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I am a 74 year old woman who has taken evista for 3 years followed by fossomas for 4 years. My spine t-score is -3.4 and the doctor has suggested reclast. Isn't reclast just a stronger dosage of bisphosphonates? I have no trouble taking Fossomax so what would be the advantage of changing to reclast?
Thanks for your excellent question! Although Reclast has obvious benefits for those who have suffered from the gastrointestinal side effects of oral bisphosphonates, it may also be recommended by physicians for patients who have tolerated such medications well but whose bone mass has not improved sufficiently. Some studies have suggested that the intravenous formulation of Reclast may work to increase bone density more drastically than the oral bisphosphonates. However, it may also have different possible side effects, so be sure to discuss the pros and cons with your doctor.
I had the reclast infusion two weeks ago. I'm 58 and had taken Fosamax since I was 35. I just couldn't take it anymore. I was scared to death of reclast but it was really very easy to take. I drank lots of water the week before I had the infusion and on the day I took tylenol before the infusion and every 4 hours after and I kept drinking water. I felt and feel fine now. It is much easier than Fosamax and some of the other stuff out there. The internet can scare you to death. If you are basically healthy you should be fine. My bone density and blood calicum were both tested before the procedure.
Scared to death of Reclast? How 'bout just killed by Reclast?! My mother (under 95 lbs) was rushed to the hospital a week after her injection. Her doctor even refused to admit her, so she had to go through the ER. She died 2 weeks later, the day she was released from the hospital. It took a mere 30 days to kill her. Her death certificate reads heart attack due to Reclast. She had ALL of the sypmtoms of a reclast overdose. Reclast KILLS! Novartis has a one-size-fits-all dosage. Don't be fooled. One size does not fit all! Needless to say, we're sueing Novartis.
my hospital just charged me $16,842 for a dose of Reclast! Of course, that is what they billed my insurance, and my insurance only piad a total of $1100 -- for the medication and service. Hospital "wrote off" $15K...i still have to pay $1400. Luckily Novartis (maker of Reclast) thinks that is insane and is going to talk to hospital about this ridiculous charge.
Hi Annie B, welcome... WOW that's an incredibly expensive price for Reclast!! Do you know yet what your copay will be? The $800.00 approximate price quoted by Lila was most likely from the Drug company or an insurance provider. Remember that she wrote that 3 years ago, and the drug prices have quadrupled in that amount of time, but that's still no where near what they charged you.
We've heard from others here that were charged a similar amount to your's, and I find that incredible. I'll ask my insurance what they pay, just to see what it is now, but the only problem is each hospital can have a differing price and depending on your insurance that copay would be different for each of us.
I would definitely look into this and do whatever it takes to get it lowered. Can you file an appeal? All insurance companies have this option, and so do most hospitals. It may take more than several tries and a lot of paperwork, but I think it's worth it if you can get it lowered. We can't just let these prices go unchecked, because I know it will happen with other meds, if we don't try to fight it.
Also, did they provide a itemized bill? If not, ask for one. I just can't see how this price is justifiable when everyone is reporting that the cost for Reclast is comparable to the new drug Prolia, which is being quoted as $825.00 per injection, which is given at a Drs office twice a year, which may be why it's less-no hospital involved.
We can only report what we are told, and that doesn't seem to be what's being charged.
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Does anyone know what effects this drug has on reproduction? I'm only 32 and my doctor wants me to try Reclast. I've been on Actonel for 2 1/2 years with decent results, but I started having a little GERD. There is a possibility my husband and I might want to have a child in about 4 years or so. I'm worried about whether or not this drug might affect a fetus, even if given several years before conception.
This is an excellent and very important question -- unfortunately one that has no easy answer. Because Reclast is not intended to be used primarily by women of childbearing age, there is little information or studies regarding your concerns. I would definitely discuss this issue extensively with your doctor and even consider seeking a second opinion from additional specialists (both orthopedic and obstetric) -- this a crucial issue and one deserves to be as informed as possible.