Oxycontin 80mg Op Are Going Back To Oc (Page 6)

switching back to original form

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As stated in my other post that is not true. The original formulation of Oxycontin was a biphasic release. It released a 30% dosage as a bolus (ie 30% of the medication dissolved as instant release) and the other 70% over 6 hours after about 3 hours. If you do not believe me you can look up the release matrix that was used it's called AcroContin and it is a polymethyl methacrylate matrix (hence the name AcroContin [Acrylate Continuous release]

Infact the majority of ER meds do this. Concerta (extended release methylphenidate) has a coating on the tablet which dissolves immediately and releases 23% of the total dosage right away. Adderall XR (extended release mixed amphetamines) have capsules contain 2 types of beads within them, 50% of the beads dissolve right away when the capsule opens and the other 50% dissolve after about 4 hours which is why the manufacturer says you can open the capsules and sprinkle the beads onto food if it's easier to eat that way just as long as you don't chew the beads. The newly (as of 2 days ago) approved pure hydrocodone extended release medication (Zohydro Er) uses the SODAS delivery system which is somewhat similar to the system Adderall XR used. Though Zohydro will find limited use unless they can come up with higher strengths since they only provide doses as high as 50mg which would be the same as a 30mg OC Oxycontin. Avinza (Morphine Sulphate sustained release) also is a capsule which contains beads that either dissolve instantly or after a given amount of time). The new Oxycontin is the only drug that does not give a instant release which means it takes at least 2 hours to begin to feel the effects since the polymer must hydrate sufficiently before erosion of the polyethylene oxide matrix can even begin to allow for drug diffusion and dissolution into the blood stream.

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Since OPuser claims Oxycontin never provided an instant release and that "no literature exists that says it did" here is Purdue's official literature from 1996 that explains exactly how the original Oxycontin release system worked and on the very first page of it the instant release properties of the OC tablets is mentioned.

chronic_pain_site.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/oxycontin.pdf

Now you've been proven wrong so please stop spreading misinformation.

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Thank you for your post. It is finally nice to see someone that knows the relevant information and the literature to back it up. I didn't think my pain management specialist was stupid regarding telling me about the Oxycontin having an immediate release factor with additional release over time frame allotted for the medication. I and many other have noticed the significant difference with the OP formulation not being as effective and causing far more adverse effects than the OC's. thank you for providing the link for the literature, it is greatly appreciated even though I know the US companies are not gong to bring back the original formulation. Canada is right next door to me and they have gone back to the original formulation and at a much lower cost.

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I think gragalating is possibly titration or titrating. When I read this message I felt really stupid until I found out she lost incoherence . Wow !!! Are u serious ? How can someone spell this bad?

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Hi Cynthia.. I'm happy you found someone to work with . do you live in the Denver area by chance? if so have any good recommendations on a pain doc. god bless and may you keep your pain at a tolerable level. you reminded me have this has affected not only myself my relationship my children my grandson and of course a social life? What is that? Recreational activities? What are they? Anyone on this site who does not suffer you are blessed. because those of us who are in chronic pain under medicated have absolutely no life at all.

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I would first like to thank Someone In The Know for their very detailed, literature backed up posts. Your posts are greatly appreciated, at least by me. Now to the point of this post: Will you people please stop insulting everyone regarding their spelling mistakes... This is not English 101. We all make typos that spellcheck doesn't even pick up. The subject matter of this thread is the difference between the original formulation of Oxycontin and the new formulation. Also, in several posts, people are actually trying to be nice and civilized to each other and everyone reading these public posts in an attempt to help others suffering from chronic pain. Basically, if you don't have anything nice or helpful to say ....then DON'T say it. If you don't like this post, then you are most likely one of the people who should not be posting anything because you have nothing nice or helpful to say... Sorry, but that is just the simple TRUTH.

