Starting on Repatha

Posted by gussie @gussie, Dec 15, 2025

At the beginning of the year my cardio wants me to start the injectables of Repatha. I have tried every statin for the last 3 years and have had some sort of side effect with each one. I also suffer from IBS-D and the first side effect listed is diarrhea. Once it's in your body for a month you could have side effects for awhile. Is anyone on the alternative for cholesterol problems?

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Repatha has been a godsend for me. Got my LDL down to an amazing 39. Statins made my liver enzymes elevate. I just wish it was available in my 30’s. Think I would have avoided the 5 stents I have now.

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Have been on for a number of years. I am 91, 19 years since having 6 bi-passes and hope Repatha keeps me healthy.

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Sorrry, made a mistake, only 9 years since having 6 bi-passes. Last 3 or 4 of those years on Repatha.

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You know with all of us talking having the same symptoms on any medication not this one but it shows how common it is . I feel like big pharma payoff many of the articles.
If people are being lied to and it known it's fraud, if peope are being hurt it's assault, if people die its homicide.

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Profile picture for dacquistapace @dacquistapace

I saw your post and was wondering how it was going with the Repatha for you?

Here is a comment I made on another post by someone else about my experience so far and my background with intolerance to statins. I don't know if this will help but I have had surprisingly good success with Repatha with no side effects, and if it did cause gastrointestinal issues I would probably get them because I have an extremely sensitive stomach.

I was unlucky in the roll of the genetic dice in that my father was 100% Northern Italian and he had the apo A-I Milano gene. His cholesterol never went above 130 his entire life, and he exercised very little and ate whatever he liked. I have heterozygous hyperlipidemia inherited from my mother. Her cholesterol was 300+ most of her adult life, and like me, she could not tolerate statins.

In my own case, I had three episodes in my mid forties that caused my cardiologist to put "allergic to statins" on my charts after trying four different statins over a two year period because the muscle pain was constant. My GP continued to argue with me and told me it was all in my head, so I fired her. The first two episodes involved muscle spasms in my neck that briefly cut off my carotid artery and caused me to pass out in the middle of lifting weights. In both instances I woke up on the floor. Fortunately, I was using a machine and the floor was rubber. The third instance was when I was doing my morning 3.2 mile run with hills. I was going down hill full speed when both of my quads locked up sending me flying onto the road and causing road burns on my hands, forearms, and knees. That episode was the one that caused my doctors to take me off of statins. Mind you, at that time I was lifting weights four days a week (heavy four day split), and running six days a week (I should also add that I kept this workout routine or ones similar to it for the last twenty two years and never had another episode involving my muscles seizing up, so I am confident that it was the statins). My body fat percentage was 11% and I was watching my diet with lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, and fish with the occasional steak. However, even with that heavy workout routine my cholesterol was just under 300.

As you can imagine, I am thrilled to be on Repatha and am only disappointed that it was not available when I was in my mid forties; it might have saved me from having four stents.

From my last lipid panel, Dec 15, 2025:
Cholesterol 108
Triglycerides 84
HDL 50
VLDL Calculated 17
LDL Calculated 41
Cholesterol/HDL Ratio 2.2
LDL/HDL Ratio 0.8

I will be seeing my cardiologist in February and will post any pertinent updates.

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@ss52 Yes, I have seen this and many other articles like it many times. I do not believe it for a minute. Statins cause mitochondrial dysfunction, period. Most people are able to tolerate it, but not everyone. I think the level of pain experienced is proportional to the amount of exercise people engage in. The workout routines I followed when I was on statins were very intense, focused, and consistent. I still maintain that kind of level to this day but with lighter weights and swimming instead of running.

Key Details on Statins and Muscle Mitochondria:

Mechanism of Muscle Damage: Statins may inhibit mitochondrial function and reduce CoQ10 levels, which can cause free radical damage in muscle tissues, commonly termed SAMS.

Symptoms: Reported symptoms include pain, cramps, stiffness, and weakness, often during or after exercise.

Prevalence: While, clinical trials often report low rates, real-world studies suggest 10% to 25% of patients experience muscle issues.

I did come across an article about twenty years ago of a study done exclusively on competitive athletes. It was a small study of about forty people, but the conclusion was that 90% of them could not tolerate statins. Obviously, that study was not funded by big pharmaceutical companies and I have never found it again.

I see my cardiologist on Tuesday and he is the only doctor I have had over the years who completely agrees with me about this issue.

Update: Still no side effects from Repatha after seven months.

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Yes, I am on Praluent injection every 2 weeks. I had been on statins for years and was tired of side effects, leg
cramping mainly. This really helped, my numbers have never been this low. For me, no side effects.

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