Have you checked goodrx.com? Looks like a tiny bitter cheaper at Costco than $450 - I have found different pharmacies to have wildly different rates
I do think you need a prescription discount card - also when is annual enrollment for health insurance at your husbands company?? You need to review the plans and go to their websites and check drug prices
He he hugs - SO overwhelming

OP here. After hours and hours on the phone, spontaneously crying to more customer service representatives than I'd like to admit and lots of TV for my two year old, I didn't make a whole lot of headway. I was finally able to get a manufacturers coupon for Canasa (this was the original medicine of choice from my GI). It turns out the "$60" enema would have actually cost me $370, so since it sounded horrible anyway and needed to be special ordered, I went with the Canasa suppositories for the bargain basement price of $450. Our insurance deductible is pretty high, but it looks like we may be on track to hit it

I've experienced a lot of emotions in the last couple of days and it was very comforting to read the encouraging words and the experiences of others on this thread, so, thank you very much for taking the time to respond. For now, I'll just take it one day at a time and try to focus on the things I'm grateful for. I already tucked my 2yr old into bed and now I'll kiss my precious baby, hand her off to my husband and go upstairs and figure out how the hell to put a suppository in my ass

Anonymous wrote:Hang in there, OP. IBD can be a difficult diagnose to make sense of, especially at first. Most people find a treatment that works for them and then life settles down into a new normal, so be kind to yourself as you work through this time. It isn't your fault that you've been diagnosed with a chronic illness, so please don't feel bad! There's a BabyCenter board for Crohn's Disease/Ulcerative Colitis Mommies at http://community.babycenter.com/groups/a19275 that you might find helpful and supportive.

Hugs!

PP here-should be diagnosis.

Hang in there, OP. IBD can be a difficult diagnose to make sense of, especially at first. Most people find a treatment that works for them and then life settles down into a new normal, so be kind to yourself as you work through this time. It isn't your fault that you've been diagnosed with a chronic illness, so please don't feel bad! There's a BabyCenter board for Crohn's Disease/Ulcerative Colitis Mommies at http://community.babycenter.com/groups/a19275 that you might find helpful and supportive.

Hugs!

Agree with PPs about prescription cards - my GI always seems to have some. If you have insurance that just doesn't cover the meds, consider appealing that coverage - sometimes if you can show that using the meds is cheaper than what happens if you don't, they will cut you a break, you just have to jump through some hoops. Also OP, I have UC like yours and once I get a flare under control I am good with Canasa every other day, so that should cut the costs. And FWIW, I do better with the rectal than oral mesalamine. I would prefer not to take a suppository every other night, but with the disease so far at the end of my system, the suppository is much more direct than waiting for a pill to get all the way down there. Good luck!

Thank you for sharing that information!

^^^ PP again. When I thought of an enema, I thought it was going to be a complex process like with a bag and everything. I was surprised when I opened the box and found that the enema is actually a small squeeze bottle. That instantly made me feel better about having to do it. No crazy tubing or anything like that.

OP, I just had a colonoscopy last week due to UC symptoms and I'm waiting for the biopsies to come back. In the meantime the Dr. prescribed the Rowasa enema. She told me about it as I was coming out of anesthesia so it didn't seem like such a big deal. Then I looked it up and saw that I had to lay on my side for 30 minutes after the enema was complete! I don't have time for that! I lost it. I called back and told them that the treatment was worse than the symptoms and I would rather do anything but the enemas. They told me they thought this would be the best course of treatment for me to avoid a systemic med.

My husband was the one who convinced me to just try it. I did and it was much less of a big deal than I had anticipated. No, the thought of putting medicine in my rectum still doesn't appeal to me, but it wasn't as terrible as I had thought it would be. I do it in the bathroom and lay an old towel on the floor. I bring in my iPad and watch a show on Netflix while I'm administering it and laying on my side. I do it right before bed. It's actually not a bad way to relax before bed (if I don't think too hard about what I'm actually doing ). DH knows that any kid related stuff that comes up is his responsibility during that time, so it's actual quiet time for me which is rare.

