Stelara vs. Wezlana

I have now taken 2 shots of the biosimilar Wezlana. The first month was really rough; my body was definitely adjusting to it. For most of the month, I had an upset stomach and nausea every day, and eating made it worse. The fatigue and muscle/joint pain also returned. 

Thankfully, I haven't seen a huge change in the frequency in my migraines, but when I saw my neurologist last week, she did confirm that it was possible to see an uptick. I have noticed that I have had more nausea with my migraines, which is something that had subsided when I went on my preventive medication {topiramate}. So I am still monitoring those for now, and my neurologist told me to call her if I saw any changes. 

Another strange side effect of Stelara {and now Wezlana} is nose irritation, specifically an increase in mucous {gross? TMI? I know}. I basically wake up every morning having to blow my nose, almost like I have a cold, but I don't. It's weird, and I don't understand it, but it's something that showed up when I started Stelara, and is actually listed on the side effects list for Wezlana. I have definitely noticed an increase in nose irritation after these 2 shots. I don't know what it means, but there you go.

The good news is that the second month has gone a little better, with the upset stomach and nausea easing up quite a bit. Unfortunately, the rest of the side effects have stuck around, but I'll take whatever improvement I can get. I haven't had any Crohn's flares yet, so I am still praying and holding hope that Wezlana will hold my remission. I'll deal with the side effects; I just want to stay in remission. 

The big reason the insurance company denied coverage for my Crohn's medication and forced me over to the biosimilar is cost. And I can't say that I fully blame them. The cost of biologics is criminal. I have shown the cost of my medication before, but to see the comparison is still mind-blowing. Because even on the CHEAPER biologic, it still costs $5,500 a month for my Crohn's medication. $65,000 per year to stay in remission and save my intestines {hopefully}. That's a full-time salary, just for my medication alone!

But that's the new, better price. That's SAVING money. Because Stelara was costing $28,000 a month. $336,000 per year. So yeah, I get how the switch makes business sense. It's just that the patient is caught in the middle, and their health is never actually considered in the decisions. And all the while, stupid amounts of money are being made at our expense. 

And for the record, it only says that I owe $0, because I pay the amount billed within the first couple months of our plan year. I have to be ready to pay my full deductible at the start of the plan year, every year, without exception...because of my Crohn's medication. The Lord has always provided what we have needed, and I am so thankful. But it hurts every year, and I can't help but feel the weight and burden that my health places on my family.

13 years ago I was curled up on the bathroom floor in pain, unable to make it to meet my first GI, heading instead to the ER where I would be diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. 4 biologics, 2 GIs, multiple colonoscopies/endoscopies, countless steroids, 2 remissions later, I still have many of the same symptoms... I am still fighting the same fights. So much feels like insanity: repeating the same thing over and over. But I know more, am stronger in so many ways because I have lived through so much. I'm thankful for the Lord's daily strength, for His faithfulness to me every morning. I trust Him for what lies ahead, and I wake up ready to continue the Crohn's fight.