Originally Posted by Sheltiemom18

Ever since my neuropathy started in January and a rheumatologist I saw told me to stop Zocor immediately after being clinically diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome (that can cause peripheral neuropathy), I would come back in my mind now and then to statins as THE cause of what happened to me. However, have been see-sawing more recently between Sjogren's and idiopathic.

I was on mostly Zocor for 12 years, and never once read in the literature provided with the Rx about nerve damage - just muscle weakness and liver damage, which never happened to me thank goodness.

However, after reading all the responses to this thread, and especially MrsD's, am now convinced that the statins damaged my mitochondria and am afraid that the small fiber sensory is now too far gone to respond to anything, even though I recently started supplements that include R-alpha lipoic acid, B12 as methylcobalamin and B1 as benfotiamine. I will now add the CoQ10 and L-carnitine although I was tested for them and the results showed normal.

For those of us who were on statins, maybe those of us who weren't on them for too long will get lucky. I hope so.

Best wishes,

Sheltiemom

Originally Posted by mrsD

Red Yeast Rice contains a statin....if you are vulnerable to any statin, the lovastatin (Merck's Mevacor) and its congeners in the Rice will have similar effects.
For many years, the FDA blocked the sale of the Red Yeast Rice products that were the most effective. Not all Red Yeast Rice products are equal. Some are stronger than others. PN damage is a cumulative effect of all statins, and once a person has symptoms of PN, it is best to avoid them all IMO. But it is your choice in the end. We've had people here decide to continue statins, even when in terrible pain. I provide the information that your doctor probably doesn't know about, and it is up to you to balance it all for yourself.

I'd really suggest going all statin free if you are expecting any improvement or want to halt progression of PN at this point.
If you decide to do Red Yeast Rice, you will have to continue with the CoQ-10 as well. Since the enzyme the Rice blocks is the same one that Big Pharma's statins block.