New Opana Is Out Now - March 15 (Page 2)

I got my new Opana Prescription this week and it is the new formulation. The old ones were six sided and the new one is round.

The new formulation, that the FDA approved, is supposed to be the same quality as the old Opana we are used to. I hope so.

I am going to include the links to the articles that discuss this at the bottom, the latest article is directly from the makers of Opana and is from February.

The old stock of Opana is all supposed to be gone from the shelves by now and the pharmacists are all supposed to be using the new formulation.

Let us know here how you think the new stuff is working for you. Is it the same as the old stuff? IS there a coating on the new stuff that changes its effectiveness like the way the new formulation of Oxycontin did when it came out in 2010? Let us know.

Mine only started a few days ago so it is too early to say. It is the Opana long acting. They had to change it to stop people from crushing and abusing them.

Let us see if it works.

here are the article links;

This one is from Endo Pharmaceutical directly, the company that makes the drug;

Crush-Resistant Formulation of Opana ER® Approved by the FDA

Here is the second one ;

Endo Announces FDA Approval of a New Formulation of Opana® ER Designed To Be Crush-Resistant

Hope it helps everyone!

Peace, Keith

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REPORT

They r changing all of the opanas to new formula. Also went to get my opana 10 mg immediate release filled when I took in my 40 ers and couldn't get the 10s filled at all becuz they have been discontinued until may due to changing the formula. Also am getting nauseas from the 40s and filed a complaint with Endo. They r trying to say its the same blah blah bs as the old formula. Good luck everyone.

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I would ask for Fentnyal (spelling?) patches. Ask your pharmacy to order the Milan brand patches. IMO they work pretty good. Was on them then doc put me on OCs, then opana. But if the opana is making you sick, I would recommend the patches. Good Luck

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This month I received the new version of Opana ER. I've been taking 3 of the 40 mg ERs for years, and suddenly they were changed without any real warning. Opana ERs have been the best pain med I've ever been prescribed (and I've taken a wide variety of them). I understand that Endo wants to protect itself from class action suits by families of people who OD by shooting it up or chewing them or whatever, but they are also hurting those taking them as prescribed for legitimate pain management. Here's what I've noticed regarding the differences between the old and new versions...

The old ones usually took about 45 minutes to start working and another 30 minutes to reach full strength. It would stay at that level for about 6 hours and then would rapidly drop off in terms of pain relief. It would go from working at full-strength to having no effect in the span of 30 minutes (on average). I rarely experienced mental cloudiness, unusual fatigue, nausea, or anything else like that.

The new version takes longer to start working (about 85 minutes give or take, compared to the old version's 45 minutes), then maybe 30 more minutes to reach full-strength. The new version only gets to about half the level of pain relief at its full strength compared to the old version. The new ERs do tend to last a couple of hours longer and drop off much more gradually. However, this new version feels like it's tearing my stomach up. About two hours after taking one of the new ones, my stomach starts hurting pretty badly and continues for hours.

So in addition to taking longer to start working, they only seem to be half as effective while causing stomach pain. I'm going to try to see my doctor next week to see what alternatives are available, though there's not much I haven't already tried. Endo took a perfectly good medication and messed it up. It was the best pain med I've taken -- not necessarily the strongest, but strong AND without much in the way of side effects. So now I guess it's back to the drawing board.

--C

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Well, I have been dealing with chronic pain for many, many years. Not only back pain but also fibro and the worst, CRPS. I was on oxycontin when they switched formulations on that and that made me sick and it lost pain-relieving strength so my doc switched me to Opana. I was thrilled, it worked very well!

Then they went and did the same thing here. I had hopes it would be different. Different company, different process. I was hoping mainly I guess because I didn't, and still don't, know what I would or could switch to next for pain relief. But after the first week of the switch the problems started, like most of you have reported.

It started about a week out and it started with stomach issues; cramping and nausea. Then came some problems with dizziness. Then came the lessening of pain relief. Within two weeks of starting the new opana it was all like this. That was around the middle of March I guess.

I have ruled out all of my other meds, changes in my pain issues, weather, etc. It all points only to the opana re-formulation. I hope my Doc has some ideas on what to try next because there aren't many opiod agonists out there that work well.

Good luck everyone. Hope you find some relief.

