topic Re: Repatha in Wellness

Repatha

Mom in NY — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 14:26:00 GMT

My doctor is putting me on Repatha for high LDL pending approval for it. Has anybody taken this. It's an injection twice a month

Re: Repatha

PamfromCT — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 14:41:25 GMT

Both my husband and brother have been on Repatha for a while now. Their cardiologists had to push hard to get them on the drug, as it is very expensive. The results have been

amazing! Best of luck to you.

Re: Repatha

tends2dogs — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 14:41:26 GMT

My cousin took it with good results. It lowered her LDL quite fast, as I recall. She went off it when her drug costs went into the donut hole and she was going to have to pay for it herself.

I think she may have gone back on it with the new year. I do know that her bloodwork showed her levels rose back up rather quickly when she went off, so this is something you have to stay on, not a one and done.

Good luck!

Re: Repatha

wagirl — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:31:44 GMT

@Mom in NY --Yes I am on it right now--in fact-- just gave myself the 2nd shot of 3 I take per month. I've been on it for 2 years now. Started with 1 auto injection 2x a month and it did pretty good, but my drs thought I would do better on 3 shots a month. Has kicked my sky high LDL in the tookus!! Now it is actually lower than my HDL(healthy cholesterol) --which is always high for me anyway. I don't have any side effects and fortunately my rx plan covers it except for my co pay--which is still lot. However, there is a foundation called HealthWell that give out grants for many of this type of health issue--I got one that covers mine rx for a year. Is not hard to apply for and I got my grant approved the next day. You should check it out.

Re: Repatha

Mom in NY — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:31:53 GMT

Ty everyone

Re: Repatha

Zaimee — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 23:41:08 GMT

My husband has been taking Repatha since 2023. 2x a month 140 mllligrams. Initially took it with statins. Brought his total cholesterol to 52,LDL was way below 50. Stopped statins. Cholesterol still very low and LDL barely exists. He had 9 stents and terrible chest pain. Since being on Repatha it completely mitigated his chest pain. Very expensive but this year there is a $2000 cap for Medicare recipients. He says it is a life saver. Good luck.

Re: Repatha

marsha-ca — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 06:05:16 GMT

I've been taking repatha for a year numbers have gone down. Insurance is the problem insurance companies put up many road blocks it took a year to be approved both my cardiologist and primary had to fight to get approved I have good insurance double coverage. The injectable is easy to use I was nervous to give myself the shot but was able to overcome

good luck

Re: Repatha

DJP — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 06:25:14 GMT

My insurance would have me paying almost 500.00 for two injections for first month. I can't afford that. My cholesteral was at 220 then shot up to 377 on next blood work. My diet has stayed the same for years now. I only eat very healthy foods. My cardi told me that's not going to work. He said I should use Repatha or other similar ones that still cost the same. I don't know what to do about this except for borrowing the money. Who knows what the interest pays would be.

Sorry I went on so long. I just needed to vent. TY

Re: Repatha

wagirl — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 15:02:26 GMT

@DJP --sounds like you have a family history of high cholesterol? Forgive me if I assume the wrong thing, but I do too. Am 70 now and have been on this battlefield since my dad died, in 1976 at age 46 from this issue. I have been on so many statins, changed my diet so many times, all did not do a thing. The only good thing is I also have an extremely high HDL--always in the 70-80 range. I paid $600 once last year, for 9 shots of Repatha--3 a month--and that came out to be $66 per shot. This was thru my rx plan at the time. However--I did get a $2500 grant to pay for this med, for 1 year, thru a foundation--HealthWell---very little paperwork involved--I filled it out one day and got approved by the next. They have many other types of aliments that they offer grants for and any particular one can be closed if the funds have been used up for it. Go to their web site --just add dot org at the end.

Re: Repatha

DJP — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 15:55:57 GMT

@wagirl -- Yes, my maternal side has the history. My mom had a stroke at 74 and passed away in four days. Her siblings passed in their 60's. I have been on many statins too but just can't tolerate them.

I'm 72 and am trying a low dose of Zetia for now. I will try HealthWell and see what happens.

I hope you are feeling and doing well now. Thank you so much for your help!

