Budesonide for Ulcerative Colitis User Reviews

• Kat...
• September 26, 2018

Budesonide "I have been prescribed this for microscopic colitis. I have been hesitating, and this site has convinced me to try it. I am on Medicare, and my supplemental insurance has quoted me $1,500 for this medicine for two months. My co-pay is $365 and only pays for one month. This is insane. What should I do for the second month, pay $1,500? Our world is crazy. Fortunately, my G.I. doctor has given me some samples, so I will try it. Thank you, all of you, for your comments."

• Ang...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 26, 2017

Budesonide "I am now on my second bottle of Uceris. It took about 2 weeks before it became effective for my microscopic colitis; in other words, when my diarrhea stopped completely. After becoming effective, I experienced 2 side effects; first, swelling of both ankles that lasted a few days, less than a week. After that, I had no ankle problem at all, except for a feeling of pins and needles on both feet, which I don't find problematic. Second, an increase in appetite, which I needed, as I had lost 11 lb. as a result of diarrhea. The appetite increase lasted about 10 days. Uceris has given me a chance at feeling well and able to live my life."

• Ole...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 22, 2014

Budesonide "I have fought UC for three years. Taken several meds. Most work for two or three months, then I experience a flare. Uceris has placed me in remission for 6 months! Expensive? Yes, outrageous. When you have fought the battle I've been through, expense is not the issue. What price being normal?"

• Geo...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 25, 2017

Budesonide "Uceris has been the best medicine I have tried for my collagenous colitis. Everything else did not work or had too many side effects. To me, this is a miracle medicine. They say to take one 9 mg per day, but believe it or not, that actually made me constipated. For me, nothing took away the D, even when I took seven Imodium a day. So I started taking Uceris on an as-needed basis. It worked out to take one or two a week. So for me, I rated it a 10 with no side effects."

• BPa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 20, 2019

Budesonide "Went through months of bloody stools and frequent trips to the bathroom with no output. Went to the hospital for the 3rd colonoscopy in 5 years to find an infection in the rectum. They put me on Uceris foam, the first two weeks it didn't lead to much relief, but around the end of the third week, everything snapped into place and the Uceris worked, and everything seemed to go back to normal. Will see if this is permanent or just a temporary fix."

• clm...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 17, 2018

Budesonide "I am now on this drug for the second time for microscopic colitis. The last time was in 2014. The drug, in itself, works great for me, but it is the drug company I have the issue with. They publicize that with their drug savings card plus your insurance, you only have to pay $25. That is untrue! When you get to the fine print, you find that the company, in the goodness of their heart, will pay the first $800 once per year for a drug costing $917.48 for 30 tablets. So, for the first script, it is a cost of $117.48 - hope don't need a second month, cause then it would be $917.48. So please know this ahead of time!!!!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 27, 2014

Budesonide "Been using Balsalazide 3x3 for 9 years or so, with occasional flare-ups I could resolve with slight overdosing. Could not resolve the present flare-up. After a month of 4 bowel motions a day, blood, diarrhea, the doc started me on Uceris. Next day, change to 1 bowel motion, no blood, slight diarrhea. Now, 1 week later, pretty normal 1 bowel motion per day, with occasional nausea in the abdomen. I think pretty good for a week. But the price is outrageous, and even my copay is $75 a month. Doc insists on giving it to me for 3 months."

• AV_...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 20, 2024

"I have UC from the last 6 years. Initially, the doctor kept me on mesalamine, and it worked for me for 2 years and then stopped working, and my problem came back and had a lot of pain and bloody stools. Then the doctor prescribed me this medicine, and it really helped, and my symptoms improved a lot in just a week's time. This medicine is good, and I didn't have any side effects. The doctor took me off this medicine after a month and then put me on to immunosuppressants - 6MP."

• Aco...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 16, 2019

"I have collagenous/microscopic colitis and have used this medication on and off for 6 years. I really haven’t had any side effects that I realized. I completed a 3-month dosage on Dec 29, 2018. I was diarrhea-free for about 2.5 weeks, then it slowly started again, so I am back on it. I am on Medicare. I found out using a Drug RX coupon works. However, you must have your doctor write the prescription for 90 pills x 3 per day for only 30 days. If it goes over 30 days (31 or 90 days), it will be over $300. But it is written for 30 days, mine is only $100. The key is the number of days, not the amount of pills in the prescription. Crazy, isn’t it? Someone is making lots of money off of this. Check with your Medicare insurance about the number of pills vs. the number of days. There should not be tiers for drugs on Medicare. Medicare needs to be revised for drug prices."

