It seems like BA may be a good choice for me to lower a stubborn apo(b). The serious/significant side effects are labeled as infrequent but I am wondering what personal experiences anyone has had…
I have been taking it for several weeks and have experienced no side effects.
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Thanks @desertshores. I’m in the process of changing locations. Once I’m resettled, I’m going to give it a try beginning in 3-4 weeks from now. Are you taking 180 mg.? Morning/evening, with or w/o food?
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“Bempedoic acid is a lipid-lowering medication used to reduce LDL cholesterol. It is typically taken once daily with or without food. The best time to take bempedoic acid is generally recommended to be at the same time each day.”
I take 180 mg at the beginning of my evening meal, just for convenience.
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My father and I have been taking Bempedoic Acid and Ezetemibe (180 mg, 10 mg) for a few months now. No side effects have been noted.
Except 50% lower ApoB, LDL and hsCRP. 
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Nice impact. Are other people seeing the same magnitude of lowering?
Think the degree of lowering was less in the trials?
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I’ve been bempedoic + ezetimibe along with 5 mg rosuvastatin for about 5 months and haven’t experienced any side effects. It only lowered my ApoB by 36% (75 to 48 mg/dl), so I’ve increased rosuvastatin to 20 mg per day and will check it in a few months.
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My father’s ApoB went from 130 to 65. I think the higher the starting number, the bigger the impact.
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Your apoB is 48 but you want it lower? Can I ask why?
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Mainly because my Lp(a) is high, in the 190 nmol/L range. I’d like to get ApoB into the 20-30 mg/dL to reduce residual risk.
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Right. Good luck. Listen to this guy. He seems to have more tools in the bag than most.
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You should probably consider a PCSK9i to get that Lp(a) down a bit as well if you can eat the cost, like 150 mg praluent one time every month. I would look into niacin as well.
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I thought there was no point to doing niacin since it doesn’t reduce deaths or ischemic events. Are you aware of any updated info on niacin, or are there other reasons to doubt the conclusion about death and ischemic events?
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I think those datasets looked at patients in general and no one had looked at in cases of high Lp(a) in general - so might still be helpful for high Lp(a) person where there is more to gain on the benefit side of the equation
And within high Lp(a) there seems to be genetically good vs bad responders from a Lp(a) lowering perspective from niacin - do not think there is any clinical knowledge of hard outcomes data in those groups
These threads and some of the ones above and below them might be helpful
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I have read – sorry cannot remember where – that the risks of high Lp(a) can be lowered if inflammation is low. If you have not had a C Reactive Protein test, you might consider that, and then do everything you can to reduce inflammation. Which is: all the usual recommendations – limit alcohol, vigorous exercise, avoid inflammatory foods/follow a plant forward diet, and cultivate good sleep.
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@Radiata and @Deborah_Hall - somewhat related there is evidence that aspirin can help in Lp(a) cases (though depending on age, etc there may be other risks with that)
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I did not know this.
“Aspirin lowered serum Lp(a) concentrations to approximately 80% of the baseline values in patients with high Lp(a) concentrations (>300 mg/L).”
“aspirin use was associated with a significant reduction in cardiovascular events in carriers of genetic polymorphisms associated with elevated Lp(a) levels. Further studies are needed, however, as these studies focused on narrower subsets of the overall population and genetic markers.”
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Thanks, interesting. Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory.
Thank you. I was not aware that aspirin can reduce Lp(a). I have yet to test my Lp(a) for the first time, putting it off because my CRP is in the area of 0.31.
Possible related and purely anecdotal, my wife has been experiencing what she is diagnosing broadly as connective tissue inflammation following relatively light dumbbell workouts and even some yoga routines. She does each three times a week on alternate days. The pain typically occurs with a one-day delay and can be severe enough to sap her energy. She has tried conventional nutritional interventions including curcumin and ginger, along with her already generally low inflammation diet. After six months, she added ibuprofen 200 mg, 2/day and got partial relief. A friend suggested substituting whole turmeric for the refined cucrumin. She added 1/2 to 1 tsp to her morning smoothie and the same amount in the evening in cup of hot water with a little honey. Within 48 hours, the pain was completely gone and has not returned unless her routine pushes a new boundary. She has considered the known variables in her routine and unrefined tumeric is the only plausible candidate at this point. Time will tell but I thought her observation worth sharing.
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No side effects from bempedoic acid here after a couple of months.
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