Sticker Shock

We have been very blessed that prednisone has been an affordable drug.  In the past insurance has kept all other medications affordable to us, expensive being over $50.  This year we have a new insurance program, which is not nearly as nice as we use to have.  We were expecting the medication to cost more this year, probably in the $100 to $200 range.  Nothing could have prepared me for the $600 price tag.  I'm going to have to do some looking around and finding out what programs to reduce medication costs are out there.  Wish me luck.

Steroid Dependent

Waiting for the Dr

Well, Ada relapsed again, so the other day we went in to the clinic to consult with her doctor.  Because she responds to the prednisone, but relapses before she is off she is classified as "steroid dependent", which is better than steroid resistant - where the person no longer responds to prednisone.

Bring something to do

The Dr discussed a couple of options.  Cyclosporine, which has the undesirable side effect of excess body hair and is potentially toxic to the kidneys.  Another medicine which I forget the name of that may or may not be successful in treatments as all tests with it have been in teens who are prone to remission anyway.  The final drug, and the one the Dr recommended was Tacrolimus, which is similar to Cyclosporine but without the hairiness.

The expectation is that with the additional help of Tacrolimus Ada will be able to wean off of Prednisone, which will allow her to grow.  After she has been off the prednisone for a year, then she will be weaned off the Tacrolimus, with the hope that her NS will stay in remission.

We will get her started on the Tacrolimus, and then in one month a blood screen will be done to make sure she is at the right dosage and not having other adverse side effects.