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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 2/22/2016 2:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hi.. I have been on Lialda, and on Prednisone.. Seems to help with my UC symptoms.. Going 40 times a day with blood and stools. With insurance my Lialda is costing me $485.00 per month which is outrageous and continuing on it would be a financial problem. My Dr. said we could switch you to generic Colazal.. $72.00.. Huge difference in price I would say.. Has anyone been in Colazal... Did it help?
Thanks...
Posted 2/22/2016 2:45 PM (GMT 0)
Where is your UC located? generic Colazal is called Balsalazide in the US and targets left-sided UC in general.
I've taken Balsalazide for many years and yes it helps me but nothing dramatic. Mesalamine enemas help much more with blood than pills do.

The price for Balsalazide in US was jacked much higher last year when a Canadian company bought the rights to it. I'd like to find Balsalazide for $72, what country are you in?

Another idea would be to look into patient assistance program for Lialda, I think info about this is in the topmost post on this forum. It's a "sticky" meaning it's always there to read.
Posted 2/22/2016 2:53 PM (GMT 0)
Hi.. I live in the U.S. I have left sided UC. I have trouble retaining enemas...I looked into the patient assistance program.. If your household earns $47,000 or more you are not qualified for any monetary assistance...
Posted 2/22/2016 3:22 PM (GMT 0)
My symptoms got worse on generic colazal.

Are you saying you are currently going 40x/day? If so, it really sounds like you need much stronger meds!
Posted 2/22/2016 3:41 PM (GMT 0)
They have copay assistance for Lialda: /www.activatepharmacycard.com/newpage2/Landing.aspx

Apriso is similar to Lialda and their copay card is GREAT! www.aprisorx.com/apriso/savings-card I always got my scripts for $10 with Apriso. Unfortunately mesalamine stopped working for me after about a year.

I hope colazal works well for you. Many people here have great luck with it, it's worth a try for sure. I do agree with CC in some respect though, 40x a day probably warrants a GI visit, especially if you're on a high dose of pred and it's not improving. You may have c diff or a pathogen.
Posted 2/22/2016 4:18 PM (GMT 0)
Sulfasalazine is also generic, and cheaper than colazal
Posted 2/22/2016 5:00 PM (GMT 0)
Since I was on Lialda and am on Prednisone.. I am symptom free. That's why I was hesitant to try Generic Colazal.. But the expense of Lialda is prohibitive . Pentasa, Asacol, are in the 600.00/ month range.
In order to apply for any patient assistance for any of these drugs the annual household income can not be greater than 47,000.
Posted 2/22/2016 5:38 PM (GMT 0)
The link I posted is copay assistance. There is no income qualification. I make more than that and i've always done it. They don't even ask about income.
Posted 2/23/2016 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
I doubt that generic Colazal will help unless your left colon is the problem area. Many forum members have reported problems with the generic made by Roxane Labs; if you do decide to test a generic, try to get the one made by Mylan, which they found better. / Old Hat (35 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 2/23/2016 12:20 AM (GMT 0)
I've been on generic Balsalazide for many years with good results. I first was on Azulfidine and then Asacol before being switched. I get it mail order through the pharmacy plan through my husband's insurance for $16 for a 90 day supply . It's just sometimes a person needs a little extra help with something extra like the enemas. I am able to keep the Mesalamine in overnight and have just started using them again as of about 3 days ago for a inflammation problem the doctor thinks is related to the C-Diff I had back in January. However, this morning I think I emptied out all 3 nights worth of enema in one swoop, ha ha. Hang in there. I've dealt with this UC for 30 years now.
Posted 2/23/2016 9:15 PM (GMT 0)
I used the generic colozal and my skin turned a funny color. Nothing anyone but me would notice but it was definitely there. I switched to Lialda because I could take Lialda 2 pills 2X a day vs. 3 pills 3X a day with the generic colozal. Are you on the max dose Lialda? I haven't seen anything to show that max dose was any more effective at maintaining remission than the minimum dose...verify that yourself, obviously. Also, if you can do mail order it is often cheaper. Good luck to you.
Posted 2/24/2016 2:48 AM (GMT 0)
I was on Colazal for 6 years and honestly, I felt it didn't do much for me. We have good insurance but if it's cheaper for you, then give it a shot. I know it's helped a lot people on here. I switched from Asacol to Colazal and the main side effect I had was that it affected my brain a bit - made me feel dreamy for about 2 weeks. But yes, I've heard that mail order is cheaper, so look into that.
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