High Calcium Score and PCSK9

My suggestions as Heart Attack survivor and Indian who is Statin free for last 4 years.1.Exercise , Walk in Sunlight in morning if possible before breakfast .If Sunlight is not available , try using LEDS or Phototherapy .2 Use Virgin Olive oil, fish supplements and shift to plant diet.3 Reduce sugar , drastically .4 Try Indian Cows Ghee if possible .Available in Indian stores across USA .5 Try Indian Ayurvedic Treatment or at least do self massage with good oil regularly followed by hot water bath.6 Take Yoga class and Do it.7 Deep Breathing or Pranayam exercises help.8 Think Cholesterol As your friend and whenever you walk , Exercise try to visualize that Cholesterol is getting converted to VIT D and many useful hormones.9 Go Nuts Ie Almonds , Walnuts But Follow BMW rule .ie Balanced, Moderate and Worryfree lifestyle Pl note I am not advocating stopping Statins , but as Indian , I feel if you follow Ayurvedic , Yogic life style , it will help big way.I am writing after experiencing many life threatening complications and Learn to Meditate.Om

Wonderful recommendations. This is on my lifestyle but I am trying to move that direction. Habits are tough to change.

I have struggled with high cholesterol and statin intolerance my entire life. I am 52. My calcium score a year ago was similar. Genetic testing confirmed FH.

I have taken Repatha since January. I also have connected with others taking it and it is absolutely amazing for most. It is better tolerated than statins with remarkable results. I would recommend you find the FH Foundation website and Facebook group for good information. See what others are saying. Results are astounding!

I ended up having a cardio workup promoted by an ER visit last fall. What I learned convinced me there was not a down side in trying Repatha. We feel healthy and if we wait until we don’t the damage is already done.

I would suggest your visiting India and taking Ayurvedic Panchakarma at Pune.

Thank you very much for the positive feedback. I was reading all negative responses and bad side effects to PCSK9. Good advice from kishanvasekar and I lean to the holistic but the docs are telling me I am in the 90 percentile to have a heart attack so I am considering the prescription alternative. I will check out the FH website.

Hi @lolagrey,

Welcome to Connect. I would sincerely encourage you to watch this very informative video where Mayo Clinic cardiologists discuss PCSK9 inhibitors, how they work and who should get them: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/854762#vp_4

@lolagrey, what are your main concerns regarding this drug?

It really is well tolerated and no down side in trying. It’s expensive but do not let that stop you. There are options that open up as you go through the process. It’s a process to get approved and I would recommend going down that path ASAP. You always can say no at any step. Your life is worth the immediate priority to commit to the process.

I have been using PCSK9 for a couple of years. No side effects, amazing effect in bringing my LDL and overall cholesterol way down. I could not tolerate statins.

I just had a high calcium score of 224, and my LDL is high, heart disease is in my family, but I'm concerned about taking the Lipitor my Dr wants me to take I've heard so many side effects of the statins. I'm on low dose aspirin now to any suggestions would be greatly appreciated very nervous about all this

Hello there! My initial calcium score was 400 last year and I have had extremely high cholesterol at least since my 20’s when it was first checked. I started a statin at age 28. I am 52 now. It is super important to develop a relationship with a doctor who can help you. The keys are for you to understand what is happening and to develop a personalized treatment. There is so much good and also bad information available for us to access. It is a silent killer that creeps up on us meaning we have to be diligent to address it, and sooner than later. On the flip side, we are extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to address it super early, unlike so many other diseases. Knowledge is critical to our anxiety level and treatment! Hope I am encouraging you and not scaring you. 🙂

I am envious of your calcium score. Mine was about 550 in 2007 when I had the test. I was put on statins and totally changed my diet to be low in sat fat and cholesterol, high in good fats, fiber from all sources. And I lost about 40 lbs. After about a year, I could no longer tolerate statins and went off. The side effects ended immediately. So, I suggest trying the statin prescribed and see what happens. I wish you good luck. It is emotionally hard to suddenly find you have developed heart disease so I understand what you are feeling. Just do your best to take control of your health, exercise with your MD’s OK, change your diet as necessary and give statins a try. I am on the PCSK9 injections which do a great job but I think they are second to Lipitor in reducing the risk of heart attacks.