Aspirin Intolerance holding up PED stent placement

Hello again. We are close to the Feb 11 stent placement surgery for my mom’s now 27mm ICA aneurysm. Mayo clinic will not do the surgery without aspirin on board. So we’re going with another surgeon but he is also hesitating and wants a hematologist to recommend appropriate anti-platelet therapy. The hematologist said well it MUST be done so use whatever you can tolerate. So not much guidance but plan fell through when Brilinta was nearly $500 per month with Medicare. After reading medical journal articles, I’m a bit miffed about the whole thing. It is my understanding there is other mono therapy also effective when aspirin is a prob. Also that considering risk of stroke and bleeding is important before prescribing. None of this is being considered and we are left with deciding on what medication she can tolerate. Is there something I’m missing or should be saying :thinking: Is there a specific type of doc that figures this out. I feel like I’ve done the brunt of the research thus far with what kind of stent will work for her metal allergies and such. I’m starting to think we should just give it a rest and if nobody is comfortable doing thw surgery then maybe it’s for the best. I’m torn!
Thanks!

Call or email the pharmaceutical company that makes Brilinta and see if they can help reduce her costs. It’s a service many do and not many of us know about. You can find it here Medicare Part D Coverage | BRILINTA® (ticagrelor) tablets and will probably need to ask for an exception. I saw on their page that Medicare pays as low as $45 but private pay is as low as $5. I have one med that costs $395/month on Medicare and I pray it doesn’t increase again.

Have her doctor look into the other mono medication, just let them know and ask straight out why it’s not being considered. Her pharmacist may know of yet another since that’s their business. In my experience doctors often put on blinders and keep prescribing the medication that works for the majority of their patients and have difficulty thinking outside the box. I’m a think outside the box type of patient.

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My neurosurgeon‘s office contacted their Brilinta rep on my behalf, cause I could not afford the medicine either. Brilinta sent me a years worth of medicine at no cost. Have her neurosurgeon‘s office get a hold of their rep.
I hated being on the blood thinner. It gave me a racing heart and a lot of headaches, but I know it was very necessary for me to take it.

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Perfect timing! Thanks for the info

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