2011 30 Mg Oxycodone Shortage (Page 2)
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I am a 51 y/o who lives in Florida, suffering from chronic back pain, and have been prescribed to take up to six 30mg oxycodone tablets a day for over two years by my Pain Management doctor. However, when I went to fill my prescription almost 4 weeks ago, my pharmacy told me their distributor had stopped shipping oxycodone to Florida pharmacies. Since then, I have personally visited about 100 pharmacies but have been unable to find them in stock anywhere. As a former paralegal, I attempted to research the situation, but could only confirm that the DEA has yearly quot on all controlled substances (for oxy's is 98 million grams in 2011). From I gather from the Internet, it appears that the ENTIRE state of FLORIDA is not getting any shipments of oxycodone 30 mg. from distributors, but are other states having this problem as well? Also, can anyone confirm whether (and HOW) the DEA is pressuring distributors to avoid Florida?

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@Keven, good for you, I just recently (about 8 weeks ago) I quit taking my hydromorphone. (Which I had no problem ever filling over the last 2 years) I do have another Schedule II to fill today which last month took me to 7 pharmacy's, all back ordered since only one company makes the generic, where talking 10mg dextro amphetamine sulfate by BARR which is owned by Teva. They ask why,and told me I had to taper off. I threw all 4 scripts in her face, as they just wanted me to come back and back, and they wanted to do a surgery my back and spine that I wasn't ready for. I have done this before with oxycodone back in the 80's. Just cold turkey, for me, it's miserable for a week, maybe 10, with the last couple not bad, and by 14 days I'm ready to get back in shape, do a little jogging( for endorphins and metabolism speed up) to start off, cut down on food get back to right weight and I was good to go after a month or so, it only took 2 weeks plus this time around. I know it's different for all, It was worse with the oxycodone, but I was taking a total of 80mg a day and no tolerance to speak of, started of lower dose, but in just a couple months at 90mg IR over the day. When I got up to that I went to a methadone clinic my sister got me squeezed in with my social worker with only a 2 day wait, walked out after a double dose of methadone (all were jealous), and never looked back, now I was taking 120 4mg Diluadid, had my chose, I went with that, and not eating them because they weren't working well enough, I could of gone to #180, or the 8mg, but saw were I was going. So finally I just quit. I still think of them from time to time, that is why I sure I couldn't get there at least for sometime for the scripts, and a few other things, to make sure I would/couldn't go back. I sometimes think, why did I do that, I still see no reason, easy to fill, my Part D on Medicare is all generics free. There is one thing good about it, and it would have been worse if I just went up in doses and quantities for another couple years. The only please at the moment is telling people I quit taking my pain meds, all of them, I may go back to another some day, but I very much doubt it, as I have told people in person, I tell it here too, it is the pleasure I get from quitting as they weren't a problem other than the tolerance and that when the you start heading into when you constantly, need to up it, at that point I though, upping it again, would be good a couple months, then there would start to be Hell to pay so stopped before the real Hell. Sorry went on and on, just you did the right thing, if you can take it or change meds, I saw the writing on the wall on Oxycontin, I knew they would play with the release formula soon, and they did. OC to OP and have no idea if there is a problem with getting them here, but what I hear the OP's don't work as well when even taken right like you have to now, and these pharmacist that get calls if they have OC's, they tell them how long ago did they quit making those, and you just want to snort them, they are not to be taken that way, one I'm good friends with, we just laughed , yeah right you them over a year ago. I saw a lot of 25 mgs at the office going out with hydromorphone and not. I felt I needed 30-40 really 80's but that wasn't going to happen dropping an 80 OC made no effect on me, I had been taking a lot of them on the side is why. I just wanted to wish you support, don't given in, it will go away quicker than you think, it's the yearning a few weeks later, that why I made it so I couldn't go back, or I probably almost surely would have, cut that cord for good my friend, and just tough it out, it really is not that long in the scheme of things of life.

