experiences of ezetimibe
alternative to statin: experiences of... - British Heart Fou...
alternative to statin
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myrtle88
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Hi myrtle. Was changed from 80mg atorvastatin to Ezetimibe 10 mg 2 months ago as atorvastatin was affecting my liver test results. Don't think I have had any side effects, but possibly tiredness. Difficult to pin down cause and effect. Does seem to have reduced some of my liver enzymes levels.
MilkfairyHeart Star
WbiC
To give context to your response can you please share your lived experience of heart disease with the forum members?
Hello Myrtle I have been on 5 different statins over the last two yrs since heart attack, experienced so many problems whilst on them. Then someone on here was talking about ezetimibe and the difference they felt after starting them, I questioned my doctor about them and they agreed for me to start ezetimibe. Wow what a huge difference no more symptoms and feeling great just wished I knew about these along time ago.
Am delighted to hear that ezetimibe is working for you. I have just been prescribed this medication after years on statins that may or may not have been managing my cholesterol but certainly ended up giving me grief due to side effects I kept putting down to anxiety until one doctor was on the ball and had me tested for peripheral neuropathy The push.is to get levels lower and lower and we are all different. Apparently my good cholesterol was high. I do not understand. Anyway different meds were tried but I became wary and refused to take anymore. Recently having been diagnosed with heart murmur, the cardiologist suggested I try going back on statins. Long story but private doctor listened to me and prescribed this alternative. Do you take yours in the.evening? I only picked mine up today and am scared to take them already. I feel such a ninny. 🙄
Hi all this is an update from my last post. Everything seemed to be going ok with ezetimibe up until few weeks ago. I hadn’t linked my continued dizziness, shooting pains in my head, congestion in my sinuses and deafness with ezetimibe until I spoke with a pharmacist. My doctor had been giving me antibiotics x3 and now decided I needed a head scan ( which I’m waiting for at moment) but after me asking a pharmacist about my problems and he asked what meds I’m on he straight away told me all the problems I’m having could be linked to ezetimibe and told me to talk back to my doctor referring what he had said. I took myself of ezetimibe just over a week ago dizziness gone sinuses are clearing feel so much better. Today I’m waiting to have a conversations with my doctor but feeling a bit apprehensive as she never once said it was the ezetimibe even when at one point I did tell her dizziness had started since taken ezetimibe. Don’t know what there suggest now as I can’t tolerate statins and without them my cholesterol rises. But I just can’t tolerate statins or ezetimibe. I read on here some have had injections which I don’t know about can anyone enlighten me on the injections
Eekk Having read your story I don't feel.keen on.starting this drug.. Good luck going forward
Hopefully you will be ok as were all different it could just be the best thing for you and I hope it is. I spoke with my doctor yesterday and she said I done the right thing to take myself of them and she’s going to talk to a cardiologist next week to see what he suggests I try next as I do need something. I know of someone who has never had trouble with statins and has been on the same one for four yrs but my body can’t tolerate them. Fingers crossed you will be fine
I do hope.they can find sn answer for you. Is your cholesterol level VERY high? i guess doctors takeni.into account other issues you may have. Statins can be sneaky things and may not immediately be a problem. My advice, from experience.would be to anyone on statinsis to think of them.as two faced friend.s.You.never know when they can turn on you and you can end up.putting.up with.any discomfort because you have become used to.it until suddenly you can stand it no longer..I think.Simvastain may have.remained ok for.me.but due to cutbacks.in.NHS at the time I was taken.off that and put on the cheaper Fluvastatin..My body felt as though.it was constantly vibrating so then came Astorvastatin. Was on it for years. . The rest of that story is in my previous post. Good luck..Maybe a natural remedy can.be found..I think.I shall put.my prescrption on.hold until I.next see the doctir. In the meanwhile I.have been freaking about newly.prescribed high dose vutD which I have just startef this evening..Next on the agenda is to give my phone a good thump as.it keeps adding letters to what I try to type. My hsnds snd arms ache. Take care. Thanks for updating us all Let us know how you get on 😏
What’s the percentage % of reduction , look into your diet it so crazy it’s not considered, statin reduce the production of CQ10 in the liver, needed for the conversion of energy for the body, most important enzymes, look into it , the % benefit from statins to the loss of CQ10 is hardly worth it and there are a lot of large case studies to confirm this ,
especially as we get older it’s so hard to stop muscle wasting.
Hi I take 80mg of statin then had 10mg of ezetimibe added- no noticeable side effects with either for me
MichaelJHHeart Star
There is a combination tablet of Atorvastatin and Ezetimibe also available. I believe it is aimed at those who can tolerate a low but high dose of Atorvastatin.
Your answer has no relevance to the question asked. Do you have any experience at all of heart issues and / or statins, specifically Ezetimibe?
