Pyridium Plus/ then what?????

[NanetteS]

I have taken Pyridium Plus for YEARS................
We have been changed to a NEW Pharmacy with our Insurance I am NOW being told this medications is NO LONGER Manufactured.
It says on the Bottle.....which I have just now run out.......to "NOT STOP TAKING ABRUBPTLY"............ I have reduced to 1 X per day for the past several weeks.
Due to a family CRISIS...I had left my home and my Husband to tend to an ill family member. I needed to return home to pick up this prescription the Pharmacy informed my husband I had been taking.... in Place of Pyridium Plus.....there were a few other medications with the same Ingredients....
I have JUST....now opened the bottle to find.........this IS NOT the Medication I had been taking and I had received the medication from THIS very same Pharmacy.....I now have "Phenazopyridine" which IS NOT the same ingredients as was in the Pyridium Plus.........I messed up by NOT checking and leaving it up to someone else.....husband/Pharmacist..... to tend to my regular Medications.
I fear of having.......Unpleasant Side Affects after taking the Pyridium Plus for SO MANY YEARS...................
Has anyone else run accross this problem of taking the Pyridium Plus to find it is NOT manufactured anymore? IF SO............what were YOUR OPTIONS....Please respond so I may contact my Urologist and the New Pharmacy in the morning............
NanetteS

[sailawaygrl]

Pyridium® (phenazopyridine hydrochloride) is chemically designated 2,6-Pyridinediamine, 3-(phenylazo), monohydrochloride. It is a urinary tract analgesic agent for oral administration. Phenazopyridine Hydrochloride tablets contain 100 mg or 200 mg Phenazopyridine Hydrochloride. Also contains lactose hydrous, sodium starch glycolate, corn starch, hydrogenated vegetable oil, silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate, sugar, gelatin, FD&C red #40 aluminum lake, titanium dioxide, FD&C blue #2 aluminum lake, povidone, sodium benzoate, carnauba wax and white wax.

This is from a website on medications. From what I see, it is the same thing. I am not sure what made the pyridium plus different. What part was the plus, do you know. Perhaps you can take another med with this to make it more like the pyridium plus. I hope this helps some.

[ICNDonna]

Pyridium plus is a combination: butabarbital and hyoscyamine in addition to the pyridium. You may need to take two or three pills instead of one to get the same result. I suggest you contact your urologist.

Warm hugs,
Donna

[NanetteS]

Pyridium Plus.......

The last POST is EXACTLY.............what I have taken for over 15 yrs.

After speaking with MY Urologist's office and several Pharmacists today......I have found that Pyridium Plus........indeed is NOT manufactured anymore.
I was able to find "1" Pharmacy with 30 Pills....................10 days worth.
I was informed by the Pharmacist and my Urologists office I MAY need to have this medication Compounded.............
I doubt my Insurance will PAY for this...................
I feel STUCK.............and I know I will be lost without this medication...
I wish I had someone else to speak to about this issue.....possibly someone else who has taken this medication as long as I have .



NanetteS

[Tuckersmom]

I have been taking Urelle with great success for about 2 years now. Over a 23 year span of IC, I have had to change prescriptions for these pee blue/pee orange medications several times because they get discontinued from time to time. I only ever felt like one of them wasn't as effective as the others. Most of them are very similar and some are identical.

I wouldn't write off this new pill until I'd tried it, but I'd also call my Uro's office to see if they could be of assistance.

[sailawaygrl]

Now I know what the difference is, Donna is right though. Why don't you call your Dr and explain the situation. I am sure he/she can give you meds that will equate to the same or similar make up.
I hope you are able to find some help soon. I do know that the butobarbital is the med that you shouldn't stop abruptly so make sure that you continue to taper down on the dosage.

Wishing you the best.

[NanetteS]

Tapering down?????

I'm NOT sure how I am to taper down when the medication is not made anymore.....I wish there was another person on this site who has gone through this.........I feel I can't be THE only one.
I know the plain medication the Pharmacy gave me was NOT correct and I knew that right away.........it has done nothing for me all day long. I am in awful pain and NOTHING is helping....
I haven't had a flare this BAD for a LONG while.....
My last Hydrodistention was during the first week of December and I was NOT in this much pain..........I KNOW the Pyridium Plus is what I NEED.
I have the Hydros about 3 X's per year and they help with the Pelvic Pain and Lower Back pain but this is MOSTLY Urethral Pain and BLADDER Pain.
My Uro's Nurse asked if I have tried the Prosed............I have tried EVERYTHING I can't remember what and what NOT.........I have had IC for so many years I can ONLY remember what DOES work..........
This is why I feel so HELPLESS right now because of finding out what works is NO LONGER available...........
I see my Uro on Monday............I hope he can figure out something....I can't even think about having the Hydro without the Pyridium Plus for AFTER PAIN..... I am Always Put to sleep for those treatments and when I wake up the first thing I NEED is a Pyridium Plus and a Pain shot.........
I sure would like to know why this medication was discontinued.......All the Pharmacist was able to tell me was there are a lot of the "older" medications that are just now being approved and disapproved by the FDA......this makes NO sense to me.

[sailawaygrl]

Nanette,
You stated in your first post that you had reduced to 1 a day for the past few weeks, that is tapering down. I am sorry that no one that has been through this has answered your post but we have tried to be there for you. Luckily you are seeing your Dr on Monday, but perhaps in the meantime if you call them and they offer you prosed, you might try that and see if it helps you. Other people on this site have had their meds discontinued as well and as far as I know they have been able to find a substitute. Wishing you the best.


Also, Cathy's post is about what you are going through right now and she offers you a suggestion, maybe she can be of more help to you.

