Evenity?…

@deborahla I have a Humana Medicare advantage plan.-PPO Maybe they are submitting it wrong but they say I have to try other oral alternatives. Most of them don’t build bone just maintain. Crazy. Thanks for info

@nanasuz999 what kind of cardiac episodes did you have 2 weeks ago? Your current situation sounds needing urgent attention as jaw pain can sometimes be a warning sign from heart trouble. In your shoes, i'd go to ER.

I understand. Mine is a Medicare supplement which is different from Medicare Advantage and they don't require those alternatives (thank goodness). Best of luck. You could always try one of the orals (I would inquire how long you need to take it) and if it doesn't work then perhaps they would approve it.

@awest6444
I applied for assistance through the evenity website. They paid $8000.00 of my deductible/coinsurance. I have BCBS. They won't do that if you have Medicare but they do give some suggestions of places that will help the coverage of the medication.

Just sharing what I have learned. Now after my stating I would try Evenity, I am changing my mind again. After spending one afternoon learning more about what others have shared, articles, learning what FRAX is and that as we age our bones naturally break down .5% to 1.0% that helped to make a changed decision for myself. I had DEXA 5 years prior to my DX with bones doing well. At age 70 was when I was first diagnosed and the percentage of change since then fits the time line for natural decline. I went on line and did the FRAX test (FRAX plus), which America sets a 20% fixed rate, rather than than doing the test for each patient, and found I had 5% chance of a hip fracture over the next ten years. I also realized I could be dead before ten years. I am joking a little since I walk 40 minutes an each day, eat a healthy diet, and take pretty good care of my body, which at my age is a full time job even though I am aging out. I also looked into Evenity more and found that it has a protein called sclerostin that blocks it from protecting arteries to build bone. So it is a trade off, thus the box labeling of why you could get a heart attack or stroke. It would depend how bad your arteries are, thus the warning. So if you have good arteries and are younger it helps. One other thing in the article I read was with a DEXA they do A TBS score, DEXA evaluates bone quality and TBS evaluates bone structure and strength, I will ask if they can do that with my next DEXA. Just for clarification besides using Mayo Clinic as a resource, I used NIH (national institute of health) and the Evenity website. For me and my age of first DX I will see where I go from here. Each person is different and has to make their own decision based on age, family heritage, health, and what they feel comfortable doing. If I were younger and had the percentage of bone change I had I would be glad for the new meds out.

@nanasuz999
Thanks for submitting information about your cardiac episode. Would you mind please being more specific about your cardiac episode and have you had other episodes prior to Evenity?

@lhibdon90 I contacted evenity after I got my denial letter. My house hold income is more than 70,000 so I didn’t qualify. That shot when u Google it says 2,400 to 3,000 a shot. Unfortunately I don’t have that kind of money. They did give me sites to explore but at this time their funds are closed. I’ll keep trying. Thanks for your info.

@nanasuz999 so sorry for your cardiac episode, etc. Had many problems with Evenity including memory loss which Osteo Dr immediately said was caused by Evenity. Also had bad joint pain reaction. Dr switched me to yearly infusion of Reclast which has worked very well bone density scans show improvement

@deborahla
I’m 64 and was told by my insurance an Evenity injection would be $4,000+ based on my deductible.
I’m curious how your cost for Evenity is covered? At this point I would not even consider taking this medication at such a price.

Wow!!!. You will be eligible for Medicare next year which does cover it. I would make sure you get a Medicare Supplement (and not Medicare Advantage). My supplement covered it; another poster had Medicare Advantage and it did not cover it.