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Congrats Kevin .. I hope you can continue to go on living with the pain but with out the pills.. Take care and God bless

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good luck Kevin hang in there! good for you..

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After more than 20 years on OP's I have decided that the hassle of trying to get my meds and switching from one to another, the latest MS39ir's it is time to get off the s***. In my 3day of living HELL, but I feel better about myself. No longer will this s*** have a hold on me. I have been in pain most of my life and I know I am strong enuf to do so free of drugs

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search at the top TYPE IN Fill Oxycodone Prescription
and you will get the FORUM with over 300 REPLIES

Type in Exactly how spelled
should be the very 1st one on the list...

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pcrwriter: I feel your pain and we deserve an answer. I'm 32 from NYC and we are having the same problem. Please contact me . This is bigger then anyone thinks this a ridiculous situation to say the least and is going to have major reprocussions. They think they can prescribe this pill that gives relief but also comes with major withdrawals and just take it away? There will be people loosing there jobs cause of rehabs there will be people falling into major depressions of pain familys will be destroyed pain management now starts at step 1 all over. There will be catastrophic reprocussions from this. They havent made an announcement they havent done anything its a big secret but I will find who called that order and im going to make them pay each and every person pain and suffering and enough money for us to live forever. They wanted to be drug dealers well no drug dealers story ends in hapiness. Get in touch with me I need a contact in Florida . Im going to see the assembly man today,its a start

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Im n jax fl 40yrs old been on 30mg for 8yrs n cant get it filled they dnt have it or lie n force u to get legaly robed by ma n pop pharms..im talkin about walgreens n cvs..its descrimantion in my book they out right lie n thn fill it right behind u....put an age limit on class 2 drugs under 30 no oxycodone sumthn like tht put ur injuries on fill they have u in the system already

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No problems in Michigan, filled two orders in the last month

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Your Pharmacist is misinformed you. The DEA has set the amount to be produced of Schedule II drugs for 2012, long ago, and pertaining just to Oxycodone, it is in the tons. I don't have the actual amount and not going to waste my time looking it up again, it's on the DEA site way back somewhere. It's a little more than 2011. If you live in a State like Florida, they have made some big arrest, and it's as not as freely prescribed, and pharmacist just don't want to deal with it, or won't fill scripts by certain doctors, but that State passed some laws to stop the pill mills and the DEA is very much monitoring scripts filled in certain pharmacies and ones that raise red flags, but there is more allowed for manufacturers to produce than last year, and IF there is a demand for it by scripts, they will keep pumping out the pills til they hit their quota for 2012, which the DEA always underestimates, by a good month or so, but not six months!!

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I think you are misinformed. My pharmacist straight out told me that the DEA is restricting the amount of oxycodone methadone and dilaudid to the pharmacies.

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This is not uncommon. They had the same problem with truck jacking of Quaalude's back before they made them illegal.

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The problem with oxycodone,oxycotin,and roxicodone along with other meds got high jacked at truck stop at the tune of get this 7 million pills.Dont beleive me?Go to google and type in why is there a shortage of oxycodone.There you will see the press release.Sorry i changed to opanas.

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nope friend od and also choked on his vomit .. died, dead gone from our lives..
didn't find him for 2 days.. I agree there other muscle relaxants on the market..

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@Kate, Sorry about your friend but I see it wasn't changing. No one is quitting smoking, drinking, drugs, when they are going to finish the pack, the bottle, the pills, it's fact. Also the Carisopradol is now a Schedule IV...and it's lame. Soma's aren't a buzz, it's mixing them, Phenergan isn't a buzz, but with opiates it a nod and a half. Your friend was not quitting of her own free will, but she did quit. I am sorry, I have no compassion for those that are just doing it one more time. I do for the people that cared for her. If she had taken Phenergan, instead of Soma, she would have certainly died too. Phenergan does nothing by itself, an antihistamine script!!

