Generic Name: Welchol (colesevelam)
Welchol Reviews
For Diarrhea, Chronic "After 41 years of horrible pain, diarrhea and incontinence, I met a GI Dr. who ordered Welchol. I thought he was nuts. Within 4 days, I was normal. I would willingly mortgage my house to pay for this medicine. Max dose 6/day. I now have a life. It's so nice not to be told I was nuts, nervous, anxious, need a shrink, and all the other crap I listened to for 41 years. I have been fine for almost 6 years with only 2 one-day relapses. My gallbladder is fine. I am one happy camper. True story, folks."
For Diarrhea, Chronic "I have had severe diarrhea for years after getting gall bladder removed. Had many tests run, tried everything. Eat, bathroom, eat, bathroom I was miserable. I signed up for medication study program after trying many different studies a wonderful caring nurse who led the studies suggested this medicine. WOW, I'm living again. I was spending a large amount of my life in the ladies room now I'm regular. They prescribed me three pills a day it caused constipation. One a day every morning keeps me regular. What a lifesaver, I was miserable."
For Diarrhea, Chronic "Diagnosed at 18, went on until 28. I had a miserable existence for 10 years. 5 minutes after eating, I better be near a toilet. Gastroenterologists tested and tried so many different things with no success. Told my GI I was having a substantially lower quality of life with this problem. He prescribed me Welchol. The next day, I enjoyed my first meal in years and cried. Truly was a miracle pill for me."
For Diarrhea, Chronic "I had my gallbladder removed in 2011. I was planning my life around a restroom, and it was affecting my social life. I would not go on trips and did not want to go to anyone's house to eat for fear of an episode. Welchol has been a miracle for me. I only take them as I need them, sometimes even 1 or 2 a week. It is very expensive, so I'm glad I don't have to take them every day."
For Diarrhea, Chronic "I have a similar experience to other reviewers. I had my gallbladder removed in 2002, and have had irritable bowel syndrome for 15 years, with each year it seems to get worse. I couldn't tolerate spending 1/2 my day in the bathroom. It was so awful that I looked for where the bathroom was at a restaurant before I ordered, just so I knew where to go when the meal was done. When the stomach cramps and the 'oh poop, I gotta poop' feeling came on, by the 2nd day of taking Welchol, it started working for me. I only went to the bathroom once the entire day! For me, that was a miracle. I still try not to eat trigger foods or drink coffee (I LOVE coffee, but my stomach thinks otherwise) but at least I can live a normal life again, something I had forgotten about."
For Diarrhea, Chronic "2 days before Christmas I came down with diarrhea, and it continued to get worse. Many trips to the doctors and hospital, and finally after 4 months, I was sent to a specialist. He put me on 6 pills a day, 625 mg Welchol. I had gone from a size 20 to a size 12, no energy, headaches, pains, and shakes (from diarrhea). This medication has worked wonders for me. I am so happy that I don't have to look for the nearest bathroom and stay close to it any longer. I have had no side effects either. I have gained 2 pounds too. I take all 6 pills at one time about 4 hours after my morning medicines. Welchol works wonders for me."
For Diarrhea, Chronic "Had my gallbladder taken out, got chronic diarrhea immediately even by just sipping water. I started off with 2 pills 3x a day, then got too constipated, then was able to keep lowering the dose until one pill works for everyday use, but no greasy foods for me. Thanks to Welchol, I can enjoy life again and not live it in the bathroom."
