Many people have found that statins have side effects that are difficult to endure. Although patients may complain of nerve pain or numbness in fingers and toes, doctors sometimes don’t make the connection with a statin. However, this neuropathy is a documented adverse reaction to statins.
Q. I have a family history of high cholesterol and my internist prescribed Lipitor many years ago. It was a miracle drug that kept my cholesterol at a normal level.
Numbness in Fingers and Toes:
After taking the medicine for eight years, I developed peripheral neuropathy in my fingers and toes. The loss of feeling got progressively worse over the next six months, until I couldn’t determine if a tomato was hard or soft, and I had no feeling when holding a pencil or opening a bobby pin. The internist and neurologist diligently investigated all obvious and obscure possibilities for my condition, to no avail. I was told I would have to live with it.
Then I read a brief reference linking statins with peripheral neuropathy. With the internist’s permission, I discontinued Lipitor to see if it would have any effect. After two weeks I had dramatic improvement in both fingers and toes; within a few months I had regained about 90 percent of my lost sensory perception.
Others who have lost feeling in their fingers or toes should ask their doctors to consider whether a statin may be responsible.
A. When statins were first introduced, doctors were told that they had few if any side effects. Research since then has demonstrated that statins can cause peripheral neuropathy, among other problems.
Readers’ Stories:
LD reports a personal experience as well as a friend’s:
“I took statins for three months and have since suffered from sensory peripheral neuropathy. When I first saw a neurologist for my condition that seemingly came out of nowhere, he told me to immediately stop taking statins.
“Alas, the neuropathy remains.
“A friend of mine took statins for eight years, and his muscles deteriorated to the degree that he had to use a walker. He has slowly and painfully improved, but likely some pain will always remain.”
PM is struggling to weigh the benefits and risks of statins:
“I was prescribed Lipitor at 45, when it first came out (in the mid-80s) and thought I had no side effects until I started getting high ALT levels (37) and borderline diabetic glucose levels in my regular blood tests. I didn’t feel those effects.
“The big problem is that I’ve been fighting very painful peripheral neuropathy in my feet that started shortly after I started Lipitor. At that time, that was not listed as an official side-effect, so I never made the connection until recently. It has kept me squirming awake at night with burning pain and numbness in my feet all these years. If I had known that painful possibility, I might not have started any statin.
“I have to say the decision of whether or not to discontinue Lipitor has been the hardest one I’ve ever made, and I still can’t make that calculation.”
SD ended up with crippling nerve pain:
“I started Lipitor in Oct 2012. By March, 2013, I had begun to experience peripheral neuropathy, fatigue, muscle cramps, shooting pains, hot flashes and memory loss. The symptoms would get worse at night, till exhaustion just knocked me on my butt. I was 46 and got real old very quick. My doctor said my cholesterol was around 250 because of my hypothyroidism and put me on Lipitor.
“I was already feeling crappy before Lipitor and the doctor just blew me off and after the Lipitor side effects he did the same as before. I asked for a referral to an endocrinologist. He said to stop taking Lipitor; then he referred me to a neurologist; then referred to a podiatrist.
“They could not find a problem with my feet. I would be on my feet most of the day and I could barely walk up the stairs at work. It got so bad that driving home, when I put my feet on the pedals, it felt like being stabbed with a knife.
“I went on medical leave and still have nerve damage in my feet. My quality of life has gone down due to Lipitor.”
Learn More:
You can learn more about common side effects of statins here. You might also want to listen to our recent interview with Dr. Steve Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Robert DuBroff on controversies in cardiology. Those who need to lower their cholesterol and cardiac risk but prefer to avoid statins will find many suggestions in our Guide to Cholesterol Control and Heart Health.
