Forteo vs. Tymlos: Which did you choose?

@curlylocks Thank you, but I doubt I would fit the criteria for that program. I’m in that vast middle, not affluent but too much money to qualify for assistance. The good thing is that you only have to take this drug for a year and a half.
I plan to ask my endo if Tymlos would be indicated for me.
JK

@laurapearl, Hi there and thanks for checking in with Connect again. Your post is very important both for those considering Prolia and others thinking about Tymlos. It looks like you made very good progress (14.4%) over a 10 month period on Tymlos and you paid a pretty tough price to get there. Did you or your clinician avoid bisphosphonates for a reason,..like not able to build bone?

Now, I also see in another post that to get that bone creating potential, patients appear to have modified the Tymlos dosage and adjusted the time. Did you try that? I want to check on the options for dosages, e.g 40mg in the a.m. and 40 more in the p.m. Would that have helped?

Do you have a link to the research about Prolia and brittle bone potential? That would be helpful.

You and I have the same role models.....my mother broke her hip at 81 and never walked or smiled again. I know this industry does not have a definable history with these new medications. That means our feedback is invaluable to others. Check-in with us as you enjoy the freedom of not having osteoporosis. Will you be taking medication for osteopenia? Every contribution is helpful for someone. Find some joy today. Chris

@laurapearl I'm glad that after all of those side-effects the drug at least improved your bones somewhat. I am thinking seriously that may be the drug I choose.
JK

hi everyone: using 40 mg of tymlos is strictly off-label and i have never heard of anyone doing it -- i would not expect doctors to recommend it. i chose to do it because the side effects of the full dose were extreme for me -- not only did i have the racing heart, it was not a short-lived effect. my heart would still be racing hours later, and even on and off the following day. i saw online that some people were taking reduced dosages at the beginning as they got adjusted to the medication, and i decided to try that. unfortunately, my level of adjustment never changed, and that's why i continued at the lower dosage. it may be because i am a very small person (under 100 pounds). i don't advise others to do what i did, and especially not to start out at a low dosage -- you might get no effect at all and end up injecting yourself all year for nothing. if i could have tolerated it, i would have done the full dosage. on the other hand, i represent an N=1 experiment that suggests that body weight/size may have some bearing on the proper dosage, and smaller people may not need the full 80 mg.

Have you applied for a Tier Exception? I am going to try. Nothing to lose. Just aggravates me that if you are not on Medicare you can get 0 copay coupons.

yes, and you know what helped me make the decision to stay with it? someone (either on this board or elsewhere, can't remember) wrote, if you had cancer that could be treated with chemo, would you leave your cancer untreated because chemo has uncomfortable side effects? somehow that gave me a diiferent perspective. we might not think of osteoporosis as being as serious as cancer, but as i mentioned before, i have seen the older women in my family become completely debilitated by it -- permanently folded over until the end of their lives.

@diva Thank you for the suggestion. I haven't applied for anything yet because I haven't made a final decision about what I will go with. I hadn't heard of Tier Exceptions before but it could possibly apply because I probably cannot take the oral drugs since they might affect my esophagus, but I am not sure how I would get out of taking the other, less expensive infusions.
JK

I have decided to go with Tymlos since it is less $ with my insurance. Also will not go with Prolia. Rx plans never mention it as a option . Also has nothing to do with your income. Get all your ducks in a row when applying. I.E. reasons why you can't have Prolia or Reclast . Any dental issues and have a doctor write a note for you to submit. I haven't started treatment and it will probably be a few more weeks till I do.

I have decided to go with Tymlos since it is less $ with my insurance. Also will not go with Prolia. Rx plans never mention it as a option . Also has nothing to do with your income. Get all your ducks in a row when applying. I.E. reasons why you can't have Prolia or Reclast . Any dental issues and have a doctor write a note for you to submit. I haven't started treatment and it will probably be a few more weeks till I do.