I have been on 80mg Atorvastatin and 10mg of Ezetimibe for over 4 years now without any adverse effects. I was put on both at the same time.
I was advised that Ezetimibe increases the effectiveness of a statin when only a low dose of statin can be tolerated. I tried Atorvastatin, Pravastatin and Simvastatin and was intolerant of all three, so my GP prescribed Ezetimibe on its own. I was on it for around two years - the result was no side effects, but no reduction in cholesterol either. Thankfully I found I could tolerate Rosuvastatin, but the effectiveness of that is wearing off and I probably now need an increased dose.
Hi, had a stent fitted last August after an MI and was put on 80 mg atorvastatin. I had sever muscle pain and wasteage in my arms and chest. Private cardio consultant took me off them for 6 weeks and reintroduced on 20mg a day. 3 days in and the pain started again in my chest muscles. Took a break for 2 weeks and no pain the 5mg rasuvastatin twice a week....pain again :(. I have now been on ezetimibe for 2 weeks and tbe only thing I think.is a side effect is tiredness. Nothing else so hopefully all good from here on it.
Hi xmland. Interested to hear that tiredness may be due to Ezetimibe. It is listed as a common side effect, but it is so difficult pinning down a cause and effect when on so many other pills, isn't it? I am reluctant to bring it up with GP as it seems to be sorting out the problems with my liver. Never a dull moment eh?
Hi Nettekin, I had a couple of months off statins before I started the ezetmibe so the tiredness is new and hit a few days after starting them. I don't have side effects from any of my other meds now so know I was 'stable' prior to the tiredness. To be honest I will take tiredness anyday after the horrs of statins for me. And re the liver, mine is gooded to atm as showing non alcoholic fatty liver disease...more than likey my diet and statins but I get out of bed every day so chin up!
is it really worth it , ( ezetimibe) you don’t have a life if you are zombies with unnecessary, drugs , your diet that needs looking into , and the question of body fat, processed foods fat & salt , and the biggest killer & sugar! have you asked yourself why we had the problems in the first place , and what have you changed in your lifestyles to improve , & of course exercise,sorry it sounds a bit of a lecture, & I know , but I get so sad to see so many
people’s life’s blighted more by the drug’s, and Dr continue to over prescribing, I mean to say the Dr who ignored the patient problems of the drugs they have just prescribed!!! it make you wonder ?
I agree diet and lifestyle changes are required which I am making, the end goal of course being no drugs. But I am happy to take something to aid my level of cholesterol in the meantime as the thought of another heart attack is far worse. My biological father had cholesterol over 12, mine is 3.8 at present so happy
I take statins and have not become a flesh eating zombie! If diet and exercise don't succeed statins and other cholesterol reducing drugs are the only opgion. Plan B would just see your arteries clog up and shutdown. And why is your bio empty like the guy who was spouting nonsense the other day. Maybe you are a zombie troll?
Maybe we should write a Zombie computer game where the zombies are Ator, Flu, Pita. Pra, Rosu and Sim?! 🤣🤣🤣
Oh Statins still causes a lot of dispute. I was diagnosed allergic to Statins because I had constant diarrhea for 3 months . So my consultant took me off them. I now only take aspirin. However I play tennis twice a week and walk somewhere every day. I keep to a very strict diet of no junk food. Plenty of veg and fruit and my weight is fine and my cholesterol level is ok ....but then my levels were fine before my bypass. I use Benacol. I am not saying I don’t have the odd cake sometimes but healthy eating has become a habit. I think the drugs after my bypass meant my digestive system has never quite been the same since. Sometime I will go back and have a discussion - or pay for a consultation with a cardiologist and go into whether I really should try them again but if it means what I had before then I would rather have some life
I have been on a total of 8 different statins, ezetimibe, and repatha injection. After weighing all the side effects and lack of quality of life I have no choice but to try to limit cholesterol in food intake and diet and exercise. People may say I’m foolish but I just couldn’t take the psychological effects and unbearable fatigue. Those of you who can tolerate these medications are super fortunate!
the worst pill ever -dizziness -for me
Oh.no..I don't think.I could stand that again. Various meds etc have caused me to feel that in the past. Dreadful.feeling. How long did you take this med for.? Are you.still on it or are you following the 'natural' path. I managed for a while with benecol but have not used it for a few weeks due to being poorly with kidney infection and off much in the way of food. Perhaps I should have kept it up and my recent blood test MAY have shown my levels to be an acceptable level. Who knows. Be interested to hear how.you plan to go forward. Good luck. Keep me informed. In the meanwhile I quiver at the thought of swallowing the first pill. Eek
I was on Atorvastatin 20mg then 40mg then 80mg. Because I have very high lp(a) I need to have LDL down below 1.8. But this didn’t work. So now on 20mg Atorvastatin plus 10mg ezetimibe. LDL now 1.1. I’m on several different meds so I don’t know what side effects are from what. I do have fatigue and sometimes dizziness. Sometimes diarrhoea.
