Our nerves are coated with a thick layer of a fatty substance made primarily from cholesterol which allows the rapid transmission of electrical impulses through the nerves and protects the nerves (see photo above). Taking a statin medication decreases the amount of cholesterol that the body has available to make this coating and has been shown in scientific studies to cause nerve damage. In this study the patience took a cholesterol medicine for 2 years. All of the patients who took the cholesterol lowering medicine showed evidence of nerve damage. Here is another study where they looked at people taking statin medications and found  they were four times more likely to develop nerve damage.