Synvisc Injection #3

Today, I'm going for injection #3.  This time, I won't forget to take a painkiller before I leave home.

I'm already feeling a benefit from the injections so presumably things can only get better from here.

These shots, besides being terribly painful to receive, are also very expensive (and not covered by my health insurance plan).  Apparently, some insurance plans do cover the treatment but not the federal government plan.

Anyway, I've been doing the series of three injections, administered in 2 ml each week at one week intervals. There is another version of the same drug, called SynviscOne, which administers the full 6 ml in one injection.  I can only assume that it is as effective as the three-shot version.

It would certainly reduce the number of times one would have to endure a painful injection.  And it would be much more convenient to one's calendar to only have one 48-hour period confined to "staying off one's feet."
So I was left wondering why my surgeon prescribed the three-shot version over the one-shot treatment?  Until I see him again, I can't find out the answer to that particular question.

But in the meantime, I've done some poking around on the WWW and have found numerous negative comments about the efficacy of SynviscOne.  And a rheumatologist posted that she had better results with the three shots over the single shot, so she preferred to prescribe the series of three.

Next, I inquired at my Pharmacy about the cost differential between the two options if doing both knees:  

• Synvisc (2 ml x 3 per knee) costs $100.00 per injection for a total cost of $600.00;
• SynviscOne (6 ml x 1 per knee) costs $500.00 per injection for a total cost of $1,000.00.

That would be an extra $400.00 out of pocket since my insurance doesn't cover it.  A clear and obvious reason to go with the three injections, I think.

Perhaps my surgeon was thinking of cost alone when he prescribed Synvisc rather than SynviscOne.

I'm still interested in finding out if in fact one treatment gives better results over the other because from my experience last year, I know absolutely that the three-shot version works very well for me.