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Prolia treatment for osteoporosis: What is your experience?
Osteoporosis & Bone Health | Last Active: Jul 13 3:27pm | Replies (1246)Comment receiving replies
My doctor wants me to go on Forteo but it isn’t covered by my Medicare drug plan. I’m told Tymos is the same drug but a little less expensive. I’m not sure if I will go on either of those or Prolia. The one thing I don’t like about Prolia is you’re basically on it for life, if you come off, your density drops like a rock. On the positive side, most people I’ve talked to haven’t had any side effects.
Replies to "My doctor wants me to go on Forteo but it isn’t covered by my Medicare drug..."
@cat22 both companies have patient assistance programs if your income is low enough to meet guidelines. I am getting 18 months of Tymlos for free. Forteo now has a generic. As I wrote before, I like Tymlos better because the dose can be controlled. You can call Together with Tymlos about the Radius Assist program.
Insurance companies have it all wrong. The bone growing drugs work best when we have not taken Prolia or a biphosphonate. But insurance companies want us to try those first. Insurance also seems to want us to fracture before paying for the bone-growing drugs!
@cat22 does your insurance cover Forteo after you have "failed" another drug or two, or after a fracture?
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Do you have osteoporosis or osteopenia? If you have osteopenia, you could probably get by with Prolia. You DO need to stay on it or another drug. My mother and her 3 siblings (2 are male) ALL had broken hips. You need to think of this as keeping you from having compression fractures in your back or a broken hip.
You would see a definite increase in bone density with Forteo. I was "fortunate" to to be on Forteo in my 40's, so my insurance covered it. You should see a slower increase in bone density with Prolia. You would think that Medicare would be proactive in paying for Forteo since Medicare likely spends quite a bit of money on hip replacements and rehab--far more than the cost of Forteo for 2 years.