I'm worried about taking statins and side effects

@trenagregg I use Repatha (evolocumab) which is not a statin to help lower my cholesterol because I failed on 3 statins, and on several tries at natural remedies and diet, already have coronary artery disease and am at high risk for a cardiac event.

Repatha is a human monoclonal antibody that acts on a specific protein (PCSK9) to lower cholesterol. It is used with a statin, or in the case of statin intolerance, instead of one to lower cholesterol. It is expensive, usually requires prior approval, failure at multiple statin therapies and demonstration of cardiac event risk (prior event, evidence of blockage and/or high cardiac risk score.)

It does have its own set of side effects, so some do not tolerate it either. There are several discussions about Repatha on Connect, you can search for them using the search box at the top of the page. There are also a number of discussions about using diet, exercise and supplements in place of stating.

@mfv, my carbamazepine caused my cholesterol to shoot to 320. I went on a vegan diet for 6 months to see if there was any change; there was not. After 1 year of statins my cholesterol was back down to 220, normal for me. (My doctor said my “bad” cholesterol is high but my “good” is high too so they cancel each other out.)
Before you decide to stop taking your medication, make sure to know all the facts and that your “dents” aren’t from another cause, like edema. As my doctor said, for me, the alternative is a heart attack or stroke.

@rimord I tried to reply before maybe it got through, but I don’t see it. I was also put on the same drugs you were but I have no problem with them. My posted cholesterol which I inherited from my mother was around 295 or 300 Hers was within the 400s. She’s never had any cardiac problem that I know of. However, I had a few bouts of a-fib, but since I’ve been on these medication’s, I’ve had no bouts of a fib! My cholesterol level dropped pretty significantly to something like 100 or less than 100.So I guess there’s something to be said for the meds. I’ve had no side effects from any of them.

I can’t say I’ve noticed any dents. I don’t know how closely I’ve looked however. I do remember for 12 years when I was on Copaxone I had lots of dents on my thighs. But I think those have gone gone away. I have been off any kind of MS drug for the past six going on seven years

@hraka13 That is a discarded theory. Good cholesterol doesn't cancel out bad cholesterol. Even my GP told me that the cholesterol ratio on blood tests is no longer useful. My cardiologist doesn't even mention it. I'd question that if I were you - with a different doctor if necessary.

I had a good "ratio" for a long time - and ended up with arterial plaque.

@rimord the doctors have been trained for 12 years. They give you their EDUCATED opinion not a personal biased opinion.

@njx58, my physician of 12 years disagrees. Are you a doctor?

@hraka13
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cholesterol/hdl-good-ldl-bad-cholesterol-and-triglycerides
While it won’t remove all of my “bad” cholesterol, it helps. My mother has high cholesterol too and she never has had a heart attack or stroke. Mine has been consistent at around 210-220 for over 15 years. Once it shot up to an alarming level, I went on statins. I take one that is the lowest level avail, Rosuvastatin 5 mg. It seems to be working.

@manofheart You're reading way too much into what I said. These forums can get out of hand.

I didn’t mean to be snippy but my doctor has decades of training and is more than happy to research any questions or findings I have.