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This is something I was just reading this morning from the American Chronic Pain Association (theacpa.org) website's 2013 Resource Guide to Chronic Pain Medication & Treatment:

Recently, the manufacturer of OxyContin® reformulated its product. The previous OxyContin® product contained an immediate-release component (38%) as well as an extended-release component (62%). The reformulated OxyContin® is 100% extended-release. The reformulated OxyContin® is harder to tamper with and therefore serves as a better deterrent for abuse. The previous OxyContin® had an imprint of “OC” on the tablet, whereas the reformulated OxyContin® has an imprint of “OP.” There is currently no generic for the reformulated OxyContin®, which is the only form available in the United States. With the older formulation, many patients experienced euphoria, which was essentially due to the initial high levels of the oxycodone in the blood. Often times the euphoria feeling has been equated with better pain control, although research has not shown this to be the case. The new tablet formulation takes longer to reach peak levels, which can be incorrectly associated with inadequate pain control.

Thought some of you may find it interesting reading and may want to visit the website provided.

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To Quality of Life Counts--thanks for the info on the ACPA's website! I found two items in the American Chronic Pain Association's statement particularly interesting. The first is that the current formulation was made the way it is to serve as a better deterrent for abuse. In other words, once again, this was done for the benefit of abusers. It was NOT done because it was in any way better for the suffering patients who, I thought (apparently mistakenly), were supposed to be the first ones considered when manufacturing pain relievers. The second statement worth noting is the one that says that the fact that the OP formulation takes longer to reach peak levels is INCORRECTLY associated with inadequate pain control. When I took the old OC formulation, I had relief from agonizing pain within an hour. Now that I'm taking the OP formulation, it's 2-3 hours before I begin to get the same level of relief. As far as I'm concerned, being beside myself with pain and suffering for the extra 1-2 hours three times a day IS inadequate pain control. (Yes, I know it's supposed to last 12 hours which is absolutely not the case and never has been!) Perhaps only someone who deals daily, year after year, with extreme pain can understand the physical and emotional cost of having to wait that extra length of time for relief. I really am starting to get angry and fed-up with the way the "powers that be" keep explaining how they HAD to make a medication worse for the patients who take it correctly out of necessity in order to make it better for those who abuse it illegally just to feel high--as though that makes it right.

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To Cynthia: I totally understand your frustration over the continued scrutiny we get as patients trying to manage and live with chronic pain. I have always maintained a very healthy relationship with my primary care doctor but continue to be treated as nothing more than an addict when it comes to going to the pharmacy to get my prescription filled each month. I relayed a recent visit to the pharmacy to my physician and he was outraged with how I was treated as I have always allowed the pharmacy access to any and all medical information they wanted or needed. I get this kind of treatment, oh you have to wait one more day or more, when all I am trying to do is save another hour drive to the pharmacy, an hour or more waiting for it to be filled and another hour drive back just to get it filled the same day as my doctor's appointment. My doctor trusts me, he has scheduled me up to a week early, the insurance company is fine with filling it as long as it is within 6 days supply left, no this is a pharmacy policy of not filling any schedule II or higher narcotic until they feel it's necessary. Many times, while I sat with patience for my medication to be counted by 3 people and put in a bottle, I have seen over and over again young people probably no more than 24 or 25 yrs. old come into the pharmacy walk up to the counter request and receive a bag of clean insulin needles only to have something available to IV the H this area is plagued with.

I have never abused any of my medication and I get hard time about being 1 day early, simply wanting to save myself what will amount to a 4 hour long trip to get my medication the day after my doctor's visit. These young people get no trouble at all... All due to my state's clean needle law. My state gives anyone old enough access to clean needles that are really supposed to be by prescription only, yet has decided it (the legislature) knows how to treat my pain better than combined effort of my pain management team by setting quantity limitations on how much medication I can take in a month. Our rights as a patient to be treated with respect and have our concerns addressed are being stripped away one by one to protect people who WILL find something to abuse if they WANT to abuse something. I have been living with this back condition for what will be 14 yrs. in January 2014. I spent the first 6yrs. going through every conservative treatment option they had available only to end up with the original condition of 1 torn lumbar disc becoming 2 torn lumbar discs and a massive fusion surgery that has fail and I have since found out that some of the hardware was placed incorrectly. I have a screw that was put in straight and goes totally through the vertebra instead of at an angle into the body thickness of the vertebra. I have been diagnosed with permanent nerve damage in my left groin from not being padded properly during the procedure.

