Statins vs Leqvio

Hi @71young, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It sounds like you are being proactive to live your best, active life and working with a cardiologist focused on the same thing. You bring up a great question, pinning down the best information to decide if you should switch from Crestor that is working well for you, to Leqvio.

I so wish I could give you a clearly defined answer. I am not a medically trained person but I have taken more than my share of cholesterol lowering medications. I take both Leqvio and statin currently and could not be more pleased.

Here are my initial thoughts:
- Cost: Not saying it can’t happen, but I have not heard of anyone able to get insurance to cover Leqvio if statins will keep cholesterol under control.
- Statins work by lowering LDL cholesterol and by suppressing inflammation, which contributes to plaque buildup in arteries. There are years of data to support this. Leqvio is newer, also in the liver but works differently. I think your doctor would need to tell you how it compares.
- Are there concerns statins may start causing side effects? Again, I think only your doctor can address this concern.

While you wait for others to comment it may help to review what others taking Leqvio are saying. I went to the Blood and Health Support Group and searched for Leqvio. There are seven discussions where you will find others discussing the drug:
- Discussions about Leqvio on Connect
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/heart-blood-vessel-conditions/ search=Leqvio&index=discussions

Do you have other health conditions your doctor may be considering? Have you had more detailed blood testing that may be considered in the decision? (maybe APoA1, APoB, triglycerides, liver enzymes, blood sugar)

@jlharsh
Thank you for your thoughts. Regarding blood testing, my triglycerides and A1C are all within recommended ranges. I sense my cardio wants me on Leqvio because of my severe aortic calcium buildup (calcium score of 470 in my aorta and 0 in other arteries, and a moderate build up of calcium in my carotid, and that i mentioned joint pain and tiredness as side effects while on Crestor. I' m hesitant to switch from crestor which seems to be working quickly to bring down my numbers with diminishing side effects to another drug that I'm not certain how my body would react to. I also realize that in order to gain second or third opinions from other cardio's, unless they have full access to my medical records, they won't be in the position to advise appropriately, one way or the other. I'll continue to ponder my options.
Thank you.

Ah, it sounds like your cardiologist is being proactive, @71young. I imagine you are learning and that leads to more questions. You’ve got this!

I have tried most cholesterol reducing drugs and even spent a few years of bi-weekly LDL apheresis (similar to dialysis process) when drugs either didn’t work or I could not tolerate them. My LDL has never been under control until now. You could ponder how I got to my own successful place with treatment and perhaps run it by your cardiologist.

I take Leqvio. I had discomfort for a night following the first two injections. I was absolutely shocked following my latest one, instead had an all-over feeling of bliss. I am not medical so my perspective is from my life long place of feeling symptoms. I wonder if whatever drugs we are taking change how our bodies function and plain and simple, we are going to feel something. It’s a matter of for how long and if we can tolerate it.

I also take a statin. My doctor told me Crestor stays in your body longer than other statins, 3 or 4 days. It is also stronger than other statins so 40mg is a lot in comparison to the others. He had me start with 5mg two times per week, enough to lower my LDL and have some in my body at all times. It worked like a charm unlike past experiences. This may also be something you consider.

My doctor also handled my side effect concerns in an unexpected but low-stress way that you may want to keep in your hip pocket as an option. I reported swelling/pain and thought it may be from another drug. He told me to draw a stick figure and indicate on it where I was feeling what. I dated it and threw it in a drawer. I discontinued the drug for 30 days then drew a new stick figure and did the same thing. Once I compared the two drawings it was easy for us to recognize the drug had caused my problems.

I am interested to hear what you decide. Will you come back and provide an update?

Janell,
Thank you for your thoughts.
After much thought and research, I've decided to stay with my current dose of crestor 40mgs. and not take Leqvio. My reasoning is that I am tolerating the statin fairly well, and in just 8 weeks, my numbers have come down drastically. I fear side effects will throw me off and then I have no choice but to feel the effects for as long as it takes the drug to leave my system. Why fix something that is currently working?
I'll do another set of labs in 4 months and see where my numbers are. Then, I will revisit Leqvio if need be.
It just seemed odd to me that this drug was recommended to me when, after review of all of my tests and records, my cardio told me how great I was doing and that I was one of the most fit patients he has recently seen.
I will let my cardio know my decison today and I await his response.
Thank you.