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Vascepa User Reviews & Ratings (Page 4)

Vascepa has an average rating of 5.7 out of 10 from a total of 119 reviews on Drugs.com. 45% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 40% reported a negative experience.

Reviews for Vascepa

Commonly mentioned side effects
  • San...
  • September 18, 2021

For Hypertriglyceridemia "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."

2 / 10
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  • Den...
  • January 27, 2018

For Hypertriglyceridemia "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."

2 / 10
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26 Report
  • Hig...
  • July 19, 2015

For Hypertriglyceridemia "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."

6 / 10
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27 Report

Frequently asked questions

  • Yan...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • February 22, 2022

For Cardiovascular Risk Reduction "Not only does Vascepa lower my triglycerides, it works better than any antidepressant on the market. Maybe it's my body chemistry, but about 3-4 weeks after taking the medication, my mood has vastly improved and has remained positive for the last three years. Love it. It's not cheap ($60 for a 90-day supply with my insurance), but it's well worth it!"

10 / 10
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6 Report
  • Swe...
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • May 22, 2019

For Hypertriglyceridemia "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."

8 / 10
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  • KMW...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • October 27, 2020

For Cardiovascular Risk Reduction "After having to do some back and forth with my insurance company, they finally approved Vascepa because I couldn't afford it otherwise. I've been taking just 2 pills once a day for about 6-7 weeks. I had blood work done in July and then again a couple weeks ago, and my triglycerides have dropped from 245 to 179. I don't remember the last time my number was that low. I don't have any other side effects, good or bad, but I'm glad my numbers are dropping. This may help me get off 2 other meds I'm on."

9 / 10
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  • Rob...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • December 29, 2019

For Hypertriglyceridemia "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."

1 / 10
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More FAQ

  • joh...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • August 19, 2022

For Hypertriglyceridemia "MD put me on Vascepa as an alternative to Gemfibrozil just to try it out. Did work well on overall triglycerides but triggered what appeared to be gout in my left big toe. I am already treated for gout, so when we did a uric acid level test, it was around 5 (which is good), indicating this was not a normal gout attack even though it feels exactly like it. Stopped Vascepa last week but am on vacation, so having to walk more than usual, so toe pain is taking forever to settle down. Optimistic from reading other comments it will resolve now off of Vascepa. One confusing thing is why this appears like gout but uric acid levels are low, so not sure how crystals are forming. Zero help from Vascepa online information."

2 / 10
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  • Sea...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • June 2, 2021

For Hypertriglyceridemia "Vascepa had no effect whatsoever on my triglycerides. Super expensive and not efficient. Nothing seems to work for me to lower my cholesterol or triglycerides. Everything else causes terrible side effects. This one didn't, but did nothing good either, except costing me an arm and a leg."

1 / 10
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  • tit...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • January 13, 2021

For Cardiovascular Risk Reduction "I'm taking Vascepa to lower levels of triglycerides, 2 milligrams a day. After a few days, I developed a small rash on my face and also swelling under my big toes. I called the cardiologist, he said it's not gout, but recommended I stop taking it and consult with my primary doctor. So now I have a six-month supply that I paid $308 for, and it might be useless to me. Mind you, that's with insurance, without insurance, $1,174 is not cheap. As you can imagine, I'm not happy about the situation."

2 / 10
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  • Eri...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • September 28, 2021

For Hypertriglyceridemia "I was put on this back in May. It's Sept. 2021 now, and I've been to the hospital twice in two weeks with Afib, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath. This is the only new thing I've been taking. I don't know if it's the culprit. It did its job as far as lowering my triglycerides. I took four pills a day, and it went from 1145 to 615 from May to Sept."

6 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 18, 2017

For Hypertriglyceridemia "I went to see a physician at a clinic for sleep apnea. During this visit, he placed a prescription for Vascepa in my paperwork. He never even discussed it with me. He never did any blood work on me, and I wondered how he knew what my triglycerides were. Long story short. After filling the script and reading the brochure, I figured that it was simply like taking a vitamin. No harm done, right? Wrong. After taking this for about three weeks, I started having terrible backaches. I could barely walk, turn, etc. I told the doctor's nurse that I thought that it was the Vascepa, and she said that was impossible. She accused me of using abusive language and hung up the phone on me. This was a horrible experience. 1. Severe backache 2. Terrible staff."

