anitbiotics, But.....I still do C..because i wan to keep my arteries clear. I don't know of anyone else who does this, but, after many many ultrasounds, no one will be able to convince me, that it is just a fluke. and it is Not diet. I still eat junk food, tho i try not to go overboard. I am not suggesting anyone do what I do.......this is just an avenue to check out. A Naturopath Dr., would have better info on alternative treatments, then an MD. They study alternative solutions, MD., study drugs. Which we do need............but.........when one fails, you might want to seek out different solutions. PS, none of my dr.s even alternative, told me about the High C........i found it out from a magazine, from an alternative dr, who uses it in her clinic. I decided to try it, and am quite happy with the clear arteries. Even with cholesterol of 280, they are still clear. Never rush out to buy anything that works for one person. Someone could have other health problems where an herb or supplement could do harm, instead of help.

gus0557 | @gus0557 | Jul 10 3:44pm

In reply to @storoe "Hello, can you give more information on the sources for the screen shot you posted? thank..." + (show)

Hello,
Just letting you know my primary care physician had me stop the statin cholesterol medication February of this year. My LDL went up quite a bit. I saw my PCP again today and she prescribed a non statin medication which I picked up and will start it tomorrow. I see the doctor again in 3 months to check if the new medication is working.
Therefore, there are other non statin options available but you really should check with your doctor.
I wish you the best.
Take care and have a serene weekend ahead.
gus

MamaMarch | @mamamarch | Jul 9 6:46pm

In reply to @storoe "Hello, can you give more information on the sources for the screen shot you posted? thank..." + (show)

Can't really help you there. I have saved information as I found it over the years. This was one bit of info that helped me make a decision. I can only suggest you try looking into the topic as well. I do tend to used Scholar Google, PubMed, National Institutes of Health and Mayo Clinic most often.

storoe | @storoe | Jul 9 10:30am

In reply to @mamamarch "I've attach a screen shot from some of my previous "research" that may help. There are..." + (show)

Hello, can you give more information on the sources for the screen shot you posted?

thank you, roger

tugrul | @tugrul | Jul 1 8:14am

In reply to @mamamarch "I've attach a screen shot from some of my previous "research" that may help. There are..." + (show)

Thank you 🙏helpfull info.

chrisanon | @chrisanon | Jun 30 10:36pm

In reply to @mamamarch "Such a vicious cycle! I sympathize with your situation, but can't really say what I would..." + (show)

@mamamarch

Such a vicious cycle! I sympathize with your situation, but can't really say what I would do as I'm as unsure as you probably are. I do have a couple of comments to make. First . . . there is plenty of research showing that statins do exacerbate and or cause peripheral neuropathy. Shame on doctors for denying that. Mine gave me the line, "I have hundreds of patients on statins that don't have neuropathy."
Second . . . I volunteered for a DNA sampling program a few years ago and received a message back that I had a "defective gene". It was a gene that causes muscle pain due to the accumulation of certain medications; specifically statins! It is a thing! And I would guess it could run in families since it is a gene. Google it!
Lastly, for someone who now sees what happens when you start taking meds for one problem (only to need more meds to solve the issues created by the first one) I am surprised you accepted the gabapentin. I assume you were desperate, but with a bit of research into the subject, you might find solutions to some of the neuropathy issues without it. There is a lot of evidence that gaba is addictive and that it requires higher and higher doses to remain effective. I've read articles about people who went off gaba, literally going thru withdrawn pain, only to find later that once they were off most of the symptoms resolved. Just something to look into. Interestingly, my neurologist (and other doctors) keep offering me gabapentin even though I told them I do not have pain. I guess they just feel they're helping in some way if they can give you a medication.
Lastly, I still wonder just how damaging this so called "high cholesterol" really is as long as we stay heathy and active. I was ranging between 250 and 280 for about 25 years. Had a cardiac calcium scan done at age 68 and it showed zero occlusion in my arteries. I resisted the statins until my levels got up to almost 300. When I did start the rosuvastatin I was able to keep my total cholesterol down to 200 by taking only 5mg every other day! So, at that small dosage the muscle pain is mostly non existent now. I understand that the Repatha is much better in that respect as well.
Anyway, those are just my thoughts!

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Very insightful article. Thank you for the post!

njniii | @njniii | Jun 30 8:15pm

In reply to @mamamarch "I've attach a screen shot from some of my previous "research" that may help. There are..." + (show)

Thank you so much for sharing and your helpful insights. I will keep this in mind as I’m talking with my primary care doctor. Thanks again!

ahimsa | @ahimsa | Jun 30 1:04pm

There are other PCSK9 inhibitors besides Repatha. I'm on Incliseran (brand name: Leqvio) which is a semi annual injection. It appears that Merck is coming out with PCSK9 inhibitor pill. I still take a very small dose of rosuvastatin to get my LDL to where my PCP wants it.