Difference Between Two Different Distributors (Top voted first)

I receive 10mg Methadone made by Roxane Labs... my cousin receives 10mg Methadone made by Mallinckrodt Pharm... my cousin and my sister SWEAR & keep arguing that the Mallinckrodt is stronger than the Roxane.. i've explained that they are the same exact medication & strength, just different makers/distributors but they keep arguing they are stronger.. can you give me some answers or explanations that they may listen to?

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This is the truth, what you have said about sensitivity, for someone who takes 3 ten mg tablets, a day. I have Fibromyalgia, and just today, spent several hours seeking my script from varios pharmacies, yet there was not one out of approx. 17, that had Mali brand, all said, 'We only have Roxanne brand! I now have to wait for pharmacy to order the Mali brand. The responses I got were, 'You live out of area, we cannot give Mali to those who live out of area! Another would be, 'we don't carry that!' Not one pharmacy offered to order the Mali brand for me. This whole situation is disturbing! I cannot spend one day a month, driving for hours in search of a pharmacy that carries more than Roxanne brand pain medication. I tried calling, and am told, 'we cannot give out that info', etc. In meantime, I suffer with pain!

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There is a differece. I've been on methadone for 14 yrs. Back when 9/11 happened my clinic was unable to get the orange diskettes that they were giving to us. The highest mg. that they gave out was 100mg. a day When they got the white diskettes everybody started having withdrawls. So clinic ok'd everyone on 100mg. could go up to 150mg , so what does that tell you.

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I have been on and off methdone for 7 years and to me it seems like mallinckrodt is stronger than the roxane labs ! I don't know why i wish i did ?

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I loose my hair really really bad from methadone....and sweat more then a man, and have memory loss and my bones ache....but even through all of that I have to take up for methadone...it saved my life.

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@Rod: Your statement about the strictness of the FDA being a preventative to differences between manufacturer's products is absolutely wrong.

For example, over a year ago, Watson sued all the manufacturers of generic oxycontin because of the wildly varying strengths and effectiveness of their products, forcing these manufacturers to halt production when testing showed that their products were so inconsistent as to be like completely different medications and medication strengths. This had been going on under the "strict" supervision of the FDA you talk about. At the current time, Watson is the only manufacturer of the Oxycontin-type medication. I know all this because my pharmacy began to go through one manufacturer after another as the supply of generics was depleted after the Watson lawsuit. After the second switch, my pain suddenly doubled and I had no idea why. At worst, I thought that I had broken one the rods implanted in my back, or at the very least, that I had the kind of flu that creates intense body aches and pains. It was my doctor who asked if I had recently been given a different brand of pain medication and explained what was going on. Anyway, as a result of the lawsuit and the banning of generics Oxycontin, my prescription went from costing $20 a month to about $450 and there was no way I could afford that. So I was switched to the alternative, methadone, which took months for my body to get used to. And then a couple of months ago my pharmacy switched from Roxane to Malinckrodt and my pain suddenly worsened again. I had to take more to reach an acceptable pain level and I worried that my tolerance had sharply increased or that my condition had worsened suddenly. Finally after a visit to my doctor, I realized that the same thing had happened again.

So what people are saying is not "nonsense", as you would have them believe. You're not an "expert" because you've taken a lot of methadone. Sounds like you just aren't sensitive to such things -- possibly your dose is so high that you might not notice a minor change. But for someone who takes a minimal dose 3 times a day for pain, that change can be the difference between toleration and agony. You're just lucky that this has never happened to you. When it does, maybe you'll have to deal with self-righteous "experts" telling you that your pain is "nonsense" too.

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I have been on Methodone for 6 years. It is prescribed for chronic pain. For one year strait I was on the Roxanne brand of 10 mg. Methadone that is a small round pill. Then one day my pharmacy changed to a large white pill called Methadose made by Mallinckro. I went through the slight withdrawals of minor flu symptoms for that whole month while I waited for my new prescription. When It was time I immediately found a pharmacy that had the Roxanne brand and all was well again. At the time I thought the Methadose was weaker because it was time released, but now I'm not sure. Over the years I have had to switch pharmacy's now and then because they decided to all of a sudden carry Methadose. I have been going to the same Pharmacy for about 3 years now and just today after picking them up and getting home I discovered that they had switched suppliers again!! This time it was made by Mallinckro the same manufacturer that makes Methadose, but is a small 10 mg. square with rounded edges and a break line in the middle. I had never seen this type before and was expecting the worse. To my surprise I found out immediately that they where not weaker but in fact STRONGER! I have extreme pain and am very sensitive to how well a drug does or does NOT work.The change irk's me because A) My body doesn't react well with meds I've been on for years being suddenly changed for the better or worse.... and B) I do not want to go through any uncomfort when and if they decide to go BACK to my previous brand. To answer the question, it is in my humble opinion that without a doubt there is a difference between the various brands of not only Methadone but of ALL medications as well! Most generic's are nowhere near the same as the name brand's, and generics themselves vary in plus or minus degrees on how they perform when compared to each other. While it is true that 10 mg. is 10 mg. one must not forget the QUALITY of that 10 mg.--- Also they lose potency with age. Like anything else, you get what you, or your insurance company, pay's for.

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ive been on methadone since 2003 due to crohns disease, i took the round ones for years and one day the asshole pharm. that just assumes im a drug addict gave me the bar looking ones;...i realized i didnt have to take near as many as i used too. i talked to my doctor and he confirmed im not crazy!!!! ill b praying for u!! God bless!!!!

