My Tecfidera ran out! Yes. Iām usually smarter than that-I promise. I had almost a whole bottle of generic Tec(dimethyl fumarate) left over from my first failed attempt at switching from the Tecfidera brand to using the generic form. Full body tingling(Paresthesia) kept me awake 2 out of the 2 nights I was on it, but I have no choice. Iām taking it again, this time with no symptoms. The real reason why I couldnāt refill my Tec was all because of...the new girl...Vumerity. For the past week Iāve been romanced by Biogen reps calling me at night, faithfully checking in to see how everything is going with my new drug, Vumerity, which I have yet to receive. Last week, as soon as I said yes to Vumerity, my neuro set up a special meeting with my pharmacologist to discuss the Vumerity process. I thought-OMG you mean I get a special one-on-one phone conversation with a real life pharmacologist?! I seriously had never heard of that profession, piqued my interest. After that fun convo, and willfully saying YES to Vumerity, I ran home- anxious to print paperwork for my very first Medical Cannabis card. Meanwhile, my pharmacy got loaded with not 1, not 2, but 3 prescriptions for Vumerity from my neuro.š¤·š¾āāļøI checked my refills online and my Tecfidera prescription was gone! No more refills. No more Tecfidera. That leaves me with a Vumerity prescription that just canāt seem to process, and a bottle of generic Tec, which Iāve grown fond of with each passing day. Yes, Vumerity is shiny and new plus my insurance company covers it. Works like Tecfidera as Iāve been told, but requires 2 more pills a day. Maybe Iāve become a health nut, but having over 800mg of a drug in my system daily that has to ābreak downā to the active ingredient found in Tecfidera seems problematic. Iāve been taking Tecfidera 240mg twice a day since 2014, with no new lesions, thank God. Generic Tec it is...for now, especially since my insurance covers it. šIn other news, enjoy the best sunset Iāve seen from my New Mexico backyard.š§”
My first loveš§”: My Tecfidera ran out! Yes... - My MSAA Community
My first loveš§”
Yes, Beautiful sunset š . I donāt take name brands but take approximately 30 pills a day for my MS symptoms. Baclofen, modafinil, gabapentin and I take Celebrex for my aggressive osteoarthritis. Pfizer has been paying for my Celebrex for years, but that ends at the end of this month. Fortunately my insurance will pay with no co-pay for me for the generic Celebrex. Wish you well with your medications.
Thank you CalfeeChick!
How are you healing since surgery? Able to eat now Ken ššš¾š¾
No surgery over here Kenu. Do you know something I donāt? lol š
Was replying to calfeechickššš¤
I think Kenu meant the hip surgery I had back in Feb. He's very kind to all..
No Surgery for me since Feb3 Hip replacement. Even though I was on Home quarantine because of that surgery & MS, OA.. I was doing exercises therapy at home. then doing great until May when I did a "miss-step" and wrenched the healing muscles.. doc wouldn't believe how much pain it was. I finally started my rehab therapy at the end of June which was helpful, but I still had frequent pains in that leg from hip to knee. Dr. finally gave me a "Bursa" shot at the end of Sept. which has really helped. Just recently, I've been having more spasms in both legs, last night i didn't have spasms, but at shooting pain first in the left calf, which I stretched & walked off, then at 4:00 AM, the same thing started in the right calf.. walked it off & massaged Magnesium cream into it. I've not been on my feet as much today & feeling good. Snuggled with kitty & took a "Cat-nap"š»š»šš Thank-you Kenu for asking.
My neuro just talked to me about Vumerity a few weeks ago! But because the Tecfidera has been successful for me for 3 years (no new lesions), she didn't push for me to be on it. She mentioned it as more of a heads up.
But I didn't know it takes two more pills a day. Thank you for sharing that. I'm right there with you in that I'm not quite comfortable having 800mg of a drug in my system.
And thank you for this crazy beautiful sunset! Never seen anything like it ā¤ļø
Thank you CJasmin!
Of course tiffortat ! I hope you get your meds straightened out soon. I might not be able to get my Tecfidera until Jan due to a clerical error made by an employee at my county health office. Even though it's a different situation than what you are experiencing, I understand the feeling of being out of your Tecfidera š
You can't use the dose of Tecfidera and the dose of Vumerity as straight comparators as they are not the exact same chemical composition, even though they both break down in the body to monomethyl fumarate.
Got it. Thank you for the explanation Frances_B
That photo is breathtaking, thank you for sharing. I hope you get sorted soon. Blessings Jimeka š¤
Glad for your DMT news and you have a nice sunset picture. The desert can be such a nice place for subsets.
Thanks Royce! The sunsets are definitely one of the desert perks.šš¾
Praying all works out for you on the new med. love the sunset.
Love the sunset, it's beautiful! I hope you get your med situation straightened out asap! Keep us updated!
I hear that Vumerity may have fewer side effects, so I hope it works out for you to get started, even if you weren't having problems with Tecfidera. I'm sorry it tends to be a struggle to get meds sometimes.
So true greaterexp, thank you!
Don't you hate all the run around between doctors, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies? January is coming up again that starts it over again for me. I will be copying your "jumping through the hoops". Sometimes I think there is someone just thinking, "how else can we make life more difficult for those with a chronic disease?"
Exactly. We should be getting paid good money for the time and effort we put into jumping through all these hoops. lol
tiffortat , when I was on Tecfidera my insurance didn't cover it and so I was on the free drug program because of the whole Medicare Part D mess. Biogen was pretty good about it, but sometimes I would get caught up in that "I'm low, where's my supply" situation and sometimes did actually run out. I am pretty strong but one time it was so bad that I was reduced to tears. Are you supposed to be taking Tec even with Vumerity? I wouldn't think so! Do you have Biogen's telephone number? I found that I could call and vent to them and that usually worked. Let me know if you need the number; I still have it! And hello from your next door neighbor, Arizona! Love the sunset!
Thank you Sukie-and hi neighbor! šThe first time I ran out of Tec back in 2016, I added incontinence to my list of daily symptoms. Itās been a damp journey ever since.šI told my neuro to replace my Vumerity prescription with Dimethyl Fumarate. It was taking them so long to send the Vumerity, which now took priority over my Tec refil, I was no longer interested in changing meds. Plus I was already taking Dimethyl Fumarate while I waited. Hopefully my Medical Cannabis card doesnāt take too long to arrive in the mail.
I hope it all straightens itself out soon--you shouldn't be without your DMT. And have you tried Myrbetriq for your bladder issues? My lovely MonSter basically destroyed my bladder, but this med works as well as anything can, I guess. Last week I coughed and felt like I had just emerged from a lake....first time that ever happened and thank goodness it appears to have been the last. Good luck with getting dry---long-term!
Just ranting... 
Itās been a while. 
RLS
