No Difference When Taking White Watson853

I have heard many people complaining that when they changed from yellow to the white watson853 that people were not getting the same pain relief. I have had 3 back surgeries I am a third titanium. I believe you are having a psychosomatic reaction. The pain relief seems to be the same to me. Talk to a trusted pharmacist at Walgreens and said they are not receiving complaints. Calling a pharmacist and complaining can cause you to be red flagged in today's society. I would suggest to legitimate chronic pain patients to not be confused by a color and getting the man to trick you into thinking there is a difference. It jeopardizes the legitimate pain patient. I would like your professional opinion please to clarify this issue.

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My opinion on the differences patients experience between various tablets is that there are several factors which may be attributing to more or less efficacy.

Psychosomatic related reactions are always something to take into consideration in today's day and age, especially considering that "our body speaks our mind" in many unique ways. One thing that I find interesting though, is that with each manufacturer's tablet, they do tend to use difference sets of inactive ingredients (binders/fillers). It's been suggested that these otherwise subtle differences in the composition of each pill is what's to blame for lack of bioavailability. This is one theory I've stood by, seeing as these drug companies keep changing formulas to prevent or deter abuse. In doing so, I speculate that the quality of the composition/casing of certain tablets have been compromised to such a degree that patients who are used to consistency will likely notice some discrepancies in how well it's being absorbed by their body. In addition to this, we also have individual factors like weight, age, tolerance, one's biochemistry, etc.

With all of these taken into consideration, it would be difficult to properly assess the underlying cause of ineffectiveness. However, something that is distinguishable are the numerous posts agreeing about the efficacy of this particular tablet. I haven't seen the same level of complaints with other manufacturer's versions of this Hydrocodone/APAP, so why would that be unless something is clearly wrong with this one? If you browse through the discussion threads here, there's a disproportionately high number of complaints centered around Watson 853 compared to any other brand/generic. That's where I end my case. Although I do understand that everyone is still subject to respond differently regardless.

I hope my input helps!

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David, maybe they lowered the amount of hydrocodone in the white ones when they stopped making the yellow ones and changed the binders/fillers. For example, maybe it was 10 mg and they decreased it to 8 mg.

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You're right BL. A lower dosage may also be possible. I've heard that generics can sway up to plus or minus 20% active ingredients (compared to brand names)... But as far as I know, no one has gone out of their way to have the percentages of ingredients for this particular pill analyzed by a lab. I'm guessing it may be expensive.

'The mystery of the Watson 853' might make for a good novel if no one can solve the riddle of why it doesn't work Lol! Our speculations are probably spot-on though!

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David, the cost of sending the tablets to a lab for analysis is very expensive. Chances are those that have the money for this and/or the contacts are changing to another generic. Do you know if a company still makes the Brand ? It has been so many years since it first came out I can't remember what manufacturer made the brand name. I'm also sure that the original manufacturer has changed their company names a few times since it was originally made.

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I had a feeling it might've been pricey. There's was one lab I saw online who advertised a price of $150 for a thorough analysis of 1 single pill, but I never knew how consistent those prices were across different companies…Pretty crazy!

Whether or not a company still makes the brand version is a very good question. It's been quite a while since I last heard about brand name Vicodin (I was initially under the impression that they might've stopped making them).

Apparently a drug company by the name of AbbVie Pharmaceutical Research and Development (whom was previously associated with Abbott Laboratories) still produces their version of Vicodin in 5/300; Vicodin ES in 7.5/300; and Vicodin HP in 10/300 milligram dosages - Something I find odd though is that on their webpage (linked below) it says that AbbVie's Vicodin is a "Generic" product. That doesn't really make any sense to me, seeing how Vicodin itself is a brand name and Acetaminophen + Hydrocodone is a generic name (right?). It's like why would they even bother to call it Vicodin/Norco/etc if it's a generic? I think that just adds to the confusion:

vicodin.com/patient/about-vicodin

I wonder if the old Vicodin was a product of Watson before their acquisition of Actavis? It has been such a long time, my research doesn't even yield the answer (as if google itself updated their search results to not include all the previous data on Vicodin Lol). Anyways, hopefully someone with a great memory will get back to us on that. It's a pleasure reading your responses.

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David, the info at that link is interesting. It is also interesting that all of the Vicodin products are white and Not yellow. I know the switch to white was made several years ago, but I don't think it was mandatory. I just find it odd that they would use the name Vicodin without the famous yellow color.

A quick search pulls up that Knoll Pharmaceuticals out of Germany originally manufactured Vicodin. Abbott Laboratories bought Knoll around 2001. This is a Google search so I'm not sure about how accurate the results are.

I do remember that one of the Lortab use to have UCB imprint on it, but that was Not the original manufacturer. Those tablets didn't have any of the problems that have reported in the past few years. Many of the pharmaceutical companies has been bought, sold, changed names, etc so many times it is difficult to remember or trace what they originally were. I'm in my 60's and some days my memory is better than other days.

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I have talked to pharmacists and it is true that the generic can sway because when it is produced the oversight is not as strict. The strange thing about that is you can actually get more than the 10 milligram dosage as well as less. So maybe because of the amount I have to take because I have had 3 back surgeries. Taking out the psychomatic theory which I believe is very strong with these pills. Yellow must be better white must be less, process by your brain will actually trick your body into thinking you are not getting the same effect. Now if it can sway downwards it can sway upwords possibly balancing out in the long run???? All I know is that I can still move around on the white ones and that's all I want to do is be able to walk. Back surgeries are absolutely no fun!!! This last one I had was a triple fusion with titanium screws and plates and discs spacers with a foam that creates bone. I bombarded myself with supplements my mother is a nutritionist and the bone grew back quite quickly for a 52 and a half year old male. I am pretty tired of these surgeries going back to work as a heavy equipment operator for two more years. The disc above is already bulging more pronounced than presurgical. Sometimes I think I have been forced into a suicidal situation but I need to get my pension. Such is life. I get great relief from marijuana but we are not allowed to use it so it is what it is

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Peter, if a generic is 10 mg of an active ingredient, it can range from 12 mg to 8 mg. For brands if it is 10 mg, it is 10 mg. Individuals are different. It is possible that for some if their bodies were use to taking 12 mg hydrocodone 4-6 times a day for a number of years and suddenly they were receiving the 8 mg, that could be the reason for the white ones making some people sick. Some people don't have any withdrawals when a medication is stopped or decreases even slightly and some people do.

I also think a lot of the complaints may stem from not adjusting your life style and activities. For some with the 12 mg they could overdo and not feel it but if it was reduced to 8 mg then they felt it. Know what I mean ?

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