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Who should I attack first. I guess I better read post closely before I get on my high horse. BRB Carl

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@ Donna - to your post about your friend mixing somas w/ oxys - my very best friend died the day after my birthday last year from doing that. She was trying to get clean and decided to do her "oxy, soma, xanax" cocktail for one last time - and it really was the last time. She was SO relaxed that she "nodded out" and choked on her own vomit. Her cell phone was in the other hand and her father had to tell me she was in the middle of texting me when it happened. Very sad. I am a pain management patient who is prescibed oxycodone - I used to also be prescibed to the soma and despised the way they made me feel. After losing my friend, I am so glad that they are making away with these. There are so many other beneficial muscle relaxants that will help you in many more ways than somas. I hope your friend made it - if not, I'm sorry for your loss.

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Sandy- I am sorry for offending you or anyone else that is in serious pain brought on by disease or serious injury.Pain manage clinics were designed for people who are suffering who most likely need pain medication to function for the rest of their lifes or for an extended period of time.In these situations care should be afford to you with or without insurance. Drs can clearly identify those who legitmatly need it and do whatever they can to supply the medication to you and I agree you should not have to suffer because of the countless others who manipulate the doctors. I am sorry but definatly not clueless.First of all I spent my entire life fighting issues surrounding addiction, begining my life be abandon by by parents at the age of 5 and growing up in fostercare as a result of addiction. I have 2 sibblings who have lost their lifes to addiction. I am currently and have been raising my grandaughter for the last 3and half years because her father lost his life to addiction and my daughter is an addict. Ive taken countless courses on drug addiction while attaining my ba in criminal justice, I work as a mental health counselor for troubled youth...I do have a clue. Florida is filled with pill mills, doctors are helping well bodied able adults by selling them oxycotin to take back to the streets to sell, knowing not one thing is wrong with them. Its a fact the florida pill mills sell these drugs to dealers who dont have insurance who dont even life in the state. I read about it at least once a week,and I live in Massachusetts, where some of the best hospitals in the world are, where it is required to have insurance, if you do not have the money for insurance it will be given to you you will actually be fined if you dont have insurance, so why would they travel to another state and purchase drugs and pay cash for them??? It happens to be a huge problem, several documentaries have been done on the florida pill mills you really should watch them. At the heart of so many drug busts lies florida pill mills. I get so angry about it, so angry what drugs does to people that i do forget that people legitamatly need them and i am sorry for that .but I do have more than just a clue. I do hope you find relief in your pain.

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@spoons #312, They passed a law most states have had already now is, that the Dr. can NOT sell schedule II meds out of the office, they must be filled at a Pharmacy. It probably is all controlled substances, I just don't know that one for sure. I can remember long time ago, at weight control Centers, they would give you Adipex 37.5 mgs (Phentermine at 37.5 mgs, rather than the usual 30mgs).They would some times just come in a little zip lock bag and the instructions inside or outside stapled to it. I only have seen that because I had a friend and I got on her because she was so thin! The packaging looked like a drug deal on the streets. (the 70's or early 80's in California). That law cuts into a big money maker because they get the big quantity and sell them included on the visit. The charge was so much for the visit listed, and then the meds for her, then they total all in one swoop. No more in Florida.This taking a big chuck out of them.

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Oh perhaps the DEA has cracked down? Roflmao. The biggest crime is leaving legit patients in pain.

Sorry but not everyone has insurance. So how do they pay if not insured? Also, many pain management clinics cannot afford the malpractice insurance which leaves them unable to take insurance. Primary care docs refer you to these places. Patients are not experts on how a doctor's office should be run. Nor are avg citizens - on the outside looking in. Nor are parents of addicted adult kids experts in how their kid obtained these drugs. Addicts buy off the street 99% of the time while patients twist themselves into loops attempting to be treated with a modicum of respect at every level. People with opinions like spoon are clueless to what everyday legit CP go through.

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try waiting 3 weeks, and then can't fill for another 28 days and then it's going on the 4th week! I just went to the dr's again w/o evening getting last months filled and now I have 2 scripts but no where to fill!!!

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