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totally confused about Asacol HD's relation to Asacol

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 7/10/2013 12:03 AM (GMT 0)
OK folks,

After reading some skeptical responses about Delzicol on this site, I decided I'd just go what seemed the more straightforward route of switching from Asacol to Asacol HD. Since one is 400 mg and the other 800 mg, I thought, I'll just take half as many. Now I am totally confused.

My doctor's nurse reports that in his view, one Asacol is equivalent to something like 3/8 of an Asacol HD, not 1/2. So if you're taking 12 Asacol, you'd take not 6 but 4 Asacol HD. This logic makes me nervous-- especially when someone else awhile ago on this side reported the opposite: that Asacol HD works about as well as 3/4 of an Asacol! I.e., you'd have to take MORE than twice as many of the 800 mgs to get the same effect.

I am so freaked out by all this that I am seriously tempted either to go the Delzicol route or buy generic Asacol from Canada-- IF my dr. will deign to call in the prescription!

Any words of wisdom?
Posted 7/10/2013 1:16 AM (GMT 0)
I understood differently. I was told that the Asacol is chemically identical to the Asacol HD, so one pill of Asacol would be exactly half as potent. In fact, the pharmacy gave me Asacol once by mistake and they told me to just double the number of pills and take it as an HD Rx.

If one Asacol is .375 of an Asacol HD, you'd have to take LESS Asacol HD than if it were proportionally double strength of a regular Asacol. If one Asacol is 3/8 of an HD and you are taking 12 Asacol, you would need 12*(3/8)=36/8=4.5 of the HDs to equal 12 regular. This would be 25% less than you would logically think of taking, six HDs for 12 regular.

Edit: I see what you said now...someone else posted vice-versa what you heard, I thought you were contradicting yourself...oops.

Regardless, I would think you need six for 12.
Posted 7/10/2013 6:45 PM (GMT 0)
I would try the ASacol HD before you cross it off your list.

Start with the 6 and increase if you need to....

Are you also on rectal meds?

I'd steer clear of the Delzicol since it seems to be a total scam...

q
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