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Repatha, side effects and what comes next?
Heart & Blood Health | Last Active: 4 minutes ago | Replies (128)Comment receiving replies
I was wondering if anyone has had coughing and breathing issues. I felt great all summer. I visited my cardiologist in August and he prescribed Repatha because my ldl was a little higher than usual. About a week after my first injection I developed a cough. I thought it was allergies. After about my third injection I started to get concerned because I was starting to have breathing problems. I called my doctor cardilogist about it because I wanted to make sure it wasn't a heart related issue, because I have a history of heart problems. He had me take a blood test among other tests and didn't seem to think it was heart related. He sent me to a pulmonologist which I'm still seeing and getting testing. I even called Amgen who makes Repatha and the woman on the phone was not at all helpful. She insisted that cough wasn't a side effect until I told her wherr it was listed on their website, then she said it was only in 4.5% of patients. I just want to know if anyone else experienced this and if it stops after stopping Repatha.
Replies to "I was wondering if anyone has had coughing and breathing issues. I felt great all summer...."
Hi @jrm78, welcome to Connect! I am sorry you are having problems, sounding like Repatha may be the culprit. It is important to pay attention to when you take shots and when you have breathing problems. You may find a connection, and if so it may be sneaky. It is a good thing you are checking with your cardiologist and pulmonologist to make sure something else isn’t going on. I understand why you consider Repatha as the cause because of the timing of when you started having problems.
Like you, I found the drug company that makes Repatha to be less than helpful. My experience was that the night following injection #9 I abruptly woke and sat straight up in bed thinking I had forgotten to breathe.
I searched “Repatha breathing” from the home page and found discussions and comments you may find helpful, if you have not reviewed already.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/
You mention having more testing coming up. I am interested to know what you find out and hope you come back and provide and update.
Do you plan to continue Repatha?
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@jrm78 My cough began with my 1st Repatha injection. With the second injection the post nasal drip and cough were thick and incessant. For 3 weeks, I felt as bad as I'd ever felt with a cold/flu. Cold and flu meds barely helped. My sleep was severely affected and the coughing was so severe I felt like I might vomit on numerous occasions. I needed numerous Poise pad changes per day. It was miserable. Quality of life severely impacted. Stopped Repatha but insurance has yet to approve my PCP's prescription of Bempedoic Acid. I was fortunate to tolerate statins for 15 years before muscle and joint pain became severe and caused me to limp on the right side as I could no longer bear full wt. My LDL was 182 last checked. I feel great off of these meds. Had cardiac cath in 2019 which was clear. No personal cardiac history but family history. Genetic HBP well controlled. I'm an active 67 yr old. Love being able to garden, hike, yoga, do yard work, and take care of my 4 grandchildren with joy when needed. I'm so afraid to try another medication......when and if insurance allows! It's a conundrum.