Repatha for High Cholesterol, Familial Heterozygous User Reviews (Page 3)

• Papa...
• August 22, 2021

"I am a 66 year old male with familial high cholesterol & triglycerides. I have been unable to take statins & other meds for lowering cholesterol due to elevation of muscle enzymes which causes muscle pain & weakness. After a stent, the Dr wanted me to take Repatha. I took it 5 months & due to other health issues I did not realize I was having issues until a heart cath came back normal. I had chest pressure, shortness of breath with minor exertion, sweating very easily, body aches, fatigue, back pain & muscle aches all over. My muscle enzymes test which I had to request was very elevated. I immediately stopped Repatha. Chest discomfort stopped immediately, breathing is better & sweating stopped but still having severe back, muscle aches in legs & legs feeling very rubbery. My advice is to pay very close attention to muscle aches if you take this medication & have problems with other cholesterol medications."

• Reno
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 18, 2022

"Numbers are great but severe side effects! Such strong hay fever type of effect with eyes and nose running, sneezes so strong they hurt, and itching all over but especially head and eyes. If I take Claritin or similar, I have bad insomnia. Left hip and knee pain. Lower back pain when walking and weight gain. I am stopping the repatha injections- quality of life down."

• Mlh
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 6, 2023

"I researched and wanted Leqvio but my cardiologist had a sample of Repatha and talked me into it. I had it Friday at 4 PM. By 8 PM that night I had a burning and itching scalp! It has a 1/2 life of 11 days which means it will take 60 to 90 days to go away. The burning went away in 2 days but it's been 60 days and I still have itching. My dermatologist suggested scalpacin which made it even worse. I am now using a $50 shampoo that has helped somewhat. I will say I was scared to use it because I don't like needles but it was very easy to use!!"

• JFano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 21, 2018

"I have had the characteristic sinus burn shortly after injecting Repatha each of the three times I’ve taken it. I have been on it now for seven weeks. After six and a half weeks, I noticed a red patch of skin, about 2.5” in diameter, with raised bumps. I have no way of knowing if it is a reaction to Repatha. If it is, I don’t think it’s serious because of its late appearance. It manifested six weeks into the therapy and several days after the last injection. Has anyone else experienced this?"

• Bella
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 10, 2023

"24 hours after my injection I had a really bad sore throat and runny nose. Within 48 hours I was in pain everywhere and by the third day I couldn't even walk upstairs. I was in the worst pain of my life my throat was so bad I literally felt like I injected myself with poison. I feel like this drug should be taken off the market this is the worst I have ever felt."

• Nancy
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 12, 2022

"Had to switch to Repatha from Praulent. Amgen must have made some deal with my RX provider, Optum. I took Praulent for years with no problems. Praulent reduced my cholesterol significantly. Now Praulent is no longer on Optum's formulary. I thought there must be some reason, as in Repatha is cheaper, or it doesn't require refrigeration or it works better. SOME DARN REASON! There is no reason, it isn't cheaper, or better, or easier to store or use. Some deal was cut. Repatha hurts to inject and it's giving me a huge bruise under the skin at the injection site. I get a two and a half inch bruise under the skin which takes two weeks to clear. This medicine damages me. Not pleased. Optum has no other option for my use unless I want to pay full fee for the Praulent. Darn Pharmacy companies. Patients come last as usual. I use the 140mg auto inject pen."

• Gigi
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 14, 2022

"I was prescribed Repatha for heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia after being unable to tolerate any type of statin. Repatha has been a miracle medicine. My total cholesterol was slashed from 500 to 113, and has greatly reduced my LDL. All of my values are normal, and the only side effects I've had are runny noses, and pain/bruising/redness at the injection site. It took a bit to get over the learning curve of using the sureclick auto injector, but honestly, this is my preferred method of taking a prescription medication. Two shots a month & great results. I do make sure to check my blood pressure and have my doctor order glucose and A1C tests regularly, but haven't had any issues so far."

• Shelly...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 22, 2023

"Extreme Dizziness Blurry vision Very low blood pressure Extreme Fatigue Cold ankles and feet Pain in right leg like buzzing and some cramps In the first two times taking it. An adjustment to my BP meds, diuretic, and ALL the symptoms went away. Looking forward to great results my next blood test saying my cholesterol is in a great range! BTW I take 140mg/ml injections once every 2 weeks. Very easy process."

• Dhdmk
• January 6, 2018

"I have been on Repatha for 12 months, I had 1 hour sleep a night for 2 months but back to normal now. Before I started it I was not able to do any lifting without collapsing through heart disease, I can now do anything I used to and recently underpinned my house, by hand, it seems like a miracle drug but my cholesterol seems to be going back up it started at 9 went down to 4.1 after starting Repatha but is now 5.3 still ok but worried about the future, will it keep going up again. I am now starting to get pain in my knees I live in England so receive the drug on the NHS SO I don't know the cost of the drug"

• Glenn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 17, 2024

"I am allergic to Statins and Gemfibrozil (ate away my muscles), and intolerant of Questran Lite and nicotinic acid. Recently had a triple heart bypass. Initial blood test after using Repatha for several months shows lowest cholesterol in over 25 years. However, the trade-off is back pain (spasms) which is particularly annoying when rolling over in bed at night!"