For High Cholesterol "I had my gallbladder removed in 2002 and have been dealing with IBS after eating for 14 years. I thought I had to just live with it as a consequence of surgery! I have had high cholesterol for years, so my primary care physician prescribed this drug. It stopped my IBS, will lower my cholesterol, and also helps with my hypoglycemia. Win, win, win... I'm 57 and before using this drug, I wasn't enjoying life much. I was worried about toilets, heart disease, or expecting to live a long full life. Now 3 less things to worry about :)"
For Diarrhea, Chronic "I have had diarrhea every morning with pain. After reading about gallbladder removal, I found that some try Welchol to help because it is a bile sequestrant. It works great for me. I went to a gastroenterologist and told him about my findings, and he said 'Congratulations,' you diagnosed yourself. He gave me a year's prescription for Welchol. I take three in the morning and am doing quite well. Wish I had known about this several years ago. Before Welchol, I could barely leave my home before noon. Now I can travel again. So far, no side effects. Thank goodness."
For Diarrhea, Chronic "Gallbladder was removed in 1994. Ever since then, severe diarrhea has been mostly on, sometimes off. Many meds later, and after seeing a GI specialist, my primary care physician prescribed Welchol. Great results! I take 6 pills in a divided dose. I still take 1 anti-diarrheal, and 'everything' is better now."
For Diarrhea, Chronic "I got my gallbladder removed a little over 2 years ago. I could not eat anything. Most drinks would even make me sick. I have seen several doctors, but the GI doctor gave me Welchol and I take two 625 mg pills twice a day with food. I no longer have to watch what I eat. I have been prescribed several meds prior to Welchol, but nothing helped. 4 pills sounds like a lot, but if needed I can even take 6 pills per day. I never have to take more than 4 though. Ask your doctor for these. You will not be sorry!"
For Diarrhea, Chronic "After I had my gallbladder out, I had bile salts diarrhea - the as-soon-as-you-eat-your-body-fire hoses-it-out sort. Very uncomfortable, and I lost about 40 pounds before my doctor finally prescribed Welchol. I take one at breakfast and one with dinner (just before the meal - not hours, which is very handy), and it has worked miracles. Highly recommend talking to your doctor if after your gallbladder surgery you're trying to live on dry toast."
For Diarrhea, Chronic "I spent two years with chronic diarrhea. After I had major surgery, the surgeon noted that my gallbladder was very scarred. When my general practitioner saw this, he suggested I might be suffering from what he called 'chronic dump' (leaking gallbladder), which might be causing my... well, chronic dump! He gave me a prescription for Welchol (1 per day). He said that it was a low dosage of the drug and I shouldn't have any problem with side effects. I do take all my daily vitamins and supplements about 4 hours after the Welchol for absorption reasons. Not only has this drug worked wonders for me, I only take it as needed."
For Diarrhea, Chronic "Did not need to take the full dose of six tablets daily - only one tablet each morning, and years of 'dumping' syndrome following meals has completely stopped! Fabulous, unexpected results... love my GI doctor for prescribing this medicine!"
For Diarrhea, Chronic "I had diarrhea for a year and a half following gallbladder removal. I am so grateful to be able to eat without running to the bathroom within ten minutes. The day after I began taking Welchol, I won a duathlon, probably because I didn't need to use the restroom and I ate a decent breakfast. Thanks for giving me my life back!"
For High Cholesterol "Five months ago, my total cholesterol was 281 (LDL was 199). I can't tolerate statins, so my doctor suggested Welchol. I started eating a plant-based diet (no meat or dairy) and began going for walks in the morning. Yesterday, my latest blood test showed that my total cholesterol is now 193 and my LDL is 125. That's the first time in 15 years that my cholesterol has been under 200. The diet and exercise certainly had an impact, and I'm sure Welchol pushed the numbers even lower."
For Diarrhea, Chronic "I had my gallbladder out in 1998. I suffered with diarrhea 5-8 times a day and was miserable. What is even worse, I am obese and doctors didn't believe me that I was having watery diarrhea so often. I didn't get prescribed anything until 2011, so 13 years of suffering. I was first given Colestid but found I could not tolerate the powder. A new doctor prescribed Welchol. At first, I only needed to take 4 a day and it worked. But now I find that sometimes the 6 a day doesn't completely work so I believe I have something else going on - lactose or gluten allergy maybe. I have to take the Welchol on time 3 times a day or the next day I am back to square one. I take 2 big tablets, 3 times a day."
