Repatha for High Cholesterol, Familial Heterozygous User Reviews (Page 3)

• Jea...
• April 1, 2021

"My personal experience has been horrible. Allergic to statins. Well after about 4 injections, I became seriously ill, difficult to even lift my body up or do any daily activities without fatigue. I took the injection Wednesday, and by Friday, I was convinced I had the flu. Even had a low-grade fever. I am 50 years old and was quite previously active and healthy. I honestly feel like my bones became brittle, muscular weakness and pain. Can barely lift arms. Also have GI issues now. I took all the COVID flu and strep and urine tests, and all were good. I feel like walking death. This is not quality of life. Also, as read above, which I now find out that it takes a long time to get out of the system and has a cumulative effect. Which is why I didn’t connect this med with my symptoms, 'cause initially all was going fine. I will take homeopathic natural medicine given by my acupuncturist. Do NOT take this stuff. I’m so sick now, and it’s been a week since I took this stuff."

• Smu...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 7, 2023

"I have been taking Repatha for nearly 3 years. It has contributed to a drastic reduction in my cholesterol level. I do find the click of the injector to be somewhat painful, and I typically have a high pain tolerance. My biggest complaint with this medication is the weight gain I have experienced. I have put on nearly 30 pounds in the time I added this to my regimen. This, after drastically adjusting my diet and exercise."

• Joe...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 26, 2017

"I have been living with high LDL my entire life. I had 4 CT heart scans over a 20-year period. Mild plaque burden in one area seen grew to 3 areas. I tried almost every statin on the market. I could NOT tolerate statins. Between muscle aches, joint pain, muddled thought, energy issues. When running to Google my symptoms online, I realized thousands of people were experiencing the exact same. I was convinced all these odd symptoms were from the statins. I was off and on 4 times and subsequently stopped. Note: best blood results were Lipitor, but still MANY unbearable side effects! I ride a bike. I'm athletic. I'm physically fit my entire life. I eat better than most. My blood work with Repatha after 3 months almost seems like a miracle."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 17, 2023

"After 3 months, LDL cholesterol reduced markedly. (I do not tolerate statins, they cause severe diarrhea.) Lower back pain has become severe and may cause me to stop taking the medication. I am experimenting with taking Repatha at 3-week intervals and will ask my doctor for other suggestions in order to continue Repatha therapy."

• Gin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 28, 2024

"I have been taking it for one year. I had previously experienced unpleasant side effects on several statin drugs, which did not lower my cholesterol sufficiently. I do take Pravastatin as well as Repatha. I had not had side effects from Pravastatin, but it did not lower my cholesterol enough. My blood test results after starting 1 mL Repatha every 14 days (along with daily 80 mg Pravastatin) were the first time I had had sufficient lowering of cholesterol after years of trying. Currently experiencing joint pain, which might not be due to either medication. I just don't know if the pain is a side effect or not."

• Pap...
• August 22, 2021

"I am a 66-year-old male with familial high cholesterol and triglycerides. I have been unable to take statins and other meds for lowering cholesterol due to elevation of muscle enzymes, which causes muscle pain and weakness. After a stent, the doctor wanted me to take Repatha. I took it for 5 months, and due to other health issues, I did not realize I was having issues until a heart catheterization came back normal. I had chest pressure, shortness of breath with minor exertion, sweating very easily, body aches, fatigue, back pain, and muscle aches all over. My muscle enzymes test, which I had to request, was very elevated. I immediately stopped Repatha. Chest discomfort stopped immediately, breathing is better, and sweating stopped, but I am still having severe back and muscle aches in my legs, with my legs feeling very rubbery. My advice is to pay very close attention to muscle aches if you take this medication and have problems with other cholesterol medications."

• JFa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 21, 2018

"I have had the characteristic sinus burn shortly after injecting Repatha each of the three times I’ve taken it. I have been on it now for seven weeks. After six and a half weeks, I noticed a red patch of skin, about 2.5 inches in diameter, with raised bumps. I have no way of knowing if it is a reaction to Repatha. If it is, I don’t think it’s serious because of its late appearance. It manifested six weeks into the therapy and several days after the last injection. Has anyone else experienced this?"