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INmorePain,
First let me say how sorry I am as well to others here for your pain-I'm sorry your suffering.
Unreal yet another person effected by the new Opana! I have been TRYING to deal with the new change of opana myself. I just got my new script about a week an a half ago, the 30 ER's. I too have had the upset stomach, been shaky, jittery? My husband said I have been "sharp" with him? LOL what else is new. But just want to tell you, not sure if it's me but does seem like it's subsiding?(spelling?) I think if you give the new formula a chance it may help. I also agree that it does NOT seem to help with the pain? It does BUT it dosent!? Just seems like it's "cheaper" If I can say that? Version of opana? Good luck finding this s*** in GENERIC! No way! lol.
OH DUH! LOL. I WAS on fentyl patches at one time and think I may ask my PM doc for them again . I have to say, for me-the patches worked pretty good. Why was I taken off? Due to hot flashes-summer time, combanation I guess? Then he put me on the opana-it worked great! Until they f***ed with it! (excuss my french)
Anywho-really hope you the best.
Have a great Easter!!

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CausaMortis, I completely aree with your post! I have also noticed that the time for this med to work is a hell of lot longer then the old ones? So, when the new opana starts to work it like getting a quarter of the med, right? You don't the full amount for some reason? Now, what really pisses me off is this or MY co-pay!! Well of course my co-pay is what it is BUT when it comes to meds like this or the oxys? Yea they wont pay for it-NOTHING! Im NOT paying full price any longer for my opana if it's going to make me sick! Im going to ask my pain doc to put me back on the 100MCs of fenteynal (spelling?)_ patches. My co-pay covers it!!! If you decided to go on the patches? And you have insurance? Ask for the 75 to 100MC patches, if you want to get away from the New Opana. Have a great evening/moring.

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My husband said i was suddenly being mean too after getting the NEW OPANA ER. Dr changed my rx to something other than opana........ and now i realize i WAS being very mean.
OPANA ER manufacturer should be ashamed.

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the new opana sucks a** that much i know i have 30s and i cant do s*** with them at all! ive done tried breaking them down and everything and nothing works its just a big blob of gel no matter what you do, i dont know what they did to the new opanas but they f***ed up big time. i use to snort the stop signs and these you cant do that with and that sucks lol they are going to lose out on a s*** load of money im going to get switched to hydromorphone instead bc you can atleast do what you want with thoes and they work a hell of a lot better than the new opanas do if i was anyone i would do the same thing!

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Thank you all! I truly thought I was losing my mind. I picked up the new Opana prescription a few days ago. I am in withdrawal, I'm hostile, and getting about a fourth of the pain relief. So frustrating. My doctor is on vacation this week, so I'm going to have to wait it out.. What a crime. It was a really great medicine before this ...

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Just to follow up from my post last week on 4/3/2012, I went to my appt with my Dr on 4/4/2012 to try to get switched to the Opana IR's. Luckily, my Dr was well aware of the situation and sympathetic to my plight. I had done my part by finding a pharmacy that had IR's on hand, so he wrote for the IR's, only 10 less than I am used to getting for cross tolerance I am guessing, but I felt lucky to get what I could. The IR's are working out much better, but they do work differently than the ER's of course. With a little patience, you can get yourself back to normal again. My Dr was genuinely upset with Endo for what they have done, and I do appreciate his situation, I just wish if he had known this was happening, he would have given me some kind of warning. But, I am sure he was afraid of the placebo effect, and wanted to see how it played out. If anyone is having trouble, switching to the IR's is a good plan for now. I am not sure if they have plans to monkey with that formula as well. My concern now is that all the ER folks will be switching to the IR's and that will make them hard to get. I have already alerted my pharmacist that I will be bringing in a prescription for the IR's, the amount and the exact date I need them. He said he will make sure he can fill it...I sure do hope so...

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i take them to n they make my stomach hurt really bad the new ones i will hav to change to something else to now it took me a long time to even find the old opannas

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i been takong opana 40s for the last 2 years they worked great. the new form sucks dosnt do s*** for pain and i have to take one every 8 hours to avoid withdrawl. im gonna run out ten days early what the hell am i supposed to do. i feel like filing a lawsuit against endo pharm for ruining my freakin life. opana was the only med that truly worked and improved quality of life.

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Crap. I have a fairly low tolerance to opiates right now, as I have been seriously weening myself down over the last few weeks. Actually, I havent taken anything in 4 days and I was taking less than 1 mg of suboxone for an entire week. I was still too sick to work today, so in desperation, got 2 40's of these new POS's to get through my shift tonight. 40 mg of tramidol would have helped more. Rediculous. Even with a high tolarence, 10 mg of the old formula would bring me out of the funk. I believe they screwed up big time. I did feel better( I was in some pretty bad withdrawl) but no where close to what I should have felt on the old formula.

