Is This A Fluoxetine Pill?

A109 20 mg dark blue oval capsule

REPLY

REPORT

I also got the blue generic fluoxetine made by northstar and they made me crazy!!! I just called the manufacturer and they are taking this seriously: they are sending me a kit to send back the pills and they will consult with the FDA. Please call them to tell them the pills are bad. Northstar RX LLC Toll Free: 1-800-206-7821

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I, too, received the Northstar fluoxetine and have been taking it for 8 days and was wondering what was wrong with me. It's like taking nothing--all the depression, weepiness, ups and downs are back. Please help me.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

CALL THEM!!! And call your doctor!! Get new "clean" pills and tell your doctor what happened. Northstar has been extremely diligent in reporting this to the appropriate authorities. You have to help yourself. Do 2 things today: call your doctor and get a new prescription (or return them to the pharmacy where you got them AND call Northstar

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I already called Northstar. I'm going to my pharmacy to see if they can give me a different brand. I was taking Sandoz before and they switched to Northstar on the last refill. Thank you so much for your post. I have been going bonkers trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I'm not sure if I feel like I do if I don't take it at all or if I just feel scattered, MOODY, and cry for no reason.
How long were you on the Northstar before you started noticing the difference and which manufacturer made your other pills?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I took it for almost 2 weeks before I figured out that it was the pills making me crazy. This is the first time I've taken the blue ones (Northstar). Mine have always been white and green or white with a green stripe.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I have been taking the TEVA USA generic for fluoxetine HCL 40 MG for about a year. Recently my pharmacy switched me to the NORTSTAR generic. With virtually the first pill, I experienced heartburn and reflux within minutes. The taste in my throat is horrible. I suffer from Barrett's Esophagus and certainly don't need any extra acid. Has anyone else experienced this?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I have used 10 mg, 20 mg, and 30 mg per day of the NorthStar fluoxetine. I have had no real response to it. Searching several forums, I have seen problems with both TEVA brand and with Northstar. My symptoms haven't improved at all. I have heard good things about the Barr generic from WalMart. Think I'll try that. I asked the pharmacist about Lilly brand name Prozac, but they quoted me $220 per month for the 20 mg! Anyone else have luck with Barr/WalMart generic?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I have been taking Prozac for several years, and more recently, the generic, Fluoxetine. I was getting the TEVA manufacturer for a while and everything was fine. Then one time about a year ago they refilled my prescription with Northstar. In about 2 or 3 weeks of taking the Northstar pills I all of a sudden became depressed and felt horrible. I called the pharmacy and I asked them for the TEVA and they replaced the pills I was taking. Within a day or two my depression was gone. So I have stuck with TEVA ever since then. However, today I went to pick up my prescription and they filled it with Northstar. I told them I can't take Northstar and that I needed TEVA and they told me that they had no TEVA available, and that it was the same medication. I came home today and found this website. I don't know what to do. I don't want to start taking this Northstar brand again because I know what is going to happen. I may be able to buy the brand name Prozac instead of the generic, but it will cost me significantly more money (I pay $3 for generic, and it would cost me $25 to buy the brand name if their is a generic available). If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. Thank you.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

My last refill was also something other than TEVA. I refused it and had to race around to other pharmacies to get TEVA. I will not take anything else now. I am also trying to wean off all this junk. The reason I feel "bad" is not because there's a lack of pharmaceuticals in my diet!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi Ralph, just started taking the Northstar brand of Fluoxetine this morning . Had been using a different brand. Within 1 minute of taking the Northstar brand I experienced terrible reflux and heartburn. A problem that I never had. After 8 hours of discomfort I decided to do some research on Northstar and found this forum.Needless to say,I will be exchanging the Northstar in the morning. Thanks for posting : )

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Glad I could be of help. It was incredible how quickly the adverse side effects hit me.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Has anyone had experience taking Fluoxetine, switching from NorthStar to Aurobindo?

I provide pet care and rec'd a call from a mom whose dog is not well... My big beautiful girlfriend (her dog) takes 80 mg, 1 x a day, and just transitioned last night off of NorthStar to Aurobindo.

Symptoms are: very mopey, excessive thirst and urination, refusing her favorite treats, extremely restless and agitated, distant from family, her tail is down and she looks sad. Initially, she went for her walks... pooped and peed normally, then refused to go out. She urinated on the carpet a couple times, (never has accidents) and kept walking up to the third level in the home, which she NEVER GOES UP THOSE STEPS!!!

