Posted , 5 users are following.
My cardiologist wants to possibly have me get a cholesterol lowering shot every two weeks, because I can't handle statins. My question is how painful will my body feel from this shot? I cant imagine the agony of having this stuff coursing through my body for 2 weeks with no way out if it's causing me physical agony.
Does anyone know anything about this shot? I think it's something fairly new.
0 likes, 3 replies
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loxie diane98246
Posted
Hi Diane, I hadnt heard of this approach before reading your post so I did a little research into it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have apparently recently approved Praluent (alirocumab)? and Repatha (evolocumab)?, the first cholesterol-lowering injection treatments in the new class of PCSK9 inhibitors. They’re designed to be used in combination with statin therapy and dietary changes.
Praluent and Repatha are for adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH), an inherited condition that causes high levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood, and those with clinical cardiovascular disease.
These drugs are antibodies that target a protein in the body called PCSK9. By inhibiting PCSK9’s ability to work, these antibodies are able to get rid of LDL cholesterol from the blood and decrease overall LDL cholesterol levels.
The info online does state there are side effects (arent there always!) which seem to include the following: upper respiratory tract infection, nasopharyngitis, back pain, flu and bruising, redness, or pain at the injection site. Difficult to say whether any of these side effects are as severe or destructive as those caused by statins.
The article I read did go on to say that experiments are still ongoing as to the effectiveness of these injection drugs. Some health officials worry the new drugs pose the potential for neurocognitive hazards, due to some study participants reporting difficulties with confusion and the inability to pay attention.
Large clinical trials will be completed in 2017. Until then experts urge caution since the trials conducted thus far have been short-term, making it uncertain whether PCSK9 inhibitors can actually reduce the risk of heart disease and extend lives.
I'm not sure how much help the above is for you in helping you to decide your own course of action. The cost of these injections is astronomically high, which is probably why we arent offered them here in the UK - not sure where you are located and whether your costs are covered by insurance etc.
My body too cannot tolerate statins, they caused devastating and long term damage to my muscles, liver and brain function. I couldnt get any satisfactory answers from my GP or consultant who were like robots and both seemed to view statins as a 'miracle drug' and refused to accept the damage I was suffering. I then did my own research about whether my high cholesterol was as life threatening as they had indicated and in everything I read, it seemed to me that high cholesterol wasnt going to be the primary cause of me having a heart episode, so in my own situation on balance, the risk from not taking them was less than the risk of permanent health damage from continuing. But obviously every person has a different circumstance, so my actions may not be suitable for your health issues.
diane98246 loxie
Posted
Thank you for the educated reply loxie. It's important for me to hear that caution is being urged until trials are completed on this so-called miracle 'shot'. Very important for me personally to hear about the back pain side effect because I already have eroded discs in my lower back and chronic pain so why the doctor would even mention this shot to me is beyond me. Often they dont even read your health profile or else ignore it when they're prescribing a drug. The blank stares of the doctors when a patient reports the bad side effects of a statin are insulting to our intelligence. I read years ago that 50% of heart attacks are people with normal cholesterol.
Mesirm diane98246
Posted
Hi Diane, my doctor wanted me to take these shot but I'm like you that once I take the shot if I have an adverse effect it is in my system until it wears out of my system.