Back 5 yrs ago or so there was a new study out that statins are not the fix all and that many did not need to be taking them..

Pubmed.com has many studies and related info..

The gist of it was, if you had actual heart issues or past heart problems or strong family history of heart problems.. then might be worth taking statins..
But not only based on a silly number..

Any Dr that stays updated on new info should know that information..

in 2003 or so my # was 350 and trigl was quite high - I took Lipitor per Dr plus that was the thing to do back then...
i got blurry vision, dumb as a post,forgot how to spell simple words and forgot many things... plus multiple RSI injuries during that same time frame...coincidence?

After off work due to RSIs I had time to start reading online about RSI and Lipitor complaints.. So I stopped taking it on my own after talking with the pharmacist.
I started getting my brain back & vision cleared up to normal after a short time.
Still have some RSI /fibro type stuff but I can manage it.
If Dr does my blood work I tell them I'm not taking any statins even if numbers are still high.
I do eat a lot less junk and mor healthy choices now.

My brothers all take statins but none take lipitor that I know of..

Jomar,
As you would know, the forum is filled with many posts from people who had problems similar to that. The New Members forum has a lot. Many are from early days when the forum started so some of the links sadly no longer work, but there is a lot of info if we use the search engine for "statins". More up in the PN tips etc. Some on NeuroMuscular and more.

I was looking for a good thread from the past to link -
Statins

i second what others are saying about statins. It's not just lipitor which causes neurological problems like PN but crestor and others too.

Low vitamin D is not good for your body in general never mind just peripheral neuropathy.

i would be very skeptical about the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy being in the feet and hands only and the rest is fibromyalgia. What testing did he do on the rest of your body that came to that conclusion? Did you have EMG/NCS to diagnose peripheral neuropathy in your feet and hands?

It is a good thing to get second and even third opinions from experts in the field.

Hi JKPHOTO,

I've been taking Lipitor for many years and had no side effects. The dosage is only 10 mg/day though. The doctor felt that I should get by with as low a dose as possible, and that reduced dosage of 10mg instead of the usual 20 has been enough to keep the cholesterol under control.

He did and EMG a few years ago and he called it mild to moderate PN. It was really not mild then, and truly not mild now. My provider says Fibromyalgia is diagnosed by symptoms, and they don't have a test. But there is test:
FM/a Test, and I can get through a Naturopathic Doctor but they don't take insurance and my provider does not offer it.
The cost is $1080 and it won't change what I have.

My synopsis is: Initially a diabetic neuropathy possibly complicated by:

Statins?
Low B12 from Metformin?
Lack of testing of B12 and D and probably other things?
Perhaps some alcohol while young?
Being diabetic for a while, before treating, then treating it with drugs that are neurotoxic?

I never wanted to say I was not responsible, but when I ask questions, I want more accurate answers. If the doctor does not know these things, they should. It is how big business works. CYA. And it is pointless to try to inform them of things because they resent it and will not accept that I know things since it makes them uncomfortable.

If I had controlled by weight better when young, I probably not be diabetic and:

Not needed Statins
Not needed Metformin
Not drank alcohol
And did my research many years ago.

But it did not happen that way.

In addition, I have tried many alternative treatment and spent a great deal of money. My insurance does not cover any treatment outside of their system. So it will continue to get worse for the rest of my life, in my opinion.


I would be very skeptical about the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy being in the feet and hands only and the rest is fibromyalgia. What testing did he do on the rest of your body that came to that conclusion? Did you have EMG/NCS to diagnose peripheral neuropathy in your feet and hands?

You mention whole body pain and numbness. I have no numbness with my muscle issues. I have numbness with my peripheral neuropathy.

I would find the results from when you had your last blood test.
I'd find my Vit D levels, my Serum Calcium levels and B12.
As always, please correct me if I'm wrong - In the USA Serum Calcium should be 8.5 to 10.9 mg/dl. (Au measure differently i.e. 2.1 and 2.5 millimoles per litre (mmol/L) )

Low Vitamin D can cause an enormous array of symptoms all over the body. It controls calcium levels in the blood and we need good levels for bones, muscles and general good health. BUT, it's a fine line. Too much is not good. Too little is not good. It is so under rated. Plus a lot of the symptoms of Fibromyalgia are similar to symptoms of low Vitamin D/low or high calcium. Then there's also Polymyalgia. I see a lot of literature around that says that Fibromyalgia does't cause inflammation whereas Polymyalgia does. That isn't how my doctors see it but maybe they're wrong I don't know. I'm on a treatment for melanoma that actually causes inflammation in doing its job so in my case it's the constant inflammation that's caused the fibro... long story.

Do you get low grade fever?

Fibromyalgia also shows up as an enormous array of symptoms all over the body. It doesn't just show up as muscle pain. It affects sleep. I always get asked if I feel less tired after I sleep. No never. It causes sleep disturbance and when we wake up we don't feel rested. So you're dealing with fatigue, sleep problems, muscle pain, cognitive dysfunction and a heap of other problems.

What is Fibromyalgia – Fibromyalgia Australia

There are so many health issues that affect our nerves and muscles. Sometimes we have several conditions at the same time. Sometimes it's more simple than that. My PN started as an overnight reaction - neuropathy in feet and lower legs - to a cancer treatment that I was on for only 10 days and ended up in a very bad way. I know exactly where my neuropathy starts and stops. For me it sounds more simple than for you and yet I have this overlap with cancer treatment being inflammatory, low vit D, slightly higher than normal calcium = parathyroid problem.

Don't blame yourself. Try to keep things simple, start with your last regular blood tests. Get a copy if you can.

Start by ruling things out yourself.

If your B12 is good, rule that out.
If your Vit D levels are acceptable, rule that out.
If your Serum Calcium is good, that's great you can rule that out too.

Think about getting another opinion. You need some answers and there's a lot going on. You can't resign yourself completely. There are treatments for some of the things mentioned above. If you find that there actually is no treatment for whatever is ailing you then at least you know and can move forward with adaptations to your lifestyle and try to get some aids for sleeping and pain relief and other things at the same time. I've had to adapt to using a wheelchair when I go out yet at home I use a ride-on mower to mow the grass on an acreage. I now have to use pain relief. It's a balance.

It's called quality of life.

[can't speak to statins as I have no personal experience except for the 20 plus years of reading from forum members here and another place].

I think you may have more endurance and courage than I, but these are very good suggestions. I think most are my labs are close to be inline. But I have had these low levels for a while since they were not being taken at all or not often enough. I can get extensive labs from the Naturopathic Doctor. Labs $200.00, Doctor $200.00, Blood Draw $60.00. Better labs won't bring back the nerves or stop the pain of a rapidly spreading full body Poly Neuropathy. So your suggestion of just adapting is real the only solution, and the anti-inflammatory diet. I think some of my doctors are saying that they know less than really do and thinking I know less than I really do.