Generic Mesalamine vs Lialda

Interesting thread. They tried to pass off generic on me too but fortunately I opened the bag there...noticed it and told them no thanks. I have the savings card so as long as that works, I will stick with what I am doing. Please do keep us all posted if anyone tries the generic.
B

I agree, the generic enemas work for me!!
B

Good, no issues.

Anymore updates? My son just started it this past week, but is slowly switching over by taking 3 Lialda & 1 generic for a week, then going to do 2 & 2 for a while, then 1 Lialda and 3 generic, etc. until his supply of name brand runs out.

So far so good, but it's early!

The generic lialda seems to be hurting my remission as well. Starting to get more urgency and inflammation going on. I was down to 2 a day for the last year along with biweekly enemas and all was good. Switched about 4 weeks ago. Upping my dosage and hopefully will help. I called the pharmacy to get brand name and it looks like the perscription savings card is ending October 15th. Bummer

I have also been switched to the generic and before starting, I wanted to see how everyone else was doing. I still have a couple of weeks worth of Lialda. Been on it without issue since 2009.
My 90 day supply was only $30 co-pay and when I picked up my script from CVS it was only $15. I didn't realize I was switched until I got home, thought my doc only renewed for 45 days as I'm due to see her soon.

Just started a mild flare. Fun how this disease just keeps us guessing!

I will post with results if I have any problems with the generic.

My employer is trying to push everyone into HSA/HDHP plans and phasing out their PPO starting at the end of 2019. The big problem with this for me, of course, is buying Lialda out of pocket. Currently my PPO is charging me $40 and paying $1124. (I also found out I was switched to the generic without me noticing. Before three months ago I was paying $250 and insurance paid $1296.)

So, in anticipation of being pushed into an HSA plan, I started looking at these prices. Someone showed me this app called "GoodRX" where you can find the place with the cheapest prices. This app says that 180 pills of generic Lialda "Mesalamine DR" is $1100 at Costco (close to what I'm paying with my insurance company's mail order) and $463 at Walmart.

Can that be right? Is there that big of a difference in prices or is the drug at Walmart different?

Before I go down there and buy some, how can I be sure that any "generic Lialda" I am buying has the same delivery mechanism as brand name Lialda?

Is "Mesalamine DR" the official generic name for Lialda with the delivery mechanism of Lialda?

I Switched to the generic 2 months ago. Blood and mucus came back. My GI asked if anything had changed and i told him i was taking the generic lialda. He said to switch back. have gone back to name brand and symptoms disappeared. there is supposed to be an allowable 1% difference in formula. so i am willing to pay the extra $20 for the name brand.

I've been fine on Generic Lialda. Often switching between mesalamines is uneventful (and most pharmacists and doctors will say there's minimal difference), but some can have issues with it. There are no guarantees in life, you can certainly try it and switch back to the brandname if it becomes a necessity.

I think having an affordable medication is key as you're most likely to take it as recommended (and not take less of the brandnamed med and have adverse reactions as a consequence, say 3 pills a day instead of 4 or whatever).

There's several generics available that are mesalamine with delayed-release coatings. There's Mesalamine DR 800MG (generic Asacol HD) and Mesalamine DR 1200MG (generic Lialda).

Other generics that are a more complex molecule that is broken down to mesalamine and a byproduct by your gut bacteria. They're older medications but a lot more affordable than the above mentioned meds. The end result is the same, it's just not a MMX polymer that delivers the medication to the target location, rather gut bacteria cleave apart complex molecules to deliver mesalamine.
1.) Balsalazide disodium (generic of Colazal®)
2.) Olsalazine (generic of Dipentum®)
3.) Sulfasalazine

One way or another, there is an affordable means to take a UC medication that will help you maintain your remission. Talk with your doctor about what is affordable and I am sure he/she can prescribe something that is cost effective. For example, Sulfasalazine is less than $100 a month without any insurance.

Cheers!

I was on Lialda for over a year with no symptoms. Within 60 days of being on the generic Lialda, symptoms have started to return. I have been in a quazi flare for about 2 weeks. Went to my doctor and he instructed the pharmacy to order Lialda and for me to return back to taking.
I think it's absolutely crazy that the FDA would allow a generic drug to be sold without having the same effectiveness as the competitor. It's capitalism, I get it so I'll move in. However, now we have pharmacies automatically filling prescriptions for drugs that don't really treat a patient's problem because it's cheaper for them. Sorry, but that's not going to work for me.
We cannot take these lower quality meds and in turn have a lower quality of life.

I've been an Asacol user (with pretty good results) and Lialda user (with very good results) for the four or five years since my diagnosis. On Lialda, I was more or less in perfect remission.

Was surprised to find my prescription filled as a generic last month, but didn't think much of it.

A few weeks later, I'm now experiencing diarrhea and urgency for the first time in years. I'm not usually one to be suspicious of generics, but judging by my experience and others in this thread, I will be calling my doctor to request a Lialda Rx.

I've also noticed that the coloration comes off the generic lialda when my hands are damp and handle the tablets. I make sure my hands are dry 1st, now! Certainly, all of the other 5ASAs/mesalamines I've handled have a very hard coating that seems unaffected by damp hands. Typically these 5ASAs/mesalamines pills are PH activated, so if they are at a certain, predefined PH and sit there for a specific amount of time then the casing begins to dissolve. That usually happens pretty far down within the gut, beyond where you can taste or touch it lol!

I just refilled my generic Lialda and they switched me from Zydus to Shire brand generic Lialda. The stuff from Shire seems to have a harder coating that doesn't rub off when damp. The pill shape is the same as Lialda RX, more smooth and rounded. I interested to try it out because like some others here my switch to generic (Zydus) has just been OK. I cant find a whole lot of info on the Shire generic (Only a financial article about Zydus stock dropping because of competition in the Lialda generic market). But for those that have had some issues this might help, maybe....