A Pro Statin article by Miriam Stoppard

I too took statins for 14 months during the last 3 I started to have pains in my right wrist and fingers, then in the left hand also.  My GP never said anything relating it to the statins, suggested arthritis or nerve pain due to newly prescribed "bisoprolol" which he suggested I stop.  Having read many comments on here I decided to stop both statins and bisoprolol.  My pain is still with me and I now have it in my right ankle and neck.  Have any others who stopped the statins continued to suffer, also have new painful areas of the body and how long after stopping did they go back to normal, if at all?

I'm glad that neuropathy as a side effect is being highlighted as I have something like that but is not classic neuropathy symptoms as it is only when walking with shoes on and at other times I am OK no tingling, no pain or heat in legs or feet.

For 30 years I have had occasional numbness in my left foot. As I have ongoing digestive problems, indigestion, GERD, and a small hiatal hernia I joke that I have indigestion in my foot again.

I was prescribed a statin in 2011 when diagnosed with aortic stenosis and needing a replacement valve. After about three months I had muscle weakness and stopped them. I went back on it the following year about two months prior to surgery as there are good reasons to take them then. The muscle weakness returned and I stopped them after about for months.

I developed AF as a result of the surgery and my blood sugar became very erratic ( a statin effect?) and was then on a myriad of drugs including dangerous Bisoprolol, Amiodarone and Warfarin so any side effects were impossible to pin down.

The occasional numbness in my foot continued but did not worsen until October 2014 but did not cause any problem when walking. That did not happen until suddenly in early June of last year when my left foot varied between numb and dead and I could not cope with changing surfaces or walking downhill without support. I also had balance problems, dizziness and pre syncope.. I stopped Bisoprolol and everything apart from the numbness improved.

I went to see a podiatrist, an orthopedic consultant, a neurologist and had 14 different blood tests, a head MRI scan and nerve conductions tests and a lumbar spine CT scan as my them I was getting back pain. My spine only showed what could be called normal wear and tear and the neurologist could only suggest idiopathic neuropathy but one consultant who gave my GP an opinion on my scan suggested seeing a neuro surgeon. He did not find anything and wanted an MRI scan by now I’d gone private due to what was to be a  39 week wait to see an NHS neurosurgeon and have spent nearly £2K on the scans and appointments. The MRI of my whole spine and pelvic area did not reveal anything either and the neuro surgeon advised seeing a neurologist who specialises in neuropathy. It seems that the only ones are at a specialist unit in Bristol and I live in Sussex.       

I had by then stopped all drugs apart from Warfarin and Losartan. Losartan can cause neuropathy so I stopped it but after a month it has not improved.  

I had spoken to an Osteopath after having the CT scan but she was afraid that her treatment might burst my small aortic aneurysm! I spoke to consultant who keeps an eye on the aneurysm and he has asked the osteopath to give him details of his treatment to approve. That seems to be my last hope. The drugs for neuropathy seem dangerous and my symptoms do not justify them.     

 A fit hill walking friend of mine developed muscle pain after starting them but did not believe me when I blamed the statins. Next came memory loss and depression and medication for that as well. His wife kept on saying that the doctor said it was not the statins and he kept on taking them.

Then she could not cope with looking after him and she put him in a nursing home. First fall cracked his pelvis, second one broke his tibia and very quickly he was gone.

Heart attacks and strokes are not the potential ailments when one gets older. There is no concrete proof that statins actually do what they are proclaimed to do, apart from lowering LDL. And, there is no concrete proof that this is even a positive thing. But, there is plenty of evidence that statins do accelerate other age related ailments. And this is being ignored.

correct:- 'not the only.....

What does puzzle me is that peole are more afraid of strokes than of heart attacks and clamour to happily take NOACs. 

Forums like this are full of people like us who complain about side effects. Ask friends, workmates if they take statins and you will be surprised how many are but have no need to mention it. Then we have the worried well who want to take them as they have heard of their benefits. 

I'm sure mine weren't either lee. I think the numbers are far greater than anyone could imagine but big pharm is too powerful and there's too much money at stake