reclast drip

By trish6280 October 23, 2011 - 5:51pm

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Should I have the reclast drip? I now take Actonel once a week that my dr said is not really showing any improvement between last 2 bone scans. Will blue cross blue shield approve it? What about the side effects?

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Rosa Cabrera RN

Reclast is an annual osteoporosis treatment that is given through an IV over at least 15 minutes by a doctor or nurse. It's a bisphosphonate like Fosamax,® Actonel,® and Boniva® except instead of being taken orally, it's a once a year IV infusion. The IV drip is meant to get directly to the bone and bypassing the stomach.

You should not take Reclast if you have low blood calcium, kidney problems, are pregnant or plan on becoming pregnant, are nursing, or allergic to Reclast.

The most common side effects inlude flu-like symptoms, fever, muscle, or joint pain, headache, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

You will need to contact Blue Cross/Blue Shield to see if they cover Reclast treatment.

http://www.reclast.com/info/safety-information/important-safety-information.jsp

Best,

Rosa

October 23, 2011 - 6:07pm

trish6280 (reply to Rosa Cabrera RN)

Rosa,
Thank you. Yes, I knew all of that. I guess I am just not sure if I should do this or not. And I didn't know if I should call Blue Cross myself or let the dr's office call for approval.

Trish

October 23, 2011 - 6:58pm

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Rosa Cabrera RN (reply to trish6280)

Trish,

I'm sorry-- we cannot make that decision for you. However, your doctor can help guide you since s/he knows your medical history.

Your doctor's office will call your insurance to verify whether they cover the Reclast drip or not, so you don't have to call, unless you would like an answer right away.

Good Luck with your decision,

Rosa

October 24, 2011 - 5:25am