Generic Name: Praluent for High Cholesterol, Familial Heterozygous (alirocumab)
Praluent for High Cholesterol, Familial Heterozygous Reviews
"Praluent ruined my life! I was diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia and was prescribed Praluent by the cardiologist. If I knew then what I know now, I would have never taken this poison. From the moment I took my first and last Praluent injection, my heart started beating rapidly, my chest tightened up, short of breath, severe stomach pain, anxiety, and vomiting! I was admitted to the hospital, and doctors had no idea what Praluent is, and I had to explain while I was in critical condition. Their advice was don't take any more injections and wait until the Praluent gets out of my system, which can take up to 3 months! Three months have passed, and I am now in constant pain! I'm on strong painkillers, steroids, and anti-nausea medication. I also developed hypertension, and I can't seem to bring it down even with meds! I don't think I will ever recover from this. If anyone had a similar experience and had treatment for the horrible, life-changing side effects, please share it with us."
"I am a 70-year-old male, never been overweight, 145 lbs, 5'7''. I have been a runner and gym rat my whole life. I tried all the statins but could not tolerate the pain. I eat a very strict diet and no junk food. There is a history of high cholesterol in the family. I had 4 shots of Praluent, or two months' worth. I had my blood tested before I started the shots, then again 2 months later. The results were amazing. Total cholesterol went from 270 to 154. LDL went from 180 to 66. So far, no side effects."
"I have been taking this drug for two years, and the side effects are bad. Lower back pain, legs weak. I am 69, and it has taken my LDL from 250 down to 55, but the side effects are just not worth it. I tell my cardio doctor, but he just says if you stop it, then go home and wait for your heart attack! I don't know what to do. Can't live with all the pain of this drug, but not sure if I can live without it either?"
"Anyone taking Praluent with side effects of leg pain followed by varicose veins spreading throughout your legs (at the site of injection)? Also, pigmented white spots appearing? Also, lung issues? Lastly, extreme joint pain?"
"The Praluent injections gave me a runny nose, chest muscle pain, and I would cough up little chunks of clear phlegm for a few days after every injection. Then the muscle pains and fatigue would set in until time for the next shot. Rinse and repeat. However, my cardiologist was ecstatic with my blood work. I had been on the injections for a couple of months when I got a real bad case of pneumonia and could do nothing but lay in bed and cough phlegm for 3 weeks. I went off the injections during this time. After 4 weeks of no injections, I got blood work done and it was absolutely horrible, so now, of course, I'm back on it just praying the muscle pain goes away and that I don't get pneumonia again. This is the only medication I have ever taken that I am afraid might kill me. But my cardiologist thinks it's a freaking miracle drug."
"62 yr-old female with heterozygous familial on statins - 20 mg Crestor - and ezetrol. After strict diet and exercise, total cholesterol down from 6.8 to 2.1. Started on Praluent bi-weekly in June. Although my LDL plummeted to 0.06, severe muscle spasms, pain, and cramps kept increasing: knee, thigh, ankle, next leg, and eventually upper arm. No more gym, chronic pain, sleepless nights, painful to stand or walk. Requested to be taken off a week ago. 3 weeks since my last shot and improving each day. Please God let the statins work better."
"Had a heart attack 5 years ago at 38 years old due to hypercholesterolemia. Statins wrecked my body up until this came out. I’m allergic to almost everything, so I was happy to hear that this medicine didn’t have bad side effects for most people. This medicine has literally saved my life. I've had normal levels for a while now. The only noticeable thing I get is occasional urinary sensitivity. Surprised to see all the negative comments. This medicine costs me nothing."
"Gave myself the first injection using the pen earlier this week. The injection was automatic. Pressed it against my skin, pushed the button, the mechanism clicked, and the injection was made. When finished, the mechanism clicked again, which withdrew the needle. It was almost painless. Will repeat in two weeks and get blood tests in a few months to see if it works."
"Praluent did a great job of lowering my cholesterol. In fact, it lowered my LDL to below normal readings. Unfortunately, I developed chronic, painful side effects. I had deep bone and muscle pain that kept me up through the night. High doses of Advil and Zopiclone couldn't address the pain and allow for sleep. It's been three months off this drug, and I'm able to sleep 6 hours with no medication. The bone pain I was experiencing is much reduced and doesn't set in until the morning. I will be relieved when my system is completely free of this drug."