• Not...
• February 10, 2021

"Honestly, I feel like it did permanent damage to my nerves. I started with Repatha and after 2 months of being on the injection, I started to get burning in my feet and a little in my hands. I went to the doctor (and of course he didn't think it was from the injection) and had me stop taking it and see a neurologist. They did an EMG and I had an MRI of my brain. They found nothing. The sensation went away after a month. So I restarted it again and it came back, then stopped it for awhile. We tried doing the injection every 3 weeks and eventually the burning came back. So he moved me to the other shot Pradulent. With that I felt it literally effecting my legs, like restless syndrome. So I said no more and I haven't been on for over 6 months. Well now I still get the burning in my feet and a little in my hands that come and go. So I'm kind of upset about that. Going to the neurologist again. I really hope this medication didn't cause permanent damage because I'll be so annoyed."

• TabMz
• October 11, 2017

"This drug was like a miracle for me! I'm 29 and have known about my FH since I was 18. I do not tolerate statins or Zetia very well and the only medicine I've been able to take is 2 mg of Livalo. On the Livalo my total cholesterol was 262 and my LDL was 280. I'm fairly active for my age and in pretty good shape (I could lose about 10-15 lbs). I ran my first full marathon last year. After taking Repatha along with the Livalo for 6 weeks, my total cholesterol is now 130 and my LDL is 69. I have had absolutely no side effects. I'm still in shock and I feel like I'm in a dream. I'm so thankful this drug is available!!"

• Pin
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 2, 2023

"tried tons of Statin and Non-Statins. nothing worked. diet & exercise were a joke as i found i have Familia Hypercholesterolemia. New MD recommended this injection and i drop by 50%!! i inject every 3 weeks. my #'s responded within weeks! so far no side effects that i know of at this time. it's been FIVE MONTHS! yes it is very expensive, but the results are far worth it, especially the convenience factor to say the least!"

• Nancy
• June 27, 2022

"Repatha is awful. My Insurance took Praluent off it's formulary. No answer why it was done. The 2 drugs cost the same and both require special shipping and ongoing refrigeration as well as being injectable meds. What's the darn difference?? I was on Praluent for years and it worked well for me. The Repatha injection pen hurts, I bet the needle bore is larger. The injection usually gives me a huge black and blue mark which takes almost 2 weeks to heal. I get muscle cramps from repatha! That's why I'm not on a high dose statin! I dread taking this medicine. I'll let my cardiologist know my issues, but he can't influence my insurances formulary. I've been on Repatha for 2 months and haven't had my first blood test to see if it reduces my cholesterol as well as Praluent did. The harassing calls and emails from Amgen are NOT helpful and give no actual medical information to patients. What a waste of money being spent on this."

• Watkins
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 16, 2023

"Have been using for 6 weeks, with amazing results. LDL has halved and total cholesterol down 30 percent. After the first dose, felt really unwell for about a week with flu-like symptoms and a rash from elbows to hands. Following doses, just a bit of a stuffy nose the next day and pins and needles in fingers and hands for about an hour after injecting. Statins crippled me with joint and muscle pain, Ezetimibe caused GI issues, and my abdomen blew up like a balloon (6 inches on waist measurement), and Bempedoic acid caused a huge increase in Uric acid levels with no effect on cholesterol. Very happy to have found something that works with little side effects. Long may it continue to do so. I'm in the UK covered by the NHS."

• BEano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 27, 2018

"Have been taking Repatha for two months, with an injection every two weeks. Almost immediately began to feel the malaise, sinus pressure, dry eyes and leg weakness. After the last two injections, began to have severe low back pain, pain in both hips and increasing numbness in both feet. Blood pressure has also increased slightly. Doctor states that it is not caused by Repatha, however, when treated by general practitioner for the symptoms above, they have been unable to identify proximal cause."

• Jen
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 31, 2023

"On Repatha for 4 years. Cardiovascular disease. Bypass heart surgery x 2. High cholesterol. Repatha has reduced my LDL to a level that is barely measurable. Overall cholesterol is 3. Statins alone could not achieve this. I have issues, but nothing I can't handle. Repatha has been brilliant."

• Shelly...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 22, 2023

"Extreme Dizziness Blurry vision Very low blood pressure Extreme Fatigue Cold ankles and feet Pain in right leg like buzzing and some cramps In the first two times taking it. An adjustment to my BP meds, diuretic, and ALL the symptoms went away. Looking forward to great results my next blood test saying my cholesterol is in a great range! BTW I take 140mg/ml injections once every 2 weeks. Very easy process."

• DRC
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 14, 2023

"Amazing medication that has helped drop my APO B cholesterol level to 36. Extraordinary results with no noticeable side effects. Previously placed LAD stent and now LDL down from 170 to 35 on combination therapy. Easy as can be to administer. Do not fear the injection as it is barely detectable."

• Reaptha
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 30, 2024

"Muscle joint pain, Rheumatoid arthritis present, not sure if this medication is making it worse or causing independent pain. Unable to take statins due to muscle pain"

• Nola
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 8, 2019

"Repatha caused me to get “drug induced Lupus”, so my life is forever changed and for the worse. I can only find one other person who had this reaction but beware, it is possible."

• EZKevin
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 31, 2020

"I have been on Repatha for 5 years, my Cholesterol is great and I have had no side effects."

• Ray...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 11, 2017

"After taking the 2nd shot started having back pain, pain in my knees and hands I can't take statins for the same reasons I was hoping this was the drug without the pain"

• didi
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 1, 2024

"Seems to be reducing my cholesterol. Constant runny nose is the only side effect. Very expensive so not sure I can afford to continue into retirement."

• hr1981
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 22, 2020

"I've been on the drug for 3 months and it's been brilliant. No side effects and no issues. Just waiting for my first results back and hoping it has a big impact."