Vascepa for Hypertriglyceridemia User Reviews (Page 3)

• Not...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 23, 2020

"Noticed severe restless leg syndrome after starting Vascepa, something I never had before (other than when pregnant), and since this was the only new medication (I'm only on a blood pressure-lowering drug otherwise), I knew it was from Vascepa. Also, problems as others mentioned, such as heart beating faster, severe gastrointestinal issues, joint pain, and heartburn. Other issues I had were hair loss, and my nails started to crack and virtually stopped growing, and my skin aged quickly. I tried Vascepa for around 9 months at half dose (2 a day instead of 4). I wonder how bad my situation would have been at full dose! Since stopping, virtually all symptoms went away, even the nail issue. Hoping my hair will return. Would NOT recommend this drug. Also, did very little to lower triglycerides, only about 20 points."

• N40...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 8, 2016

"Vascepa since 4/1/2013, 79 years old, T1D since 1957. Other meds = 40 mg/day Zocor > 20 yrs; insulin. HbA1c = 6.5; FBG = 111 mg/dL. Total cholesterol = 144 mg/dL; TGCs = 63 mg/dL; HDL = 61 mg/dL; VLDL = 13 mg/dL; LDL-C = 70 mg/dL; C-reactive protein = 2.2 mg/dL; APO B = 60 mg/dL; Lp-PLA2 = 216; EPA = 7.0%; AA = 5.3%; EPA/AA ratio = 1.3; DHA = 2.1%; O-6/O-3 ratio = 1.8; O-3 (EPA DHA) index = 9.1%, optimal > 3.2%. No side effects known; no aches; DES (dry eye) disappeared within 3-4 days of the 1st dose; walking speed is better, feel more flexible. Vascepa is easy to use; PCP [I.M.] describes my health as excellent, and that advanced CV risk parameters = excellent profile and optimally suppressed."

• Mic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 4, 2018

"I started this drug on 4/13/2018, and within a week of being on it, I became bloated, gassy, and constipated. My skin is like an oil spill, and I'm retaining water like a blowfish. I'm on a diuretic for hypertension, and retaining water only shoots my BP up. As much water as I drink throughout the day, I might go to the bathroom 3 times total. My muscles ache constantly, with no relief from any of these side effects. I stopped taking it as of yesterday. Statins I cannot take without the joint and muscle pains and literally not able to walk or go up/down stairs. My triglycerides on April 5th were 257, and my total cholesterol was 211."

• dou...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 30, 2021

"Heart doctor put me on it for high triglycerides and increased dosage to four a day. I no longer can ride in a car or hardly walk from the severe pain these pills have caused. I have regular feelings of gout, aching in both shoulders, and Afib. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. Didn't start out this way but sure has ended this way. Got to get in and figure something else out before something else gives out on my body."

• Rob...
• May 25, 2017

"Triglycerides 515, so the doctor put me on Vascepa because I was concerned about muscle weakness with statin rx use. Took Vascepa for one month, and I have constant, generalized joint pain. I have arthritis, but the pain was manageable until I took Vascepa. I am not taking it anymore. Plus, Medicare will not cover it, and even with the Vascepa drug discount program, it cost me $74 for a one-month supply of 1 gram twice a day."

• Jid...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 27, 2018

"Started with 1 gram twice daily. After a week, took 2 grams twice daily. After 6 weeks, triglycerides dropped from 950 to 625. Meantime, my right eye was troubling me from macular degeneration. Got two treatments. Trouble reading. Also experienced right arm muscle pain and weakness. Couldn’t lift it straight out. After a few weeks, I stopped Vascepa. Eye got much better. Arm somewhat better. Still waiting for arm to resume normalcy. Possible my eye vitamin added to the problem."

• Mol...
• November 2, 2016

"6 weeks of constant bathroom use, oily skin that caused clogged glands in my eyes, terrible body stiffness and aches... no energy, fatigue... But HEY, it did lower my triglycerides from 231 to 230-all while raising my total cholesterol 21 points, lowering my HDL by 2 points, and raising my LDL by 23 points. Also raised my blood sugar a bit too. So, in summary, in 6 weeks of suffering just to be in worse health. I would give this medication a 0 if I could."

• Ste...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 20, 2023

"I believe my triglycerides went down. It seems the timing of when I started taking the medication coincides with a dramatic increase in joint pain, especially in my hips. Although I only take two gel caps a day. But maybe paired with my hypothyroidism...? I've stopped taking for about a week and noticed a decrease in the severity of pain."

