Lupron shortage

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meistere
meistere Member Posts: 13
edited September 2020 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

I showed up to my cancer center today for my monthly Lupron shot and they said there is a current shortage and probably wouldn't have it for a year. They told me I had to do Zolodex which has left me with scars and scar tissue b/c it's like being shot with a bb gun in your stomach. I switched to Lupron which is a 10 sec shot in the bootie and about 100x better. Does anyone know of any alternatives to the Lupron shot? I was doing the generic LEUPROLIDE ACETATE.

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  • FarAwayToo
    FarAwayToo Member Posts: 255
    edited August 2020

    I'm sorry you are facing this issue. I was doing Lupron for 6 months, and it was doable, then I got my ovaries removed.


    This FDA Drug Shortages website says only 3 months shots are not available: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/drugshortages/dsp_ActiveIngredientDetails.cfm?AI=Leuprolide+Acetate+Injection&st=c&tab=tabs-3&i=14&panel=14

    I would be curious to see if other women, who are currently on monthly Lupron respond here. Perhaps the hiccup is just at your facility?

    On that page I linked above there is a phone number for the company who I assume is the manufacturer. I would call and try to understand how to get the drug. Sometimes you need to do your own leg work, as frustrating as it is.

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  • meistere
    meistere Member Posts: 13
    edited August 2020

    Thank you for your reply. I actually called the manufacturer as you suggested and they confirmed that they do not have a shortage. After doing a little digging and asking more direct questions I discovered that my cancer center (Moffitt in Tampa, FL - I'm happy to throw them under the bus for this) uses a 3rd party for their drug acquisition and THAT company was having a shortage. The cancer center is tied to the policy of only using that drug company and not using my specialty insurance company to get it when something like this happens. I'm pissed b/c I received no heads up on that RX change until I showed up for the appointment. I've been scrambling for the last 48 hours to find another doctor to both call in the order and receive the medication at their facility. Even my OBGYN said they need to have a consult about it and then order the drug (about 2-3 weeks for consult+order). Gotta love that red tape! 🤬

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  • macrisdc
    macrisdc Member Posts: 1
    edited September 2020

    I also received a rather abrupt phone call from my Dr's office a couple weeks prior to my appointment informing of the lupron shortage. When I asked for more details there was no explanation given. This info was on thr FDA website since July. I'm wondering if it has to do with the insurance company or network I am with. It doesn't seem like all patients are getting shorted. There is also the generic leuprolide acetate. Lupron was approved by FDA in 2016 so its not just for Prostate Cancer. These are the very issues that universal healthcare may someday resolve. I am being denied access simply due to reasons I don't even know. I hope Zoladex is as effective as they say. I am almost 4 years cancer free. I will be doing more research on this.

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited September 2020

    Dear macrisdc,

    Welcome to the BCO community. Thank you for contributing to this discussion. Keep us posted on what you learn and how you are. Let us know how we can best help you navigate your way around.

    The Mods

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