Oxycodone's Deathly Issue

I've been using Oxycodone for five years for pain management. I read about all the deaths that were associated with this drug which were being attributed to intentional over medications by patients in order to get high. I discovered by pure accident that there appears to be a major flaw in this pill's ability to consistently breakdown in the human system like it is intended to do, especially in the time release tablet. As the pill fails to breakdown and release it's medication, they begin to build up dangerous levels within the upper gastrointestinal track. They eventually do release into your system, but not when you planned for it, and sometimes many stored pills open at one time and dump into your system all at once. It could look like an intentional overdose to those who don't know about this issue. Has anyone else noticed that sometimes they feel like they never even took their pain pill? Or has anyone else noticed that every once in a while they seem to get super loaded for no known cause every once in a while? I discovered this issue when I went in for a colon test and after six hours of cleaning out my whole system, I began to notice at the very end that about fifteen oxycodone pills, fully intact, began to pass through my system from the upper gastrointestinal tract. The actual test showed that there were still five more left in my upper gastrointestinal tract. Nothing else in my whole system but those pills stuck inside me. I tried to inform the manufacture, but they did not want to hear what I had discovered. Meanwhile, they continue to blame all deaths related to Oxycodone to addicts who purposely took too many pills to get high. User's beware. I like to hear from anyone else who have noticed some of the oddities I've mentioned about this drug, especially if they have a reason to believe they too had a pill build up.

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I forgot to mention that I discovered this deadly issue with the breakdown of Oxycodone four years ago. Maybe the manufactures have fixed this delivery system problem since then. Has the death rates attributed to this drug dropped since a few years ago? I still am concerned, since someone else mentioned they saw a full pill that passed through their system as recently as an October entry on this page.

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A full pill passing through someone's system DOES NOT mean it hasn't released the active medication.

There are many pills that release the active medication with the outer shell remaining intact. That shell is empty and is not meant to dissolve in your body, it is meant to be naturally expelled.

If you read the documentation from the manufacturer of the pills you are taking, you will see a warning on there about just this very thing.

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Verwon,
Thanks for the information you have provided. Actually, I was told that what I probably saw was referred to as a ghost pill. The suspicious evidence that made me doubt they were ghost pills is because I retrieved several of expelled pills out of the group and they were rock hard and felt intact with their medications. How does this evidence correspond with a ghost pill, and how long can these shells remain in one's system? What do you think about this additional information and my theory? Before this happened, I'd never heard of 'ghost pills. What else can you tell me about how the shells remains intact, but the medication is released? Also, can you tell me how the timed release ?mechanism works, and doe's it ever release at different times depending on one's internal system or other med's they are taking? Thanks for any information you can provide me and others with.

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ginny,
Thanks for sharing your info about the pain med. I have some info that I hope will help you. I can't take any anti-inflammatories of any kind,NO Aleve,motrin,advil,asprin they all cause me major problems. I took one motrin and ended up in the hospital with a GI bleed. I have several reasons that cause me to be in pain all the time. I was prescribed oxycontin over a period of 3 years. During that time the doctor just kept increasing the dosage because it seemed to lose its benefits. It has a coating that is supposed to allow it to be time released. I can't give you info on how long its supposed to take to release. I would try reading the full and lengthy RX info that is provided with the med. You can look it up online or get one from a pharmacist. I can tell you that I noticed similar occurances as you with regard to the pills not working all the time, sometimes it was like I didn't even take them. I would end up going insane with pain. Sometimes they seemed to build up in my system and release more than usual. That wasn't good either because I would feel so sleepy if I sat down, and totally hyper if I kept going. Also, I used to see them floating in the toilet without the green coating, but mostly the whole pill. Sometimes they came through with the green outer coating. They weren't capsules so I don't think that its possible that it was dissolved on the inside like the other person commented. I have never heard of ghost pills so I can't comment on that. When I mentioned to my doctor that the pills were coming out whole he said I was the first person to mention this to him. Several months later he stated that he had other patients confirm to him that they also passed whole pills. I was taking a very high dose of the oxycontin. I think it didn't work for me because they weren't absorbing the way they were supposed to. I know that these meds cause constipation, slowing down the intestinal tract would slow down the metabollism too. I gained 45 lbs while I was taking the oxycontin. I think the pills are supposed to be absorbed in the stomach and not the intestine but could be wrong on that point. Maybe they absorb in both along the way. While taking the oxycontin I used to sleep walk,sleep eat, and had sleep apnea. I even fell asleep driving, it was scarey. The most frustrating part was that I was still in pain. I could have died or killed someone if I were still taking the oxycontin. If I were you I would try to find something else that works for you. I stopped taking the oxycontin and it was difficult because my body was so used to it. But it was SO worth it in the long run. After the oxycontin I went to using a fentanyl patch in combo with percocet. My lliver didn't like the tylenol in the percocet so now I take it without the tylenol. Its oxycodone. Its not a time released pill. Its much,much lower dose than the oxycontin was. It might be helpful for you to try the fentanyl in combo with another type of pain med. The change in dosage might get rid of the side afects and might end up working better for you. Don't give up trying. Being in chronic pain is hard on your body too. Don't forget the alternative medicine options. Yoga,massage, acupuncture etc. can make traditional medicine and its medications work more effectively. I have learned there is a place for both when it comes to taking care of yourself. Peace to you.

