Donnatal/belladona (Page 3)

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I've been taking Donnatal and/or Belladona for over 10 years to treat IBS. When it was time for a refill, I was told both the brand name and the generic forms have been taken off the market. I am lost with these meds, that virtually eliminated the discomforts of IBS.

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41

I agree, but you gotta think about the extreme shortage of the chemicals and manufacturing of barbiturates. the prison system is running extremely low on it for lethal injection. so it kinda makes sense...I just picked up 210 Donnatal name brand a hour ago. I pay $35 at walmart for 120 and my mom pays $15 at Walgreen's for 90.

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42

Not sure how you were able to pay such cheap prices, but my insurance company sent me a letter a few months back telling me they made a mistake, and instead of it being a tier 3 drug ($60 copay), it should not have been covered because it is not FDA approved. After shopping around, the cheapest I could find was $4.32 per tablet. This is for a medication that has been around for over 40 years (donnatal.com). At 3x daily, that puts daily therapy at $13.00. All I can say is wow. I would walk away save for one small detail. The product works.

Here is what appears to be the real scoop on what is happening with Donnatal:

REVIVE PHARMACEUTICALS (A division of PBM Pharmaceuticals) purchased all rights to Donnatal. This allowed them to corner the market, and jack up the prices. REVIVE PHARMACEUTICALS then put in place a co-pay assistance program.

A marketing letter sent to GI doctors explaining REVIVES compassionate (sarcasm inserted here) position stated "Through market research, Revive Pharmaceuticals discovered that compliance with your patient's Donnatal prescription is enhanced by a co-pay assistance program that Revive has in place at 99% of US pharmacies".

The letter goes on to explain different percentages of people continue with their Donnatal therapy based upon various co-pay ranges or situations. Theoretically (from what I can tell from this marketing letter) you are automatically enrolled in this "co-pay' system just by virtue of taking your prescription of Donnatal to the pharmacy? I was never offered any co-pay enrollment through the 5 different pharmacies I checked pricing.

There is a statement that "Automatic adjudication means your patients do not need to present the co-pay card to receive the co-pay assistance, as it is administered electronically in pharmacies through programs managed by Relay or Emdeon."

"... using the Donnatal co-pay card ensures your patients won't let the co-pay get in the way of their feeling better".

Wow. I feel better already just knowing that Revive Pharmaceuticals is looking out for my best interest by increasing the price, then subsidizing through this amazing co-pay system...all to ensure that I continue to take my medication because it is important for me to do so to help me lead a better, enriched, and more productive life.

OK, after further digging I find the Donnatal Patient Assistance Program section on their website, and it's 3 "simple" steps. All you have to do is fill out the enrollment application form (in the packet), the HIPAA form (in the packet), provide your most recent Federal Income Tax Return IRS Form 1040, and recent paycheck stubs showing your income for the past 30 days. The Customer Service Manager will collect my information and contact my physician to verify the details. Then, once the details have been verified, they will ship my medication directly to my doctor's office. It's that easy.

Boy, that does sound easy!!! Let's get that started right now. Click on the "Download the forms," button, and voila...

"Download does not exist!"

I'm sorry, but the whole situation stinks like last week's fish.

Just an FYI...if it hasn't yet, in time, this medication will likely get rejected by your Insurance Company because it is not "FDA Approved" just as my Insurance Company did to me.

Feel free to contact REVIVE PHARMACEUTICALS and let them know just how much you appreciate them cornering the market on Donnatal, increasing the price, then putting in a new layer of bureaucratic insurance gobbledygook just to ensure you continue your Donnatal therapy (because obviously the fact that it makes you feel better isn't enough incentive for you to continue taking your medicine). Contact information would be listed below but apparently it is against the rules for me to post contact information.

FOLLOW THE MONEY!

***UPDATE***
Do a search on "Revive Pharmaceuticals purchase donnatal"

So it appears that REVIVE pumped up the price, and value of Donnatal, so they could sell it to Concordia Healthcare Corp. for a boatload of cash and stock.

Oh how you gotta love big PHARMA. We will see where things go from here.

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43

Donnatal is available in an immediate release tablet as well as an elixir.

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44

What is this? Cafepharma????;)

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45

Ok, so I have IBS-D & have taken Donnatal for 40 years. I'm now on a Medicare drug program and NONE of their plans cover Donnatal. I've been getting 60 Donnatal per month for $10. Now if I pay for it myself, it's over $500 for 60 tabs!!!! So needless to say, now I'm running out of the medication with no options. Lost my Rx plan due to husband's retirement. Pharmaceutical companies have NO hearts! I thought it was weird when my pharmacy changed FROM generic to name brand. Please, if anyone can help, please let people on here know. I've taken Bentyl & it makes me feel more brain-dead than usual.

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46

I found this on the manufacturer's site for Donnatal:

donnatal.com/what-is-ibs/patient-assistance-program.

Hope it might help some of you!!!

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47

Just paid $238 for 30 of them last night! Makes me sicker than I already am. :(

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48

Nothing else has worked in 30.

Why can't it's very use with no problems qualify as testing!

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49

Donnatal is still available at a very high cost. Used to be real cheap too.

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50

Try to find you a discount card online. They can and should save you a lot more money. I filled a script of #30 tablets at Kroger and it was just over $100, which is still ridiculous.

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51

Try to find you a discount card online. They can and should save you a lot more money. I filled a script of #30 tablets at Kroger and it was just over $100, which is still ridiculous. Also, there is a prescription assistance program for some people without insurance. Just do a search for Donnatal Patient Assistance Program.

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52

I have Crohn's Disease and have used Donnatal for the last 40 years and suddenly my Pharmacist informed me that the price went from $185.38 for 60 pills to $317 and change. She is at a loss as to why. What's going on here? I've had 2 G.I. resections and form what are called Crohns masses which also have been removed. When the spasms are at their worst, Donnatal is one of the drugs that has always worked the quickest and with no side effects. What can we do about this act of indifference?

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53

The company that owned Donnatal sold it and before they sold it, they dramatically increased the price to show inflated sales figures. It boils down to greed.

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54

After having to discontinue her use of Donnatal due to its exorbitant price increase my mother was able to get a 30 count prescription filled today at CVS for $2.19. Back in October she got a price quote of over $200 and another one over $2,000. Needless to say she is VERY pleased.

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55

What kind of insurance does your mother have? Due to my limited income, I was able to get my prescription free from the pharmaceutical company through a patient assistance program.

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56

I just tried to renew my Donnatol prescription and ran into the same problem as you have. Donnatol has been reformulated. Express Scripts wants $454.92 for 50 tablets. I just checked a Canadian pharmacy and they don't/can't get Donnatol. From what I read, thanks to the US government, the manufacturer has been forced to pull the product off the market.

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57

What Number, please?

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58

I have not been told this by my pharmacist and I take it regularly, as well. I was told, however, to try a "generic" to save money, and they told me the generic was Hyacosamine. I have read on line that the generic is ME-Pb-HYOS. Have you heard of this as generic? Thank you.

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59

You can still get brand name donnatal. I just had my prescription filled at CVS PHARMACY. I also have been on donnatal for over 10 years for IBS.

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60

Was the price at CVS exorbitant? I get mine at Giant, (it just went up to $297.00 for #30!!). I will try CVS, then. I know it depends on the individual insurance, but, the price that I quoted above is with insurance. I am curious, what other meds have you used to help with your IBS? Thank you.

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