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Helen,
Unfortunately, the reason Grant stopped Exjade was because of the cost. I truly thought we could fight with the insurance company and win, but so far, to no avail. We are going to have to dig deep and pay the big amount soon. (our copay is $2,114.95 for a 30 day supply).
Here is a snapshot of his Exjade experience:
10/19 ferritin level 2092, BUN 34,creatinine 1.3, bili total 1.1
10/23 start EXJADE 1500 mg per day for 30 days only
during the time on EXJADE,
BUN went as high as 38, creatinine up to 2.1 and bili total up to 1.6 (all 3 flagged as high)
12 units of prbcs transfused since EXJADE was started
1/8/07: ferritin level 1779, BUN 22, creatinine .8 bili total 1.0
So, I think the Exjade works because in spite of 12 more units transfused, his ferritin levels are still down by over 300. I was told also by the nurse practitioner that the Exjade has a long half life, so that it is still working for some time even though he is no longer taking it and his chemistry numbers have mostly come back to normal range. (BUN still a little high at last check)
Wendy/mom to grant
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