Any responses are appreciated.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I also was switched to the Northstar fluoxetine 20mg capsule from Costco. One capsule made me hyper for about 6 hours, then I became deathly ill - vomiting, diarrhea, etc. PLEASE report this info to the FDA. Northstar is manufactured in India and only distributed from Tennessee. I am on no other meds that would cause this reaction. The FDA has a website to report a drug adverse reaction. Send the med back to the FDA. I have no idea what is really in this capsule. Supposedly there is some shortage of the fluoxetine GG 20mg white capsules. All this junk is coming from India and China. Registered Pharmacist

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I sent a message yesterday but it didn't get posted - perhaps because I copied a link in there. I contacted the FDA and they gave me the correct place to report this. Please go to the the Internet voluntary reporting form by going to the MedWatch homepage at fda.gov/safety/medwatch/default.htm. Click on "Reporting Serious Problems to FDA", then "Reporting by Health Professionals" or "Reporting by Consumers".
The form is sort of intimidating but it simple enough when you get started. I submitted yesterday and this morning I had a response from them that said they got it and would wait for other reports to match together to see what action to take. I was told by Northstar in April of 2011 that they had resolved this but more people keep coming here with horrible experiences. Please take action with me.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I have a really different reaction than you guys. For me, I was on Northstar forever and I felt fine, and then I switched to Sandoz and started getting nausea, headaches, suicidal thoughts, and sluggishness. That's why I'm researching this right now. It's been pretty scary, but I thought I might finally have the answer - maybe just switching from what your body's used to, no matter if it's from Northstar or to Northstar, is just not good for a lot of people? I'm not sure, I'd like to think once I switch back to the pill I was on, I'll feel better. Anyone have an opinion on this?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I had been on 20mg/day for two years -- in ~may 2011 my pharmacy (Target) switched f/Sandoz to Northstar -- i began to have increasingly loose & acidic stools-- and in Nov 20 11 (routine physical) my RBC,WBC,hemoglobin, ferraton dropped to anemic levels -- my physician is looking for ulcers, etc -- I made the association & stopped taking the Northstar in mid-December-- bowel has improved...blood counts not yet...

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I had called the pharmacy when i had gotten home questioning the Northstar blue color and they confimed it was flouxetine around 2 weeks ago. I too have been ill from this pill, feeling mentally overdrugged, heartburn, sluggish, and withdrawn. I had changed pharmacies and don't know what i have been taking prior to this, but have been taking flouxetine for years and have never had a problem. I too will be calling , Northstar, my pharmacy to see if they have my prior brand, and if they don't, my doctor, because he will have to prescribe another script because i don't have any refills, and to explain why i need another prescription so soon.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I got a new prescription from walmart of fluoxetine.40 mg. Blue capsules with a manufacturer name of NOR..? I was taking 40mg of a teva manuf. Broke out in what looked like sunburn.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

It is made by Norstar and known to cause problems. I was taking the Teva brand and never had a problem. The pharmacy switched me to the Norstar brand and I had severe heartburn almost immediately.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Is everyone sending info to the FDA? I put the link in below.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I received the Northstar fluoxetine at Wal-Mart and it was good for me. My mood was the best since I started taking Prozac/fluoxetine. Next refill was a different manufacturer and am struggling with moods again. Has anyone else had a good response to Northstar's generic? Hope I can find it at another pharmacy.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Celeste (# 45)

But what about the pills from Teva? Did they work well for you?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Carissa (# 22)

I know this is old, but you don't have to wait for a counselor appointment. Just call the pharmacy and tell them you want a different brand and they'll order it for you. Or, they may have a different brand in stock already.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Jane (# 33)

Hi yes I've been on the Sandoz manufacturer for about 9 months now and it's the only one that I didn't have serious side effects from hardly any side effects and I got a refill this past Monday and they switched me to the all blue by norstar think and I immediately called up there to Walgreens and they tell me now that is on backorder and they don't know when they'll be getting any.
And reading a lot of comments I agree with all of you on when pharmacists or a pharmacy tech doesn't take you seriously on when we say that these generic drugs do have side effects and our bodies react different they make you feel like you're stupid or you're just complaining or your hypochondriac and that's not fair they're in the business to help others educate listen and be as customer-friendly as possible knowing they deal with hundreds of customers a day. So I found the last 15 sthose pills in College Station Texas at a different Walgreens and I also contacted Sandoz and the lady said she didn't know when they would be Manufacturing the 40 mg generic Prozac again. So hopefully by the end of these 15 pills. Sandoz will be manufacturing their generic Prozac again.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Wayne (# 105)