I'm sorry about the cost issues. I would try to look up some kind of discount program as PPs have suggested. I've heard good things about Blink Health, but many UC meds are patented which makes it tougher to find discounts.

Good luck!

My DD is on a super expensive med for crohn's (800+) but because we talked to pharmacy about a discount, we pay only $5. This is something you should be talking about with the drug company/pharmacy/insurance.

Does your insurance policy have an out of pocket maximum and, if so does medication count toward the OOP max? The medication may not be as expensive as you are thinking when you look at the bigger picture.

I saw a talk by a gastroenterologist who has had great results with putting her patients on a program which includes dietary changes. Maybe you could look into making some changes alongside your medicines?

https://www.gutbiomeinstitute.com is her website but she has a great talk thats on YouTube, which explains her findings/research etc but is also fun to watch. Her name is Robyn Chutkan.

OP: Asacol HD tablets are now available as a generic in the U.S.: mesalamine 800 mg from Zydus Pharmaceuticals. Your doctor and insurer should have known this, and it should be substantially cheaper for you.

https://www.drugs.com/availability/generic-asacol-hd.html

Mesalamine has been a lifesaver for me. I've had pan-UC (throughout the entire large intestine) for 20 years, through 2 kids, and am otherwise quite healthy and live a completely normal life. Thanks to maintenance doses of mesalamine, I've had only a few relapses in two decades, and they've been awful, but there is good medication available. Not everyone is this lucky, but some are, and you may well be in that group, especially since your case doesn't involve the whole colon.

You didn't do anything to cause this. Pls try to get over that quickly so you can move on to disease management and taking care of yourself and your family. It's not easy at first, and is MUCH harder for you because you have a newborn and toddler, but you will get through, and this won't define you or your family.

My best advice to you, OP is this:
1. Try to deal with your stress the best way you can. Stress doesn't "cause" UC, BUT can certainly exacerbate flare ups.
2. Take the meds, and take them as soon and early as you can to deal with any flare ups. Some periods, you may need maintenance, but you may find long periods that you don't need any meds at all.
3. try to reframe your rectum and associated treatments as just another body part. You probably don't panic over eye drops. This is just inserting medication into the place that needs them. No more, no less. No one ENJOYS giving themselves an enema, but it's a means to health.
4. Consider getting in touch with resources like the Crohns and Colitis Foundation.

You have a manageable disease, nothing more and nothing less. It will be an effort, but you don't have to be limited by it. Your body hasn't failed you, and you haven't failed your family.

It takes time, OP, but getting through the first flare up is the hardest. Just be kind to yourself and do what your doctors advise. The earlier and milder a flare up is when you can treat it, the less impact this will have on your life.

Have you tried a prescription discount card? My Mom printed out a Wellrx card (her doc recommended it) and knocked $300 off her crazy expensive prescription. www.wellrx.com

I think you can also us the website Goodrx.com to print out medication coupons and see which pharmacy is selling that script for the least amount.

Hope this helps!

I was recently diagnosed with UC. For now, my inflammation is only in the rectum area but the dr. obviously doesn't want it to spread and my current symptoms are bearable but unpleasant. I was originally prescribed a suppository (Canasa) but it cost $570 for a two week supply with insurance, so the dr. then tried Rowasa enema ($485) and then Asacol HD ($565). In order to provide a more cost effective option, the dr. has now prescribed me another enema (don't know the name) that I haven't picked up from the pharmacy yet but was told should be about $60. At any rate, I am SO overwhelmed, I honestly can't stop crying. The idea of even giving myself an enema sends me into a legit panic and the thought of having to pay for some of these other drugs on a regular basis just doesn't seem feasible. Googling UC and looking at long term prognosis is not helping my state of mind.

If it matters, I'm a SAHM and I have a newborn and a toddler. My husband makes a salary enough for us to live comfortably but I fear we'll go bankrupt going down this path. I know there are so many things that could be worse than my current situation and I'm trying my very best to be grateful that UC is all the colonoscopy detected, but I just feel so overwhelmed, frustrated by my body and guilty that I've inadvertently brought this stress upon our family. Any advice, btdt, tips on meds etc. would be sincerely appreciated.