• Mlh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 6, 2023

"I researched and wanted Leqvio, but my cardiologist had a sample of Repatha and talked me into it. I had it Friday at 4 PM. By 8 PM that night, I had a burning and itching scalp! It has a half-life of 11 days, which means it will take 60 to 90 days to go away. The burning went away in 2 days, but it's been 60 days, and I still have itching. My dermatologist suggested Scalpacin, which made it even worse. I am now using a $50 shampoo that has helped somewhat. I will say I was scared to use it because I don't like needles, but it was very easy to use!"

• Ren...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 18, 2022

"Numbers are great, but severe side effects! Such strong hay fever-type effects with eyes and nose running, sneezes so strong they hurt, and itching all over, but especially head and eyes. If I take Claritin or similar, I have bad insomnia. Left hip and knee pain. Lower back pain when walking and weight gain. I am stopping the Repatha injections - quality of life down."

• Bel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 10, 2023

"24 hours after my injection, I had a really bad sore throat and runny nose. Within 48 hours, I was in pain everywhere, and by the third day, I couldn't even walk upstairs. I was in the worst pain of my life, my throat was so bad I literally felt like I injected myself with poison. I feel like this drug should be taken off the market, this is the worst I have ever felt."

• Dhd...
• January 6, 2018

"I have been on Repatha for 12 months. I had 1 hour of sleep a night for 2 months, but I am back to normal now. Before I started it, I was not able to do any lifting without collapsing due to heart disease. I can now do anything I used to, and recently underpinned my house by hand. It seems like a miracle drug, but my cholesterol seems to be going back up. It started at 9, went down to 4.1 after starting Repatha, but is now 5.3. Still okay but worried about the future, will it keep going up again? I am now starting to get pain in my knees. I live in England, so I receive the drug on the NHS, so I don't know the cost of the drug."

• Nan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 12, 2022

"Had to switch to Repatha from Praluent. Amgen must have made some deal with my RX provider, Optum. I took Praluent for years with no problems. Praluent reduced my cholesterol significantly. Now Praluent is no longer on Optum's formulary. I thought there must be some reason, as in Repatha is cheaper, or it doesn't require refrigeration, or it works better. SOME DARN REASON! There is no reason, it isn't cheaper, or better, or easier to store or use. Some deal was cut. Repatha hurts to inject, and it's giving me a huge bruise under the skin at the injection site. I get a two-and-a-half-inch bruise under the skin, which takes two weeks to clear. This medicine damages me. Not pleased. Optum has no other option for my use unless I want to pay the full fee for the Praluent. Darn pharmacy companies. Patients come last, as usual. I use the 140 mg auto-inject pen."

• Pin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 2, 2023

"Tried tons of statins and non-statins. Nothing worked. Diet and exercise were a joke as I found I have familial hypercholesterolemia. New MD recommended this injection and I dropped by 50%! I inject every 3 weeks. My numbers responded within weeks! So far, no side effects that I know of at this time. It's been five months! Yes, it is very expensive, but the results are far worth it, especially the convenience factor, to say the least!"

• Not...
• February 10, 2021

"Honestly, I feel like it did permanent damage to my nerves. I started with Repatha, and after 2 months of being on the injection, I started to get burning in my feet and a little in my hands. I went to the doctor (and of course he didn't think it was from the injection) and had me stop taking it and see a neurologist. They did an EMG and I had an MRI of my brain. They found nothing. The sensation went away after a month. So I restarted it again and it came back, then stopped it for a while. We tried doing the injection every 3 weeks, and eventually the burning came back. So he moved me to the other shot, Praluent. With that, I felt it literally affecting my legs, like restless syndrome. So I said no more, and I haven't been on for over 6 months. Well, now I still get the burning in my feet and a little in my hands that come and go. So I'm kind of upset about that. Going to the neurologist again. I really hope this medication didn't cause permanent damage because I'll be so annoyed."

• She...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 22, 2023

"Extreme Dizziness Blurry vision Very low blood pressure Extreme Fatigue Cold ankles and feet Pain in right leg like buzzing and some cramps In the first two times taking it. An adjustment to my BP meds, diuretic, and ALL the symptoms went away. Looking forward to great results my next blood test saying my cholesterol is in a great range! BTW I take 140mg/ml injections once every 2 weeks. Very easy process."

• Gig...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 14, 2022

"I was prescribed Repatha for heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia after being unable to tolerate any type of statin. Repatha has been a miracle medicine. My total cholesterol was slashed from 500 to 113 and has greatly reduced my LDL. All of my values are normal, and the only side effects I've had are runny noses and pain/bruising/redness at the injection site. It took a bit to get over the learning curve of using the SureClick auto injector, but honestly, this is my preferred method of taking a prescription medication. Two shots a month and great results. I do make sure to check my blood pressure and have my doctor order glucose and A1C tests regularly, but haven't had any issues so far."

