Specialty Medications

Heart transplant patients are required to take many, many medications.  Some of these are called specialty drugs because they are high-cost and are used to treat complex or rare conditions, such as:

v  Cancer

v  Chronic kidney failure

v  Multiple sclerosis

v  Organ transplants

v  Rheumatoid arthritis

Here is a list of medications that Levi has been prescribed along with their side effects and approximate monthly cost. These medications probably come in different strengths with different costs and prices for generics will not be the same as brand name drugs.  The prices below are what we pay.  While not all of these are considered specialty drugs, they do all add to the monthly cost.

Generic/Brand Names of Drug	Treatment	Common Side Effects	Monthly Cost
Generic: clotrimazole Brand: Anti-Fungal Liquid FungiCURE Pump Spray Lotrimin AF Cream Lotrimin Jock Itch Powder MPM Anti-Fungal Prescription Strength Cruex	Fights infections caused by fungus	Skin rash Hives Blistering Burning Itching Peeling Redness Stinging Swelling Other skin irritation	$75
Generic: carvedilol Brand: Coreg Coreg CR	Treats high blood pressure and congestive heart failure	Blurred vision Cloudy urine Confusion Dizziness Sweating Weakness	$200
Generic:  cyclosporine Brand:  Gengraf Neoral SandIMMUNE	Immunosuppressant to minimize possible organ rejection	Increased susceptibility to infection and cancers	$625
Generic: dapsone Brand:   (none)	Anti-infective medicine that fights bacteria	Body pain Bluish fingernails, lips or skin Difficulty breathing Fever Loss of appetite Skin rash Weakness	$40
Generic: diltiazem Brand: Cardizem Cardizem CD Cardizem LA Cartia XT Dilacore XR Dilt-CD Dilt-XR Diltia XT Diltiazem Hydrochloride CD Diltiazem Hydrochloride SR Diltiazem Hydrochloride SR Diltiazem Hydrochloride XT Diltzac Taztia XT Tiazac Cardizem SR Cardizem Monovial Matzim LA	Relaxes the muscles of the heart and blood vessels	Body ache Congestion Cough Sore throat Fever Hoarseness Runny nose Tender glands Trouble swallowing Voice changes	$215
Generic:  enoxaparin Brand: Lovenox Lovenox HP  Clexane Clexane Forte	Prevents formation of blood clots	Nausea Diarrhea Fever Swelling in hands or feet	$910
Generic: insulin lispro Brand: HumaLOG  HumaLOG Cartridge HumaLOG KwikPen	Lowers levels of glucose in the blood	Anxiety Blurred vision Behavior change Cold sweats Confusion Convulsions Depression Dizziness Drowsiness Excessive hunger Fast heartbeat Headache Irritability Back or side pain Nightmares Restless sleep Shakiness Slurred speech Unconsciousness	$150
Generic:  hydralazine Brand:  Apresoline	Lowers blood pressure	Arm, back or jaw pain Chest pain Irregular heartbeat Nausea Shortness of breath Sweating	$140
Generic:  Sitagliptin Brand: Januvia	Controls blood sugar levels		$330
Generic:  insulin glargine Brand: Lantus Lantus OptiClik Cartridge Lantus Solostar Pen	Lowers levels of glucose in the blood	Convulsions	$140
Generic:  Metoprolol Brand: Lopressor  Metoprolol Succinate ER   Metoprolol Tartrate Toprol-XL	Beta-blocker that affects the heart and circulation	Blurred vision Chest pain Confusion Dizziness Shortness of breath Irregular heartbeat Sweating Unusual tiredness	$35
Generic:  mycophenolic acid Brand: Myfortic	Immunosuppressant to minimize possible organ rejection	Abdominal pain Bladder pain Bleeding gums Bloating Blurred vision Body aches Bone pain Burning of skin Chest pain Confusion Constipation Convulsions Cough Depression Dizziness Drowsiness Dry mouth Fainting Irregular heartbeat Fever Dry skin Headache Incoherent speech Increased heart rate Increased blood pressure Increased hunger Increased thirst Joint pain Loss of appetite Loss of voice Metallic taste Muscle cramps Muscle weakness Nausea Nervousness Numbness Blisters Cold sores Rapid breathing Runny nose Sneezing Sore throat Ulcers Sunken eyes Sweating swelling Swollen glands Unusual bleeding or bruising Weakness Weight gain or loss	$625
Generic:  omeprazole Brand: FIRST Omeprazole PriLOSEC PriLOSEC OTC Zegerid (Original Formulation)	Decreases amount of acid produced in the stomach	Generally well tolerated	$225
Generic:  pravastatin Brand: Pravachol	Reduces “bad” cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood while increasing levels of “good” cholesterol	Difficulty moving Muscle or bone pain Muscle stiffness Joint pain	$35
Generic:  Prednisone Brand: Rayos Sterapred	Suppresses the immune system	Aggression Agitation Anxiety Blurred vision Dizziness Irregular heartbeat Headache Depression Irritability Mood changes Nervousness Rattling breathing Numbness Pounding in ears Shortness of breath Swelling of fingers, hands, feet or lower legs Trouble thinking, speaking, or walking Weight gain	$15
Generic: tacrolimus Brand: Astagraf XL Hecoria Prograf	Immunosuppressant to minimize possible organ rejection	Abdominal pain Abnormal dreams Agitation Chills Confusion Convulsions Diarrhea Dizziness Sore throat Fever Flu-like symptoms Frequent urination Headache Itching Loss of appetite Loss of energy Depression Nausea	$310
Generic:  sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim Brand: (none)	Antibiotic	Usually tolerated well	$25
Generic: dofetilide Brand:  Tikosyn	Keeps the heart beating normally	Dizziness Fainting	$340
Generic:  valganciclovir Brand: Valcyte	Prevents viral cells from multiplying in the body	Blood in urine/stool Blurred vision Chills Cough Dizziness Fever Headache Hoarseness Back or side pain Nervousness Pounding in ears Seeing flashes or sparks of light Seeing floating spots Shakiness Shortness of breath Sore throat Troubled breathing Ulcers, sores or white spots in mouth Unusual bleeding or bruising Weakness	$3500
Generic: warfarin Brand: Coumadin Jantoven	Reduces the formation of blood clots	Abdominal pain Bleeding gums Blurred vision Itching Chest pain Confusion Coughing up blood Difficulty breathing Difficulty swallowing Dizziness Excessive bruising Headache Nosebleeds Paralysis Peeling of skin Sweating Swelling Unusual tiredness	$40

On top of these prescription drugs, some over-the-counter medications have been prescribed.  These include aspirin, multi-vitamins, vitamin C, pain relievers, iron supplements and stool softeners.

Obviously, the monthly cost of the required medications can be overwhelming.  That's another reason we are so grateful for the donations made to the Levi Shultz Medical Fund! And all those possible side effects -- praise the Lord Levi had very few of those!