After Evenity

@naturegirl5 As I answered above (to wrong 😑 person) I had a very poor Dexa prior to taking Evenity. I had a rheumatologist who dropped my insurance … so now my PPO is handling the Evenity referrals. When my Evenity comes closer to finishing, I will need a referral to an endocrinologist? for my continuing osteoporosis journey. So right now, I need a new doctor referral.

I started weekly Alendronate 1 month after ending Evenity.

@naturegirl5; @gravity3. Not sure which one of you posted this comment but it was very helpful to me. Thank you. I just started Evenity (one dose-no side effects) and plan to take 12. My rheumatology doctor suggested Prolia afterwards: I did not want Prolia for many reasons (probably known here) so I suggested Recast because I had a friend who took it also without issues and it helped. He agreed with Reclast (this would be after checking my Dexa to see if the Evenity worked of course and if it did, then Reclast). He said I could go on Reclast and after some (2-3) injections then take a holiday (not sure how long but presumably checking Dexa for progress after the last Reclast. So I am okay with that and am happy to see that at least one other person on this forum seems to be going down a similar path. I will post my progress as I go along to see if I can help any others.

@susanew Oh, goodness. I should have gone back and checked your earlier posts as I do recall that your rheumatologist dropped your insurance. I worked with my PPO for many years on osteoporosis meds but when I fractured my sacrum I was referred to endocrinology. I'm so glad that referral happened as I found that my endocrinologist specializes in osteoporosis and so was and is very knowledgable about meds in a way that my PPO was not. So, when you finish the Evenity, and see what your DEXA shows, I think it would be good to get a referral to a specialist in rheumatology or endocrinology. Actually, it can be trying to get an appointment so I recommend working on the referral with your PPO prior to finishing the Evenity.

Yes, good idea. 💡 Certainly will request the referral a few months before finishing Evenity.

I finished treatment with Evenity last month after 12 monthly doses. Post treatment DEXA showed 12% increase in BMD at lumbar spine and 2%increase in BMD in total hip. T-score at lumbar spine went from -2.5 to -2.3 (osteoporotic to osteopenic). My rheumatologist recommended I take Prolia or Reclast within 3-4 weeks after completing the Evenity treatment to lock in the gains.I ended up taking Prolia because my Medicare Advantage plan removed Reclast from their formulary.
My only issues with Evenity were bruising and swelling at the injection site in each arm after each treatment and body aches and pains which have resolved with cessation.
My after insurance cost were $485 for each dose of Evenity (two injections) X 12 months for an out of pocket cost of $5820 for the drug and another $1200 or so for the administration fees. The Prolia injection was about $325 for the drug and $135 for cost of administration. Will have another Prolia injection in August.

I had my last Evenity shots 2 weeks ago and had Dexa the same day. I gained 8% in spine, 1% in each femur and 3% in hips. I had 2 years of Prolia prior to Evenity. After talking to my endocrinologist today, I will start back on Prolia. I had 5 years of Reclast years ago so she doesn't feel like I am a good candidate for that. I can't take bisphosphates. She said there are too many side effects with Tymlos and Forteo. Her thoughts are that Prolia can again be followed by Evenity in a few years. She is of the attitude that it is a matter of time and Evenity can be used for more than one year.

Thanks for sharing — I will taking my last evenity in April along with a dexa scan and then deciding on the next step.

I have thought about this path too. Good gains in my dexa after Evenity. Followed one month later with Prolia. I'm thinking about one more shot of Prolia. I wonder if I would need a short burst of bisphosphonate in between Prolia then evenity again. I'm maxed out on bisphosphonate...5 years. I wonder if insurance would cover evenity again

If you are on Medicare, I doubt it will pay.