Watson 853 White Or Yellow Pill
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I've been taking the Watson 853 yellow hydro /acetaminophen for several years. I get them from a well known pharmacy company. My most recent script was filled and I noticed the color was white, even though the markings of Watson 853 are identical to the light yellow pill. There was a huge difference in side effects with the new pill; constipation, dry mouth, and a little nasal congestion that I typically get from preservatives like sulfites. Many people get these symptoms when taking narcotics, but I have been fortunate with the hydrocodone as it has never affected me that way (oxycodone does however) I called the pharmacist and he said he couldn't get the yellow tabs anymore but wouldn't say one way or the other whether the formulation or fillers in the white pill differ from the yellow. I am guessing that there has to be something different..maybe cheaper ingredients? I have enough medical issues to deal with, I don't need these pills to add to my issues with uncomfortable side effects.

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43

my pain doctor told me that the formulation of hydrocodone used by watson (and many if not all other brands) has been altered because addicts on the street were looking for the original - that's it in a nutshell - no one will ever find the old hydrocodone - not as long as this opioid crisis is killing so many people

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42

Re: Lynn (# 41) Expand Referenced Message

I agree those white watson 853 are complete junk. The yellow ones worked great for me but most pharmacies no longer carry them. Try the M367 pills. I found them to work just as great as the yellow ones. Walmart and Safeway pharmacy carries them.

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41

I too have taken yellow Norcos without issues for several years- the ones they have given me the last 6 mos make me itch and do not help with my pain nearly as much. Sad to give people who are trying to live a productive life with pain one more thing to deal with!

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40

In my experience in over 25 years, various sports-related injuries, including a knee surgery (ACL/MCL), and dental procedures, I only tolerate hydrocodone well. While I'm not allergic to any medicines (still always listed as NKDA), as far as narcotic pain killers, any amount of codeine makes me nauseous and any amount oxycodone makes me dizzy and/or drowsy to the point of being unable to do anything other than lay down, Only hydrocodone allows me to function quite normally with very little side effects (mild pruritus, mild euphoria), while also being an extremely effective pain killer, in combo with the apap. To the point, Watson 853 is by far the exact tablet that works the best. While I don't get any other side effects from other brands but I have found myself having to take an extra tablet most of the time with other brands, not all but most, then again I have only had to take the hydrocodone only so many times and so I believe I have only had 3 other brands and 2 of them I had to take an extra pill to make up that potential 20% people are (or were) discussing. The reason I even realized that it was the Watson 853 that was the "good" medicine was that the other 3 brands I tried were all white not yellow but I guess from reading here that there is now a white Watson 853 that has now also fallen into that 20% less category as well. So the only conclusion for me, I suppose is stick with the yellow Watson 853 whenever the next time I need a prescription for pain medication. It occurs to me, that while I have rarely, if ever, finished a bottle of pain meds and wind up either giving them away to family/friend who may need/want it or disposing of it, if I get the white variety where I need to take that extra pill after 45 min, i am actually getting ripped off (obviously ins pays the bulk but I do pay a good share of $$ for that ins). Why isn't big health ins companies going after these "cheating" generic pharma companies?

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39

The watson w/tab are no where as good as when I got the Norco brand.An evry one I no says same.An they give me Hydro #853 some times a to me thare useless. Deb

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38

(Actavis) Hello, I have had several surgeries in the past with the need of Hydrocodone, each time in the past the medicine would knock out the pain with no side effects. Now with Hydrocodone 10 – 325 manufactured by Actavis I have the following side effects; no relief from the pain, constipation, run down tired, with the pain medicine I use to get about 12 to 18 months ago I would have the effects of more energy even a euphoric felling, and I personally fell this is the reason the formula has changed. TO REMOVE THE EUPHORIC FELLING.

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37

It's in your head... all of u... I've been taking these for over 7 years and when the switch came it changed NOTHING... nothing different. I can't believe this is a topic.

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36

The problem I am finding here in the Whittier CA area is I can't find Qualitest!! If you try and ask a pharmacist-they treat you like a pill popping drug addict! I am someone who is constant pain!!! Where can I get these filled here in Whittier?? Qualitest works for me!

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35

I am a pharmacy tech from the old school when 30 yrs. ago there were make be 2 generic Companies & all people that had money would buy the brand name & were just too scared to take a chance. Other people back them & pharmacists, also, were totally sure it was the exact equivalent to the brand name, just cheaper. A few yrs ago they basically stopped making brand name anything . It would be way too expensive & the scary days of generics are coming true. Cheap fillers & inactive ingredients from all over the world! Who knows if one filler from that company you trust is going to be the same filler you get 8 months from now from even your tried & true favorite that has lived up to their standards? Mom & pop pharmacies are much more likely to talk with you straight & get your same Generic ever time. If you do not know what generic to take? Always go with the most expensive. That's the way of Medicine for the extremely sick or in chronic pain. I had to try another generic because my whole town was out of the one - mallinkrodt - that I had been taking for yrs. -Ascend is a new horrible generic that has just come out. The side affect I went through were like I was taking a completely different medicine all together. It is the 1st month back on my real meds and I feel like someone has made a complete fool out of me. The good ones are back and only 3 times the price!!!

