Make a connection, ask a question, share a concern, give advice or just chat. Our message boards connect you with a community of people who understand where you’re coming from and what you’re going through.
Hi Roger Betty: I've never ordered Forteo from Canada but I thought I would explain how it was shipped to me when I was taking it.
I was on Forteo for 2 years and ordered it from a medical supply co, because that's how my insurance handled it. The medication was sent via FedEx in a special styrofoam shipping box made especially for meds that had to stay at a certain temp. They also include a frozen gel pack in the box that keeps the Forteo at the right temp for up to 24 hours. Since this is how I received it, I'm assuming other mail order pharmacies would ship it in a similar way. It was also sent as an "overnight" delivery as well, and the company didn't charge for any of this special handling.
Several times my shipment sat outside for a couple of hours in Desert heat, and it didn't hurt the medication since the gel pack keeps it at the right temp. These gel packs are also recommended for use if you have to travel with your Forteo since they do last at least 24 hours and maybe longer.
I hope this info helps since I would imagine a Canadian pharmacy would have to ship this in a similar manner. BTW, I did really well on Forteo with no problems.
I am curious about your progress having taken Forteo for 2 yrs. Did you have a noticeable increase in done density? Did your bone scan improve and by how many points?
Was it your decision to discontinue treatments or on the advice of your physician? Is there a plan to start taking it again?
Hi Phoenix: I haven't talked to you in a long time, do you remember me? I finished my 2 years on Forteo and went from a -3.6 spine to -0.9 spine and -1.6 hip. I did really well on Forteo. When you look at my scores, you need to look at the hip score since that was the lowest of the 2 on the last dxa. There is some debate over my spine score because I have titanium rods and screws at L3-S1. The densitometrist claims that she was able to scan L1-2 without the hardware interfering, but who knows if that's completely possible. My original scan was a QCT (the -3.6 score) and they didn't scan my hip so I have no original hip score to compare to, the last 3 scans were dxa's. Since I don't have any hardware in my hip, the Dr feels that score is the most accurate. I'm now on Evista, and hoping something other than bisphosphonates will be available to take soon.
Hi again: I forgot to mention that the Dr.s wouldn't let me go beyond the 2 years on Forteo, plus my scores improved so much there wouldn't have been a reason to continue even *if* I could have. I didn't discontinue Forteo I did all 2 years worth. I don't think anyone will let me take Forteo again, and I'm pretty sure that my insurance co wouldn't pay for it anyway, since treatment beyond 2 years is considered experimental (according to my insurance).
