Miralax and Culturelle

[mrsw94]

Hi All,
So my daughter's urologist has put her on a daily regimen of Miralax and Culturelle.
It looks like Costco is the cheapest place for a generic of the Miralax, $.43/ounce.
Target has a 30 day supply of the Culturelle for $18.59.

Anyone know of anywhere else I can get better prices?
Thanks for your help!

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

If you have insurance, you can ask your doc to write out an RX for miralax. We had to do this for DD as those little 7 day bottles for $8 were just too expensive for us, our ped actually suggested it knowing that DD was going to be on it for 6 months. Fiance's insurance covers the miralax (poly..whatever...glycol lol) and its a 30 day supply and we pay $5 for it.
GL

 

[mrsw94]

If you have insurance, you can ask your doc to write out an RX for miralax. We had to do this for DD as those little 7 day bottles for $8 were just too expensive for us, our ped actually suggested it knowing that DD was going to be on it for 6 months. Fiance's insurance covers the miralax (poly..whatever...glycol lol) and its a 30 day supply and we pay $5 for it.
GL

Not a bad suggestion. I might ask for the Culturelle. I just checked and the dr said DD only needed a 1/2 dose, and the Kirkland one is 100 doses, so 200 for DD. So that's a good 6 months worth! Our RX's are a $10 co-pay, so 6 months would be $60. (Am I doing that math right?!?)

If I may ask, did your DD do ok with it? My DD is only 8, so I'm a little uncomfortable with her on a daily laxative, but our urologist really seems to know what he's talking about.

Thanks!

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I was very nervous about putting DD on it as I really don't know what the long term side effects are, its fairly new in a sense (I mean no one in my generation or my mom's generation had ever been on it). And at first I thought maybe it was making her gassy? But after about a month the gassyness seemed to go away so maybe it was part diet that contributed to the gassyness. She also had a few "accidents" (small ones) in the beginning when on it.

But I have to say that it is the only thing that keeps her regular and she had it tough for a long time. She actually ended up in the hospital b/c she stopped eating and drinking, no doctors really knew why she stopped eating they all said b/c she was backed up . With that she lost 5lbs and was underweight. Her symptoms got worse before she started school(first time in school), but once she started school everything went back to normal, she gained her weight back and then some.

She is still on the miralax, capful everyday, but we have an appointment with her GI doc Feb 1st to see if she can come off of it. She goes everyday, sometimes twice without a problem, no straining.

I hope everything works out ok for you guys.

 

[mrsw94]

Thanks! It's nice to hear from another parent whose had success. We are having bladder issues, but he thinks part of the problem may be from constipation. She had a few issues when she was younger, but I haven't noticed anything, but in all honesty, she's 8, so I no longer pay that much attention to her BM's!
I'm glad to hear things have worked out for your DD!

 

[stich1fan]

Our DD is on Miralax daily as well. We buy it at BJs Wholesalers. They have a double pack (large Bottles 30 doses per bottle) for something like $22.99. They usually have coupons for it also.

If you do a search online I always can fine a coupon...

 

[ajh88]

I just looked and there is a $3 coupon on the Culturelle website right now. I don't think that getting a prescription for the Culturelle will work (and allow it to go through insurance) because it is OTC and a supplement. It never hurts to try, but I'm pretty pessimistic about that. I know that technically Miralax is OTC also, but since it used to be Rx only (and probably for some other reasons - maybe larger pack sizes available Rx only), insurance still covers it - so for sure I'd get the Rx for that one.

You might also ask her doctor if a different probiotic would work as well or if he ONLY wants Culturelle. It may be that he really does want that specific product but it could also be that he just wants her on a probiotic and knows that one by name. Technically, the strain of bacteria in Culturelle (Lactobacillus GG) is different from other probiotic strains (like Lactobacillus acidophilus which is many yogurts and is available OTC generic for probably $5 a bottle) - which is why I would definitely check with the doc on it. But again, it never hurts to ask the question - it is entirely possible that Culturelle has been shown to be superior somehow to other strains but also possible that there isn't much of a difference (I don't know personally).

Good luck!