Sadly this procedure was not something I had done at a local medical facility. I was sent to Boston to one of the best in the spinal surgery field and that is my result. My latest visit with the pain management team resulted in a recommendation that I have my right hip replaced at 44 years of age. This is due to the fact that I have altered the way I walk to ease the stress on my back and have ruined my hip in the process. With everything going on to limit my ability to have even a tolerable level of pain, having my hip replaced is not something I will jump into without a great deal of thought and conversation about what the future holds for me. I will admit I am afraid of not being able to be treated for pain adequately after having the procedure, due to the never ending legislation to reduce the abuse of pain medication. I understand that the need to keep this medication where it is supposed to be is great...but I also know from my previous occupation that if someone is self-destructive they will find a way. You are correct Cynthia. The only people these formulation changes and quantity limitation regulations are hurting is those of us who live with chronic pain. I know it all to well. I live it everyday. I know what it feels like to be a walking weather barometer. My back tells me when a storm is coming not the weather report and my back is far more accurate as well in predicting the weather. Sorry had to add a little humor, but I am certain you know this same feeling and it is actually not funny to live like this every day.

This IS NOT living. This is just being!!!!! The ACPA 2013 guideline may not be perfection by any means, but it does offer suggestions for treating chronic pain that were worth looking at and also addressed the issue of breakthrough pain. Something many healthcare professionals don't treat well enough in my opinion. The report addressed this by recognizing that these extended release medications do not last 12 or 24 hours for everyone and the breakthrough pain needs to be managed as well. The American Pain Association is much more legislatively active regarding the restoration or our right to have a quality of life than the American Chronic Pain Association. I have been a member of the APA for many years and will continue to do so. That is another website anyone frequenting here should take a look at and I believe you will be much more impressed with the efforts of the APA than the ACPA. the APA also addresses issues regarding chronic pain and I believe is a much better voice for US. Please take the time to visit the APA website, I think you will be pleased with the steps they are taking to correct this ever growing problem of people being forced to live with intolerable pain levels everyday. I am not looking to be "pain free". I am realistic, I know being pain free is not an option for me. But is asking for moments or periods of tolerable pain too much to ask for or expect. I think NOT.

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Hi, Quality of Life! I hear you--and my heart goes out to you. I surely relate to your experiences with pharmacies. I use the same pharmacy every month for all my meds and a while back I started quietly but firmly addressing the "You Have to Wait 28 Days to Refill Your Pain Meds" issue. I began by asking them if that was something legal or if my insurance company was saying that OR if this was just something they were doing on their own and found that it was just the pharmacist's personal decision. WHEN I could refill it often depended on which particular pharmacist was on duty. Ridiculous! I started making them check if my insurance company would allow the refill earlier, particular if I was going on vacation and needed the refill a bit earlier than usual. What I discovered was that my insurance had no problem with me refilling it after 23-24 days or even a little earlier. And my doctor is very understanding of the problems that arise when you're trying to live around a "refill schedule" and still do some traveling and visit your grandchildren on the other side of the country! I still normally try to wait at least 26-27 days to refill my pain medication just to keep my refills on track but if I need it a bit sooner because I'll be out of town traveling/on vacation, I get it sooner. I SO understand what you're talking about when you mentioned trying to save yourself the time and energy expended by going back to the pharmacy AGAIN because, even though it's OK with your doc and your insurance to fill a prescription, some pharmacist has a personal thing about waiting 28 days. When you're chronically in pain and exhausted, one less more trip to the pharmacy is a big deal and, like you, I try to be as efficient as possible to avoid having to expend more energy. Also, at 28 or 29 or 30 days, I may be too sick or feel too terrible to make a trip to the pharmacy--and my husband works out of town during the week and I have no one else to make that trip for me. So flexibility is a necessity. I'm sure it's this way for many people.

