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Anyone switch from Asacol to Asacol HD?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/8/2010 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
Has anyone switched from Asacol to Asacol HD? If so, what has been your experience? Any change in symptoms? My GI's nurse told me it's the exact same medicine so nothing should change but thought I'd ask all of you. Thanks. :)
Posted 12/8/2010 1:53 AM (GMT 0)
I have been on the 800mg pills for awhile now. Don't seem to be doing any harm... although, is it just a coincidence that I suffered my first major series of flares this year after being on the 800's for six months or so??
Posted 12/8/2010 3:17 AM (GMT 0)
They say generic Colazal is the same as brandname, but I got sick and then flared while trying it for a while. Therefore, I'm inclined to believe that the varying inert ingredients in these oral 5-ASAs can affect us patients differently. That being said, I wonder if Asacol HD costs less than original Asacol-- assuming that one takes fewer pills daily when using it. My gastro thought to try me on Apriso for that reason (fewer pills daily than required with Colazal), but I started to malfunction right away on it! So was your gastro's nurse thinking the HD might help your budget ... ? / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 12/8/2010 7:51 AM (GMT 0)

baconeggsyum said...
I have been on the 800mg pills for awhile now. Don't seem to be doing any harm... although, is it just a coincidence that I suffered my first major series of flares this year after being on the 800's for six months or so??

 

 

 

Would you not say it could be because you're now off imuran/pred and not on rectal meds?

q

 

Posted 12/8/2010 2:15 PM (GMT 0)
OldHat - Yes. My doctor's office mentioned it because there is a coupon for it that I could get $140 off the full price. I'm wondering if HD is more expensive than regular Asacol though. I have to call the company and find out.

Thanks guys.
Posted 12/8/2010 6:59 PM (GMT 0)
I called the Asacol HD customer service line and they told me I could get a patient assistance card so the meds would only cost me $50/month! My regular Asacol that I'm on now would cost me $600+ without insurance so I guess I'm willing to switch to HD if it's going to be that much cheaper. If I made $2,000 less I could qualify for Asacol's patient assistance program...

If anyone else has switched to HD, please let me know how it is going for you. The nurse assures me that it's the exact same medication and shouldn't affect me differently.
Posted 12/8/2010 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
I switched from regular Asacol to Apriso without a hitch. I know it's not quite the same as going from Asacol to Asacol HD, but it's similar. They're both mesalamine-based, with the major difference being how they break down in the system and the dosing scheme. My GI said he'd write me a script for whichever of the oral mesalamine drugs I wanted...he knew I wanted to go on a once-daily one (for convenience and so I wouldn't have to worry so much about forgetting doses), and basically though they were all the same.
Posted 12/8/2010 10:37 PM (GMT 0)
I started on HD and have never taken regular asacol. The coating is slightly different chemically. I bet they just did it to get a new patent. I saw the $50 deal thing but my doctor didn't have any of the coupons so I tried colazal instead. I highly doubt that if asacol works for you that HD won't. Asacol will be going generic soon and they are trying to get people on HD.

The $50 thing is a very good deal. I works even if you have insurance and limits your copay to $50
Posted 12/8/2010 11:19 PM (GMT 0)
Quincy.. I had issues before I went on Imuran and Pred and when I had enough of the darn side effects I quite Imuran and Pred and am doing fine again. Had never been on Pred or Imuran in 20 years before this year, just Asacol 400mg x 6, Doc upped me to 800x6 after my last scope -- even though it wasn't really indicated I have discovered and about 6 months later my insides went crazy. Had 3 cycles of Pred, with Imuran being added to the last cycle but the massive puking on it was way to much to put up with so I uit both of them. That was just before Oct 31st.
Posted 12/9/2010 4:54 AM (GMT 0)
When is Asacol supposed to go generic?

Thanks for all the responses.
Posted 12/16/2010 2:48 AM (GMT 0)
Anyone else have experience with this?

My doc. sent me a new prescription for the HD and I got my $50 savings card from the manufacturer! Quite an awesome deal for a med that would normally cost $600-700 per month for me. Unfortunately, it stops April 1 but I should have insurance by then anyway.
Posted 12/16/2010 1:37 PM (GMT 0)
Sara14, I've read it is supposed to go generic in 2012 or 2013. Although I've also read in another place it was supposed to already be generic and it's been pushed out on more than one occasion.
Posted 4/9/2011 7:14 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah I heard it goes generic in year and half
or so. But with savings card it takes $50 off your copayment now so it's free for
me! Best working mesalamine I've ever had. Also once in remission asacol
came out with study that showed you can take it once a day and stay in remission.

Also I looked at formulary for asacol and asacolHD from their PI's and both are same. So it's the same drug just a higher dose of mesalamine in pill for HD so less pills!!! and cheaper!!! Win win!
Posted 10/26/2011 12:20 AM (GMT 0)
I just switched last week and I have had my first flare up in years. I am calling tomorrow to switch back.
Posted 10/26/2011 8:11 AM (GMT 0)
I switched to Asacol HD from standard Asacol. I hardly noticed a difference. The minor difference that I did notice was that I saw less of the pill coatings in the toilet, ie. going through me. That could be because the pill coatings on the HD dissolve better for me or that going from 12 pills to 6 pills a day there are just less pill coatings to deal with.
Posted 10/29/2011 8:38 AM (GMT 0)
One can get generic Asacol from Canada now.

I think I paid about $155 for 500 pills--400 mg.

www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=10&m=1940298&g=1977421#m1977421
Posted 10/29/2011 1:30 PM (GMT 0)
I never did end up switching to HD. I'm still on regular Asacol.
Posted 9/15/2013 5:23 AM (GMT 0)
I have been successful for many years with 1200 mg Asacol twice a day, about to make the change to Asacol HD and will let you know how it goes! Can you believe it is about $950 a month without insurance?! I would not change but I can't actually get the old formulation locally!
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