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Switching between generic versions of Balsalazide (Colazal)?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 7/19/2017 7:27 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

I see there are some threads on the topic of brand vs. generic Balsalazide, but I am wondering if anyone has experience switching between generic versions?

I have been taking an orange pill generic version for years. My pharmacy called to let me know they had to place a special order and so my prescription would be a few days late. When I went to pick it up I was surprised to see a white pill with a totally different code.

I've confirmed it is also Balsalazide but by a different manufacturer and different inactive ingredients.

Has anyone had issues switching between generics? I know theoretically it should be a non-issue, but as everyone here knows all too well, we are not theoretical cases. I am in remission and hesitant to do ANYTHING to rock the boat.

Thoughts? Has anyone asked the pharmacist for specific generic?

Thanks!
Posted 7/19/2017 7:46 PM (GMT 0)
Update: my CVS said it's a permanent change for all pharmacies in my area and that I should have been informed on the bottle and at checkout. They at least apologized for not, and confirmed I have the right medication, but said I'd be hard pressed to find the other generic version in my area. Sigh!
Posted 7/19/2017 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
All you can do is try and see. It's a mixed bag of results, for some there's no difference and others do notice a difference and prefer the brandnamed Colazal over the generic.
Posted 7/19/2017 9:41 PM (GMT 0)
Short answer: Yes I have had my generic Balsalazide switched between diff. mfrs. couple years back. I know originally it was Roxanne product and later a diff. mfr and I had no issues at all between 2 generics.

Longer answer: At one point I switched to Colazal (ordered from Canada) because my generic doubled in price and Colazal was not gut-friendly for me. Luckily the generic lowered back to "high cost" (down from "way too high cost") and I stopped Colazal.

Last month I noticed my pills are different but I also switched pharmacies because Walgreens kept raising the price and when I checked with my insurer they showed all prices for local and mail-order pharms and switching saved me $60/month.
Posted 7/19/2017 10:51 PM (GMT 0)
In the past there were several complaints on the Forum about Roxene generic, which was orange at that time, I think. One member even posted that when she opened the home delivery package, some capsules fell out & stained her sink counter! In any case, I hope you continue in remission on Entyvio-- that's great news after all you went through over time with different regimens-- very best wishes!!!!! / Old Hat (36 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 7/20/2017 3:12 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you, all! This is helpful. I did get in touch with my GI to get her experience and she said yes, the switch in generics can cause issues occasionally so we'll just have to wait and see, as iPoop noted. I will report back!

Old Hat -- ha, yes the orange Roxene ones are the ones I've been taking. I do recall they used to muck up my pill cases but actually haven't noticed that for quite a while. The new one is by Apotex and actually has LESS inactive ingredients so theoretically maybe it'll be even better, if the core ingredient is consistent.

And thank you re: Entyvio! If anyone comes across this looking for more Entyvio info, search for the "Starting Entyvio" thread. A few of us have documented our experience there.
Posted 7/20/2017 4:27 AM (GMT 0)
Just wanted to say hi to a felloe entyvio user. So happy to see how long you've been in remission so long on it. Id say I'm 75% there after 4 infusions!
Posted 7/23/2017 3:27 AM (GMT 0)
I don't have any problems with the generic form of Colazal from different manufacturers. They tend to work ok for me.
Posted 7/24/2017 5:56 PM (GMT 0)
I've had issues with different brands of generic Colazal. Used to take the brand name, but as of July this year my insurance stopped covering it completely (wouldn't even go against my deductible or out of pocket max any longer). I've tried the orange ones before that leave the powdery residue everywhere, and I got a lot of gas and bloating with those. Right now I'm using the generic from Apotex and it seems to be working well. No residue either. Seem similar to the brand name ones.

Insurance is a pain, I'm sick of the whole game of dealing with them. They are getting MUCH worse lately - today I was told they will only cover 4 migraine pills a month for me now (down from 9). It's ridiculous how they make these decisions on what to cover. It's like they just pull medication options out of a hat and remove them from the list.
Posted 9/25/2017 4:18 PM (GMT 0)
Just an update!

Interesting that you didn't have issues with Apotex, MNBeachgal. That's what I was switched to and I HATE it. It's a white pill but turns orange and gets all powdery and stains everything, which leaves me concerned about the efficacy. I've finally had it and asked CVS to special order me the previous manufacturer, so we'll see if that goes through. I haven't had any major issues with the switch, but just concerned about long-term and how well the drug is really made. Sigh.
Posted 10/2/2017 4:45 PM (GMT 0)
Sigh. So now I've switched back to the orange pills I've been having very loose stools and running to bathroom multiple times a day! No clue what has caused it, but it does align with trying new (old) pills...maybe I'll go back to the Apotex (white) pills and see...

I've also noticed my pee/stool has more of an orange tint, but guessing that's because things are also moving so quickly.
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