Asacol alternates?

My husband was very suddenly laid off today which means that my insurance will be going away. Due to sudden decrease in income just the insurance cost of Asacol would be a lot, and I will definitely not be able to afford it as it is the most expensive of far too many medications I'm on just to keep me from being bedridden (other medical problem unrelated except that it created the need for me to survive on NSAIDS for chronic, severe pain for too many years, which then started the UC symptoms). My doctor has me taking 12 tablets of Asacol a day.

I recall that there was a newer Asacol-type drug on the US market which uses much less pills, but I can't recall the name right now. When I asked my GI to change me over to it he said no because he didn't have any experience with it. Is it less expensive? If the choice is none or that, he might opt to let me try it.

According to my current insurance company Asacol does not have a generic on the market, yet I hear people mention one every once in awhile. What's up with that?

Can anyone suggest any other options instead of Asacol?

I heard Lialda is more expensive.

I would recommend ordering generic Asacol from Canada. They have a generic up there and it's proabbly abotu 150 for 300 pills.

Hope this helps.

I asked the pharmacist how much my Lialda would be without insurance and she said $321 for a bottle of 60 pills. Just to give you an idea of the price.

You can contact the maker of Asacol and look into getting a year's supply for free. You can also look into Sulfasalazine if you're not allergic. I've been taking it for over a year now. Call around to all the pharmacies within a 50 mile radius and see who is the cheapest. The cheapest I found was $15/3 months at Kmart. The prices fluctuate however. Also many states offer insurance to those in need.

Thanks all. I was concerned about qualifying for aid due to the fact that he just got laid off. I figured there would be a waiting period for anything like that.

if I can get my doctor to prescribe Lialda right away, I should be able to at least squeeze in a 3 month supply before my insurance goes away. I've also since found a number of people mentioning a discount program for Lialda but am not sure what that entailed or who it was through exactly.

So the generic for Asacol is not available in the US at all? Do I just mail a prescription to a Canadian pharmacy? I'm unclear about how the laws work for prescriptions over international borders...

I'd be concerned about switching to a different type of med entirely because I tend to be very sensitive to medications. The prospect of a flare-up is especially terrifying right now. I'll see what my GI suggests, especially if it comes down to that or nothing, but he didn't seem to care for the alternatives that were out there a couple years ago. From what I understood, the Lialda is the same med as Asacol, just different delivery, so I figured it would be relatively safe to switch to.

Try www.lialda.com

burnabygirl said...
I live in Canada and I take Salofalk tablets (Asacol). Its full name is Salofalk 5-ASA 500 mg (DIN 02112787 AXC). Around CAD $0.5 for each tablet.
Hope this helps

Hi burnabygirl.... i want to ask if i can order online of Salofalk. Before i was using Generic Asacol that i bought online, i believe it came from India. It did not help me at all.. but when i switched to Salofalk, i got better. So i want to make it as my maintenace medicine but its quite expensive here. It cost about $1.30 here in the Philippines. I take three tablets a day so its really really expensive for me. So do you have any idea where can i buy it online so i can save money?

Thanks in advance...

If you go to the asacol Web site, they have a coupon you can print off for like 60 free tablets or something like that. It's not much, but if you needed something to get you through a week or so, it might help. You just print it off and bring it to your pharmacy. I am going to try that b/c my COBRA insurance has not kicked in yet and I don't really have the $600 to pay up front for them. Once it kicks in, I'll only have to pay my regular co-pay. You can also ask your GI's office if they have any samples to help you out for a while. Mine didn't have any, but some people here have had luck with that.

Like others have said, sulfasalazine is a cheaper option. I would think Lialda would be about the same price as Asacol, but it's worth checking into. Good luck. I know what a nightmare it can be losing your insurance.