Anyone on Repatha?

[sandyut]

My cholesterol/heart journey was started when I moved back to CO. Changed PCP and she suggested a heart calcium scan, results were not good. Too high for my age, despite regular cardio from mountain biking and spin bike.

Tried statins and they made every muscle ache-it was unbearable. Fix the LDL problem, but killed me. those got tossed.

My Cardiologist wanted to put me on an every 6 month infusion, never got the name of it because insurance denied it. He put me on Repatha which I inject every 2 weeks. so far so good. LDL's are way down, no significant side effects...yet.

Anyone tried or on Repatha?

 

[normanaj]

My wife lasted about a week on statins,the joint pain and brain fog just wasn't worth it. The doc wanted to do all kinds of other shit and she said no.

We made the decision not to become dependent on scrips in any form. If it can't be fixed through diet and lifestyle than an early but less stressful death it shall be.

 

[Fueling Around]

No experience with Repatha.
Also stopped taking statins when research proved they are deadly on liver health.
Check out Doctor Amen

 

[Smoke-Chem BBQ]

Statins are a miracle drug for most who take them. The muscle pain side effect occurs in about 5% of patients who take them; not insignificant, but the side effect both comes on quickly, and goes away quickly when the medication is discontinued. Rhabdomyolysis is an extreme and more dangerous side effect (the main symptom is also muscle pain), but it only shows up in a few cases per million patients, and discontinuing statins clears it up.

Liver problems caused by statins are quite rare, but patients with existing liver problems should be asked by their provider to have a liver enzyme test done before, and soon after, starting a statin treatment.

 

[bmudd14474]

My wife went on a GLP-1 and one of the good side effects were lower cholesterol-lowering and other items in her blood work got better.

 

[chef k-dude]

My cholesterol/heart journey was started when I moved back to CO. Changed PCP and she suggested a heart calcium scan, results were not good. Too high for my age, despite regular cardio from mountain biking and spin bike.

Tried statins and they made every muscle ache-it was unbearable. Fix the LDL problem, but killed me. those got tossed.

My Cardiologist wanted to put me on an every 6 month infusion, never got the name of it because insurance denied it. He put me on Repatha which I inject every 2 weeks. so far so good. LDL's are way down, no significant side effects...yet.

Anyone tried or on Repatha?

I'm getting ready to try it. Like you, I tried 3 different statins and all of them hurt me in one way or another. Like normanaj, I just decided some of us arent born to live but so long and told my doctor I'm not taking that crap anymore. He totally supported me and said statins only reduce the risk percentage of a cardiac event by a nominal amount...enough to be worth taking them if you can tolerate them but not enough to endure misery every day of your life...just to live longer in misery. I've said all my life, "eat well, stay fit and get hit by a bus"! But I did get to a point where my weight was affecting my ability to do things I wanted to do, and chose to lose weight (went low carb method) just for mobility, not bloodwork.

I had the calcium CT scan too, and reading the results, I am a dead-man-walking. But according to my doctor its not the emergency the results read like, but he wanted me to see a cardiologist...not just for that, but my heart rate and blood pressure went nuts for no apparent reason a few months ago.

That said, although I have read studies that question not only whether statins are as effective as other studies show (they lower cholesterol but does that actually save lives?), but also that serum cholesterol isn't as much as a determining factor in cardiac events as other studies show. I'm not arguing that...just sayin'. Seems like genetics are far more likely to determine our fate...My doc, like others, trained to be obsessed with cholesterol, wanted me to go on Repatha, desperate to get my numbers down.

Your post here made me follow up with the pharmacy. I had gotten first, a rejection letter then an acceptance letter from insurance on covering it. Pharmacy had it on my list and told me it was $25. Doc had told me he had heard it was as much as $600 but maybe thats per year, which if this $25 is every 14 days is what it would be. I can afford that. I'm out of pocket the first $7K with insurance anyway...so, here goes a "shot" at it

 

[sandyut]

I'm getting ready to try it. Like you, I tried 3 different statins and all of them hurt me in one way or another. Like normanaj, I just decided some of us arent born to live but so long and told my doctor I'm not taking that crap anymore. He totally supported me and said statins only reduce the risk percentage of a cardiac event by a nominal amount...enough to be worth taking them if you can tolerate them but not enough to endure misery every day of your life...just to live longer in misery. I've said all my life, "eat well, stay fit and get hit by a bus"! But I did get to a point where my weight was affecting my ability to do things I wanted to do, and chose to lose weight (went low carb method) just for mobility, not bloodwork.