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Been through the same thing, Mali works way better and I sweat less w/ Mail brand as well. With Roxi after 2-4 hours i'm physically raining/drippin wet, mostly face and arms, which have severe acne now as well! With Malinkrodt i'm good, when it starts to wear off, i get warm at times, but not soaked. After the last year searching and writtin Malinkrodt, still can't get it filled. Roxi no problem gettin filled..

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Agree, Methadose is horrible just for MMT patients. Methadone made by Roxanne 54/142 10 mg or Dolophine brand name 10 mg or the bomb also made by Roxanne the malli Methadone is waaaay different them Methadose that's how ppl get sick. Ppl are stupid. Methadose is by far the worst of em all, even worse than assend. I have chronic pain. Tried all of them and I get either the Roxanne or malli Methadone, never Methadose. Cool thing with Methdone is you can still take other opioids and feel em for example I take Dilaudid 8 mg 6x day and def feel them with my Methadone. Not Methadose. Ppl are so uneducated it's sad.

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I can tell ya that the Mali ones are way stronger, I take 2 x20mg, 4x a day, and I'm able to work for the most part.. Now if I take 2,3 or even 4 of the Roxi's at a time, I'm still dying in pain, big time. So Yes, there is difference strengths of methadone per each manufacturer..

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Re: GGJEFF (# 34)

I have noticed that since WestWard bought out Roxanne and now make their methadone, it stopped working. They had to have changed a filler or binder to save money. Now they have screwed my life up. I cant believe more people have not noticed. I didnt know until I started researching after feeling so sick.

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I also wanted to reply to Payneless ..about feeling the flu symptoms..I get that too and have been dealing with it for a long time while on this medication. My Dr. has told me that people on this medication shouldn't feel any withdrawl symptoms until several days after not taking the medication. However, I get this sweating and flu like symptoms hours after forgetting to take my dose. I end up having to take break through meds to get through it.

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100% disagree. I've been on methadone on/off for 13yrs now, and ONE 10mg Mallinckrodt's basically = TWOto THREE 10 mg Roxane's. Which sux cuz alot of the time i'm unable to get the Mallinckrodt's and the pharmacys are unable to order it. Just got stuck with 180 Roxane Methadones, so physical activity for the next month will be slim to none.

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First off i live in Georgia. Im on 100mg/day, Here CVS pharmacies strictly carry Roxanne brand. Walgreens also only carry Roxanne as well. Now Rite Aid is a different story I have gotten 3 different brands of methadone Roxanne, Mallinkrodt, and Ascend brand once or twice. The Ascend brand a terrible for pain management and most people have never heard of or seen this brand they are white round with ASC 116 Imprint. I havent been able to find methaDOSE pills anywhere though. When I qas in the mdone clinic years ago I've had 5mg methadose and 40mg methadose wafers, both types of the orange rectangular wafers they make, and the cherry syrup that's 10mg per ml. Only wafer i've never had are the Sandoz brand ones. That being said here's my opinion on the different brands. Cherry Syrup sucks it's duration is the shortest relief is minimal and it tastes horrific and doses are so small *only positive is it does kick in quickly within 30 to 45mins whereas tablets take up to 2hrs to fully kick in. Ascend brand asc 116 are s***ty and will keep you from withdrawl but suck for pain avoid this brand trust me! Roxanne brand works quite well imo and is the brand I usually end up with because im prescribed 300 10mg dones a month. I prefer the Mallinckrodt by far though they are stronger I find that they do make me feel more smacked out from those than any other brand and relaxation reduced anxiety and great pain relief. I would say the 10mg Methadose are equally as good as the Mallinckrodt (probably cos Mallinckrodt makes those also). I can't always be picky about the brand cos sometimes i have to goto 5 to 15 different pharmacies to find that amount like yesterday i went to 9 pharmacies until one had 300 pills available. Im 32 and have been using methadone for nearly 15yrs. Also been on Subutex and Suboxone. Highest dose methadone I've been on was 120mg at the clinic and highest dose of buprenorphine being 16mg/day.

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I agree about the malindkrot. Ive taken them for 13 years and last week the pharm got ascend brand,their terrible. I believe roxane and ascend are simular. But malindkrot def. better.

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@CRPS SUFFERER: As for the amount of time it takes to experience withdrawal symptoms from Methadone, your doctor is mistaken. I've been taking Methadone for at least 15 years now, and unfortunately too many doctors don't completely understand withdrawing from Methadone. It's usually because these doctors only consider a medication's half life, and Methadone has a long half life. However, if you only have 3/4 of your dose in you, you're going to feel in withdrawal. For some reason that I'll never understand, too many doctors just don't get it. So it's completely normal that you go into withdrawal if you miss a dose. I don't know of anyone who takes Methadone who can go several days before being in complete withdrawal. It takes several days for Methadone, in most cases, to be out of a person's system, but withdrawal sets in way before then.

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They are absolutely correct the rectangle methadone work much better than the round that's been my experience for the Last 5 Years

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Mallinckrodt is stronger than roxane labs methadone.....Its not just in her head...trust me on this one I have been on this medication for over 9 years and I have taken them both, they are the only 2 manufactuers that make it..Ethex corp made a 40 mg for a while not sure if they still do or not but methadose is definatly stronger.

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You really have absolutely no idea what your talking about.medicine and let the FDA guidelines allow the dosages of generic drugs to vary from +15% to a -10%. Even then the FDA does not check every batch of pills.

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They are completely correct.. kind of. The mal brand has no opiate blocker, the rox brand does, so u feel one more than the other

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