"Have had no problems in 18 months. First time in adult life with normal cholesterol. Had stent/ minor heart attack almost two years ago. Now have some neuropathy in hands and feet. Has anyone else had this problem?"
"2 years following a massive heart attack and have been injecting praluent since. Twice a month at 75mg. LDL has dropped from 130 to 19! I have had no side effects. A little bleeding from injection site. Elequis, Plavix and Aspirin cause that. I tried to take statins since 2005 with first heart heart diagnosis, no joy on the numbers, just muscle pain. I was a vegan for 7 years and nothing helped until Praluent."
"I am 42, Cabgx3. I had a Triple bypass graft in December of 2018. My total cholesterol was running between 450 and as high as 640 before. I’m 6’1 and 215 lbs. I am Active and eat healthy. 34” waist. No red meat or pork since surgery. I have never been able to tolerate Statins. They absolutely kick my butt. Since surgery I have been taking 150mg injections of praluent every 2 weeks with ZERO side effects. I’m on at least my 10 or 12 th injection and my cardiologist has yet to recheck my cholesterol. Surgeon said with my cholesterol history if this drug doesn’t work for me then I’d see him again in about 4 years. Lol. Hopefully that’s not the case. I’ll update when I get my levels checked next visit but for now I can report NO Side effects."
"I have high cholesterol all my life . All statins give me side effects . I got approved for this injection praluent . I am 65 and I also have lung issues that comes with constant cough plus pain in my body . I was reading the side effects of this drug and could get influenza , pain, cough etc I was looking for to this drug but now that I have I am having second thoughts . Any input in this ? "
"I cannot tolerate statins so I've been taking Praluent for a few years and my bad cholesterol is way down and my good cholesterol is up to an acceptable level. But know I am thinking the praluent side effect is body pain and aches as for about the past six months I have been experiencing somewhat severe whole body pain. I feel better if I take Norco or Tramadol which I use for back pain, but on advice of my cardiologist I skipped the last Praluent dose to see if I feel any better. Praluent has a half-life of 17-20 days so I figure I'll need to wait at least 40 days to see if I feel better. I sure hope the Praluent is not the cause because it's keeping me alive. I'm 66 and my father died at age 57 from a heart attack. For me the only solution might be to increase my pain meds. I already have two completely clogged heart arteries so I need to do something to keep my liver from making too much cholesterol. Changing my diet did nothing."
"Injected Praluent 3 weeks ago. I am a 74-year-old female, generally very healthy and active with familial cholesterol (not tolerant of statins, etc.). I had cold symptoms and a mild sore throat two days after the injection. Injected again 1 week ago, completely floored this week, with sickness and diarrhea the following day, stayed in bed that day, the following day, and every morning this week as I am so tired (injected on a Sunday, it is now Thursday). Still have a very red, sore, and swollen throat and the symptoms of a heavy cold. I rarely have colds or sore throats or sickness, etc. I shall not be continuing with the medicine."
"I’m a 55 yr old male with familial Hypercholesteremia. I take zeros, Crestor and Praluent. My numbers are awesome. HDL, LDL all fantastic. I d been on Praluent for about 6 months so about 12 doses of 150mg. I have developed several muscle and joint pain in my hips that is now spreading into my legs. I have also developed mild neuropathy in my hands. I am an avid golfer and tennis player and it is now to the point where I have had to stop playing both and ache when I walk. I am considering going off the Praluent and just accepting my fate!!!"
"It is now some time since I gave feedback on the Praluent. I became extremely ill and discontinued it off my own bat because we were under lockdown and could get any help. Although the episodes finished I am, nevertheless, still struggling with the effects and am beginning to believe that I shall never go back to who I was before Praluent. The consultant, reluctantly, admitted that there were 'issues' with the product but I don't see that it has been taken off the market. Where can I go for help? Do we put up with being treated like guinea pigs and then abandoned when things go wrong?"
"61 y.o. female with FH (familial high cholesterol ): I had pre-existing neuralgia which was somewhat manageable, I tried statins and they brought my pain levels to 10+ so no statins for me. Praluent was okay regarding neuralgia for the first few months when I was yanking out the needle at the halfway point (due to a bad reaction to Repatha in 2018...another story for another day). 8 weeks ago when I started leaving the needle in until it retracted, i.e., giving myself the full 75 mg, that's when my neuralgia started to break through intensely. Very disappointing. I hope that, going back to the half dose, even though it's very hard to estimate when to pull out the needle -- the needle is so fast, I hope to reverse the increased neuralgia. I need a full dose but it looks like I can't tolerate it. Dang! When the nerve pain increases, my good mood disappears."