And...I'm supposed to have surgery on both feet and a painfully torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder but, as you mentioned, I'm also extremely nervous about the additional pain and pain control need. Who knows what changes in health care policy are coming along that could make this issue much more difficult? And yes, we're human barometers, aren't we?! When my pain meds don't seem to be doing their job and my pain is absolutely EVERYWHERE, I just check the upcoming weather and, sure enough, SOMETHING is coming--high winds, thunderstorms, rain, snow. Who needs the Weather Channel when I've got my body?:-)

Thanks for the tip about the APA! I'll be checking their website soon-- I could use some positive information! As you said, pain FREE is not the goal but, given that there are medications available that keep the pain at least tolerable, I don't think it's asking too much to make their use by chronic pain patients, rather than drug abusers, the primary issue to keep in mind when creating policies.

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Your doctor should be prescribing you percocets to take for the period of time it takes for the new OP formulation to work and for the down side of the last dose taken, mine does. He keeps up with current pharmacology to better treat his patients pain requirements. He's fully aware of the difference between the OC and OP formulations of oxycontin. Guess I got lucky with my anesthesiologist going the extra mile for his patients.

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Good tip, Mark! My doctor and I talked about the fact that the OP formulation takes 2-3 hours to work as opposed to the OC which took an hour. My solution (with his knowledge and approval) is what you suggested--I take a Dilaudid (which I have for breakthrough pain) along with the Oxycontin which keeps the pain tolerable until the Oxycontin finally becomes effective. I wish all pain patients had a doctor who "gets it"!

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I dont know if my doctor doesn't 'get it' or is just terrified of the DEA getting snoopy. Usually I make my own recommendations and he will oblige me to an extent. He didi mention once that he is afraid that I will die. Anyhow, I am finally on an ER and am wide awake. Its the oxycontin op and never having the oc i have no basis of comparison for side effects. I do know that about two days after starting use I am getting hot flashes, diarhea, gross amounts of flatulence and most of all: little to no pain relief. I was on the generic hydromorphone but they had me too sleepy either way I cant win

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I too counted on the original OC pills due to too many back problems to list due to disease, injury at the gym and getting hit by a lawn maintenance truck while riding my bicycle. The OP pills are all but useless though I had not heard of a return to OC. If true I'm glad and will be calling my pharm and doc when they open later today. I don't know why those of us with real problems have to suffer because big pharma has to change their meds to not work so those with a death wish are forced to stop abusing them. There has to be a better way to solve this problem. I wish I had the answer but I don't. I'm really sick of suffering because of boneheads with psych probs who need a shrink not a pain doc. Anyway, I hope this is true.

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Spyz, thank you for your input on the topic of the oxycontin. You did not mention the name of the hydromorphone you had been taking that made you sleepy so i can't offer any assistance or guidance on that issue. The current side effects you are mentioning are most likely from the Oxycontin OP formulation. Please address these symptoms with your doctor as with many patients they are the beginning signs of GI problems far worse. Opana ER is a great alternative to the OP formulation. Dosing with Opana is quite different as the medication is twice as potent as the Oxycontin, so if you take say 40 mg of the Oxy then the dose for Opana would be 20mg. I found the Opana to be much more effective for long term pain control although it too did not last the full 12 hours so breakthrough medication was necessary. The reason I stopped taking Opana was because I could not always get it when it was to be refilled. It was on back order for up to 2 weeks at a time. I am not sure if this problem has been resolved, but if trying the Opana is something you would like to discuss with your doctor, call the manufacturer and the pharmacy you regularly use and talk with them regarding the issue of availability before you make the change. I would not want to see you change to a medication that is not always readily available. Using the Opana also has other advantages when it comes to narcotic usage limit laws that quite a few states are writing and passing regarding how many milligrams per day can be taken. With the lower dosage of Opana needed when compared to Oxycontin, it allows for more milligrams being available to use for breakthrough pain. I wish you goodluck with your endeavor to find the right combination for you to be able to live a more active lifestyle rather than pain controlling your life.

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Anyone having a problem with Oxycontin getting stuck in your throat? It's happening more frequently with me at night. This morning I coughed up the pill which had been glued to my throat for 5 hours! The pill is 3 times it's original size. My throat was coated in gel that I coughed up, and also blew gel out nose! Nothing less than gross!! I don't know if it's dangerous but I certainly feel like I took one for "Team, war on drugs, government bureaucracy, the DEA, and drug addicts near and afar! Is it safe to say, these regulations are "discriminating" against innocent patients that legitimately require long term pain medication?