Follow-up: The VA changed its supplier from Sandoz to Pliva, and the Pliva is working much better for me.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: Jane (# 57)

Hi! Walgreens just changed my Fluoxetine from Sandoz to Alembic from India - it is making me feel awful - GERD, horrible migraines, etc. do you know where I can get the Sandoz manufactured fluox?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I also have found generic fluoxetine's effects on me to differ by manufacturer. The VA currently issues me an Aphena repackaging of Sandoz 20mg capsules, but it doesn't seem to work as well as the Pliva I used to get from my local pharmacy.

If you're a VA customer, have you been able to get a specific manufacturer's product instead of the one from whoever the VA has chosen as their default supplier?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Re: Jeanie (# 100)

Some manufacturers use SHELLAC on the capsules as ink. I am allergic. My throat closes up, and more recently I've become short of breath with an irregular heartbeat. It's becoming tougher to obtain what I need, so I now transfer the capsule contents to plain gelatin caps.

Recently got Northstar fluoxetine. No shellac, so I was thrilled, but noticed hyper feelings immediately. Tried for a few weeks, but things got worse + ankles swelled (actual "pitting," as with kidney problems), and eventually my feet were so stiff they wouldn't bend without severe pain.

Found Sandoz at Meijer. Had shellac, so transferred capsule contents again, but I felt fine. Now Meijer won't get Sandoz (even though they told me legally they must fill with the same manufacturer for me if I request - and even put a note in my file).

The problem, I'm sure, is the INACTIVE INGREDIENTS. Northstar and many other foreign manufacturers are using ingredients that others have not often used.

For me, I believe the MICRO-CRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE and/or SILICON DIOXIDE may be the culprit.

Such fillers are used to lower production costs, often to prevent machinery jam-ups and allow more efficient tamping of capsule contents. Suppliers of these fillers are advertising aggressively, promising cheaper production processes to the drug manufacturers.

I guess I'll get on the phone and see if I can get Sandoz anywhere, but it just seems like it's becoming a losing battle.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re: BA2DC (# 94)

I've had the same experience over 20+yrs on both brand Prozac and various generics ....I always ditto the remark above that " No generics are created equal " ( nor do they work as well as brand). I was on brand for the past 10 yrs and switched jobs. Now my Ins only pays for generic....I'm on Sandoz and tried Tera. Don't let anyone tell you that they are all the same. It's an experimental game to find the one that Truly works for you.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

The pharmacists at Walmart orders sandoz for me. The ones I was getting were blue and I might as well not take them. I did research and decided to try the sandoz brand. There is a huge difference for me. I do have to pay $15.00 verses $4.00 but it is well worth it. Don't let them tell you there is not a difference.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

White capsule with light green bands partially around both ends tiny print of ---- GG ---- . 575 ## its prozac dude ## T...

3 REPLIES

I need to know what the pill Fluoxetine looks like 10 mg and 20 mg? Please send a picture. ## What does the pill fluoxet...

11 REPLIES

What does that pill look like? Can you describe the capsule that's manufactured by Sandoz? ## Hello, Nancy! How are ...

2 REPLIES

Hellow there I stated the green fluoxetine tablets in the past three weeks for anxiety but I feel like everything is wor...

1 REPLY

is prestiq a fluoxetine? ## Pristiq contains the active ingredient Desvenlafaxine, this is an SSNRI antidepressant, so n...

1 REPLY

Where can I find this generic fluoxetine? Where I live, every Pharmacy around has quit carrying this drug for depression...

9 REPLIES

I have been on fluoxetine for eight months. I am on 40 mg/day. I've always been prone to sinus infections, but my si...

8 REPLIES

I have taken Prozac generic fluoxetine for two years. I rec'd new prescription from Northside. Since I started takin...

6 REPLIES

I just took six is that all right ## Hi Todd, The dosing information for Fluoxetine is as follows: Initial dose: 20 mg o...

4 REPLIES

Can this medication cause severe heartburn. I've taken it for about a week, with no problems. And now i just took on...

4 REPLIES