Hi myrtle, I've been on 20mg rosuvostatin (max tolerated) and 10 mg Ezetimibe for around 18 years. Without the Ezetimibe my cholesterol was significantly higher. For the past two years I've also had Repatha injections fortnightly. Cholesterol finally well controlled at 3.5mmol, LDL 1.6. 20 years ago my cholesterol was 13.4 as I have FH. As for side effects I haven't noticed anything I could pin on the Ezetimibe and I did have an 18 month break to see if it was worsening my leg pain, which it wasn't. Turned out that was an entirely unrelated issue. If your Cholesterol is very high and you are intolerant to statins you may be eligible for Repatha/ Praluent self administered injections. Your cardiologist would need to prescribe them. Hope this is useful and good luck with your cholesterol lowering journey. One last thing, if you can tolerate some level of statin it helps to stabilize plaque so is worth continuing with in my opinion.
Gosh. 13.4...Well.over 20 years sgo when Cholesterol came to be recogbised and mobile testing stations were strategically dotted around the country, mine was around the 10 mark..I don't think mine has ever come down below around.6.even on ststins but I gasped and felt worried when the doctor told me mine was 8 something following blood.test last Saturday. What a journey you are having. I had never heard of ezetimibe before today. I thought it must be a new drug. We live and learn.. Reading other people's stories is an eye opener..
Hi Nora-B,With your recent test and experiences I think you would be eligible for Repatha/ Praluent injections to sort out your cholesterol problem if Ezetimibe/ statins don't work for you. . At once a fortnight the injections cause minimal inconvenience if you wanted to go down that route. I don't think diet will make a significant enough impact on your levels, but everything helps. Good luck whatever you decide to do.
I asked my doctor about injections and she told me there wasn’t one for cholesterol when I told her I’d read about it she said I must of got it wrong. Do the injections come from the NHS or do you privately pay for them
They are on the NHS. I took my doctor the NICE guidelines, as he hadn't heard of them, after I'd read a newspaper article. He forwarded a request to my cardiologist who agreed and writes the prescriptions. If you Google evolocumab and NICE you should find the details and eligibility guidelines.
Thank you so much for your information I have googled evolocumab and NICE and I shall be taking it with me to my next doctors appointment. This site is so helpful and we learn from each other. Have you had any side effects from the injection ? And how long have you been on them. They are very expensive probably why we don’t get told about them. Thank you once again for the information
Hi Kimberly,I've been on them just over 2 years. I did have a reaction at the injection site especially with Praluent- a painful rash. I was switched to Repatha, but still reacted though to a lesser degree. My GP suggested taking antihistamine starting the day before and continuing until the reaction subsided ( about 2-3 days). I have gradually become desensitized and now rarely react at all. I would say that I'm one of those people with a mega list of allergies. It was only by chance that I found out about the treatment and I'm happy to bring it to others attention as I spent years feeling desperate with my cholesterol still very high, despite being on Ezetimibe and the maximum statin dose that my body could tolerate, having had rhabdomyolysis. As you say it is very expensive, but it is a lifeline especially for younger HF sufferers. Good luck with you quest. I hope you find success.
You are being very presumptuous there wbiC. I shall let you off as you add " is very often the case"
Hi myrtle88. Today I emailed doctor who did the test. Because I had been feeling so rough and had kidney infection he did blood test there and then. There were a few things he discussed with me when results came back. My sugar levels were a little high so I am having to go back for a fasting test on Friday. I am clutching at straws when I asked if cholesterol levels had been affected by my having had a cheese sandwich before seeing him.😊 The test showed my vit D levels to be really low so high dose was prescribed. to take for 7 weeks..I am traumatised by the thought of TWO new prescriptions especially after reading possible side effects. I freak out. Doctor arranged for.me to have scan kidney, liver etc. That is Monday. Wednesday is long awaited artery test and Friday back tp see doctor..At least I am.getting out..What fun.I am biting the bullet and starting vitD capsules this evening. I.have such empathy for folk who have to take several medications..I must be a pain in the backside to poor doctors who are trying to help
I know I am.more fortunate than.many others and I so value everyone's comments and advice. Glad I found HU and thank you. Comments noted. Would I have to.inject myself?🙂
.
My husband had a virus just like covid19 That attacked his lungs
After 3 months on life support and 7 months in hospital he survived as this was 2015
He now has a damaged immune system and is under the royal Brompton for his care
One of the first things they did was change is cholesterol tablet to Ezetimibe
Although the Gp said she didn’t think it was very good
He has been fine on it and cholesterol fine to 👍🏻
Hi
I am on ezetimibe and 80mg antorvaaston and it is getting my cholesterol were it needs to be along with changing my diet lol
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