• Tab...
• October 11, 2017

"This drug was like a miracle for me! I'm 29 and have known about my FH since I was 18. I do not tolerate statins or Zetia very well, and the only medicine I've been able to take is 2 mg of Livalo. On the Livalo, my total cholesterol was 262 and my LDL was 280. I'm fairly active for my age and in pretty good shape (I could lose about 10-15 lbs). I ran my first full marathon last year. After taking Repatha along with the Livalo for 6 weeks, my total cholesterol is now 130 and my LDL is 69. I have had absolutely no side effects. I'm still in shock, and I feel like I'm in a dream. I'm so thankful this drug is available!!"

• BEa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 27, 2018

"Have been taking Repatha for two months, with an injection every two weeks. Almost immediately began to feel the malaise, sinus pressure, dry eyes, and leg weakness. After the last two injections, began to have severe low back pain, pain in both hips, and increasing numbness in both feet. Blood pressure has also increased slightly. Doctor states that it is not caused by Repatha, however, when treated by the general practitioner for the symptoms above, they have been unable to identify the proximal cause."

• Gle...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 17, 2024

"I am allergic to Statins and Gemfibrozil (ate away my muscles), and intolerant of Questran Lite and nicotinic acid. Recently had a triple heart bypass. Initial blood test after using Repatha for several months shows lowest cholesterol in over 25 years. However, the trade-off is back pain (spasms) which is particularly annoying when rolling over in bed at night!"

• Wat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 16, 2023

"Have been using for 6 weeks, with amazing results. LDL has halved and total cholesterol down 30 percent. After the first dose, felt really unwell for about a week with flu-like symptoms and a rash from elbows to hands. Following doses, just a bit of a stuffy nose the next day and pins and needles in fingers and hands for about an hour after injecting. Statins crippled me with joint and muscle pain, Ezetimibe caused GI issues, and my abdomen blew up like a balloon (6 inches on waist measurement), and Bempedoic acid caused a huge increase in Uric acid levels with no effect on cholesterol. Very happy to have found something that works with little side effects. Long may it continue to do so. I'm in the UK covered by the NHS."

• Nan...
• June 27, 2022

"Repatha is awful. My insurance took Praluent off its formulary. No answer why it was done. The two drugs cost the same and both require special shipping and ongoing refrigeration, as well as being injectable meds. What's the darn difference? I was on Praluent for years and it worked well for me. The Repatha injection pen hurts, I bet the needle bore is larger. The injection usually gives me a huge black and blue mark, which takes almost two weeks to heal. I get muscle cramps from Repatha! That's why I'm not on a high-dose statin! I dread taking this medicine. I'll let my cardiologist know my issues, but he can't influence my insurance's formulary. I've been on Repatha for two months and haven't had my first blood test to see if it reduces my cholesterol as well as Praluent did. The harassing calls and emails from Amgen are not helpful and give no actual medical information to patients. What a waste of money being spent on this."

• Jen...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 31, 2023

"On Repatha for 4 years. Cardiovascular disease. Bypass heart surgery x 2. High cholesterol. Repatha has reduced my LDL to a level that is barely measurable. Overall cholesterol is 3. Statins alone could not achieve this. I have issues, but nothing I can't handle. Repatha has been brilliant."

• DRC...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 14, 2023

"Amazing medication that has helped drop my APO B cholesterol level to 36. Extraordinary results with no noticeable side effects. Previously placed LAD stent and now LDL down from 170 to 35 on combination therapy. Easy as can be to administer. Do not fear the injection as it is barely detectable."

• She...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 22, 2023

"Extreme Dizziness Blurry vision Very low blood pressure Extreme Fatigue Cold ankles and feet Pain in right leg like buzzing and some cramps In the first two times taking it. An adjustment to my BP meds, diuretic, and ALL the symptoms went away. Looking forward to great results my next blood test saying my cholesterol is in a great range! BTW I take 140mg/ml injections once every 2 weeks. Very easy process."

• Nol...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 8, 2019

"Repatha caused me to get “drug-induced lupus,” so my life is forever changed and for the worse. I can only find one other person who had this reaction, but beware, it is possible."