• Yog...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 9, 2021

"I really wasn't aware of the outrageous cost until my insurance briefly lapsed. It's $330 a month. For fish oil. I almost felt bad for my health insurance co. Almost. I've been taking this Gucci fish oil for two years, and my cholesterol has barely budged. A little research seems to show only two studies that were paid for by Amerin that show good results in a very carefully selected group of people. I'm done with Vascepa. It all sounds more like snake oil."

• Sle...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 1, 2021

"I took Vascepa at my doctor's request. I am awake now at 1 AM because every muscle and joint in my body aches. I can now barely function during the day, the pain is so bad, and I wake up in the middle of the night numerous times to use the bathroom. My knee joints now crackle every time I sit down. My right arm, from elbow to wrist, is swollen, and I can no longer make a fist. I only took this medication for 6 to 8 weeks and had to stop because it felt like a cinderblock on my chest. I used to be able to take walks and ride a stationary bike. I can no longer do either. I am now doing a liver cleanse to try and get this stuff out of my body. If I don't improve soon, I don't know how I will continue to function."

• MMo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 8, 2023

"Vascepa lowered my triglycerides, but I had to quit taking it. Caused awful itching and pimple-like spots on my back and shoulders. I wanted to make certain the itching was from Vascepa and not something else, so I eliminated just Vascepa for a week. The itching lessened every day, and the skin is clear after two weeks. Great at lowering triglycerides, but had to quit taking because of itching."

• Arb...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 9, 2019

"On Vascepa for 1 month, Dr. wanted to see if it lowered my LDL. However, my triglycerides are very normal (<100), so not sure if this is really the right drug for me. Too soon to say if any benefit. My only comment is on the price. The best I can do is $198 per month (4 gm/day). I am going to split Vascepa with a 1000 mg pure EPA product from GNC, at 1/3 the cost."

• Sam...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 3, 2023

"Taking 4g of Vascepa along with 200mg of Fenofibrate per day has reduced my triglycerides from +8 to between 2 and 3 (in metric units). Vascepa didn’t reduce my triglycerides on its own, but it somewhat helped. Fenofibrate was an effective medication. The side effects that I think are attributed to Vascepa are constipation, dizziness, and lack of stamina. I am eighty years old, but I have been very active and going to the gym for the past 35 years, five days a week, two hours per day. I do heavy weightlifting. Yet recently, I feel tired quite faster than in the past. I also experienced shortness of breath occasionally, which I think is due to my mild anxiety. I’m not taking any medication for anxiety."

• Anonymous
• July 10, 2021

"Was on Vascepa for 6 months. No side effects. My triglycerides stayed the same and my LDL increased by 100, and my HDL increased by 5. No diet changes or exercise changes during the six months. So not worth it."

• Sue...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 6, 2018

"Took Vascepa for 2 months, about to start the 3rd month when I started to have flashes (floater type) in my eye to the extreme. I also felt pressure in my left eye. I went to my ophthalmologist who told me the gel inside my eye was pushing forward and might cause a tear to my retina. I was given another appointment in 7 days for a wait and see what happens. If a tear occurred, he would have to laser the eye to save my retina and my sight. I don't have problems like this, I am healthy - I thought. What am I doing new that caused this or is causing this? Vascepa... stopped taking it and 4 days later, I noticed that the flashes were a lot less and no pressure to my eye. I have stopped taking Vascepa and started taking regular fish oil...."

• Jes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 1, 2019

"- Vascepa will definitely give you some skin irritations and what looks like bites or sores. After years of good results with taking ordinary Omega-3, I was forced to switch to Vascepa as a drug change by CVS Caremark, bad judgment! This one drug, which the manufacturer put the doctors on their review listing, and then had the gall to actually pay them to keep quiet. Beware!"

• jlm...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 12, 2017

"Have only taken now for 3 weeks. Thus far, I can't say I've noticed any side effects other than I swear my skin is softer. I was put on a low-carb diet, less than 100 grams daily in an attempt to lower triglycerides. I had started a regular walking program of at least 5 miles daily. My HDL's had increased 10 points in 6 months; my LDL & VLDL went down; cholesterol dropped a few points. I had even lost 4 pounds, but my triglycerides almost doubled to 273! She asked me at that point, 'Eating carbs by chance?' :| Who, me??? Yes, I'm a bread lover......(sigh). So even though I'm not needing to lose but maybe 5 lbs, my triglyceride number has got to improve! I'll re-rate this script when she re-does my blood work in October 2017."