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Ginny,
As there are several different manufacturers of this medication - do you know which pills do not break down? I mean from which manufacturer, what dose and what color pill. Thanks.

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Verwon,
I just realized today that you are responding to many postings related to a variety of drugs. Are you working for the drug manufactures? Why would you know so much and seem to always have answers that explain away a users issues.

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Verwon seems to be a coordinator or a monitor of some type. He also cruz's thru unanswered questions and replys to them !
**********HE'S EVERYWHERE **********

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Johnny,

I wish I could remember the manufacture of the pills I was using at that time. I do remember that all the talk about the many deaths attributed to intentional overdosing was not narrowing it down to one type of pill of Oxycontin. I do know that four years later I don't seem to be having nearly as much problems with this medication as I did back then. However, I still go through the fairly routine issue of feeling as though I did not take a pill at all. Recently, I demanded that I only get the brand name and that problem has disappeared.

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This is the first time I ave heard of such an isue. The reason that OxyContin is so expensive is the revolutionary time-release mechanism. You must be talking about som sort of generic version, which are not available in the UK where I live, because our patents last far longer than those in the US. No generic Oxycodone will be on the UK market until 2016.

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I was put on Oxycontin 10mg to start with last year and later the dosage was increased to 15mg. I did not pass any full capsules, at least not that I noticed. I was on Oxycontin for about four months and could not sleep although I was tired all the time and could not keep my eyes open. I could also not drive because I was flying high all the time and my concentration was down to zero.

Unlike others instead of being constipated I had to visit the toilet 2-3 times a day and since I stopped taking Oxycontin I am constipated again.

Although I was on a low dosage it got so bad in the end that I asked my GP to take me off these pills and give me something else. I am now on Durogesic Dtrans pathces. The only problem I have with these patches is that I wake up nearly every night scared of something, don't have a clue what. But one of the side effects of these patches is given as hallucinations, maybe that's what it is.

BTW, the Oxycontin I was supplied with were from Napp in Cambridge, are these the real deal or generic version?

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i was diagnosed with hep c in 2000, and underwent 2 spinal surgeries, one in 2001, and the second in 2006. I was prescribed oxycontin post operatively for both surgeries, but over the course of several years, i found that due to the extensive damage to my liver, my body was unable to metabolize the medication in a timely manner, however, i still take oxycodone 5mg yellow and white capsules, which seem to help relieve my lower back pain, but i too have experienced how some days 1 5mg dose,takes longer to feel, then on other days, it hits me within 15-20 min. usually after i have had my morning coffee. sometimes i get so sedated, that i consume large amounts of caffeine (coffee, soda, tea, etc....) in an attempt to balance it out. it is reassuring to know that i am not the only one who has experienced these effects. thanx so much for your post

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oops! i almost forgot to mention, as u stated ginny, about the GI issues? I also have h plori infection,so i don't know if that has any signifiance in how this drugh affects me differently from time to time. i just wanted to add this info, because when reading your post, what you stated about your stomach problems, etc....maybe somehow related to my own symptoms....

