Alcohol and Statin Drugs.

[cinbad]

I am suffering from peripheral neuropathy after taking Crestor for 6yrs. The neurologist told me the pn was caused by drinking alcohol. Anybody else been told their pn was caused by alcohol. I quit drinking 2yrs. before stopping the Crestor and my health deteriorated significanly in those 2 yrs.

[gedunk]

PN can be caused by heavy alcohol use, diabetes, and a few other things. The onset can be delayed for several years as well.

I'd get a second and third opinion from doctors that are in no way associated with the first doc. OF COURSE the PN could not have been
caused by anything he may have prescribed you. I doubt he'd give you the benefit of a doubt along those lines.

[gotts1936]

Cinbad, haven't you noticed that every symptom that doctors can not explain is blamed on alcohol, smoking or obesity. I am 71 and polished off a six pack of beer every evening fo over twenty years and it was not until I started taking lovastatin that within 7 weeks my leg muscles went to hell. I asked my doctor if alcohol or lovastatin caused the problem. He leaned toward the alcohol. Twenty years of alcohol or 7 weeks of lovastatin? To many doctors have the same mentality of 150 ago when they almost bled you to death to remove a disease from your body. Unfortunately, the bleeders are still alive and well today.

[gotts1936]

Cinbad, I might add I do not smoke. I was hoping that the victims of statin drug poisoning who did not drink or smoke would respond to your post. But, it appears, so far, the only individuals effected are those who smoke or drink. We all know that is not true. Maybe they all smoke and drink and are afraid to admit it? Is it possible that those who do not drink or smoke are genetically inferior?

[cinbad]

Thanks for your input Gotts, I was hoping for more responses also. I admit that I have consumed alcohol and sometimes to excess in my younger years but at the time I started having problems I was consuming the least amounts ever in my life for quite a few years. I think it is possible that the Crestor damaged my liver and it was a combination of the Crestor and the damage to my liver (the organ that processes alcohol) that caused my problems. It was not until I stopped the Crestor that my muscle pain,skin rashes,acid reflux,blurred vision and foggy memory began to improve. I am going to see a new doctor today and put him to the test to see if he knows what pn is, what the possible causes are, what he thinks of Statins. I think that there is a huge wave building on the internet and I hope someday it comes crashing down on the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry. I tell everyone I know and even those I don't about the dangers of Statins. I especially feel for the elderly that are being duped by their doctors into taking Statins as alot of them don't have computers or access to the internet. My 82 year old mother was one of them. Sorry for ranting and getting off topic.

[gotts1936]

Hi, cinbad, You are not ranting or getting off the subject. If your blood test prior to Crestor, CK level, etc., was normal, as mine were, than only Crestor caused the damage. The problem is that doctors expect seniors to have the same cholesteral and blood pressure as twenty year olds. What a joke. Some individuals can have cholesterol levels higher than other individuals without any adverse effects. Of course drug companies do not want to hear any common sense. For your information, I still drink at least a six pack aday and except for the damage and pain I have due to lovastatin damage to my mitochondria pathway I may live to 100 years old. Also, on Sept. 22, 2007 I submitted to artery screening test. Which I passed. My cartoid artery, at 71 years old, is within the normal range. My PAD test were normal. I have no abdominal aortic aneurysms. But, legs still hurt due to the drug lovastatin and my retirement lifestyle has been impacted. I think there should a lot of drug company empoyees who should be in jail.

[cinbad]

Thanks for your post Gotts
Just wanted to vent some more. Had an appointment with a new doctor in our little town today. I was hoping because he was young and fresh out of Med. School that he wouldn't already be owned by the drug companies. He turned out to be an arrogant little s.o.b. that needs a kick in the rear. I started asking him questions about his knowledge of pn and statin drugs and he said he wasn't here for a job interview. Like most GP's he is there to take your blood pressure guess at what your problem might be and give you a prescription. I ended my visit abruptly when I asked him if he knew what CoQ10 was and he didn't. It wasn't until I left his office that my foggy brain remembered that I had seen him before when he was interning with my current family GP.

[gotts1936]

cinbad, that is a very sad story. Unfortunately, those GP's who understand the statin drug danger are few and far between.

[harley2ride]

I did smoke, but only drank occassionally. Quit smoking about 4 months ago, but no improvement in my condition...

[SusieO]

I never have smoked and only consume alcohol maybe 4 times a year - so my problems are not related to alcohol or tobacco.

[Brian C.]

If anybody reading this is still smoking may I point out that it effectively destroys Vitamin C. The Pauling Hypothesis (not yet falsified) is that, as a result of diet deficient in foliage, berries & fruits, humans suffer from low-level scurvy. Thus smoking can severely exacerbate this condition.

Brian.

[harley2ride]

[quote="Brian C."]If anybody reading this is still smoking may I point out that it effectively destroys Vitamin C. The Pauling Hypothesis (not yet falsified) is that, as a result of diet deficient in foliage, berries & fruits, humans suffer from low-level scurvy. Thus smoking can severely exacerbate this condition.

Brian.[/quote]

I might buy into that theory, if it wasn't for the fact, that I've actually gotten worse over the past few months, when I had been doing pretty good over the past year. I have terrible gastro-intestinal problems since I stopped smoking (already take prevacid and aciphex). I know that smoking is bad (haven't smoked in 4 months, and won't go back), but I disagree with how much effect it has on general condition due to statin injury. If someone has actually smoked, quit, and noticed improvement, please let me know...

[Brian C.]

I wonder if mitochondrial insufficiency makes it harder for our bodies to adapt to change?

Brian.

[gotts1936]

Harley2ride, There is no one who has given smoking and gotten better.

Brian, I have read many of your post on this website, but this one is strange. Our bodies can never adept to mitochondrial insufficiency. Period!

[cjbrooksjc]

Brian: I think ANYTHING that causes stress (and change is one of the BIG predictors) can stress our mitochondria.
The response to stress is an endocrine induced physical modification on a cellular level, and that (cellular level) is where we are injured. Wouldn't you think?

Brooks

[Brian C.]

gotts, what I'm saying is that mitochondrial damage leaves us more vulnerable to stress (even watching a thriller gives me acute symptoms!). Nicotine is powerfully addictive. Withdrawal is a deeply unsettling experience, intrinsically stressful. Those compromised by statin damage can therefore expect an extra unpleasant time while their bodies slowly adapt to their new internal environment.

Brian.