[ICNDonna]

You might ask your doctor about prescribing pyridium and hyoscyamine (anaspas) separately.

Donna

[rmadd]

Pyridium Plus Formulation

Hello Nanette. I too was in a panic when I learned....two days ago....that Pyridium Plus was discontinued. I have used this over the years and it has been a godsend. When my bladder becomes uncomfortable, I use 2-3 pills over the course of 24 hours and it usually settles the situation down and I am fine.

Anyway, after driving a distance to purchase the remaining supply from a pharmacy that had 60 tablets I spoke with the pharmacist. He was very kind and researched the drug and told me it was comprised of the following:

150mg Phenazopyridine
0.3mg Hyoscyamine HCL
15mg Butabasbitell

(spelling might be off)

He told me I can get 3 medications to just about equal Pyridium Plus:

Levbid (.375mg) 1 tablet
Pyridium 100mg tablet take 1 1/2
Butisol 30mg tablet take 1/2

I am not a physician and you should check with your doctor or pharmacist, but I wanted to share my research with you and hope it helps!

[earthlady]

I'm so sorry you're having this problem. I've run into this myself over medications. They keep changing things and discontinuing certain meds. The last suggestion was a good one. You may just need to get three separate meds to make up for the one pyridium plus. You can usually get the ingredients separately and sometimes I've had to have the pharmacy compound them for me. Good luck, I know how upsetting this can be when you find something that works and then it's not available.

[NanetteS]

Pyridium Plus


My Urologist was fine with me locating a compounding Pharmacist so now I am content that I know I WILL have Relief when needed and not SUFFER as I was.
Thank you everyone for the suggestions.........I feel my have been answered. I Panicked and for just cause. I have found there are some differences between the compound and what was prescribed. The Pyridium, Pyrelle HB, Phenodeforte...I believe are what the "3" were called. Each had subtle differences than each other. The Compound is Strong and in combination with my other meds really do a number on my thinking and thought processes. I have found you do NOT stop this medication all at once which I don't recall ever seeing on the lables of any of them.
I feel as if I lose a day here and there when I first start the 2 per day dose. I think this compounded version is stronger because it is "2" and not "3". I made the error of NOT reading the label of the compounded and when I got it and was taking "3"......let's just say it's a no, no. From this I NOW READ ALL LABELS! I know I should always do this but for so many years it was the same, I just did not THINK before taking. I DO NOW!!!
I sure would like to keep in touch with anyone who would like to stay close and talk about what is going on with them. So I am open to any messages. Thanks AGAIN...

[NanetteS]

Unavailable in the US......

I found out yesterday that the Phenozopyridine/ medication that turns Urine Bright Orange is NOT available ANYWHERE in the USA now and hasn't been since August.
I have had the equivalence of Pyridium Plus Compounded for a few months and just as I am in need for a refill I contacted the Pharmacy and was informed this Drug has been unavailable for weeks and is on back order since August.

Please, if anyone else has run into this problem will you PLEASE POST?

The Pharmacist blames it on the same reason other Drugs have been made unavailable to the US and that is quote... "Poor relations with other Countries" I was told This Drug has been Imported from other Countries for several years.

As I Sit here miserable and wishing I had known this back in August, I will be in search for a substitute that is over the counter. I was told to try Urised, and another over the counter drug that I can try with the other "2" compounded medications that will be Monday before received. Where I'm going to run into problems is affording the amount of medication that will be of equivalence to that of the prescribed compounded medication. Not only that, I have come off the compounded medications without tapering off. I had NO IDEA I would be unable to have the medication refilled.

I use this medication for flares of IC and if the medication doesn't work I go in for an Instillation. Post Instillation without this medication is almost unbearable for the first 48 hours.

Does anyone have any suggestions, Please? I've read over the past posts and from what I have read, if the Compounding Pharmacist knew of a different medication that would work the same as the medication that was prescribed, they would have contacted my Uro and asked for a switch in medications.

Feeling Desperate Again!

[ICNDonna]

I believe you can still buy Azo pills over the counter --- and your physician can order the antispasmodic hyoscyamine that is another part of pyridium plus.

Donna

[NanetteS]

Other "2" ingredients

The Pharmacist is going to ship me the other "2" ingredients which 1 is the anitspasmodic and the other is Butabarbital. (sp. error on both).

What I fear is what the cost of the Azo or other brands that are still on the shelves will not be enough to make up for the prescribed amount. The Pharmacist told me to play around with it until I find out what works. That is IF I am able to find it on the shelves.

I feel so SORRY for those who are on medications that are just being pulled off the shelves without any form of warning. I feel this Pharmacy Should have given me some form of warning when they found out they were out and had NO CLUE if and when they will be able to stock it again.

My body is having some reaction to NOT having the medications in my system. I don't feel I need medical attention but there is a difference in the way I feel. I am jumpy and jittery and unable to sleep.

I am going to call around to some of the local Pharmacy's and ask if there are any of these medications around. I did this the last time when I found out Pyridium Plus was discontinued and was able to locate the Pyrelle HB. If I can locate it anywhere in the County I live in I will ask my Uro to call or fax it in.

Nobody can completely understand what this feels like until they have had their first UTI or IC. My diet is so limited and I have yet to find anything in particular that sets this off. It has become chronic in the past few years. The Installations along with the medication helps for a few months. I've been having them 3 times per year and I'm waiting for my Insurance to stop paying for the treatments.

I've not done a lot of research on this, I have Fibromyalgia. Are there very many people with IC and Fibromyalgia that has been documented? I guess when I feel up to sitting for a long period of time I should research this.

Thank you for the suggestions.