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And I was told that the time-release system was absolutely state of the art; the most perfect ever devised. I refer of course to original brand-name, which is all we can get in UK due to patent law, no generics will be allowed until 2016. No, I haven't noticed any difference between one pill or another, ever, and I have been prescribed OxyContin for quite some time now, 40mg b.d. I find them very smooth and regular in their effect compared to other m/r analgesics like DHC 60mg and MST Continus 30 and 60mg. Now the MST, though made by the same company, yes, I HAVE noticed differences in effect, maybe due to so much more morphine being released at the one time; I can be fairly certain that's the cause because in general without an anti-emetic, morphine makes me sick, and on those occasions when I felt as though i had taken more morphine than usual, i sure felt sick. Cyclimorph is OK, containing as it does, 30mg cyclizine per dose, like Diconal (dipipanone) which is not an m/r or s/r drug, but certainly the cyclizine prevents any sickness.

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Donna,
I'm responding to your posting which assumed that I had a stomach problem because I underwent testing on my GI track. The reason for the testing was because I had been diagnosed with breast cancer and the Doctor was checking my whole body for the possibility of it spreading to other areas. Fortunately it had not. Since the first posting I made about this drug, I've run into another issue with a generic version of this drug. My pharmacy switched me to a generic form that caused some serious stomach aches when I took it. The following month I requested only the brand form of the drug and the stomach issues went away. Unfortunately, the extra cost for the brand name is costing me a small monthly fortune due to a clause in my prescription insurance which mandates that I must accept generic form when it's available or else I pay the difference between the brand name and generic pills. What a rip off. This is the second generic form of a medication that has caused stomach problems for me and the payment for the brand names are eating up an extra 100.00 per month. One has to wonder what goes into the generic drugs that could cause such a physical problem for a patient and create such a substantial price difference between the same medication? Does anyone know how to get around the insurance penalty for requiring a brand drug because the generic makes you ill?

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NAPP are the patent-holder and the original brand-name manufacturer of OxyContin and OxyNorm. Also of MST Continus (known in the USA as MS Contin). So what you are getting is the original branded drug.

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I should have said, that was in reply to Eric, who was wondering about NAPP Pharmaceuticals. Yes, they are the makers of the original brand-name OxyContin.

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I last wrote that I was hopeful that I hoped the manufactures of Oxycontin had fixed any issues that they may have had with the pill not breaking down as intended within the body. However, two days ago I had about five of my Oxycontin tablets, along with other medications, in a pill container that became totally immersed in water. I didn't discover it till a day later. All the other medications had dissolved completely but three of the five oxycontin tablets were in various stages of breaking down,still not dissolved after 72 hours, and only two of the Oxycontin tablets actually were dissolved. Scary to even consider. We should all do our own little experiment to see how long it takes one or several of our pills to actually dissolve. If any one does do this, please post your outcome for the rest of us to read. Thanks.

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Ginny; I was wondering if you ALWAYS swallow your OxyContin whole? When my arthritis gets really bad I find that biting through the tablet (name-brand of course) helps a lot. The effect comes on so much quicker and is a lot stronger; but the time-release mechanism of the original tablets still operates to a degree. I mean it isn't like taking 40mg oxycodone all at once. I wouldn't think you could do that with the American generics, which do not use the m/r system that original NAPP OxyContin does. I find that biting in half reduces the time of effective action to about five or six hours, but it's worth doing if you are bad enough. Remember it's the time-release method that makes branded OxyContin so expensive, so I certainly wouldn't risk doing that with a generic with a standard m/r delivery system. To release all 40mg of a NAPP tablet you would have to crush it into fine powder before taking it and that would be dangerous indeed. Needless to say, I am glad that generics are not allowed here yet. I know how my body handles the ones I get. I found out that OxyNorm, the instant-release form, is SO much cheaper. A box of OxyContin costs GBP£198 (about US$400) for 40mg tablets but a box of OxyNorm costs only £30 ($62) for the 20mg strength.

