What are your experiences with Leqvio?

@71young - Hello, It's great that you are having good results with Crestor (generic = rosuvastatin). Please be aware Crestor has its own set of potential side effects, some of which may not manifest until 12-24 months after starting the medication. Although rare, those side effects can have a life-altering impact. I had an adverse reaction to rosuvastatin. I'll not detail my experience here; my remarks can be found elsewhere on this website. But the side effects I experienced are permanent, irreversible, and have impacted my daily life. Having said that, I wish you the best.

My experience is amazing! On 5mg Rosuvastatin for a year--- LDL and total chol minimal drop (243-->232; 117-->98)! But my liver enzymes (AST ALT) doubled! One Leqvio shot (prescribed by new GP, not cardiologist) and blood work 3 weeks later: Total = 159; LDL 40!!!!!!!!!!! (My HDL is consistently over 100). I worried because one of the listed side effects is joint pain and I have RA . I had NO PAIN from the injetion/ or after. Getting another shot in July then every 6 mos. after that. Still on rosuvastatin 5 mg and liver enzymes still elevated. Will be asking cardiologist about stopping rosuvastatin.

I have extremely high Lp(a), so my cardiologist and I are mostly focused on getting LDL as low as possible for now. I’m on 20mg Crestor and just finished my first 3 months on Leqvio — getting my second shot tomorrow. So far I honestly haven’t had any side effects from either one. I did have side effects with Repatha, though, which is why we switched.

My LDL is now down to 48 and HDL is 92, so I’m happy with that part at least. We don’t even keep rechecking my Lp(a) anymore because it’s so high that going from 600 to 550 really doesn’t change much clinically. I’m basically waiting for the newer Lp(a)-targeted drugs that are in development.

Update in May 2026

My third cardiologist had me do a treadmill stress test. As in 2020, my 2026 stress test showed excellent heart function. At an effort of 10.1 METs (high effort level and workload for heart), for both tests, all EKGs were normal. His interpretation is that I have a calcium burden, but it is not impacting blood flow to the heart. His feeling was that Leqvio is a relatively new drug with patient experiences still evolving. He kept me on 10mg daily rosuvastatin and added generic Zetia. He said there is much patient experiences and information on this compound. My LDL went from 65 to 49 with the addition of generic Zetia. Fortunately, I have no side effects from this combination. So, we are going to stay with this drug protocol.

@lloydrjphd
I agree with your choice. Unless there are long term effects of a drug, particularly a synthetic type like rosuvastatin, and from my research there aren't, staying with what works and is proven safe makes sense. Once any injectable drug is in your system, you live with the outcome for as long as it takes to leave your system.

I'm a 77 year old woman. My Dr. Has been concerned about my high cholesterol levels for years. My first shot was in February 2026 and the second shot in May 2026. The Dr. started me on Leqvio because of leg pain with statins. Since beginning the treatment I have had leg, foot, joint and muscle pain. The pain is increasing and hindering my ability to walk. I constantly afraid that I will fall. I have decided not to continue with the treatments and hopefully my leg weakness and pain will disappear.