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Thanks to all the junkies that post all there info on these forms screwed it up for the rest of us that really need the opana!!
If it wasnt talked about so open maybe the wiould have never reformulated these pills!!
I for one am very pissed off about this!!
Hopefully there will be a generic but I doubt it!!

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I have been taking the Opana 40 mg 3 X day for 2 years. It was a wonder drug. I have very little back pain as I have Failed Back Surgery Syndrome and in pain all day long. The new ones are crap! Gives me shakes, bad moods, stomachache's and in some terrible pain. Im going to have to make an appt with my PM dr ASAP to switch me to something different! I have been in bed for three days now and cant take it anymore! I hope ENDO gets a class action lawsuit cause I will be on the list to sue as well.. I hope the ones who take them normal and dont ABUSE them gets something else to deal with their pain and to those who POST THE ABUSE THEY DO on here go to HELL!! You are the main reason why we with chronic pain have to suffer. This new s*** is horrible! They lost my $1837.00 a month that my insurance has to pay for them.. Ugh!!

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Well guys, after five weeks on the new Opana I finally gave up on it. It gave me stomach cramps, headaches, and because of the coating it did not dissolve completely before passing through my body so it was not nearly as effective as the old Opana so my pain was waaay up from before.

And I am sure that the people they were trying to stop, by changing the formulation, have already figured out a way to bypass the new version.

My Dr put me on the Fentanyl patch and it is working pretty well. We have to play around with the dose a little I think but no side effects, no stomach problems, and already better pain relief than the new opana and approaching the old opana relief.

PLEASE, whoever makes the patch, do NOT change how you make it ok? PLEASE?!

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I always find it amazing how often they try to 'fix' a drug, to prevent a problem, but just end up creating more.

In all my years dealing with information on them, I have to wonder if they even bother to really test these new formulations to make sure that they work as well as the old ones?

I know, in theory, they should, but people's bodies don't operate on theory alone.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­opana/­

Does anyone else have any experiences to share?

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I also started on the new OPana 40Mg 1 every 8 hours and I have had a headache, my stomach is burning an I'm having such bad indigestion, throwing up 1/2 hr after taking a dose, this is horrible. get a very bad taste in my mouth after 24 hours as well. I'm gonna see if my insurance will allow my Dr. to switch me to Exalgo er's. I spoke to a pharmacist and they told me the only other thing that is close to Opana's ER is Exalgo ER a 24 hr. release pill and from a 40mg Opana would be a 16 MG Exalgo ER. I'm hoping I can switch, these side effects on the new Opana er are awful and no pain relief just sicker than crap. I once went through this when Oxycontin changed there fourmulary but it was worse I went into a cardiac arrest due to the plastic and rubber in their product. I was really affraid of this happening just when I got switched 14 months ago after trying everything else and it either didn't work or was allergic. What gives with these idiots changing only certain meds all of a sudden these days. I have never abused my meds,why do we have to suffer because of the abuser's. But for those of you looking for relief I was told 24 hour release Exalgo ER by pharmacy. I also did find out it is very exspensive. Good luck to all suffering in pain an now suffering the sickness of Opana er's

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i hear ya dude i have a terrbile back problem its a degenerative birth defect and i als take opana 40s and just got the new pills last thursday and been taking it since last sunday and i tell you what i felt like absolute s*** like i was withdrawing likke it wasnt working effectively like it used to started geting a rash yesterday night and just havent felt right since ive had teh new meds ive been on this med. for a long time now and i agree that we have to suffer cuz people need to abuse medicine just not fair to people who suffer in pain and do everything we can to get better and need to take these meds to have some qaulity of life now oonce again i have to go thru a change because of meds beiing switched to gels. how all of a sudden its a problem is my genneration that f***ed up that these people have to formulate new meds to stop from crushing and shotting up how long has meds been out why didntthey think of this to begin with . now i suffer as well as others for peoples foolish ways well i am glad you posted that exalgo because if this keeps up ima see if this will be switched

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Very HARD to read because your spekling sucks......Take some time off the drugs and grab a 5th graders homework and get busy....No one is perfect but WOW, your post was seriously hard to read and it made very little sense.

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