I have a relatively high cholesterol and have been referred to a metabolic clinic as I haven’t been able to tolerate statin, I’ve tried 4 different types over the past 7 -8 years but always have side effects. I don’t know much about PCSK9 apart from it is an injection which works on the liver and that a statin may be added at a later date. Wondered if anyone has tried this medication.
Ann
4 Likes
@mum2two i have no experience of this but just wanted to say I hope that it works well for you & you don’t have too long a wait. Xx
2 Likes
Thanks, my appointment is next week so I’ll let everyone know a bit more then. I was sent a copy of the letter they sent to my GP and there is so much abbreviation it makes hard reading and even harder to understand.
Ann
2 Likes
Hi Ann, hospital letters are a nightmare aren’t they. I usually end up googling what mine mean.
Good luck for your appointment.
Ann x
3 Likes
Hi Ann
I’m sure you have tried this. My wife had high cholesterol and has managed to control it with diet alone. She cut out what she would have considered as naughty but nice things. On the back of it discovered a lot of new foods. Lot more home cooked, slow cooked food, fish and chicken instead of beef and pork.
Every shop now is looking at the various fat levels and for me the salt content.
The enzyme PCSK9 causes liver cells to remove more LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) from the bloodstream. Importantly, PCSK9 inhibitors don’t have the mild anti-clotting effects that statins seem to have.
Thanks
Nigel
4 Likes
Small quantities of Brazil nuts look good to help with LDL
I have Familial Hypercholesterolemia and take the PCSK9 injection Praluent every two weeks via injection with a pre-filled pen as well as 80mg Atorvastatin and 10mg Ezetimibe and my cholesterol level which was 16 is now down to around 2. Changing my diet has no, or very little, effect on my levels but the PCSK9 works well for me with no side effects. My injections are prescribed by the hospital and funded centrally I believe rather than by the GP so are delivered every few months rather than through my local pharmacy.
3 Likes
Good to hear you have had no side effects, that is something I’m worried about as I had a bad reaction to a drug called Carbimazole several years ago and since them I generally react badly to any new medication. My appointment is tomorrow so I’ll see what they plan then.
1 Like
I had my appointment yesterday and like MarkG I’ve been started on a PCSK9 drug called Evolocumab, an injection which comes in a pre-filled syringe which you give yourself every 2 weeks. It works directly on the liver to clear cholesterol. It’s quite easy to give, I’ve got a bit of bruising on my leg at the injection site, probably due to aspirin, but it’s not painful and the injection was painless. I had some cold symptoms yesterday but they have gone now. I think it will be a couple of months before I have to have a blood test to monitor things. I feel quite positive about the treatment as I had terrible leg pains with statins.
Ann
4 Likes
@mum2two that’s all sounding really positive. I hope it works well for you. Will be good if you don’t have the leg pains any more. Let us know how you get on.
Best wishes
Ann
2 Likes
That’s excellent news. I really hope that it works as well for you as it has for me. Do let us know how you get on with it.
2 Likes
itchy and Scalky on my back and neck