• vge...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 11, 2016

"I was diagnosed with this microscopic colitis three years ago, and the only medication that has helped me is budesonide. Well, I was on it for three months, and I finally felt like myself again. Then my doctor informed me that I should stop, which I did. After a couple of weeks, I had the same symptoms again. Because it is a steroid, it should not be used for any length of time, I was told. So, like most everyone else, I had tried Apriso, Lialda with no relief at all. I am now starting again with budesonide for another course of treatment. For me, I put on weight and got lots of nasty black hairs around my chin, which I didn't like. That is one of the reasons why I don't look forward to taking this again. However, I will use this again for a rest."

• Rox...
• June 15, 2020

Budesonide "I have had UC for over 20 years. Been on Remicade, Humira, Xeljanz, Asacol, prednisone. You name it, I tried it. I am now strictly on Lialda and have been in a flare for about a month. I was prescribed Uceris, and the problem I have is, since I have severe urgency, it is hard to keep the foam from wanting to come back out. My UC is in the lower colon, and I go to the bathroom between 10 and 20 times per day. It is very painful to try to hold in the foam. Suggestions?"

• kkr...
• May 16, 2016

Budesonide "My physician prescribed budesonide originally for my Ulcerative Colitis, but I felt the out-of-pocket price for this RX was out of the ballpark. So, after contacting my physician again, they gave me a RX for Uceris and sent me information to assist in the cost. But after my insurance coverage and the $600 that the 'coupon' that was sent to me, the total still came to over $200.00 for 30 days. I have a copay of only $20.00, but since some entity seems to have the cost of this RX, I have not been able to afford it and see what help it is."

• Lis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 4, 2021

"I suffered frequent diarrhea, gas, and stomach pains for four months and lost 25 pounds with collagenous colitis. Finally started on budesonide at 9 mg a day for the first month, then 6 mg for month two and 3 mg for month three. This dosage tapering-off approach is important when taking steroids. It took 2 weeks before it started to work, but then my symptoms began to abate and became fully resolved by the end of month three with zero side effects. After I stopped the medication, the symptoms started to return after two weeks, and I thought I was doomed, but I took some Imodium and that did the trick. I have been symptom-free for 8 months now. Thankfully, I have a drug plan and live in Canada, so I only had to pay a very small amount for these very expensive pills."

• Ean...
• November 2, 2018

Budesonide "I felt like I was going into a UC flare, so my doctor told me to take Uceris for two months. We wanted to avoid the harsh side effects of pred. (Just found out I have osteopenia at 23 because of my pred usage.) Within a week of me taking it, I started having extremely watery stool... I would go 10-15 times a day and dealt with this for the two months (the duration of the Uceris course). My doctor finally tested me for C-Diff, and I was positive! I can’t imagine I got the C-Diff from anything BUT using this medicine because it happened a week after I started. I’ve never had C-Diff in the past. It was a NIGHTMARE! Because I got the infection, it put me back in a horrible flare-the combo sent me into the hospital for a week. I’m currently doing the Uceris rectal foam, and that is working WONDERS for me!! My affected area tends to be in my lower colon, so the foam put me into remission after about two weeks! Zero side effects."

• 12...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 9, 2017

Budesonide "I have UC for 12 years. I was in remission for a few years, and then all of a sudden, I had a flare-up. I have been on this medication for almost 2 months. When I first started on it, it helped for like a week or so. I had swelling in my face and joints, sore muscles, and headaches. My doctor told me to stick with it so my body could adjust properly, and it helped but didn't stop my issues. For the last week, I have been going to the bathroom 10 times a day. My doctor and I are now trying to figure out the next step."

• NWB...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 2, 2019

"I have been taking Uceris for 3 weeks for my ulcerative proctitis. It has not given much relief yet, but I see some reviews here that say it took weeks to work for some. I notice no side effects at all so far. I was first given prednisone, and that was working well, but my doctor was worried about problems from long-term usage. I was shocked at the price. At the pharmacy, for a 30-day supply, it is $1,815.00. Thankfully, with my health insurance, my co-pay is $10.00."

• Jen...
• June 2, 2017

"With my insurance from AARP, I used to pay $352 for the 3 mg using three per day for one month. Today at Walmart, they charged me $767.76!!!!! I have been taking prednisone for the last six months, but do not feel comfortable taking this steroid for long-term since my condition is from celiac, causing my colitis. The pharmacist informed me that this, along with many other pharmaceuticals, has doubled their pricing. This is absolutely unaffordable for people with my problems. Isn't there any type of coupons or discounts that I can get? Any assistance would be appreciated. Thank you."