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I seem to cough up more flim since the new OP version was released. Drug addicts have a higher priority than patients. This is what happens when politicians over ride doctors on what is best for all. Those of us who actually need to take these cr/er narcotic pain meds are the last thing on their one track minds. My quality of life is less due to the OP formulation, but no one cares about that... All they did is slow down the addicts in obtaining their fix, instead of here's the active ingredient it takes 10 to 20 minutes to separate it out now. We pay a heavy price for slowing idiots down... Go figure... I hope all the politicians and their families end up like all of us who actually need these meds to survive each dayand find out what it's like to be us and realize a drug addict is more important than we are!

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The discrimination is appalling. Not to mention, anyone giving up their pee in the pain clinics is being robbed of their constitutional rights. They are assumed guilty without reason. One can only imagine the tax dollars spent on UA's alone! The government is the only reason I was prescribed Oxycontin, per a letter to my doctor, requiring I take a long acting pain medication. Methadone almost killed me before I was switched to Oxycontin. I wouldn't wish my quadriplegia on anyone, but I sure would like to expose this scam! The government regulations have done more to damage my quality of life then paralysis has! Unfortunately, my words fall on deaf ears as my Senator owns a rapidly growing chain of pain clinics! Convenient, huh?!?

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I hear you about the pain im 45 now I fell 20' off a latter broke my leg & have nerve damage in my leg also & broke my back & I need a knee replacement but thats the least of my pain I take an OPANA 40 ER when I wake with OPANA 10 RAPID RELEASE I got hurt the day before my birthday I turned 41 in the hospital I was there for a week a complained to workers compensation for 2 years about my back they finally checked it it was broke I had a fusion & now I need muscle relaxers cause my back gets so tight & with my other pain I feel like im being broken. I wake feeling like my leg & back are being broke again it really sucks but I know how you all feel people read books and dont understand what we go thru we didn't ask for this they could only assume what were going thru I just wish that u could transfer the pain to them even for a minute so then they will realize what we go thru everyday like someone else mentioned we get tested all the time we aren't abusing our meds like the rest of you I know cause its over 4 years that I'll have pain the rest of my life I took oxycotton the 1 doctor swore by it it made me feel like a drug addict I hated the feeling with OPANA I don't feel that way & to me it seems like the OPANA last longer I had a doctor tell me oxycotton starts faster & stops sooner with OPANA it starts slower but ladt longer thats y I take the 10mg rapid release in the am together with my 40mg so it helps but to be honest nothing really stops the pain it may ease it but if you get spikes no medicine in the world will help unless u were in the hospital & they had u on morphine were u didn't know were you were but thats no life I feel everyone's pain we all lost a good part of our lives when we got hurt sick ect & the only thing we can do is keep fighting a fight that seems impossible to beat but I don't give up plus with all the meds we take how long are we going to live really im 45 been on these meds for over 4 years I slept 2 hours last night cause of pain I only sleep good when the pain wears me out to the point I pass out from the pain I wish everyone the best its something someone who doesn't have it can never understand & its not worth trying to explain it we just have each other to try to find better ways like I said I wish everyone the best its no joke what we are going thru & having our life's change in a second good luck everyone im happy I found this sight it helps knowing that at least I know you all understand the pain doctors meds ect

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Sorry to hear about your pain issues Drew, welcome to the club of the forgotten... Have you ever considered a Spinal cord stimulator implant in addition to your pain meds? I have the newest Boston Scientific 32 lead system and take Oxycontin & Roxicodone for breakthrough pain. There's no way I could survive without both. The pain meds only do so much and the spinal cord stimulator only does so much, but together give me a quality of life that neither could do on their own. I had a really bad epidural abcess that scarred all the nerve sheaths and dural sac from L4 to the bottom of S1. When I move or walk all the nerve bundles get pulled through scar tissue that's like 10 grit sand paper. Yet with pain meds and a spinal cord stimulator I can tolerate it enough not to live on a couch or bed. There will never ever be a medical fix for most of us, but hopefully in time the politicians will one day pull their heads out of their butts and realize all the people who are needlessly suffering due to their incompetent views on pain meds and medical situations that have no solution other than opiate drug therapy.

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