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VSL 3

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 6/20/2014 2:02 PM (GMT 0)
My doctor wants me to try VSL 3 before I start on remicade. I have capital blue cross and it isn't covered. Any suggestions for those out there? Do they cover the DS? It doesn't say anything in the formulary about normal or double strength, but I see that United covers the DS.

Where do you get this? I need 3600 cfu so that's 8x the strength so $640/month (pharmacy priced it out around $80 for a 30 day supply).

Any literature to provide to Capital Blue Cross?

She also mentioned align but wanted me to go with the VSL first...suggestions?

PS. Fun fact - had a colonoscopy last week without sedation - it was actually pretty cool to see the whole thing done/how much of my colon was affected in real time!

Thanks so much... <3
Posted 6/20/2014 2:13 PM (GMT 0)
More and more insurance companies are not covering VSL. Not sure why it is so expensive. If I remember correctly, the total plan cost was $15,000 for a 3 month supply.

You might want to try the regular strength version. It's much more affordable and can be ordered from VSL directly.
Posted 6/20/2014 2:53 PM (GMT 0)
My son was on VSL3. our insurance only covered the VSL3DS (which is the "double strength") For some idiotic reason they would not cover the normal strength. you may want to have the pharmacy check to see if they cover the DS strength of this. My co-pay for it was only $30 a month.
Posted 6/20/2014 3:14 PM (GMT 0)
VSL3 is not a RX drug, it is a RX medical food. Most health insurance policies cover medical foods only for severe wasting conditions and metabolic disorders. Exception are the best group policies. Check the policy section for medical food. You will get nowhere if you have the typical policy that excludes most medical food. The DS was created because no insurance will cover a product sold OTC.

I made yogurt out of VSL3 to stretch it. I now eat homemade kefir and yogurt daily instead. Kefir has an especially high bacteria count. I got a bit of gurgling the first two days when I started VSL3. Kefir gurgled like crazy for 10 days. Never better after that. Homemade pickled vegetables also have a ton of probiotic bacteria if you have dairy problems. Personally I don't think there is anything special about VSL3 other than they are more careful about shipping and storage. All the strains in it are common in fermented foods.
Posted 6/20/2014 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
i agree with AZ in that you can get the same benefits from fermented foods. VSL is too expensive for me and I can make my kefir for about $4 a week. Sauerkraut is also pretty cheap.
Posted 6/20/2014 3:22 PM (GMT 0)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24280877

^ probably your best bet if you want to show your insurance company some proof. If I remember correctly this is a meta-analysis so it is fairly strong evidence.
Posted 6/20/2014 3:40 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the literature and suggestions, all!

Keep them coming! I want to go in with as strong of an argument as I can.
Posted 6/20/2014 7:49 PM (GMT 0)
I don't think you are going to talk your insurance company into covering it if they don't already.
Posted 6/20/2014 8:47 PM (GMT 0)
Costco sells VSL #3 at their pharmacy. If you are a member or know one, you can get a bottle of capsules for around $45. It isn't cheap, but I haven't found a less expensive source.

I agree with everyone who indicates VSL #3 isn't a prescription item. Discussions with my physicians quickly ruled out my using a low insurance co-pay to buy it.
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