I had the calcium CT scan too, and reading the results, I am a dead-man-walking. But according to my doctor its not the emergency the results read like, but he wanted me to see a cardiologist...not just for that, but my heart rate and blood pressure went nuts for no apparent reason a few months ago.

That said, although I have read studies that question not only whether statins are as effective as other studies show (they lower cholesterol but does that actually save lives?), but also that serum cholesterol isn't as much as a determining factor in cardiac events as other studies show. I'm not arguing that...just sayin'. Seems like genetics are far more likely to determine our fate...My doc, like others, trained to be obsessed with cholesterol, wanted me to go on Repatha, desperate to get my numbers down.

Your post here made me follow up with the pharmacy. I had gotten first, a rejection letter then an acceptance letter from insurance on covering it. Pharmacy had it on my list and told me it was $25. Doc had told me he had heard it was as much as $600 but maybe thats per year, which if this $25 is every 14 days is what it would be. I can afford that. I'm out of pocket the first $7K with insurance anyway...so, here goes a "shot" at it

My out of pocket got maxed out in March due to a severe ankle break. So mine is "free" till 2026. The Repatha website has a discount card you can try too. I cant try it till next year.

I dont want to die because of something I can prevent. So I will try to avoid the heart attack.

The calcium score was a big wake up call for me. I am grateful to have a stellar Cardiologist.

 

[chef k-dude]

My out of pocket got maxed out in March due to a severe ankle break. So mine is "free" till 2026. The Repatha website has a discount card you can try too. I cant try it till next year.

I dont want to die because of something I can prevent. So I will try to avoid the heart attack.

The calcium score was a big wake up call for me. I am grateful to have a stellar Cardiologist.

That's why I'm agreeing to try the Repatha. They arent in a hurry here for me, cant even get in to the cardiologist till mid august here. I was more freaked out about the calcium scan than my doctor!

Sometimes the medicine can be the poison at the same time. My mom just died less than 2 months ago. She was doing fine, had a good day out singing hymns with the choir and visiting, having dinner with folks along with dad. That night, massive stoke/hemorrhage/aneurysm. Removed life support two days later, surgeon said she was gone. Only waited two days so I could get to Florida from Virginia to be there and confirm the decision with dad together.

She was on Xarelto due to afib issues. Surgeon said had she not been, she might have been savable. Xarelto was to try to help prevent the stroke, but the stroke happened anyway then the Xarelto hastened her demise. Gotta pick our poisons! I am not afraid except my wife needs me around. My time will be my time but I certainly wont hurry it along! Mom is exactly where she prayed she would be, here today, there tomorrow, no fuss no muss...for her.

Best of luck to you. This getting old stuff is...well, I'll leave it there...

 

[okie sawbones]

Genetics, genetics, genetics.

 

[sandyut]

That's why I'm agreeing to try the Repatha. They arent in a hurry here for me, cant even get in to the cardiologist till mid august here. I was more freaked out about the calcium scan than my doctor!

Sometimes the medicine can be the poison at the same time. My mom just died less than 2 months ago. She was doing fine, had a good day out singing hymns with the choir and visiting, having dinner with folks along with dad. That night, massive stoke/hemorrhage/aneurysm. Removed life support two days later, surgeon said she was gone. Only waited two days so I could get to Florida from Virginia to be there and confirm the decision with dad together.

She was on Xarelto due to afib issues. Surgeon said had she not been, she might have been savable. Xarelto was to try to help prevent the stroke, but the stroke happened anyway then the Xarelto hastened her demise. Gotta pick our poisons! I am not afraid except my wife needs me around. My time will be my time but I certainly wont hurry it along! Mom is exactly where she prayed she would be, here today, there tomorrow, no fuss no muss...for her.

Best of luck to you. This getting old stuff is...well, I'll leave it there...

Lemme know when you get on Repatha. I am curious if you notice any side effects. I am pretty sure I dont. I cant ride my mountain bike, so that is the only thing that could precipitate something as its high intensity. Spin bike hasnt been an issue yet.

As for aging, it is what it is. My wife is have her hip replaced tomorrow... I have had many surgeries and injuries over the years, I am sure they will come back to haunt me at some point.