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Drugs and Side Effects

Can statins cause shingles? - Statins and nerve damage

Statins (HMG-CoA-reductase inhibitors) are known to cause a form of muscle pain and weakness, liver abnormalities and, in severe cases, rhabdomyolysis, a muscle condition that can lead to kidney failure. Indeed, in August 2001, the statin Baycol was voluntarily withdrawn from the market after 31 patients died.

But statins also affect nerves. They can cause a polyneuropathy (or peripheral neuropathy), characterised by weakness, numbness, pain and tingling in the hands and feet (Ann Pharmacother, 2003; 37; 274-8). Indeed, one large Danish study showed that, of 166 cases of so-called idiopathic polyneuropathy, 89 were definitely or probably linked to statins, while the rest were ‘possibly’ linked to the drugs (Neurology, 2002; 14: 1333-7). It could be that the ‘shingles’ your husband believes he had was a statin-induced nerve condition that is improving since stopping the drug.

Peripheral neuropathy - One reader has suffered from this for years, and wondered if there were other options other than painkillers.

Can statins cause shingles? - Statins and heart failure - Heart failure is epidemic in the UK and US, and so is statin use. Millions of patients are taking statins, which are increasingly more potent and enth...

Statins: the other downsides - In addition to suppressing CoQ10 and possibly causing CHF, the major side-effects of statins include muscle pain and weakness (myopathy), liver and ki...

Can statins cause shingles? - My husband, 57, is a sensible weight, and follows a healthy diet - no fat - only fish, and organic fruit and vegetables. He doesn’t smoke and only dri...

Kidney failure and hypertension - Q My 75-year-old friend has been diagnosed with kidney failure. Dialysis shows that her kidneys are working 15 per cent below normal efficiency. We ar...

Vaccine causes severe nerve damage - The vaccine designed to protect teenagers against meningitis can cause Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS), a severe inflammatory disorder of the periphera...

Baycol - Statins used for lowering cholesterol are reckoned to be some of the safest prescription drugs around. But new evidence coming out of the US suggests...

Kidney failure and hypertension - Q An elderly colleague, aged 82, is experiencing symptoms that he feels may be attributable to his medication for high blood pressure. His daily regim...

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Join the What Doctors Don't Tell You community now - and be informed for when it really matters

Can statins cause shingles? - Statins and nerve damage

Join the What Doctors Don't Tell You community now -
and be informed for when it really matters