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Oh, and Ginny, I will try your experiment with four or five of the original brand OxyContin. Is oxycodone itself water-soluble? I don't know. But I will do that and report back on my findings for you.

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Dear Michael and Others:
My last post asked others to experiment with a few of their Oxycontin/Oxycodine pills to see if they are breaking down in the time frame we've been led to believe they will. I've since read up on this medication and found that it is water soluble and has the same molecular structure as heroin. I was never told this when I was put on it for pain. In a four year period between 1996 and 2000, there was a 400% increase in deaths attributed to this drug, and this didn't
include many thousands of ER deaths that could not be confirmed Oxy deaths due to other RX's within the patients system. This is a 7 year old study! Of course the manufactures are claiming that all of these deaths are caused by patients or street users breaking or crushing the pill to get a fast high. I strongly am beginning to suspect that they may have a delivery system issue that is not being disclosed and is easy to hide because most pain patients use other medications concurrently. I've informed my husband to make sure that if I die from an overdose to have the autopsy check to see how many un-desolved Oxy pills are found in my system. I can see how easy it would be to tell my loved ones that I died from an overdose because I had taken too many pills at one time and blaa, blaa, blaa, They would buy that story too if I had never discussed this break down issue with them in detail and shown them some proof. After all, I do take many medications for pain. I've been very slowly reducing the dosage I have been using daily for over a year. I found this difficult, but far from impossible if done slowly and replaced with other pain killers. I've reduced 20mg's in one year. I can't believe that I'm essentially addicted to heroin at 55 yr's old! Michael, whatever your pain level calls for, don't crush or break these pills. Sooner or later it will claim your life and you will just be labeled as another addict who was seeking a quick high. I'm sure that would piss you off knowing that you were only treating your pain level with a prescribe RX. It would for me. I am using Oxycontin at this time, not a generic. I can't wait to hear what your results are from your experimental test on these pills. Who knows, maybe our combined efforts could lead to uncovering a hidden defect. I know how hard it is to give up a few pain pills to do the test, but maybe we will save our own lives, and others, if we discover that this is a real issue. Good Luck to us all.

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I think u should have kept that either to yourself. Not to be mean. But opiate addicts are gonna go crazy over the info.

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How is that possible if you have a bowel movement every day?

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Just in case someone else finds this years old discussion... tolerance means a lot with opioids. I've worked down from 30 mg MS Contin 2x/day, up to 75 mg immediate release MS per day so a total of 105 mg morphine possible as the highest morphine equivalent. I'm now to 10 mg ER, 15 mg IR

I wouldn't take the levels of dkludid I took after surgery

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I noticed that sometimes I don't feel as much and other times too much.i am on immediate release.been on them for almost three years.

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Who made the pills that you took?

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Thank you for this valuable information.

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I thought the title was more in reference with "current events". With so many of us drastically having our oxy's cut way back by law and desperate to get our prescription's filled. I am concerned with not only death, but suicide rates increasing. I have never in 5 decades remotely felt like doing myself in and still don 't. But as a person who has gone from 390mg (120ir) oxy's to 210-220 mgs in an desperate attempt to prepare for the worse I am very worried. Apparently by 2PM I will know what my pharmacy can fill for me. I will be down to 60mg until the end of the month and then who knows. I have early WD problems, watery eyes, yawning, muscle cramps, inability to sleep and the big one PAIN, nerve pain, blazing flames of pain! So I am waiting to see if I will be able to get my medication. If I should not be able to get them, I am being ask by family and friends"What will you do?" The only answer I have ever been given is suboxone which takes care of WD's, but does nothing for pain. Or head to hospital to check in for the WD's. My husband has talked with pharmacy and Dr. and admits he has no clue, surely they have a plan for people being forced off medication!?! All I could say was "SURPRISE!" I have made my way through the PDS, NSID kill my stomach, patches did not release evenly. Tramadol worked at one time. I'm anxious and very confused.

