I've been taking ursodiol for 8 years, since diagnoses in September 2016. All this time, I've been taking 500 mg, two tabs a day, generic brand called Actavis. My pharmacy (Cigna-Express Scripts) was able to supply me this generic brand every time. This year my insurance Medicare Plan D (prescription) plan went up so much that I may need to look for an alternative plan, likely with another company. However, based on my research, no other pharmacy participating in Part D plans guarantees supplying Actavis every time. This means that I may be receiving different generic brand of ursodiol every time, or several times a year, but not Actavis.
If you've been taking different generic brands of ursodiol over the years, did it make any difference to you, in terms of effectiveness or side-effects, going from one brand to another, instead of staying with one particular brand?
I'd appreciate your input.
Thank you!
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Hello my friend! I have used several different manufacturers and the one I have been getting lately is Strides. I get it at Costco and I don’t like it. I have more nausea from it than the others and I feel like my hair is coming out. So try to avoid that one. The other ones I have tried I didn’t seem to have notable issues with.
So nice to hear from you! Thanks for letting me know about your experience with Stride. Many ladies report itching as Urso side-effect. I am afraid of it most of all. My hair started thinning before I was diagnosed with PBC and went on Urso. But, right around the time, when the ALP started going up in 2009 (diagnosed in 2016).
Do you still use Strides, or you switched to another pharmacy and brands?
How is everything else with you? I'm feeling more and more weird. Even though I'm still only 70, feeling of being old (my husband is 2.5 years older than me), is getting stronger. I worry about my still single son, about the future. Life seems more and more surreal. Elections don't help. I can't believe that so many Americans want to change our beautiful country to communist-woke-open-borders hell.
I know my experience may differ as I’am in the UK, but I’ve taken many generic Urso. In the UK my pharmacy couldn’t guarantee which one I got either and sometimes I had two different ones in the same prescription. I never had any problem with them not working or changing blood results etc. So as long as you tolerate them , ism sure it will be fine. The actual urso is the same it’s only the fillers that may be different.
However, I quickly became aware one of them did give me some stomach issues, whenever I got given it. I was getting so frustrated I started giving them back and got a new prescription, doctors didn’t like it but still refused to put Ursofalk brand on the prescription, such a waste of NHS funding. So I changed back to a pharmacy that only stocked the brand Ursofalk and finally the problem was solved.
I take several meds that are generic - I would check with your dr. Maybe your new plan will pay for Urso instead of generic? Either way - your Dr should have the answer
I have been taking Actigall which is probably basically the same thing you have been taking. It took about 2 years to notice a difference. Had to add Ocaliva to the list after that two year mark. Alk phos seems to still stay in the 200-300 range but is better than the 1000’s that it started in. So I’m not sure if the actual offbrand name has anything to do with the way it works or not. I am also not sure though. This was probably not much help. Ask your doctor for sure if he or she thinks it will make a difference! Thanks for sharing!
I have used two different ones because I was told by the pharmacy that they were selected as the most inexpensive generics at the time. I did think that perhaps my hair fell out from the first one, but my doctor did not think it was from the ursodiol. The hair loss finally stopped other than the usual amount.
Other than that, I did not notice any other difference.
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