hey tumblr allow me to drop some knowledge on you about this subject
There are two drugs that suppress puberty: leuprolide and histrelin. If your insurance does not cover these - and there is about a 50% chance that they won’t - you have options.
The thing is, this shit is expensive. Leuprolide (brand name Lupron) is a shot that you can take either monthly or every three months. If you’re buying it out of pocket, monthly it costs about $1200. So over the course of the year that is going to cost you about 14 grand. Holy shit.
Histrelin (brand name Supprelin LA) is a once yearly implant that goes under the skin of your arm. It costs anywhere between $15000 and $18000 depending on your pharmacy. Holy fucking crap.
BUT! There is an alternative. See, Supprelin LA was specifically designed to suppress puberty in children. Histrelin *also* comes in an implant called Vantas. It’s indicated by the FDA for treating cancer in adults (suppressing testosterone and estrogens is very important for some cancers) but it is the EXACT SAME DRUG.
The Vantas implant is available from Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy in Oregon for $3200. I know that that’s still pricy, but compared to the alternatives, it is a godsend. That’s $3200 for an entire year - and often longer - of hormone suppression therapy. (There’s no consensus on how long exactly the implants last. We’ve seen them last up to 18 months.) The procedure to put it in is simple. No general anesthesia, only local. It can be done at the endocrinologist’s office and takes about 20 minutes. I’ve assisted with over a hundred of these.
I’m not a shill, I don’t work for the company that makes Vantas. But I’m posting this because the vast majority of doctors don’t know about this drug. It was designed for adults and is marketed for adults. But it is the exact same drug they use for children and at a fraction of the cost.
So there you have it, tumblr. Signal boost this shit. Help some kids with crappy insurance afford their treatment.
(credentials - I work at the office of a pediatric endocrinologst - one of only two in the entire state of Arizona that does hormone suppression therapy for transgender children. I’m happy to answer questions if anybody has any.)
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