Hi! I was recently diagnosed with type 1 vWD. The hematologist prescribed me with desmopressin nasal spray and tranexamic acid as needed. My insurance is Blue Shield. Went to costco pharmacy but the copay for both prescriptions is almost $800. Went to Walmart pharmacy but said they do not cover the spray and that I need to order it from a special pharmacy. Can someone tell me which pharmacy to get it?
Dear CLS1978,
CVS had to order my ( Stimate, desmopressin,ddavp), Nasal spray. It only took a couple of days. I keep mine in the refrigerator on the door. It lasts for a couple of years unless you use it a lot.. Each container is good for about 25 doses. Mine was covered by Blue Cross/Shield/Medicare. I guess Medicare took most of the cost. Considering what the ER/ED charges for a visit, $750 for 25 doses might be a bargain. If I go on a trip, I carry it in a cooler bag with a small water bottle of ice. (only freeze about ten ounces of water in a 12 ounce bottle to keep the bottle from splitting) Being in Florida, you don't want to leave it in a car in the sun. The tranexamic acid is something I am not familiar with so please share your experiences with it to the Group. I do have a bottle of Amicar (aminocaproic acid) tablets but haven't used it. I don't know how temperature sensitive it is. My vWD is type III complicated by Factor VIII inhibitors so Stimate is only marginally effective. It really worked well before I developed FVIII inhibitors. For Type I, I think most people will recommend it highly.
Good Luck!!
John the elder
Thank you for your reply, Johntheelder. I live in Imperial, CA (suburb) and we do not have CVS. Tried Costco and walmart but was unsuccessful. Will try Riteaid and Walgreens. Diagnosed last week and since I am going out of the country in less than 3 weeks, would like to have the prescriptions handy just in case. The hematologist prescribed me with DDAVP nasal spray, tranexamic acid and amicar. She suggested to use the tranexamic acid if I have a major procedure. Tranexamic acid has 8x more antifibrinolytic activity than amicar and it is primarily used in surgery to reduce blood loss.
I am definitively going to catch up on tranexamic acid!. You probably already know about the rules for aerosols on flights but you probably should call or check with someone about carrying Stimate and/or tranexamic acid with you. The rules recently changed.
Have a safe trip!!!!
John the elder