• Cre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 25, 2021

"I started on one gram Vascepa twice a day a week and a half ago. My cholesterol is only 215, but my triglycerides are over 750. Yesterday I started hurting all over in most of my muscles and joints, even my ear, eye, and bottom of one foot. My hip is in terrible pain, although it was hurting previously, but not this bad. I'm not taking Vascepa again. Terribly expensive even with insurance."

• Man...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 6, 2020

"I have always had high triglycerides on annual physicals. Immediately lowered after taking Vascepa, without changing diet. Have before and after blood tests. I've been on for about 5 months with no side effects. I also take 10 mg atorvastatin, which I've been on for 15 years."

• LLa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 25, 2020

"I was started on Vascepa to help high triglycerides and to raise HDL. Was not consistently taking them. Twice a day because they were big pills, and one time I had a mild, bad fish taste. Had been on them for about 3 months and noticed heart irregularity, lightheaded for brief moments. Wore a monitor and it showed SVT, PATs, and possible short bout of A-Fib. Mentioned to my cardiologist that my newest medication was Vascepa, but he did not think anything of it. So, two ER visits later, I looked Vascepa up and saw that a small percentage of patients had these side effects. I stopped taking them on my own and messaged my doctor that I stopped. I now am taking metoprolol, a small dose. My question is: will these heart symptoms go away or is this now a permanent problem?"

• San...
• September 18, 2021

"Taking this $100-a-month medicine to lower very high triglycerides. Not able to exercise effectively due to back pain from a car crash. Also have high ALT and AST from taking prednisone to shrink a post-radiation tumor. So very high triglycerides came down a few points into the 300s after 4 months. So in January 2021, I had my gallbladder removed via laparoscopic procedure. I kept taking Vascepa, same dosage, 2 pills with the first meal and 2 pills with dinner. Then I developed type II diabetes. Now, in September 2021, my triglycerides increased to the 600s. So I guess it does not work for everyone. The cost may not be worth it for me."

• Den...
• January 27, 2018

"Insurance made me switch from Lovaza to Vascepa. Lovaza effectively lowered my blood triglycerides and increased my HDL. Insurance co steps in and stated I should have been on Vascepa first as a step program. Went on it and found out my triglycerides went up dramatically, and HDL went down. All the benefits of Lovaza went out the window. Vascepa costs more than Lovaza marketed by Teva. Vascepa contains only EPA. Lovaza contains both EPA and DHA. Essentially, Big Pharma put me at risk for coronary heart disease. I am now on an older drug, Lopid, which for years has been shown to be effective in lowering triglycerides and increasing HDLs. Also, both Vascepa and Lovaza over time increase LDL, the “bad” cholesterol. Bottom line is that both products can produce potential harm. I am a nutritional scientist who received NIH grants to study blood lipids. Just a warning that patients need to be careful when their insurance company gets involved-it's all about the money."

• Hig...
• July 19, 2015

"I've been on Vascepa (2 pills daily) for about 7 months now. I went from 475 to 625 in three months. I don't know how my try spiked. Now I have stomach pain along with knee and back pain. I had back surgery 4 years ago unrelated to taking the drug, obviously. However, I do have some stomach pain when laying on my belly."

• Swe...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 22, 2019

"Vascepa is not doing much for my triglyceride levels yet, but once I lower my sugar intake, I think it will help. It has done wonders for my mental health. Less negative thoughts, better attitude. I do think it is causing some type of skin condition. I am prone to a type of condition known as melasma, not sure of spelling, it’s gotten so bad I’m going to stop the medicine for a while and see what happens. Otherwise, I highly recommend it for slight depression."

• Rob...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 29, 2019

"I was taken off Lipitor and placed on 4 (2x a day) Vascepa. I know all the details in 3 of my bathrooms after getting up 4-5 times a night and have the 'urge to purge.' I felt like having a bowel movement, but I just end up with fissures. I currently have a carbuncle on my butt. Nothing but liquids come out for a few seconds, and then, if it does, it's not 'firm.' I go back to bed and need to 'go again' 2 hours later. I have also 'lost it' before getting to the bathroom. Going back to Lipitor."