Repatha

[pmac22]

My cholesterol has more than doubled since having to take meds for an auto immune disease, GCA. I have taken a statin but must take low dose because of terrible muscle spasms that it causes. My cardiologist wants me to start taking a drug, Repatha, a biologic one injects every 14 days. I would like to hear from people currently taking this drug. I am already on a biologic, Actemra that I inject weekly. Thank you in advance for any insight to this drug.

Peggy

[Batty1]

Im on Cosentyx injections and I can not take statins without complications and my cholesterol is very high …. A month ago I decided to try grinding a Tablespoon of flaxseeds and adding it to my morning veggies and fruit smoothie …. Went for my cholesterol test (1 month) after I started using flaxseed and my cholesterol levels dropped by 12 points and my good cholesterol (HDL) went up by 3 points … my doctor was not impressed but Im impressed nothing has dropped my cholesterol levels not even statins.

You should also have your thyroid levels checked (TSH, FT4,FT3, T3) low thyroid is notorious for causing high cholesterol… Ive been battling this since thyroidectomy.

[Sperlie722 in reply to Batty1]

I take Repatha every 14 days. I can’t take statins because they cause numbness’s and tingles in my legs. I have no problem with taking Repatha, but my last lab test checking all cholesterol levels weren’t as good as in the beginning. I’ve been taking Repatha over 6 years. All levels were a little high, even the HDLs (yay me). My PCP isn’t concerned. My cardiologist never rechecked my cholesterol because he said the last labs he ordered were within normal levels. He said that last year. I don’t remember when he last checked my levels. Overall, I think it’s a good medication. I still hate injecting myself and I’m a nurse. Doesn’t hurt, I just can’t get used to doing it.

[Batty1 in reply to Sperlie722]

Seems odd that they don’t check your cholesterol at least once a year since your injecting yourself with Repatha.

[valeriep in reply to Sperlie722]

I’m surprised your cardiologist isn’t monitoring your levels more closely, because it’s an expensive drug and my hospital has to apply for funding annually to keep me on it, so I’m always keeping my fingers tightly crossed when that time comes round that it’s continuing to work! Agree with you about the injections, though, which is silly, because it doesn’t really hurt.

[valeriep]

I’ve been on Repatha for, I think, 3 and a half years now, in conjunction with statins and Ezetimibe, and it’s brought my cholesterol levels down dramatically. After years of soaring cholesterol due to FH (the tablets by themselves were not enough to keep it under control), I think it’s an amazing drug. Side-effects are minimal. I was told it might make me feel as if I was going down with a mild cold or flu when I first started taking it; actually, I had a sniffly nose for a day or two after each injection for the first six months or so, and I probably wouldn’t even have noticed that if I hadn’t been told. No discernible side-effects since.