With as allergic as I am to most all meds, the is one the most dangerous situation out there. If you ever have a problem with any generic & you come upon this new rule of using 1 pharmacy. Get your Dr. To write "Medically Necessary" for which ever generic works for you. Dr's write that for patients that can only take one kind or even brand name - when they use to make them. No one should have to take meds that are not exactly equivalent. You could be in the ER or Dead. I am hearing too much of this & I hope everyone keeps screaming. If you want to know everything that a pharmacist knows about your drug & what is in it- Ask them for the Square piece of thin paper that is stuck to the original bottle before the put the meds in your bottle with a computer print out. It is very thin tightly folded on top of the Generic original bottle. It tells you the most. Only the chemists making the drug can tell you from what country each ingredient is from & they won't. It will say the names of all the active & inactive on this piece of paper - on the bottle. Keep putting it out there!!!

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34

I live in Huntington Beach had always been getting yellow norco for years from CVS then they switched to white!I told themi think tylenol is stronger than the white norco.Next refill they told me they didn't have any so i went to 4 other CVS they all said we ran out!? So i went to WALLGREEN they said to come back in 2weeks? So then I went to RIGHT AID and they told me they had some but they were going to RED FLAG me I said but why??Iwas told because I went to different pharmacies! !!!Are you kidding me? Are we forced to always go to the same pharmacy? I never knew we're suppose to only pick one besides how else was I going to find who had my pain meds??
I'm so frustrated and upset the white norco does nothing!!!Well it does make you sleepy and irritates my stomach. It's making people take more to try and get the relief of just 1 yellow norco !

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33

I've been reading these threads on and off all day. This is the first thread that relates to my awful side effects. My arms areally tingling and I'm having sharp pains, I've got a horrible migrain, my whole body is aching. I'm so depressed and scared. I might be having a heart attack or high blood pressure.. I'm so damn mad, I have no past pill tolerance, only take them 1 time a year for dental or something. I think I'm going to e.r. will let you know how it goes. Big Pharms is gonna kill us

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32

The white pill is definitely junk spoke to pharmacy they didn't want to hear anything I had to say

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31

I definitely agree toward the conversation in which you spoke on, as to the yellow Watson, versus the white... Ive also been told at a Walgreens pharmacy, that the yellow, was only coloring, (W/ EVER) I'm in the medical field, so some years ago, I was told that United States, had been purchasing their meds (such as pain meds) from ONE being India, and also Canada, but in order for United States to save money, United States begin to process their on pills, and NO LONGER purchase in other countries... It had also been stated that there would be no changes, other then now all pain meds would be administered in a white form.. but as most have stated I definitely feel the difference, and my pain isn't being managed...I had back problems, from a work related injury... so because the U/S, has decided to save money, We whom need pain management has to suffer, from missing additives, and generically CHANGED medications...the U/S pharmaceutical, and insurances, are not Government anymore, their more like the Mafia, whom has taken over... in my opinion...

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30

Get the generic ....m387 I think. Ask your pharmacist. They have refined those recently and now they're pretty good. I took some and I was like....WOW so I looked it up and found a post stating that they use a new hydro Oxy something purification....I cant remember but its much better! Its still hydrocodone but it made different then the old m387

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29

I just know that when I was taking the Norco yellow 325/10 mg it was always working for my back pain. Than they switched to the Norco white 325.10 mg and I noticed that the white Norco definitely has some kind of different ingredients in them than the Watson yellow 325/10mg Vicodin & Norco yellow 325/10 mg. I was fine with the yellow Vicodin since they lasted or relieved my pain up to 4 hrs. With the Norco white Vicodin they only relieve my pain 2-3 hours the most. I tried to get the Yellow Vicodin once again but they done away with them. I live in New Jersey and every pharmacy that I called and went to all of them just carry the white Vicodin. No matter what my doctor writes down on my prescription all of the pharmacies just by pass it and they just keep giving me the white Vicodin . So I don`t know what to do since I don`t want to be put on any stronger narcotics!!!! If anyone knows how to help me out please let me know. Thank you

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28

Qualitest has worked pretty well to control my pain I was recently told by my rite aide that they can't order them anymore so I refused the other generic that I had tried several years ago arro bin do labs because they irritated my stomach and were no more effective than aspirin so for the first time in my life I ordered name brand and was given norco 539 it seems they don't control my pain as well as qualitest maybe I'm just at a higher pain level right now idk am I better off staying with them or switching pharmacies and getting the yellow generic Watson's its been about a week but not real happy with the results so far

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27

yellow, There are no time released hydrocodone combination medications.

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26

The yellow ones are time released. Thats what the difference is. Youll notice the coating on them. The white ones dissolve faster and dont last as long

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25

I've also just been switched to the white ones and feel like I'm having withdrawal symptoms. Very tired, severe headaches and restless leg. Why? What can I do? Should I take more? Are they not as strong??? I need pain meds due to neck problems from wreck. Will increasing the dosage help?

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24

the white Watson Norco 853 really stink. I was taking 2 yellows a day at the end of every day and I always felt really good. Then I got the Watson 853 as a white pill and I thought oh cool a pill I haven't tried yet. I've tried the generic M356 I tried the yellow Watsons I try the yellow vicodin. And many othersthese white ones work that first but after a few days I started getting bad hangovers. Heading and also feeling heavy withdrawal symptoms. I've experienced this once before with the Watson 750 s the big 7.5 750. They put me through really bad withdrawals not to mention I was taking quite a few of them. I vowed never to take that many and restrict my usage to two at a time in one daybest preventing the withdrawal. But when I started taking the white 853 s I started having those same withdrawal symptom feelings again and I really don't like em.

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