PRADAXA

Has anyone tried the new drug Pradaxa Yet? It is to replace Coumadin. Your INR would not have to be checked and it would not be affected by what you eat. I checked, and my mail order drug co has it in stock. My insurance company will cover it, but as a non formulary drug. so my co pay would be $140 for 90 day supply. I could pay for part of this because I have to drive 100 miles roundtrip once a month for the INR check. At 20 mpg it takes 5 gals gas at $2.75 so that is about $14 every month, so is $42 for 90 days making the effective cost $98 for 90 days. I see my cardio doc in Jan and will talk to him about it. It wil take some deciding because generic coumadin is dirt cheap. Another good point is you only have to stop it 1 or 2 days prior to surgery. Thomas

6 Comments

Generic coumadin

by relax221 - 2010-12-05 09:12:33

Warafin the generic for coumadin is $10 for a 90 day prescription from Walmart mail order

New drug

by ElectricFrank - 2010-12-05 11:12:56

I don't take thinners so it isn't an issue with me, but if it were I would wait for about a year to see what unknown problems it has. The studies on new drugs are done by commercial clinical trial companies whose job it is to get them through FDA as fast as possible.

I'm sure your cardio will more than happy to prescribe it for you. Helps his quota.

frank

Oooops ~ Addition to above post ~ ~

by Carolyn65 - 2010-12-08 12:12:09

I am suppose to use a mail order medical supply, Merck/Medco or whatever their name is today. So far, it has been easier to just go a coupla miles to Walgreen's & pick the Pradaxa up from them.

After calling my mail order med company for pricing, I was told to be double sure the Dr. faxes a '90 day' prescription. Whether a 30 day is faxed in or a '90 day', they still have to charge the whole prescription of the higher quanity ~ just the way they work as a 'long term' prescription. Just make sure the Dr. faxes a '90 day' prescription if you use mail med companies.

Free ~ from traffic, needle sticks, diet restrictions, yay!
Carolyn G. in TEXAS ~ Decorate a Cactus Bush ~

Pradaxa User ~ ~

by Carolyn65 - 2010-12-08 12:12:31

I have been on Pradaxa since 11/05/10. My cardio Dr. had told me about 2 yrs. ago of a new med coming out to take the place of the Warfarin (Coumadin) I was taking. He had said it had been used in European countries for years and was going thru the FDA when we talked about 2 years ago. I was excited of the idea.

My cardio. Dr. wanted me off 2 days of the Warfarin (rat poison), for my INR # to be 2.0 or below. My cardio. nurse had already 'shopped' around their clients for a cheaper place to purchase the new drug. Walgreen's Store/Pharmacy was the cheapest in Central Texas by about $100.00+. I called around also.

I have BC/BS Ins. and my montly co-pay is $50.00, since there is not a generic drug yet. Personally, I can afford that much by the gas, wear/tear, stress, etc. of driving into the crazy City and hassle w/parking, traffic, etc. My City's motto is literally: "Keep Austin Wierd" and they DO mean that when driving around the City!

My cardio. nurse said, out of the hundreds of patients they have taking Pradaxa, only 2-3 were not able to take the med due to a reaction to it. When I began Pradaxa, I thought nothing but positive thoughts in being able to take the new med ~ no problems. Due to a 'bleeding' problem 4 yrs. ago, my cardio. has me take Pradaxa w/food ~ the directions say with OR w/o food.

The fact I do not have to drive into the City every 2-4 weeks for an INR ck, monitoring my food habits, etc, I like the benefits of the new drug. I love the convenience.

For the first time in 3 yrs. during the holidays, I was able to eat as much veggies/food (cranberries/spinach) and not have to worry about my blood levels to cause clotting/strokes.

This is just my personal experience ~ as usual, listen to your own cardio/Dr.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Carolyn G. in TEXAS ~ Have You Hugged Someone Today ~

One day...

by jcawoodjr0001 - 2010-12-12 07:12:35

Many of us who have been on Coumadin for any length of time were anxiously awaiting medications like Pradaxa to be approved in the US. Unfortunately, I also have a mechanical valve...so it looks like it's going to be a long time before I get to skip out on the too frequent INR's.

I d/c'ed Pradaxa - Problems

by marie_jazz - 2010-12-21 04:12:11

Just wanted to put in my 2 cents about Pradaxa (Pradax in Canada). I started it last week after being on Coumadin. To make a long story short, I had serious dyspepsia (acid stomach/heartburn) even though I was taking Nexium in the a.m. and the Pradaxa with food. It was serious enough that first thing Monday I was on the phone with my pharamacy and my MD. Conclusion is that I have d/c'ed Pradaxa. I called the pharmaceutical company to find out about a refund (a 30-day supply cost me $135 and I used 9 of the 60 capsules) and learned that 20% of people on Pradaxa stop taking it because of dyspepsia, and that Pradaxa contains time-released tantaric acid. Voila. Also, no surprise here, they refused any compensation of any sort. I'm better off with Coumadin, which I don't particularly like in the first place.

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