Approved

Growing: Nolan is now 38" tall!

After our insurance sent the denial letter for Nolan's Nexium, our ENT's office sent another request to have the medication approved. While there is a possibility that the Prilosec will work adequately to control the reflux, the effects of it not working would be disastrous.

We received the approval letter in the mail today.

If the Prilosec worked, life would have been OK. If it failed, we would have been faced with more airway surgery and more complications down the road. In addition, the Prilosec package insert says that the 20mg pills does not have the same bioavailability when emptied into applesauce (a requirement for children too young to swallow pills): "PRILOSEC Delayed-Release Capsule 20 mg was not bioequivalent when administered with and without applesauce. When administered with applesauce, a mean 25% reduction in Cmax was observed without a significant change in AUC for PRILOSEC Delayed-Release Capsule 20 mg."

The Nexium comes in a 20mg oral suspension, which does not affect the bioavailability of the drug at that strength.

I am greatly relieved that the insurance company approved the Nexium. Nolan's acid reflux affects his airway, which makes monkeying with the effectiveness of his medication quite scary.

We can take a deep sigh of relief and know that his medication approval is secure for the time being.