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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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celia16 | @celia16 | May 8 2:12pm
In reply to @bigjohnscho "What is the safest alternative to statins. I have heart problems and was on Simvastatin for..." + (show)
Profile picture for bigjohnscho @bigjohnscho

What is the safest alternative to statins. I have heart problems and was on Simvastatin for many years but I have stopped them due to peripheral neuropathy of the feet and ankles.My GP wants me to start again but I will only use the safest alternative with no side effects. Looking for advice

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How do you know it was the statin that caused the neuropathy?

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Janell, Volunteer Mentor | @jlharsh | May 8 2:04pm
In reply to @bigjohnscho "What is the safest alternative to statins. I have heart problems and was on Simvastatin for..." + (show)
Profile picture for bigjohnscho @bigjohnscho

What is the safest alternative to statins. I have heart problems and was on Simvastatin for many years but I have stopped them due to peripheral neuropathy of the feet and ankles.My GP wants me to start again but I will only use the safest alternative with no side effects. Looking for advice

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I have high cholesterol and tough experiences with treating it. It has been better controlled since figuring out exactly why it is high. Do you know what is causing it? What kind of heart problems are you having?

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bigjohnscho | @bigjohnscho | May 8 1:07pm

What is the safest alternative to statins. I have heart problems and was on Simvastatin for many years but I have stopped them due to peripheral neuropathy of the feet and ankles.My GP wants me to start again but I will only use the safest alternative with no side effects. Looking for advice

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3 replies
Profile picture for dlmdinia
dlmdinia | @dlmdinia | Jan 13 9:41am

I've taken citrus bergamot for a few years. It lowered my bad cholesterol a bit, but significantly raised my good cholesterol. My doctor was satisfied so I'll continue on it.

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dlmdinia | @dlmdinia | Jan 12 2:20pm
In reply to @suzva "followup- After taking policosanol 40mg for 6 months I'm back to red yeast rice. Despite all..." + (show)
Profile picture for suzva @suzva

followup- After taking policosanol 40mg for 6 months I'm back to red yeast rice. Despite all the good reviews I've read and the positive results I read about on the NIH study, it didn't work for me. With RYR, my numbers were only slightly high , around 200, on the policosanol, total cholesterol was 263! All the other numbers were up too....Trig, LDL etc. Only number that was good was HDL. But that's always been good. back to the drawing board!

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Red Yeast Rice has the same active ingredient as most statins, so if you're avoiding statins because of neuropathy RYR may not be for you. I discussed this with my doctor who was going to put me on statins and then suggested RYR as a substitute. When I discovered the common active ingredient I then switched to Citrus bergamot with my doctor's knowledge. Citrus bergamot did not significantly reduce my bad cholesterol, but it significantly increased the good. As I'm not diabetic or hypertensive, my doctor was pleased. Link below RYR info.
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/red-yeast-rice

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celia16 | @celia16 | Jan 12 8:53am
In reply to @walkthedog "My husband was put on Lipitor for a while. He developed severe foot pain - like..." + (show)
Profile picture for walkthedog @walkthedog

My husband was put on Lipitor for a while. He developed severe foot pain - like heel spurs. He went off it and onto Simvastatin. Coincidentally, we moved and when he went to the dentist, the dentist told him he was retiring because his feet hurt. The husband asked if he was taking Lipitor. The dentist stopped Lipitor and did not retire.

I cannot take statins. I take plant sterols and my cholesterol returned to 'good' numbers.

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That’s amazing! Lucky the dentist had your husband as a patient!

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walkthedog | @walkthedog | Jan 12 8:22am

My husband was put on Lipitor for a while. He developed severe foot pain - like heel spurs. He went off it and onto Simvastatin. Coincidentally, we moved and when he went to the dentist, the dentist told him he was retiring because his feet hurt. The husband asked if he was taking Lipitor. The dentist stopped Lipitor and did not retire.

I cannot take statins. I take plant sterols and my cholesterol returned to 'good' numbers.

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1 reply
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suzva | @suzva | Jan 11 10:59am
In reply to @suzva "Many years ago my doctor prescribed a couple of different statins and everything caused severe muscle..." + (show)
Profile picture for suzva @suzva

Many years ago my doctor prescribed a couple of different statins and everything caused severe muscle pain. I tried a very low fat diet and my cholesterol levels actually went up! Apparently, my liver produces more if I don't eat it. More research...took red yeast rice. It actually worked with no pain. But the longer you take it, the less effective it is. Stopped RYR for a while, and went back several times. All this time my old doc and now the new one is asking me to take statins. Not going to do it. Now, I'm reading that RYR "may" be the same as a statin. I developed neuropathy in my feet about 2.5 years ago. They are blaming it on my diabetes, although my A1c has never been out of control. About 6. But the last 2 tests have been 5.8.
Now, I'm going to stop RYR. More research. Found policosanol. There are actually NIH studies on this supplement. Google policosanol. I haven't started it yet, but from what I've found, looks promising for lowering cholesterol.
I've also heard, garlic, psyllium fiber and citrus bergamont might be helpful. I don't have any illusions any of this will get rid of the pain in my feet, but I am hoping it won't get worse.
Sorry this is so long and this is only my experience.

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followup- After taking policosanol 40mg for 6 months I'm back to red yeast rice. Despite all the good reviews I've read and the positive results I read about on the NIH study, it didn't work for me. With RYR, my numbers were only slightly high , around 200, on the policosanol, total cholesterol was 263! All the other numbers were up too....Trig, LDL etc. Only number that was good was HDL. But that's always been good. back to the drawing board!

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1 reply
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evans1 | @evans1 | Dec 7, 2024
In reply to @26sabrina "Stopping the statin most likely will not reverse the neuropathy. I am taking other meds for..." + (show)
Profile picture for 26sabrina @26sabrina

Stopping the statin most likely will not reverse the neuropathy. I am taking other meds for my cholesterol. My neurologist is now treating the symptoms quite successfully

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Please say how neurologist is treating.

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delia74 | @delia74 | Dec 7, 2024
In reply to @26sabrina "Stopping the statin most likely will not reverse the neuropathy. I am taking other meds for..." + (show)
Profile picture for 26sabrina @26sabrina

Stopping the statin most likely will not reverse the neuropathy. I am taking other meds for my cholesterol. My neurologist is now treating the symptoms quite successfully

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Would be helpful if you expand on what you posted:
•What drugs specifically are you now taking for cholesterol?
•HOW is neurologist treating the symptoms so successfully?

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