Watson Is Now Actavis Generic Percocet 5/325 What Is Up With This (Page 11)

I had been taking 5/325 generic Watson percocet for 4 years. Suddenly I get notified by Walgreens which I have insurance that there is no more Watson brand and I was given generic percocet 5/325 by Actavis. It is not the same at all. It has no pain relief for me. I used to break the watsons in half sometimes and never had a funny taste. I just broke one of the actavis white tablets in half and it immediately tasted like salt or alka seltzer? Has anyone had any issues with this drug too. Also, along with it not working right it has made my GI tract and stomach so ill feeling and cramping. This is not right how can they take away a medicine that someone has been on for 4 years without any problems and tell them to suddenly switch. Would a peson who has been on a certain heart medication for years be told to suddenly switch that he can't get that medicine anymore? I don't think so. I don't know what I am going to do but when it comes time to have my rx re-filled it will not be with Actavis and I will have to pharmacy shop I guess to see if I can find Watson. I am very depressed now and so unhappy I can't believe it.

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Cole, what brand did your wife get? I am sure we would all like to know to maybe have an alternatiave to get some kind of pain relief.

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I am taking Oxycodone and it works ok. Not as good as Watson but better than Actavis. Sucks, My pain is always a 5. Drives my nuts. Be careful Jan. No idea what they put in that Actavis crap. I selpt for 18 hours one day and felt like my heart was gonna explode another time. Post more when I can. I keep getting reviewed. Ver frustrating when you do'nt feel well. My energy is limited.

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Hi Jan, I am really sorry about the mallincrofdt not working for you. I don't understand why watson had to do this to so many people. I know someone said because of it being sold on the streets. If that really was the case then why didn't watson just make it so real pain patients with a legitimate rx could only get say 90 a month the most but to cut complete off is really inhumane. Don't know if you have been reading the other posts but I got the brand name 5/325 and they also are crap! The pills are blue and I think again there is a dye in there that upset my stomach so badly I couldn't sleep. Have tried it now for over a week same thing. Also makes me very jittery and no pain relief. I have to wait another month now also. I feel awful you have to use a heating pad all day that is just no way to live if we can't even leave the house and get out and do our necessary errands. Cole posted that his wife got a new rx that is stronger he is going to let us all know which one.And you are right doctors don't like us to complain about our meds or ask them to change it - a friend was let go from her pain clinic because of complaining that it didn't work. That is also unfair - if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I did post that a friend got roxicet and it was the closest to Watson that he has found but he lives in another state. I live in Florida and don't know what pharmacies carry it. I have called around before I refilled my last rx and some wouldn't even tell me over the phone. My friend said they don't want to tell you if they even carry it or even have percocet for fear of being robbed.

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Hi Martin, glad that your medicine is at least working a little better for you. I wrote Jan a message but is being reviewed don't know if they will post it. I hope she doesn't continue with the Actavis as she said she has had to take so much more and may run out. That is not good and just goes to prove there is nothing in the pills with any pain medication and you are right, what fillers, binders, etc. have made SO many people so sick. It just isn't worth it. I will NEVER take another Actavis and plan on giving the rest of them to my doctor when I see him in late April.

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Hi martin,

I'm sure you are right. I probably won't be getting that again, I was in a lot of pain last night and probably not thinking clearly. I have over 20 days to decide, so I will do more research. I didn't have the racing heart with the actavis, just that it was ineffective at pain control. I'm taking what I feel like is a lot of extra strength tylenol, because of these drugs not working. I know that's probably messing with my liver. It really angers me the way pain patients are treated. We get lumped right in there with the druggies. Well. it's 1:30 in the afternoon here, and so far I've only taken 2 pills which is great. When I got up in terrible pain, I put that wet towel in the microwave again and it REALLY helped a lot! I have to go to Walgreen's today, so I will pick up a heating pad while I'm out. I'm thinking about using my tens unit again.

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Hi Lola,

Something has to be going on! Why is it we were all getting pain relief with Watson? Now, with the change everyone is in pain. I was thinking of getting Qualitest, but I've heard so many bad things about that, I don't know what to do. As I've said, I had endocet and I was kind of jittery. Then there's Amneal, which I've also heard so many bad things about. I'm going to do like Cole said, and file that complaint today with the FDA. I know some are afraid, because of these meds being regulated by the DEA, but we need to do something! I don't plan on using my full name, because you never know. Our doctors even have a D.E.A. number.