For High Cholesterol "Severe headache (migraines) and nausea, some hives and itching after two weeks on medication. I am allergic to statins (severe muscle pain), and this was my last resort. Genetic high cholesterol. Diet is my only option at this point. I am a 52-year-old female, 125 lbs, 5'5'. Stop taking this after two weeks on samples doctor gave me."
For High Cholesterol "Started taking Welchol in 2012. To date, my LDL has dropped 30%. I recently took the time to read the insert with the medication and was appalled to see that this medication contains aspartame. This is the sugar substitute that I stopped using several years ago because of the muscle pain I was experiencing. Two weeks later, the muscle pain was gone. I was also diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer in April 2015. Aspartame is suspected to be a cancer-causing agent. What is this drug company thinking? Stevia is a sugar substitute that is safe, and it's a natural sweetener. If a sweetener is necessary, why not use Stevia? I am weaning myself off of Welchol and will consult with my cardiologist at my next visit."
For High Cholesterol "Have been on Welchol oral suspension or tabs for a little less than a year, my LDL-C went down about 38%. Oral suspension is a nice option, just mix in a water bottle with 3/4 filled with water, shake it, and have it with my dinner."
For Hyperlipoproteinemia Type IIa, Elevated LDL "I have been using Welchol for several years since I cannot take statins. I have had no problem with memory loss. The only side effect I have suffered is occasional constipation that is easily relieved with adequate fluid intake and fiber supplements. It, in conjunction with my dietary changes, is keeping my cholesterol down adequately."
For High Cholesterol "Too soon to tell if it is lowering cholesterol, but did want to mention it is very easy to take, but can cause abdominal bloating. I had such gas pains, didn't know how to get comfortable. The doctor suggested Miralax, which did the trick with the bloating."
For Hyperlipoproteinemia Type IIa, Elevated LDL "My cardio wants my LDL lower than the 88 it is now, because of my having bypass surgery in 1999. He wants it below 70. After about a week of taking 4-625 mg pills per day, I have noticed a change in bowel movements. I used to go once at breakfast, then about an hour later had another bowel motion, but more violent and loose. I would stay in the restaurant until the 2nd bowel motion most of the time, or make sure I was close to one of my usual emergency rest stops-Dr. office, gas station, Port-a-John, or rest room at the mall when doing post-breakfast walk. Now, if this works on my A1c (now 7.5) and lowers LDL, without extreme side effects, I will be very happy. After this short period of time, I'm feeling pretty safe about not being caught unprepared."
For High Cholesterol "51 yr old male - high blood pressure, diabetic with bad HDL/LDL ratio (total cholesterol around 100). I do not eat right (but I am getting better at it). Been on the suspension for about a year now. I can tell by my energy level and overall 'feeling' when I take it - don't seem to have the highs and lows. Hate the taste and texture when mixed with plain water, so a lot of days I just didn't take it. I have found that if I mix it with 8 oz of water and add a shot of orange MIO, that it is fine. Also, I was taking it at night (just before bed), but I was having terrible heartburn. Now taking it in the morning and no such problem... The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is ease of use."
For High Cholesterol "I suffered severe diarrhea for many months after gallbladder removal (due to lipid 'dumping'), until my doctor prescribed a similar medicine that worked great, but it was a powder which was inconvenient, so he switched me to Welchol, which also worked great. The prescription was for 6 pills a day, but I never needed that many unless I ate something ridiculously greasy and fatty for every meal, say, fried chicken with french fries and a shake. Otherwise, I just took 1 pill before lunch and 1 before dinner. None needed with breakfast because I just had fruit and skim milk. After about 8 years, my body adjusted to 'no gallbladder,' but this medicine helped me be able to keep a job and get out of the house away from the bathroom until then."
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- Diabetes, Type 2
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- Hyperlipoproteinemia Type IIa, Elevated LDL
