Donnatal/belladona (Top voted first)

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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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13

Help... Generic Donnatal is the only thing that has helped me. I have had IBS-C for over 20 yrs. I live in pain on a DAILY basis. Unfortunately, the brand is too expensive. Has anyone found it in Canada or Mexico??? If I find it, I will post.

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1

I'm very sorry that you've run into this problem, it has to be awful to have that happen, when it's the only thing that works.

Learn more Donnatal details here.

What's been happening recently is due to the FDA crackdowns. There were some medications that remained available on the market, even though they'd never been tested and proven to be effective or safe and they've started to make the companies either do the necessary testing, or remove them from the market.

The sad part is, that in spite of years of use and helping people, many of them sell so little now that most manufacturers have been forced to pull them from the market, rather than pay for the testing, because it is so expensive.

Has there been anything else that's worked for you?

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3

I've been taking dicyclomine 10mg as a replacement for the
discontinued donnatal/belladona for a month now for IBS and happy to report the result is amazing. It took a couple
of weeks for the noticeable effect.

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11

Where is the belladonna still being made? I've been told by every pharmacy that it is no longer made in the generic form. Please tell me where?

I am able to get donnatal, but it is $$$

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106

It is no longer covered because it is on the FDA DESI list. It is in danger of being taken off the market permanently. I was able to get my rx through rxoutreach patient assistance for free. You can go check that out to see if you are eligible for their program. I was also told to email the FDA at [email protected] to tell them that this drug works for me and nothing else does and to please reconsider any decision to take it off the market based on the clinical trials showing it was ineffective in treating certain conditions. I suggested that maybe the conditions they were evaluating weren't the proper ones and did not accurately depict the drug for so many people. There's so many of us where it works wonders when nothing else helps.

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111

My doctor just prescribed it. Costco pharmacy has it

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6

dicyclomine is a drug that I had to quit. It has a side effect I call stupidity. You may notice that it works for IBS, but watch out for stupidity. Ask people around if you have become unpleasant to be around.

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12

I was just told at my CVS that my RX for Donnatol will now cost over $100 for 30 pills as the ( much less expensive ) generic form has been withdrawn from the market. The pharmacist had been given no reason for the drug's sudden withdrawal. Sadly, I left without my pills, and am very concerned to read of the side effects that some of you are having with alternative medications.
Has anyone tried getting it from Canada ? Or had success with other meds without suffering nasty side effects ?
It's helpful to know that I'm not alone in this predicament!

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14

Sorry, but my pharmacy says exactly the opposite. Donnatal is only available in the BRAND name version, which will cost approximately $230, or $170 with my insurance card. This puts it out of reach for me, financially. I've used the generic PRN for about 15 yes and it's been really life saving. I don't know what to do now for my IBS-D.

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16

made in Brand form but not generic form the Brand form is very costly...135 for 30 tabs...here on LI,
NY

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24

If you haven't yet, ask the pharmacy that is in the lobby at your local hospital(s). Mine is called Park West Compounding Pharmacy in West Hills, CA which caters to West Hills Hospital. Rite Aid down the street didn't have it, but the pharmacy did. I inquired and they said it is still on the market, just hard to find. Good luck.

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25

I just had the same thing happen. I'd taken donnatal prn since I was 22 years old- I'm now 58. I got to pharmacy to pick up my donnatal and I was given that "dicyclomine" instead. I'm afraid to use t. wth?- donnatal hadn't been tested?-how did it get on the market then? and all of us who got relief from it- aren't we "evidence" enough that the product works and with little bad side effects?- this new drug "dicyclomine" isn't "tried and true" like donnatal. It'll probably make people sick and get pulled off the market like lyrica and all the NEW drugs that have gone thru the fda approval- it's just stupid when a med works that that's not ever good enough

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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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72

Pharm companies are all about the big bucks. They now have no competition so they can charge what they like. I took donnetal for years. Now I have been switched to something else for the same reasons as people have previously stated. I have had little relief.

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73

Actually what happened according to my doctor.. was that the factory that made Donnatal was the factory that was shut down due to a mishap with the shape and size of their Digoxin pills. And because of that, Donnatal nor its generic form were available. Now that it is available again, the price has skyrocketed... and insurance companies don't want to cover it, they want people to take the less expensive alternatives for IBS like Bentyl or Levsin.

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80

Hello all. I too have been lost without my donnatol. Here's what i do, hope it helps you all. Get your doc to prescribe the 2 main meds in the donnatol drug separately. I take phenobarbital 16.2 mg and hyoscyamine0.125 mg. Pharmacist told me it was worth a try and has been a Godsend to me. I was literally in tears when my ins decided not to cover at all and i just can't afford it.

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95

I take Donnatal pills. Thank the Good Lord my insurance pays for it. ($2,700.00 for a months worth. I pay $50.00) I was reading through all the posts and a lot of people can't afford it. The more I read the more I felt guilty because I can get it and so many can't. So I went to the web site called Concordia (this is where my Rite Aid gets it). I told Concordia about the prices and I started out the call with a little chip on my shoulder. The woman assured me that they could help a lot with the price if only people would call them. I don't know if it is BS or not but it is worth a toll free call. You can call Concordia Pharmaceuticals Inc. at 1-877-370-1142. Good Luck everyone. I wish I could put all of you on my insurance because people don't realize how debilitating the pain is; not to mention how you have to be by a toilet at all times. I have had Colitis for 31 years. My heart goes out to you all!!!! If you have Blue Cross there is a form you have to fill out and maybe fib a little. (very little) but if you are willing to fight and your Dr. is too then you might have it made. God Bless.

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103

No its not just one time. They will continue to fill as long as your doctor provides refills or new scripts and your eligibility is still valid. For me i dont have much income and my obamacare insurance doesn't cover it at all so i qualified. Depending on your situation you may have no copay or a small one. This company rxoutreach is a huge non profit charity pharmacy they work with hundreds of pharmaceutical companies you can look them up.

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115

Re: Kristi (# 114) Expand Referenced Message

I am in need of this med also is it coming back out ... Kroger pharm tells me looks like it might. However no one can get it. I need this med as I am taking 7 pills a day of 2 medications to try and replace but still not the same for my stomach :(

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15

NO! I am told by my pharmacy here in NY that there is no longer a generic for Donnatal and the Brand name is 135 dollars for 30 tabs...I found the Donnatal to be much more effective than Bentyl...I am just holding my breath that bentyl will be enough...and my pharmacist recommended either Levsin or Librax as a replacement for Donnatal...

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