Peripheral neuropathy and lipid-lowering therapy

We report a case of a peripheral neuropathy induced and exacerbated by several commonly used HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors including lovastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, and atorvastatin, and the vitamin niacin. A review of the literature shows similar cases with individual lipid-lowering drugs, but this case shows the cross-reactivity of the neuropathic process to different HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, and it is the first reported case of a peripheral neuropathy exacerbated by the use of niacin.