Has anyone had any experience with this drug ? My cardiologist prescribed this to me after I refused to take Statins, however I'm reading anecdotal accounts of side effects that are as bad or worse than what one would expect from Statins. Also my LDL is down to 98 without taking anything. TriGlycerides are 150 something. Is this stuff even going to do me any good ?
I know a football board is not the best place to get medical information, but from the research I've done online I can't get a clear sense of how useful Repatha is. Any advice would be appreciated .
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Oh yeah, I'll be 66 in a couple of weeks.
ok, so you're just a kid :) Statins are good for keeping lipid levels down, but they are also an anti-inflammatory, which may be significant in heart disease so I continue to take them. I also still take a baby aspirin, the efficacy of which may be debatable these days. And I try to stay low carb, cause that's the only diet which has been good for my numbers. The problem is that the GPs and even the cardiologists really know nothing about the effects of serum lipid levels in any individual. So be sensible, don't turn your diet into food hell even if some doctor tells you to. If I had my choice on how to go, I'd gladly take heart failure in my mid-late 80's. I'd just hope for a heads up, so I could go out eating ice cream, cake, pizza, pasta and sandwiches my last couple of years :)
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In comment 15928396 Bill in UT said:
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Oh yeah, I'll be 66 in a couple of weeks.
ok, so you're just a kid :) Statins are good for keeping lipid levels down, but they are also an anti-inflammatory, which may be significant in heart disease so I continue to take them. I also still take a baby aspirin, the efficacy of which may be debatable these days. And I try to stay low carb, cause that's the only diet which has been good for my numbers. The problem is that the GPs and even the cardiologists really know nothing about the effects of serum lipid levels in any individual. So be sensible, don't turn your diet into food hell even if some doctor tells you to. If I had my choice on how to go, I'd gladly take heart failure in my mid-late 80's. I'd just hope for a heads up, so I could go out eating ice cream, cake, pizza, pasta and sandwiches my last couple of years :)
Do you know your HDL number? From what I’ve read and heard, my goal is to try and get my LDL below my HDL.
treatment is recommended. It is my understanding that for people with diabetes of history of heart disease a goal of 70 for ldl for people without diabetes or history of heart disease
less than 100 is good.
A calcium score is a noninvasive test ( at CT scan) that can give you an idea if you are prone to developing plaque and need aggressive treatment.
statins and repathia are very safe. repathia is expensive and likely will not be covered by your insurance unless you have failed statins
https://www.cvriskcalculator.com/
THIS ^^^^
This muscle pain can be a very serious issue (rhabdomyolysis), but changing statins and finding the right one and/or dose should resolve that.
The new statins are "better" than the older ones and have less side effects (if any). Often, the smallest dose is enough to make a big different and there's significant case of diminishing returns when the dose is increased (it's the higher doses that often result in side effects).
I'll also add that many of the studies you'll see on the internet used the first generation of statins and the medication has been improved since then.
As I said on a recent thread, I eat everything I want. Everything I've ever eaten, I just eat slightly smaller portions. The hardest part is the first month or so (eating less than norm). After that, the stomach shrinks along with appetite, and it's much easier (saves money on food too).
I avoid all prescription meds as much as possible. There are good reasons to resist statins. I have a friend who had kidney cancer. He's certain it was due to the statins he was taking and I don't doubt it. They have been linked to cancer.
Not familiar with the other one, but don't doubt there will be side effects. The only side effects from getting your weight to where it should be, are all positive.
As I said on a recent thread, I eat everything I want. Everything I've ever eaten, I just eat slightly smaller portions. The hardest part is the first month or so (eating less than norm). After that, the stomach shrinks along with appetite, and it's much easier (saves money on food too).
I avoid all prescription meds as much as possible. There are good reasons to resist statins. I have a friend who had kidney cancer. He's certain it was due to the statins he was taking and I don't doubt it. They have been linked to cancer.
Not familiar with the other one, but don't doubt there will be side effects. The only side effects from getting your weight to where it should be, are all positive.
You are lucky. I have never been overweight, and even a very strict diet has basically no effect at all on my cholesterol levels.
The research that I've seen shows Repatha is very effective at lowering LDL, more so than statins and it does not effect the liver function.
As for whether Repatha or Statins reduces the risk of heart disease, those studies are more murky. I wish these studies were more focused. If you're doing 2 and half packs a day, have CPOD or uncontrolled diabetes then LDL is the least of your problems. If there are carefully controlled studies of people with high lipids and no other problems and bad habits, I'd like to see it.