Welchol

[DebE13]

I think I may top the list for the person who has been the most medicated without an ounce of success. Viberzi was not a good thing for me at all so now we are on to the last item on my GI's list- Welchol. He sounded skeptical since I've tried cholystyramine several times and colestipol. He said a very small percentage of people who did not respond to those bile acid binders had luck with welchol so we might as well try.

I am torn. I have new insurance now and with a high deductible plan. I will have to pay full price for meds until my deductible is met. I'm not sure it's worth the $251 investment. I can't remember if it's once or twice a day but then I may run into drug interactions with my thyroid meds. It says to take it four hours apart before or after take Armour (at 7AM and 1PM) but the thought of decreased absorption when I am not convinced I am at my optimal dose makes me cringe. My PCP has already told me he will not increase it. With my TSH at .011 I am wondering if that could possibly play a role in why nothing works.

After feeling pretty crappy since July I vowed that this year I was done trying to find the magic medications and just go back to my regular routine and pay off the eye popping bills I have accumulated for diagnostics. After the welchol, my GI's bag of tricks is empty. I thought about going to another facility to get a second set of eyes on my situation but I don't think that would be of much help either. All the GI's are going to follow the same protocol.

[TXBrenda]

Does your doctor have some samples of the medication? Sometimes my doctor will offer them, but sometimes I have to ask for them.

[DebE13]

Good thinking. That may be worth a call

[Jumpindogs]

There is a discount card available for Welchol. Here is the link https://welchol.com/savings-and-support

I take one Welchol tablet twice a day...at 10 am and right before bed at around 9 pm. I take my supplements twice a day...with breakfast at around 4:30 am and at 4:30 pm. I set a timer on my phone to remember to take them at 4:30 pm otherwise I continually fail. This gives me more than the suggested four hour separation. My GI doc said that taking Welchol right before bed is a good idea because the bile salts build up during sleep since we are not eating and using them up. He also said that's one reason why those with BAD often have lots of D in the morning.

I hope the Welchol works for you.

I think I may top the list for the person who has been the most medicated without an ounce of success. Viberzi was not a good thing for me at all so now we are on to the last item on my GI's list- Welchol. He sounded skeptical since I've tried cholystyramine several times and colestipol. He said a very small percentage of people who did not respond to those bile acid binders had luck with welchol so we might as well try.

I am torn. I have new insurance now and with a high deductible plan. I will have to pay full price for meds until my deductible is met. I'm not sure it's worth the $251 investment. I can't remember if it's once or twice a day but then I may run into drug interactions with my thyroid meds. It says to take it four hours apart before or after take Armour (at 7AM and 1PM) but the thought of decreased absorption when I am not convinced I am at my optimal dose makes me cringe. My PCP has already told me he will not increase it. With my TSH at .011 I am wondering if that could possibly play a role in why nothing works.

After feeling pretty crappy since July I vowed that this year I was done trying to find the magic medications and just go back to my regular routine and pay off the eye popping bills I have accumulated for diagnostics. After the welchol, my GI's bag of tricks is empty. I thought about going to another facility to get a second set of eyes on my situation but I don't think that would be of much help either. All the GI's are going to follow the same protocol.

[DebE13]

I am happy to hear that it is working for you! A tad bit jealous too :)

I just filled the prescription for 15 pills and paid around $50. I stopped taking it after six pills. It could be a fluke but I woke up with horrible bloating and pains in my guts that were like nothing I’ve experienced. It was difficult to even bend the pain was so uncomfortable. All of the bile acid binder meds have always caused a stomach ache but I wanted to appease my GI because I know I’m screwed if I don’t follow his recommendations.

Still waiting to hear what the next step is, if any. I’m ready to give up and take a break. The nurse was asking about my thyroid after I brought it up but my suppressed TSH due to the cancer is not anything that will be changed. I am not inclined to have labs done because they are always within range.

My biggest thought is my two weekish experience with completely normal stools during my lymes treatment this summer. I didn’t eat anything different or take my meds differently and I just had Norman’s everyday. The only explanation that seems to make sense is my own body being distracted by a real threat. Once the threat was under construction control, it reverted back to attacking itself.

[Jumpindogs]

Smart of you to fill for only 15 pills. I paid $24 for 180 pills with the discount card...a substantial difference, hey?

I am getting some gas and bloating...typical side effects. I was gratefully Norman at first but had some D this morning so we'll see how it goes. How many pills a day were you taking? I wonder if reducing that number would help? My GI doc will take me down from one pill twice a day to one pill at night if the side effects are too troublesome. The dose for lowering cholesterol and blood sugar (label use) is six pills a day. I hope your GI doc didn't have you that high.

I am happy to hear that it is working for you! A tad bit jealous too :)

I just filled the prescription for 15 pills and paid around $50. I stopped taking it after six pills. It could be a fluke but I woke up with horrible bloating and pains in my guts that were like nothing I’ve experienced. It was difficult to even bend the pain was so uncomfortable. All of the bile acid binder meds have always caused a stomach ache but I wanted to appease my GI because I know I’m screwed if I don’t follow his recommendations.

Still waiting to hear what the next step is, if any. I’m ready to give up and take a break. The nurse was asking about my thyroid after I brought it up but my suppressed TSH due to the cancer is not anything that will be changed. I am not inclined to have labs done because they are always within range.

My biggest thought is my two weekish experience with completely normal stools during my lymes treatment this summer. I didn’t eat anything different or take my meds differently and I just had Norman’s everyday. The only explanation that seems to make sense is my own body being distracted by a real threat. Once the threat was under construction control, it reverted back to attacking itself.

[DebE13]

That is a huge difference. Do the discount cards work with regular health insurance?

My GI prescribed twice a day and once a day if I couldn't figure out how to take it without interfering with my thyroid medication that I also take twice a day. It does get to be a pain trying to coordinate taking them- eat with one, don't eat with another, wait four hours between the two. The pharmacist said two hours but that made me nervous. Of course, if it worked I would probably be singing a different tune.

I'm not taking it anymore and now my GI wants to do a pill endoscopy to rule out Crohns. I said I'm not sure about incurring any more debt since I'm currently paying off all the diagnostics we have been doing over the past year. All the tests say I am normal, except for the MC. Go figure.