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This happened to me as well. I wound up in the emergency room and was put into ICU for a week because of OxyContin! I have diabetes and I also have diabetic gastroparesis which may or may not have been a factor but there were undigested OxyContin pills inside me which could have killed me. I never took too many at once or took them to feel high. My pain clinic doctor was one who loved the money more than the patient and she would prescribe anything one asked her for. I have chronic back pain so she had me on two OxyContin per day and six oxycodone per day; a total of about 240 mg per day. No one should ever take this much oxy unless they're expected to die in a couple days IMHO! I almost lost my life because of my not knowing and having a greedy doctor. I think it should be a law that all pharmacists must discuss this with every patient taking OxyContin. I had no idea that OxyContin was a time released drug. My doctor didn't tell me nor did my pharmacist. I had an MRI and presented it to my pain clinic doctor who just wrote the scripts and sent me on my way. I was in such pain I just wanted to be in bed. My fault for not asking more questions too. I also think there are lots of folks in chronic pain who are denied this medication because of all the fools out there who abuse it. Always Ask Questions and be careful with Any opiates!

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Hi Ginny and Michael, I found you both by accident earlier and have been reading with vigour, nodding furiously in agreement and thinking to myself Thank God I stumbled onto this site! Iv been on 200mg OxyContin am and pm for last 7yrs also up to 4x10mg daily for breakthrough plus up to 4x30/500s as required daily. I swapped from Fentanyl patches 2x100mg every 72hrs hence the large dose. I got off the 4 quick release myself slowly as they floored me every time. I too have felt at times I had forgotten to medicate due to withdrawal feelings and can totally relate to everything that's been said, Ginny your words re:killing ones motivation felt like someone just hit me with a sledgehammer.....your so right! All this time Iv thought it was me, thankyou Lucy also, your comments.....could be me your talking about I.e., everyone knowing you as a sick person etc., I now know I have to get off these awful mind numbing, soul destroying drugs, I'm not going crazy as I previously thought, they don't dissolve properly since they changed the coating, the 120mgs don't last 12hrs ever and sometimes the 80mgs come out exactly as they went in, totally intact, definitely not as ghost tablets, I know because I have others that do come back out as ghosts or shells as I call them, still intact casing but missing the drug inside. I find that they come back out depending on eating habits and fluid intake, if I eat for eg., bananas, the Oxys simply don't dissolve in the correct time scale. Iv given up on Gabapentin, they cease to work in conjunction with Oxys after Oxy dose goes over 160mgs x2 daily. Iv been doing this regime so long now I'm not capable of taking my meds myself, such are the memory problems, I daren't drive due to blackouts and absences as Topher and Ginny described, Iv thought it was my illness progressing, never did I think the Oxys could be doing this, but then I haven't been thinking straight in 7yrs now Iv only just realised! One other side effect I suffer yet I haven't seen mentioned is the sweating, do or did any of you ever experience the sweats? Mine are so bad I dont go out anymore, such is the embarrassment, it literally runs out of me like a river, it stings my eyes while asleep, when I actually get sleep, which is never longer than 2hrs maximum at a time, yet I'm always exhausted.........thankyou Ginny, Michael and everyone else who posted on this thread, for helping me realise that I so need to get my life back and get off these wretched drugs, you all have given me hope tonight for the first time in a long while I'm looking forward to tomorrow and know I'm not alone, that in itself makes the difference, maybe il even succeed and walk again, I know now that Oxys have taken so much from me, instead of giving me pain relief like they did at the start, they stopped working long ago, my doctor should have warned me what long term side effects there were, instead he kept upping the dose until eventually I stopped caring and gave up on life. It's easier to let pain win sometimes.....not anymore though, tomorrow I'm claiming my life back! Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!!,

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I was grateful to receive this information, because I thought I was being given some bogus pills. About 1/3 of my oxycodone don't seem to have any effect at all.

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