Started Repatha - Side Effects

My life got increasingly painful and debilitating on statins and on Repatha. I had to stop. I couldn’t do anything. From yoga to walks. I was in bed a lot. AND, it wasn’t getting better. My cardiologist was not happy and said, “if you can’t take statins or Repatha, I have nothing for you.” I never went back to him. Right now I’m working with my internist who thinks outside the box for the many people, like us, that can’t take these drugs.

Did you have any side effects from taking it?
Thanks.

No

Please do talk to your cardiologist and ask them to walk through this with you. My symptoms got progressively worse with each shot and I didn’t connect the dots for a while. Maybe if you pin this down you will be able to take a break and insurance will cover Praluent. Will you be able to talk to your cardiologist before your next injection?

Thank you, yes I have spoken to my cardiologist and they are contacting my insurance carrier. I am not going to take another injection as I feel I am having an adverse reaction to this medication..

Be patient. It takes a while for for the side effects to go away

Perfect @floannvan ! I totally agree with @llynch17056 that it will take a while, longer than most daily medications we are used to. Keep us posted 😀

Yes. Months.

I found this overview of Repatha’s half-life.
https://www.drugs.com/medical-answers/long-repatha-side-effects-3551518/ @floannvan

Thanks for your comment. I had the same experience! I was on a fairly low dose of atorvastatin for about ten years. I felt as normal as when I was twenty years old, and I had no problems exercising or running. However, my LDL was high (so was my HDL, which is a good thing, thanks in part to fish oil). I developed severe hypertension (excessively high blood pressure), a calcium score of 190, and an enlarged lower left atrium (heart). I was put on a high dose statin (rosuvastatin), plus amLODipine. My ankles swelled painfully, and the myalgia got so great that I couldn't walk more than a thousand feet without severe pain. I switched cardiologists (from the one that insisted that I stay on high dose statin) and went to Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Now I'm on praluent (similar to Repatha) and a low dose of a beta blocker (Carvedilol), and I feel normal again, with almost all of my myalgia now gone. Although my insurance wouldn't cover Repatha, it did fortunately cover Praluent. Sometimes there is still some pain (it might be from prior damage) if I sit the wrong way for too long. LDL is now down to almost normal, but still a little elevated. I'm trying to lose 10 lbs. with exercise to get LDL down more naturally, but it's a real challenge. Otherwise, Mayo Clinic says I might need to raise dose of Praluent from 75mg/ml every two weeks. I'm reluctant to do anything that would bring back the severe myalgia. I suspect my long -erm health will benefit more from more exercise than being crippled up with more medications. I hope my story so far is helpful to others and I'd be interested in hearing more experiences from you and others.