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Hi Martin, I agree that nobody should take that Actavis crap and I have called the company as well - don't know if it will do any good. We are all in pain over this nightmare of a switch and our alternatives are next to nil now. The one thing I haven't seen any of you mention is being depressed. I have such severe depression still since going off the Watsons - I never had depression before but I have heard it is from going off the drugs and being in withdrawal however, I started back on the brand name which is crap and still no pain relief only depression - weird.

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This drug was approved late last year (you can find this out by gogling it) to be marketed starting in January as an "anti-addiction" substitute to Oxy and they have started just GIVING it to people as if it is the same drug. I took one...couldnt breathe and almost passed out...then researched it. I complained and the pharmacy gave me my money back. I found another pharm who had some Watsons left but know that Im going to ave a problem when they're gone.

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Hi, we all can agree this actavis sucks but you are very lucky the pharmacy gave you your money back as I have never heard of that before and we are probably all wondering where did you find any Watsons as we were all on Watson and having trouble finding them now and suffering with pain. Any info would be appreciated.

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Walgreens...but that's probably only because they had some left. I had to call all over...Watsons are being replaced, there will be no more.

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I feel so validated finding this thread. I have taken Watson Percocet 10/325 for years with no problems and the FIRST Activis tablet I took sent me into a tail spin. I'm terrified to take it at this point. I don't even remember Saturday because it made me so extremely tired. I drifted in and out of sleep on the couch for 20 hours of the day. You cannot tell me that's the same drug when I used to function at normal capacity without incident. I am distraught, as many of you seem to be. My anxiety and depression have heightened to an extreme and my stomach is killing me. I'm going to beg my doctor to try to authroize brand name Percocet from my insurance company. This is insane. Activis made a chemical error- a judgement error- or both. I hope that all of those suffering speak out. That's the only chance something will change.

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I did it. I wrote a 3,000 word complaint to the FDA. They really encourage that we use our voices so please if you have a moment even to write them a sentence- strength in numbers! accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch

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Hi Keri, glad you found this thread and I'm sure you have been reading all the other posts of all of us sufffering from this horrible drug. Please report it to the FDA and also Actavis. We have to keep reporting the adverse side effects to anyone who will listen and get this drug off the shelves. It is making SO many of us sick and I don't mean just sick for a day - sick for weeks and along with being sick NO pain relief so what is the point of taking a poison pill? After getting our rx re-filled and getting these sugar/poison pills, we are now stuck for another month because we can't get another refill. Please don't take anymore of that Actavis - if you read all the posts on this thread you will see you are NOT alone and there is something definitely wrong with these pills.

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Hi everyone. ..I called actavis yesterday n they called me back today to get my information. I asked the lady what they're doin with the info n she said it goes to the fda but I dont know how eager they are to report their own meds r messing people up...kindof like ratting urself out....so I will contact the fda myself next just as a precaution. They did admit that they have been gettin alot of complaints so keep email coming. I asked her about these meds and what will come of the complaints...she said with enough they will have to consider another option but she didnt know what that would be. I also asked if they were distributing the Watson's anywheren why were they removed n she said they wweren't distributing them any longer and with the joining of the two companies, they had to make a decision on which to distribute n they chose this crap. I told her the company made a tremendously bad call. I told her there are hundreds of blogs with people complaining how these medication is giving no-one pain relief n I wouldn't b surprised if a legal suit is formed because of this medication. I also asked her if the Watson's had the abuse deterrent formula. I told her I have seen many things on the internet about them using that formula for their hydrocodone n she said she knew they did with their Norco but another department would have to contact me with the answers to that. I also asked about the variance in percentage from the brands active formula is the actavis as nd watson since their is a huge difference in pain relief n that needs to b answered by the same dept that she was gonna have call me. So ill let u know what I find out from that. Also someone mentioned depression...I suffer from but since being on the activist, it has been ten times worse. I latex in bed all weekend n only got up to pee. Also, just an fyi...I saw on the internet where these companies have done studies using 2500 people that entered a rehab with drug of choice being oxycontin or hydrocodone. ...but they also used H because it was cheaper and easier to get. So the study wanted to seehow well the abuse deterrent formula helped lower the abuse of oxycontin n hydrocodone. ..it found that people who abused these meds as a drug of choice either figured out how to break up the meds even with the abuse deterrent formula to insufflate or IV or they just moved on to H since it was cheaper and easier to get. The study said it didnt foresee the use of another drug that's even worse then pain meds (H) to rise. They rather see these people abuse these meds rather than H since the effects of H is worse health wise and to the community so they needed to rethink this approach in trying to lower the abuse rate. So basically this abuse deterrent formula is pushing addicts to use H, and not stopping them from abusing drugs all together. Do I hear a round of applause to these people who thought they had a sure fire way to stop pain medication abuse while making actual legit pain medication patients suffer all the while?!?!....lucky us huh....this is seriously b.s. that we are all sick from medicine that is suppose to help us so we can function as normal as possible!

