Generic Name: Somavert for Acromegaly (pegvisomant)
"I have been on Somavert for 5 months now. I started at 10mg and for the past two months have moved to 15mg to better control my condition. I am also on Sandostation 30LAR which alone has not controlled my condition. I have had 2 surgeries to reduce my pituitary tumor but have a portion remaining that surrounds my optic nerve. I have also had radiation to reduce the remaining tumor. I am very pleased with the results of Somavert. My growth hormone levels have been reduced considerably but are still above normal. I have had few negative side affects. I inject daily into the leg as injections into the stomach area will remain sore for 2-3 days. The positive side effects include reduced growth hormone levels and blood sugars."
"I have a pituitary adenoma and had surgery in 2006 but the entire tumor was not removed because it was too close to my hypothalamus gland. I have been taking 15mg of Somavert which kept my IGF-1 under control but it started going up when Pfizer changed the method of administering the drug. Now the sterile water is in a refilled syringe which you also use to inject the drug. The needle is larger than the insulin syringe that I had been using in the past. When I received the okay to use an insulin syringe, I noticed that there was more than 1 ml of mixed Somavert. I notified Pfizer and was told to inject the entire amount. I told them I think the Somavert is diluted but I got no response. My endocrinologist has been in contact with Pfizer but I have not heard anything more. So now, my IGF-1, A1c, and blood pressure have been increasing. So is the change in packaging of the Somavert causing problems? "
"I have been taking Somavert for almost a year. Side effects have been very minimal. However, the benefits were not all what I was hoping for. My IGF-1 and Prolactin have actually increased slightly. But, other things, like HbA1c and Blood pressure have gone down. The doctor has recently increased my dosage to see if that helps, but waiting to see."
"I take 30mg daily of Somavert and have suffered from a number of side effects. I feel lifeless and have no strength and my IGF-1 levels are still high. This is a very expensive medication that has had little effect on me."