 

[sameyeyam]

If you get prescriptions and she's on it for a long period of time, see if your coverage has mail order pharmacy. Many insurance companies will give you 3 month's supply for the co-pay of 2 month's if you use their mail order pharmacy. Cuts the cost by 1/3 right away.

Also, whenever you go to the doctor, take along the Walmart, Target and whoever else in your area has $4 prescription lists. You can print them out on their websites. When the doctor tells you that you need a prescription, pull out the lists and ask if anything on these lists will work. Most doctors don't have a clue what the medicines cost and nearly every time I've shown the lists, they've been able to find one that works.

 

[mrsw94]

I just looked and there is a $3 coupon on the Culturelle website right now. I don't think that getting a prescription for the Culturelle will work (and allow it to go through insurance) because it is OTC and a supplement. It never hurts to try, but I'm pretty pessimistic about that. I know that technically Miralax is OTC also, but since it used to be Rx only (and probably for some other reasons - maybe larger pack sizes available Rx only), insurance still covers it - so for sure I'd get the Rx for that one.

You might also ask her doctor if a different probiotic would work as well or if he ONLY wants Culturelle. It may be that he really does want that specific product but it could also be that he just wants her on a probiotic and knows that one by name. Technically, the strain of bacteria in Culturelle (Lactobacillus GG) is different from other probiotic strains (like Lactobacillus acidophilus which is many yogurts and is available OTC generic for probably $5 a bottle) - which is why I would definitely check with the doc on it. But again, it never hurts to ask the question - it is entirely possible that Culturelle has been shown to be superior somehow to other strains but also possible that there isn't much of a difference (I don't know personally).

Good luck!

Thanks! I hadn't gotten as far as searching for Culturelle coupons yet, I'll have to print that one!
I'll also e-mail the dr about brand vs generic and see what he says.
Thanks again!

 

[smokeyblue]

I have some suggestions to add to the PP's. Call and have the doctors office write a prescription for the Miralax that says "3 month supply, refill x 1". Many insurance companies will only charge one copay even if it is for a three month supply. Call around and see if there are any pharmacies that will fill this as a prescription. I know I tried to fill a script on a prescription that was also an OTC and my pharmacy wouldn't fill it but another would.

Second suggestion is to just try the Miralax alone. You could just have your child eat yogurt a day, although this coud be just expensive as the culturelle. If you don't see an improvement after a couple of weeks, then start the Culturelle.

 

[Straitlover]

Def ask for a prescription for the Miralax. The generic is Polyethylene glycol (think that's the right spelling). My mother is on it right now. Hers; is a really big white bottle (don;t know if it's 30 day or 90 day). Her normal co-pay is $10, but I know she actually paid less than that for it. she's in a different town, so I can't check right now.

 

[TheRatPack]

My youngest 2 boys came out of foster care constipated and having all sorts of issues with it. One would go #2 on himself and the other would go #1 hundred times a day because ??? the doctor said it had something to do with backed up BM. We had to do an initial clean out of Miralax and one ex lax square when he we first went to the doctor, then continue with the Miralax daily. My youngest has stopped going #1 so much, and he was pretty much fine after just a couple weeks on Miralax. My other son, the one that has #2 accidents, well we have to keep him on it.....not sure if he'll ever have a regular BMs.

 

[Bronte]

Rx is the way to go with Miralax ...
I have to take two doses everyday for basically the rest of my life and it would cost $$$$ if it was not an Rx (two large white bottle per month for 9 bucks ... that is way way lower than over the counter.)

 

[momw/2princesses]

If I may ask, did your DD do ok with it? My DD is only 8, so I'm a little uncomfortable with her on a daily laxative, but our urologist really seems to know what he's talking about.

Thanks!

Just wanted to reassure you a bit. The Miralax is not a laxative. It's a softener that allows the stool to be soft enough to pass through. My DD7 has a redundant loop in her colon (finally dx after years of trouble with constipation) and has used Miralax for almost 5 years. My older DD10 took it for a few years as well and came off of it with no trouble.

My insurance company would pay for it, but it was cheaper for me to buy generic OTC.

Do you mind my asking what type of bladder issues she's having? DD10 has a neurogenic bladder and DD7 had some issues as well. It's not easy, but we've got things under control for now. I wish you the best and hope your daughter gets some relief soon.

Andrea