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In January I got the Watson for my pain relief. In February I got something called, Murkka. And In March the pharmacist gave me this Alvogen.... Which I have NEVER heard of. I've been in Pain Management since 2008. And I know what works for me and what doesn't. And this Alvogen generic just sucks!!! I get very little relief from this generic!!!! I am so sick & tired of this merry-go-round, that these drug companies keep putting me on!!! I don't feel that The FDA is watching close enough to what these companies, CLAIM is in their product..! I research EVERY medication that I've been put on!. And I have read nothing but negative comments regarding the Alvogen pain meds!! So I know it's not just me, feeling this way! And apparently the Chinese are making this generic......even more reason why I don't trust it.!! There are so many ppl out there, who sell their prescriptions! And I feel that they are the one's causing these problems with our pain meds!! And if their pain is real....well, I just can't imagine WHY they would sell their meds! I for one, cannot get out of bed without a pain tablet.!! Today I found out that I can contact the following website to report poor medications: FDA Med/Watch Program.... And you can bet your sweet ass, that, that is the next step in my investigation!! That is all, for now. Please feel free to comment on my status. Thank-you. This is ridiculous.....ALL this typing and I can't even submit it.!! I have entered these crazy looking letters & numbers 6 times already and it keeps prompting me to do it over & OVER & OVER AGAIN. What the crap,man!!!

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Hi everyone,

Thanks all who gave info to contact someone about this problem. Kari, I used the link today and submitted a report to Medwatch. It felt great to finally do something about else about it. I think we've all contacted Actavis, and I was kind of leery about giving all of my info, but I did it. You never know what could come from this. Some have had to spend extra money because of this, and they may get compensated. It's just not right for pain patients to be treated this way. My stomach is bothering me as I write this, because I had some left over Actavis, and took a little piece last night. I was in so much pain that I got a little desperate! I won't do it again as I am paying for it now. Just waiting for the stomach medicine I took to take effect. I think something will come of all of these complaints. My sister in law, lives in another city and she's in a lot of pain. The doctor would give her any oxycodone, saying he doesn't want her to become addicted. They tried giving her Gabapentin instead. Seriously! That has more side effects than oxycodone. I don't understand this reasoning with this medication, other than the fact that the D.E.A. is involved.

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Hey guys....I see my post was edited where it shoes a capital H....I hope this goes thru...but the drug I was referring to was the heavy street drug h_r_in. Hope that makes more sense

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Well said Jennifer. And thank you for sharing what they told you. I called Actavis as well but the just talked in circles and a bunch of crap. Like their drug. Watson will not be coming back. Yes, know the druggies are going to H. There has been a large uptick of H use and overdoses. great job yes.
Kari don't feel alone. Glad you found us. I had two Saturdays in a row where I slept 18 hours. Wife thought I was dying. Well I was sick.
Oxycodone is working ok. It is also called Roxicet by the way. Minimal side effects but they are causing me anxiety. No GI issues though which is nice. The ONLY bad thing about Watson was made it hartd to go to the bathroom but this is better.
Hope people are finding relief. BTW, I am on a pain support group and there are a few people that tell me I am crazy and that the Actavis is the same as Watson and I shouldnt be complaining. I wish they would read this. I find it very offensive that they keep telling me that generics are all the same and THIS is in my mind. Are we all imagining this? I think not.

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hi martin...is this support group on the internet? if so, give them the link here....if not, print up this blog n bring it. also, every pharmacy, doctors assistant and actavis themselves have admitted to me they have had a lot of complaints and issues with this medicine. and if someone is in a pain management group being on pain meds...they should do enough research and have enough basic knowledge when it comes to the medicine we re on, and no doubt they should know that generics are not formulated with the same ingredients, binders, and amounts as the brand. that's just ignorance on their part and lack of being responsible in their own pain management. also, I have a script for Norco at walgreens ready for pick up and they are from Watson....so im hoping for good results.....we ll see

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Jan and Lola, I am sorry your not having luck!! Has anyone tried endocet? I was going to get brand name and the pharmacist told me percocet and endocet are very close so I decided to try that first, because he said people actually prefer it and if I like it, he can always have that brand for me also. My friend takes it and is it all she will take. She said she has zero side effects. My doctor gave me 2 separate scripts so I can try it just a week first and switch to name brand if needed. I haven't tried them yet but I will post as soon as I do. Every place I called had Actavis. I almost got brand and my friend and the pharmacist think I will like these better.

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