"I was prescribed Repatha however, my Insurance forced me to take Praluent. I started on Praluent just after Christmas 2019 and continued every 2 weekly shots through August 2020. My body will not tolerate Statin drugs, so this was my only option to try and control my Cholesterol. In December of 2019, my Total cholesterol was 286 after 8 months of using Praluent my cholesterol only went down by 2 point to 284. My Triglycerides went up by 50 points, 108 in December to 158 in august. HDL (good cholesterol) went down by 3 points, 50 in December to 47 in August. Finally, my LDL went down by 9 points, 214 in December to 205 in August. In summation, Praluent did not work for me. Hopefully, I have better results on Repatha. From a side effect point of view, I would take the injection on a Thursday and by Saturday afternoon I would be bothered with a headache. Usually by Sunday night the headache would resolve, I would be fine until my next dose."
"I have been taking 150 mg of Praluent for 2 - 3 months and began experiencing thigh pain and weakness, worsening dizziness, and worsening neck, and right knee pain. I used to walk 3 miles a day, do cardio twice a week, weights twice a week. Now my dizziness and leg weakness does not allow me to walk without holding on to the wall or using a cane. My last injection was three weeks ago but symptoms persist though not worsening. Pending Neurology and all the usual workup but I feel strongly it’s Praluent, especially after reading these reviews. Like many others here, I cannot tolerate the statins. Was on Praluent 75mg for about a year and did experience dizziness and thigh “heaviness” and muscle cramping but not to this extent."
"35 year history here of familial high cholesterol. Participated in medical studies many of these years-first for new statins, then other drugs. Lowest my overall cholesterol went was 259, that with max dose of Crestor and Zetia combined. Took that before and after triple bypass and stent on the 4th artery. Eventually all statins cause too much muscoskeletal pain for me but had to keep taking them. Up next was clinical studies for Praluent. Never knew for sure that I was on it. Today, 1 year after it was officially on the market, my cholesterol was 149!!!! Lowest in 34 years, from a high of 600! I will take any mild side effects!! I also get help with copay from PAN and worry their help will run out. Thank you God!!"
"Having a genetically bad lipid profile, I've tried every oral statin, all giving me debilitating side effects. Zetia is minimally effective. Being on 150 mg Praluent (injection) every 2 weeks for several months, my lipid profile is completely normal for the first time in my adult life. There have been no side effects as well. It is easily injected with no discomfort."
"I'm a 71 yo caucasian male with a diagnosis of PAD, atherosclerosis and hyperlipidemia. I can't tolerate statins due to severe muscle cramping and prescribed Praluent soon after it was approved by the FDA. Aside from minor leg cramping which is controlled by ingesting a banana a day and a runny nose for 24-48 hours after injection, my total cholesterol has dropped from 300+ to less than 100 ! I'm VERY pleased with its' results !"
"Took Repatha for over a year had minor side effects (runny nose only) which eventually disappeared then my insurance changed formularies and had to switch to Praluent not at all happy. Have been taking for two months side effects include constant runny nose fatigue bruising muscle pain and pain and itching at injection site. Would not recommend this medication Repatha in my opinion is much better unfortunately for myself insurance will absolutely not cover Repatha."
"I used this drug for over a year with good results for my cholesterol, but then developed an allergic reaction to it. The first time it occurred it was bad, but I mistook it for indigestion. The following dose there was no doubt. A few hours after taking the shot I became very nauseous. Had diarrhea, reflux vomiting and bad pain in my stomach and pancreas. Did not take it again."
More about Praluent (alirocumab)
- Check interactions
- Compare alternatives
- Pricing & coupons
- Reviews (297)
- Drug images
- Side effects
- Dosage information
- Patient tips
- During pregnancy
- FDA approval history
- Drug class: PCSK9 inhibitors
- Breastfeeding
- En español
Patient resources
- Praluent drug information
Professional resources
- Praluent prescribing information
- Alirocumab (AHFS Monograph)
Related treatment guides
- High Cholesterol, Familial Heterozygous
- Cardiovascular Risk Reduction
- High Cholesterol, Familial Homozygous
- High Cholesterol
