Pins and needles

[Heartmum56]

I am 4 weeks post HA and stent. In the last week have been waking up in the night with pins and needles down left side. Was bad last night and took 3 hrs to get back to sleep due to resulting anxiety. Spoke to my cardiac nurse who says it's nothing to do with the drugs. She says none of them have that side effect. That's not true is it? Looks like this is quite a well established side effect of statins. I am on 80g atorvastatin. Have also just realised it cd be the ramopril.

[Tos92]

Hi Heartmum56

I’m sorry to hear about your recent HA and stent and completely understand the anxiety associated with that and your medications.

My mum is on Atorvastatin for high cholesterol. She does not suffer with pins and needles from Atorvastatin. She does however, get muscles cramps in her lower legs and calves as a result of it. I did a quick search online, and I can’t see pins and needles listed as a side effect of Atorvastatin. However, it may be a side effect of a different statin.

I would suggest getting in contact with your GP or cardiologist this time, instead of a cardiac nurse as I see you’ve already spoken to one. They may be able to adjust the dose or put you on a different statin however, I do think the pins and needles are unlikely to be from Atorvastatin and it maybe related to something else which needs further investigation.

Please let us know how you get on and I hope others with experiences of Atorvastatin can help.

All the best.

Tos

[Hidden]

Dear You,

You are totally right with seeing that it's a common side effect of the medication you are on.

Unfortunately it can be a side effect of many of the drugs that include having cold fingers/toes and nose.

But the good thing is that a lot of the side effects can stop on there own { and begin } once the body gets used to them.

Also luckily there are other various of most drugs that hopefully will have less side effects for you.

That can only be sorted by your Dr or Cardiologist/ Nurse please don't change any medication until you speak to them.

Hope you get it sorted soon

Take care.

[Hidden]

hello

These might help in meantime

nhs.uk/medicines/atorvastat...

bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/atorv...

I find these helpful but can never rule out so definitely a chat with GP / cardiologist.

do you sleep on left side? I know I can bring pins and needles on 100% if sleep in specific ways / scrunched up manner. Not saying that’s the cause for you but worth considering.

Good luck. Pins and needles are so annoying and who needs broken sleep when we have other issues to contend will!

[Callie456]

Hi, totally understandable that you'd feel anxious about all that.I had a HA in December and ever since then have been very prone to getting pins and needles in my arms and hands. I sometimes wake up with bad pins and needles and occasionally a numb arm.

When I had my HA I got a rush of pins and needles down both arms, but the ones I get now are different to that. They're like normal pins and needles but way too often and things that never gave me pins & needles before (like leaning on my elbow) do now.

I also have lost some sensation in my hands and fingers. I can't feel hot/cold or pressure properly. Dr has said it appears to be peripheral neuropathy but can't really explain why it happened.

I think the HA obviously affected the nerves somehow and all I can say is the nerves got hypersensitive and upset! It's unsettling, but it's not accompanied by anything else and hasn't gotten any worse, so I guess I'm getting used to it now. I did have tests, including MRI and nerve conduction to rule out other things. Drs also told me they didn't think it was the meds.

[Heartmum56 in reply to Callie456]

Thank you. That's really helpful. I can live with it as long as I know its not a sign of something bad. It's the worrying about it that's the problem. If it's just a consequence of what's happened or a side effect of meds I can cope. I just need to find a way of getting back to sleep without worrying.

[Callie456 in reply to Heartmum56]

Yes, things are always easier to handle when you have answers and know what you're dealing with. At first I was so nervous and used to check everything when I got the pins & needles - heart rate, BP, oxygen with a finger oximeter, just to see if it was all ok and it was. I never have any breathlessness or angina associated with it either. If I ever do have any other symptoms with the pins & needles I'd go to the hospital though. My physio said as long as it's not getting worse, and is stable then we just keep on keeping on. Noone knows if it's permanent or temporary, but it certainly seems to be rare as people don't seem to have heard of this type of thing after HA. I'm glad to meet someone with a similar experience.

These days I just think 'oh there they are again' and change position or straighten my arm or wiggle my fingers till it goes away.

Has the dr sent you for tests to rule anything else out? (I know I was tested for carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel)

[Heartmum56 in reply to Callie456]

So helpful. That's exactly how I am.

[FoxyHome]

Hi,

Just to add to all the other insightful comments.I had a mild heart attack 18 months ago and have taken 80mg Atorvastatin since then. I don't think I am experiencing side effects.I do however experience pins and needles during the night.I put it down to the way I am lying and probably arthritis in my neck.I just wiggle my arm / hand around and it goes.I totally understand where you are coming from.I was, still am, although less so, anxious about every sensation.