CREON..Pancreatic enzyme supplement cost

I have Medicare with a part G plan and drug coverage with AARP. I am in what is called the donut hole now and my last script for 200 24000 Creon was $380. If I get through the donut hole that will go down a lot and next year after the deductible before the donut hole it will be less also. I also checked with a Canadian Pharmacy and that would have been a little less once you add in shipping. But if I did that I would not move closer to getting through the donut hole. I figure I will make up the extra and then some if I just stay with my Part D AARP plan. It is the lowest cost if I go to my local Walgreens. Mail order would be more and other pharmacies would be more expensive. There in a Medicare site where I can compare drug plans. I just list the meds I take and it tells me what plan would be less expensive. This year it was the AARP plan. I can change my part d plan every year if I want and there are no penalties.

Hi Colleen. Thank you for reaching out. I had whipple surgery in October 2023 after a routine endoscopy discovered a 50mm sessile polyp at the ampulla. A biopsy showed the tumor was benign, but I was told that this type of tumor had the potential of becoming cancerous. Due to its size and location, whipple surgery was the only way to remove it. I am fortunate to live in close proximity to an excellent cancer hospital and I had faith in my surgeon and her staff. The surgery is a difficult one with many possible complications and side effects. I didn't want to live in fear, however, so I decided to have the tumor removed. It's been eight months now and I'm still trying to get used to the "new normal". I still get fatigued easily and I'm working on replacing the weight I lost. It also affects your mental health. The term "chronic illness burnout" comes to mind. I had no luck locating any whipple support groups locally, so I decided to sign on to Mayo Clinic Connect. I am helped and humbled by all of the posts. I was very fortunate that this tumor was discovered before it got worse. I will prayer for everyone who has gone through this surgery. And chemo and radiation? I can't even imagine the amount of strength that takes. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your group.

The cost for Creon is the highest single medication bill we pay since my husband's total pancreatectomy. This year with the changes by March we had paid out a very large amount of money and then pop, now we are through some kind of a door and there is no cost to any of my husband's medications when using Medicare related Part D/ Wellcare Drug insurance. We just have found that being prepared to put out that amount at the beginning of each year will be the ongoing challenge and plan. I was fascinated with the free Creon from the Abbvie company by "whipple 2232" comment. You are fortunate. We even have had periods that we have had to search for a pharmacy source for the Creon and switching pharmacies for one that can access it. (We live in a large metropolitan area. ) We were doing well at our local Fred Meyer Pharmacy until a year ago and then poof, it was no where to be found. We finally did a mail order pharmacy, but found that it wasn't part of our Part D program at the beginning of the new year. Currently we are getting it through Costco, but we must give them heads up to have it on hand. Clearly far more expensive and difficult to obtain than insulin. The bottom line is that without an adequate dose of Creon absorption will not happen well. He was on a lower dose for sometime after surgery with multiple stools daily, an increase to 36,000 pill size doses changed that to more normal stool pattern, thus increasing absorption for him. What was fascinating to me was to learn that without taking the prescribed proton pump inhibitor, an alkalinizing medication) 30 minutes before the first meal of the day his stomach would stay acidic. When the stomach is acidic then the Creon breaks down there reducing its usefulness rather than below that in the intestine where the absorption for many nutrients takes place. We found also that iron and calcium want acidic stomach fluid to begin their digestion at that point, so due to that he has deficits in iron and calcium levels. (He also has no pylorus, lacks 1/3rd of his stomach, has no duodenum, spleen or gallbladder. Thus missing a lot of enzyme.) There are some absorptive qualities of iron & calcium ongoing in the small intestine that supports absorption but he has had to have IV ferritin twice during the last 5 years post pancreatectomy although we document the iron intake and it is over twice that of the minimum daily needed and he isn't on chemo now. This is my understanding, check with your prescriber on that information as everyone may have a bit different surgery and thus medication needs. Only follow your prescriber's advice. His exhaustion decreased with the Ferritin infusion from his oncologist. Just this week he received an infusion of Zometa for bone hardening to decrease the osteoporosis. He is also 80, so there are likely lifetime issues that precipitates his needs. Our Endocrinologist for diabetes is also a bone specialist. I have found that asking questions for guidance ongoing from our medical team is the most informative and healthful way to precede, with the problems. No one answer fits all.

There is an upcoming Pancreatic Cancer Support group meeting listed under the events section of MayoClinic Connect website. The next meeting is Tue, Jun 25, 2024
12:00pm to 1:30pm MT. The link will provide information to register.

The Pancretic Cancer Action Network maintains a list of all support groups that meet in person or via Zoom. PanCan.org has a page on their website for support groups. You can also call the organization at 877.272.6226., M-F, 7:00am-5:00pm and a case manager will provide information about active support group meetings, when they meet and how to register.

The SeenaMagowitzFoundation.org has active support groups for newly diagnosed, long-term survivors and caregivers. They meet on Mondays and information on how to register to obtain the Zoom link is on their web page. They meet on Mondays at 7:30 pm ET/4:30pm PT.

CraigsCause.ca meets on Mondays as well at 7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT. This group is based in Canada but consists of Canadian, US and some other countries.