Statins vs Leqvio

@ruth113 I had many falls caused by Repatha light headedness/dizziness. Now after being off Repatha for months I have pre-diabètes. I can’t prove what caused the new sugar problem, but while on Repatha I developed strong dislike for sugary foods like ice cream and candy.

I am trying Leqvio now. I took the first shot. Change in numbers is dramatic. Not sure of side effects yet. I will take the second shot.

@tatiana987
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with me. Gave myself the 4th injection of Repatha on Sunday. Lightheadness continues - hard to say for sure, but I think it is a little better than after the 3rd shot. I have not fallen (yet) but my gait is at times unsteady - just trying to be ultra-careful, but it is a quality of life issue and not one I am keen on living with.... From the reading I have done, persons with PAD and taking statins and/or a PCSK9 inhibitor are likely to develop diabetes and persons being treated for diabetes are likely to develop PAD (or another cardiovascular problem?). Seems like a vicious circle to me.... I have bloodwork scheduled for early May and will see my PCP a few days later.... Please let me know how the Leqvio works for you. Thank you again for letting me know about the dizziness and lightheadedness you experienced - I could find no list of side effects that included them as "likely" and only one list had them listed as "reported" by a very low percentage - I thought I was virtually alone in experiencing them....

@ruth113 I should have mentioned that I was using 2 Amgen injections, Repatha and Prolia (for osteoporosis). So it is possible that it was the double dose of some additive that is in both Amgen products that caused my falling problems. Possibly it was not an active ingredient in Repatha that was dangerous to me, We don’t know. I have taken the Prolia injections for 10 years and any problems with it have been minor.

I also should mention that heat was a factor in 100% of my Repatha falls. I was always too warm when I fell, so summer was more dangerous than spring or fall. Wishing you luck. I know we are all different, and wouldn’t life be boring if we were not.

@tatiana987 Thank you for the update! I am osteoporotic, but declined to take any of the drugs prescribed for it years ago because of the negative side effects I had read about. I have been working out with a personal trainer three days a week for the last 12 years and believe the weight training (along with God's grace) has helped keep me free from bone fractures. For someone who will turn 80 at the end of the year, I am in very good shape physically and exceedingly grateful for that. In late 2024 I was diagnosed with peripheral artery occlusive disease in both legs, with the superficial femora artery in my left thigh completely occluded for a distance of 23 cm. Bypass surgery was not an option because there was no vein in the area to appropriate; and I declined the option of an artificial bypass (using Gortex or something similar) because the vascular surgeon estimated the artificial bypass would last only two to three years and he would not do another one.... My lipoprotein(a) number indicated the cause of my problem was genetic. Interestingly, at the time my cholesterol numbers were not too bad: cholesterol was 197 and LDL was 124. Upon getting the PAD diagnosis and then having an immediate bad reaction to Cilostazol ("pletal"), my PCP put me on Resuvastatin 20mg and baby aspirin (I subsequently declined Plavix as an aspirin substitute), my cardiologist's test confirmed my heart was fine but he wanted to get my LDL below 55 and raised the dosage to 40mg. I had an immediate bad reaction, so he lowered it back to 20mg. I continued my program of statin and aspirin, increased exercise, and a restrictive diet. Over a few additional months, I suffered side effects - the most troubling was cognitive decline - and my PCP lowered the statin dosage to 10mg. The bad side effects continued and at my annual appointment with the cardiologist in January (when my LDL had risen to 67), I refused his suggested dosage increase, telling him my increasing cognitive difficulties were something I did not want to continue or make worse. He then put me on Repatha.... I have since read about the importance of cholesterol to brain functioning, and the idea of taking a PCSK9 inhibitor to further lower my cholesterol (along with running if not increasing the risk of a diabetes diagnosis) is causing me to question continuing.... I will see what my cognitive condition and comprehensive bloodwork numbers are in May and discuss things with my PCP shortly thereafter.... I am thankful for this forum and wish everyone with cardiovascular problems the very, very best!