2 / 10
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  • JKa...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • November 9, 2018

For Hypertriglyceridemia "I've been taking Vascepa for high triglycerides for about 2 years now. After my first year, I had some joint pains in my left arm but didn't attribute it to Vascepa because I'd been on it for a year already. I spent about 2 months in physical therapy and am all better now, and I'm still currently on Vascepa. Amarin's website does say that joint pain is a side effect of Vascepa. My triglyceridemia levels were at about 750 when I was prescribed, and now it's about 500, so I think that it has helped me lower my trig level, although I haven't had a blood test done in about 8 months, so I'm not sure what it is currently, but I'm told that I might need to take Vascepa indefinitely, so that's that. I am also taking phenofibrate, but my doctor has said that Vascepa is a better option than phenofibrate because it's a natural fish oil, but I have read that Vascepa is really bad for the environment though."

6 / 10
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  • Duc...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • December 3, 2018

For Hypertriglyceridemia "I have never seen medication manufactured as poorly as this one. The capsules keep popping in the bottle, and the EPA oil gets all over everything. When I take the gelcaps out, I have to wipe the good one off one by one, then try to get the fishy smell off my hands -- which won't come off with just soap and water. Usually, I have to rub white vinegar into my hands, and sometimes more than once. That smell turns my stomach -- it's like rancid fish. Moreover, Express Scripts won't take the medication back after 60 days -- even though they fill the prescription for 90 days. On top of all that, I don't think Vascepa has done my triglycerides much good. And that's not even taking into consideration all the side effects people describe here. I don't see how this is any better than a good fish oil supplement, which is only a fraction of the cost -- and I've never had fish oil gelcaps pop in the bottle. Going to ask my doctor to take me off this garbage next time I see him."

1 / 10
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  • vin...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • December 27, 2018

For Hypertriglyceridemia "I think this drug thins your blood. After I started taking it, I had constant bleeding on my sclera of the eye. I didn't realize it was the medicine at first until I looked up the side effects. My knees also hurt."

1 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • October 4, 2019

For Hypertriglyceridemia "Lowered triglycerides and plaque. No side effects."

10 / 10
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  • OEL...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • August 2, 2013

For Hypertriglyceridemia "Consistent reduction of triglycerides, I have been very happy with the initial results so far."

9 / 10
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62 Report
  • wmb...
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • November 3, 2013

For Hypertriglyceridemia "Taking to lower LDL cholesterol effective, but many other benefits, chronic back pain gone, dry eyes from contacts gone, and mood elevation, pleasant to take."

10 / 10
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57 Report
  • ZR9...
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • January 4, 2019

For Hypertriglyceridemia "This is awesome for me. Trigs are way down, memory is clearer. The memory thing is an unexpected added benefit."

10 / 10
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31 Report
  • abb...
  • July 31, 2019

For Hypertriglyceridemia "30% reduction in three months. I have tried all other methods for years with poor results. This works for me."

10 / 10
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31 Report
  • bar...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • September 28, 2019

For Hypertriglyceridemia "Vascepa raised my wife's liver enzymes through the roof!"

1 / 10
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34 Report
  • Mas...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • January 6, 2019

For Hypertriglyceridemia "Started this drug 3 months ago for high trigs 323. Noticed increased mental acuity and a decrease in the pain in my damaged knuckle. Have not taken blood work yet. So far, so good..."

10 / 10
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33 Report
  • kev...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • March 23, 2014

For Hypertriglyceridemia "Amazing medicine. Was having problems with side effects of statins and Lovaza. Vascepa lowered my LDL cholesterol also and stops inflammation, so aches are gone and so pleasant to take."

10 / 10
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48 Report
  • Red...
  • February 1, 2015

For Hypertriglyceridemia "I have not gone for a blood test yet since starting Vascepa. But I can tell the difference as far as less pain and no side effects."

10 / 10
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38 Report
  • Joh...
  • April 9, 2019

For Hypertriglyceridemia "Used for 9 months. No side effects. Reduced my triglycerides to acceptable levels. Also waiting to see my current A2 levels. They were down when last tested 6 months ago."

10 / 10
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24 Report

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Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or remove inappropriate content. Reviews appearing to come from parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any medication and should not replace the expertise and judgment of healthcare professionals.