• Mel...
• September 19, 2017

"Was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis approximately 4 months ago; tried Lialda and Apriso as samples; Lialda tore my stomach up, and Apriso worked better but not that well after a short time; I then filled my prescription at one pharmacy through my Medicare D plan; tier 4 drug; I was astounded at the price: $773 for a 30-day supply; I found out after the fact I could have gotten some somewhere else for $258, wow, 1/3 the cost. The drug has worked; I also order through Canadian pharmacies for a 3-month supply; nice price difference; unfortunately, the medicine has stopped working for me, and I have been in the hospital; still very diarrhea; am looking for better days. Hope this helps."

• Les...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 23, 2021

"This did nothing for me, except result in more diarrhea and lack of sleep. I found the side effects far worse than prednisone. I took it for five days at 9 mg/day orally. I felt edgy, and the insomnia was horrible. I also had stomach cramps and more trips to the bathroom. I had to stop it."

• Sha...
• November 28, 2016

"Budesonide has been a lifesaver for me. The GI doc put me on this after a colon biopsy. Two months at 9 mg per day. I went off, but the symptoms returned after about two weeks and escalated. He put me back on with 2 per day for a month. Then I have taken one daily for maintenance. Recently my pharmacy stopped selling the red and grey capsules and changed to the Teva peach and orange, and my colitis came back with a vengeance. I'm back on 9 mg per day again. I have some of each generic. The Teva product is NOT the same strength or quality as the other red and grey. I have since tried each for a period, and symptoms consistently return within 2 days with the Teva product."

• Sar...
• January 22, 2021

Budesonide "It works really well for me when I'm not in too bad of a flare. I have been on it now for just over a year while I try all the different biologics, unable to get off of Uceris without flaring again. It takes a bit longer than prednisone to work, so give it a couple of weeks. It's been great for me while I try all of these biologic meds since they all take forever to see if they're going to work. I haven't had any side effects other than I started getting a ton of stretch marks for the first time in my life (I'm 37), and they kept coming even when I had stopped gaining weight. It's also been very difficult to lose much weight. I gained a ton while on prednisone a bunch over the past few years. I take the generic."

• Pau...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 13, 2021

Budesonide "Terrific drug. I use the rectal foam every other day. My life is now completely normal. The drug, however, is expensive, costing $600 and up for a month's supply on the open market. My insurance company considers it a specialty drug. The last time I paid ca. $100 for a two-month supply. But the actual amount of the drug in the box of two cylinders may last as long as three months if the drug is taken no more than three or four times a week."

• Mom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 26, 2017

"Had horrible side effects from Lialda and sulfasalazine, and no response from enemas, including Cortifoam. On day 4 of bud, and see no relief from urgency, blood, or mucus. I was told to take one 3 mg/day even though Uceris script for 9 mg. Will check with MD when they open. Uceris after insurance was $1,000. Generic was $250-which I thought was better, but not if I have to take 3 pills/day instead of one!! How does anyone find this affordable?"

• nal...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 9, 2017

"GI doctors diagnosed me with IBS-D. None of the medications prescribed produced a solution. I was hit by repeated attacks of incontinence (diarrhea). My present GI doctor diagnosed me with microscopic colitis, for which he prescribed budesonide. It worked, I have been using it successfully for about a year and a half. It is an off-label drug, not yet OK'd by the FDA for colitis. It has been OK'd for use for asthma for about 10 years, but has not been OK'd for microscopic colitis. Therefore, I pay just under $400.00 a month for a medication that is generic, placed on 'Tier 4' in Medicare D. In 2016, I was billed just under $200.00 for the same quantity. No other drugs are effective. This one is too expensive."

• Joy...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 19, 2021

"I am on this for microscopic collagenous colitis. What about UTI symptoms? Anyone? Been on just over 3 weeks, symptoms improved, and 5 more weeks to go (3 tablets 3 mg each = 9 mg per day, taking all at once in the AM), and then started having UTI symptoms. Sometimes incontinence (not making it to the BR in time) and low back on the right side cramping/throbbing. Urine sample resulted in NO UTI, but general PA doc telehealth over the weekend prescribed antibiotic and that stuff that turns urine orange. It worked pretty quickly, and now they messaged me through the Atrium portal that I do not have UTI, apparently, they did a culture, but who knows, and to stop taking the antibiotic! I don't want to stop taking it... it's only a 5-day thing and I have 3 more days. I am confused if budesonide can mimic a UTI. This stuff is so crazy! Anyone have the same issue? How does it resolve? Thank you."