Re: Repatha

wagirl — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 20:36:48 GMT

@DJP ---I can't tolerate any statins either--after a few months, I would get horrible side effects from all of them. The last one I tried was Crestor--did very well with my numbers but I developed walnut sized knots on the back of my achilles tendons---had no idea why or where they came from, but after a year of going to a foot dr I ended up getting surgery----on both ankles--one at a time and then I found out that type of tendonitis was a side effect of Crestor---but because ONLY 45,000 people complained about it--it was not listed on the huge list of possible side effects!!! So if I would have stopped taking it--I prob wouldn't have done the surgery!!!! That was in 2008/09. My drs--have a heart dr and a pharmacist dr that deals with medicine for alot of things--- both said that no matter what I did to try to lower my numbers---it wasn't going to work. I did try zetia ,but it almost immediately made me feel terrible. So now am one 3 shots a month and has made a huge difference. Let me know if you go to HeathWell---

Re: Repatha

Shelbelle — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 20:47:47 GMT

@DJP wrote:
@wagirl -- Yes, my maternal side has the history. My mom had a stroke at 74 and passed away in four days. Her siblings passed in their 60's. I have been on many statins too but just can't tolerate them.
I'm 72 and am trying a low dose of Zetia for now. I will try HealthWell and see what happens.
I hope you are feeling and doing well now. Thank you so much for your help!

I am also 72 and on Zetia for over a year now, first time I could not control chol, on my own. Mine was lowered by 23% with Zetia, avg is 15 to 20 %, it is not as potent as a statin, but I dont want to go on a statin.

Re: Repatha

DJP — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 22:06:45 GMT

@Shelbelle --That's a good difference 23%. I'm just on my first month so I will keep taking for two more and then more blood work before seeing my cardi again. Thank you for letting me know.

Re: Repatha

DJP — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 22:12:33 GMT

@wagirl --What a terrible ordeal you went through. I'm glad the Repatha is working for you. I did go to HealthWell and many other sites. There seems to be no help for people that have a small savings. Someday I will need that money.

Will see what happens with the Zetia. Take Care!

Re: Repatha

Shelbelle — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 22:28:21 GMT

@DJP wrote:
@Shelbelle --That's a good difference 23%. I'm just on my first month so I will keep taking for two more and then more blood work before seeing my cardi again. Thank you for letting me know.

Yes, I had a blood draw after the first 3 months since I didnt want to refill it until we knew how it was working. Mine went from 238 down to 183 in the first 3 months. Assume you are taking 10 mg, did you ever see such a tiny pill, so far I have only lost just one.

Re: Repatha

DJP — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 05:27:21 GMT

@Shelbelle --Those are great numbers for three months of time. I am taking 10mg too.

Those pills are really tiny. I dropped one of these, and my dog found it. Thankfully he did not eat it. LOL

Re: Repatha

wagirl — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:37:24 GMT

@DJP ---really? I don't have much of a savings either--depend on social security and small pension---I don't remember that being a deciding factor. Usually it's if you have a hefty savings that you won't qualify---How about going to the repatha website, they have a program for reduced costs--I went there first but didn't qualify --not sure why tho, but I did talk to a person that directed me to that foundation. Would be worth talking to someone there anyway and I did all this just 2 years ago---Am so sorry if I steered you wrong. Hope the zetia does something.

Re: Repatha

Shelbelle — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 15:52:35 GMT

@DJP wrote:
@Shelbelle --Those are great numbers for three months of time. I am taking 10mg too.
Those pills are really tiny. I dropped one of these, and my dog found it. Thankfully he did not eat it. LOL

Your dog has excellent vision !!!

Re: Repatha

jubilant — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 17:37:54 GMT

Yes, I am on it. Just started it about 1 month ago. So far no side effects so we will see how it goes. Fourteen years ago they wanted me to take it but at that time it was

$14,000 a yr. so for just that reason I didn't.

Since then I have had a quadruple open heart surgery and a couple of strokes. At first it was still going to be around $6000 a year but my insurance kicked in and now it's only $47.00 a month! In a few weeks I will get my first blood test to see what it's doing for me if anything....fingers crossed.

Good luck!

Re: Repatha

wagirl — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 21:10:13 GMT

@jubilant --I tried to get repatha years ago, when it was a new drug, prob in the 90's--- I had really good insurance from my spouse's work back then and the insurance co still would not cover it at all--even had my drs intervene on my behalf--they wouldn't budge. Fast forward to 2 years ago when I was on medicare and on my own and it was covered thru my rx plan. I then got a grant for that first year, so paid $0. It did wonders for me altho my drs thought getting a higher dosage might do better, and it has. --I had to pay for 3 months of shots, 9 in total, at $66 per each dose out of my own pocket using my rx plan--I give myself 3 shots each month---which still was reasonable .But then got offered another year thru a grant so pay nothing again. Have not had the issues like you had. I go in March for my blood labs. I was going every 3 months for tests but now it's every 6 months as my results are very good.