Will Oxycontin Be Changed Back To Original Formula (Page 22)
(Newest replies first)

is Oxycontin going back to their old formula? OC instead of OP.

REPLY

REPORT

I can not believe that it is really as effective. This new formula has rendered it useless in my system. I was on the old formula for about 10 years and during that time I took it in the morning and at night. I didn't have to think about pain unless I hurt myself. (I have rotatory scoliosis, degenerative disk disease and arthritis.) It actually gave me energy and I was involved in my life. I thought it was a miracle drug. When they reformulated, I was in it about 10 days before I started getting diarhea, feeling antsy, laying awake at night not sleeping with restless legs. It felt like withdrawal and it has never worked for me. My only guess as to why is that I'm only a 100# person 5'3". I have always had a fast metabolism. In my layman's mind it goes through my system too fast to be effective. I was so sure this reformulation would fail due to ineffectiveness. I have never found anything that worked like that. I spend way too much time on pain management and way too little time involved in my life. It breaks my heart.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I don't know what medication this company is taking but these op things are or may be tic tacs the only thing they do is keep u from withdrawing.....there is no pain relief at alllll............im taking sooo much more of my break thru pain im running out faster than I should n my doc keeps saying y are u out n getting annoyed to a point of im getting worried hes guna discharge 4 usin or think im abusing when the reality is im in pain daily due to working and conducting my daily routine;im even getting little withdrawls.i hate the op go back to the old oc plz.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

The bioavailability of Opana is 1/3rd or 1/4th strength when swallowed as opposed to taken nasally. I know it seems like a junky thing to do, but if he is willing to 'abuse' the Opana, unlike some medications, it will literally be at least 3 times stronger. Whatever your feelings are on this, if he is in serious pain, it is a fix to the problem. Most medications are the same or weaker when taken differently, but Opana is one exception. Google it if you want confirmation. I don't know why they cannot just make this medication strong orally, but this truly is effective. I'm not a junky. I am a disabled combat vet and have been through the gauntlet finding medication to work, and so I studied all of this. Many people would shy away from using Opana nasally due to the fact that it seems like something an addict would do, but it is simply a form of ingesting the medication that in this case is very effective. My has cancer, stage 4, terminal, and he is no junkie, but I have told him about this because there is NO reason for him to suffer simply because some moron at the manufacturing facility cannot figure out how to make this pain medication effective orally. I don't know if this helps you or not, but it was worth a shot.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I agree with all this pain med is not the same ,I I knew something was wrong my pain was still there I called the doctor and said it was not helping so I had to take back med I just bought and was treated like a drug addict,and give me a higher dose that is still same pain still here what is in this now does anyone know it is not fair to people that really need it

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Now how do you know if they are less "gummy" unless you are crushing or chewing them up? I think maybe you might be.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I am so sorry you have suffered so much. I only took the new oxycontin for 3 days because my pain came roaring back like a ferocious lion when I started the oxycontin. I had to switch to another med, I was in pain management clinic.
I have no idea if the drug is causing your damage, but I've heard that it does cause horrible nausea. I hope you can switch to a new med or dr, other than telling your dr you want to taper off, I don't know what else to say. Good luck, follow your inner body wisdom.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

This is what i'm concerned about. I have been on the new formula oxycontin OP for 2 years. Since the first dose of the new formula to now I have lost more than 50lbs. I live with daily nausea and periodic severe severe cramping. I have lost my appetite and when I do eat,it just lays there.I recently had a colonscopy and endoscopy and have suffered from damage from 'something' as there is scarring in my small bowel as well as the large one. My question is..is the new formula responsible? My doctor believes te new formula op's are wonderful and will not listen to my concerns. Don't suggest I find another doctor as the war on chronic pain patients is dreadful and in my state at least 200,000 pain patients were dropped by their pain doctors after a new law was passed concerning opiate pain meds and it has medical doctors just don't want to deal with pain patients.I just don't know what to think or do.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Does not surprise me. Having tried OP version I can not imagine anyone continuing it. Get real Oxycontin from outside the US or follow my suggestion and go to IR 4 times daily, brandname Oxynorm caps much better than any tabletted oxy.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I definitely find that the new formulation of oxycontin are not as efficacious as the old. I have been taking oc's for 4 years for pancreatitis and I know that I have a dependence for them, but I never took them other than orally swallowing. I just don't feel I'm getting the same pain relief and I'm having mild withdrawal symptoms, and it started exactly when they came out with the new formulation.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Reply #175 Chemist: The 'wax coating' on OC tablets has absolutely NOTHING to do with the m/r system, which is state of the art. One can bite into OC, swallow the tabs in quarters and still receive the full benefit (6-8 hours maximum) of the m/r effect. The coating actually contains around a milligram of oxycodone in itself.
Having tried the OP version made in the USA I am certain that not a single patient here in the UK would accept it. I too suffered GI side effects and as for duration of action i can not say it lasted any longer than 8 hours, similar to the max duration of real Oxycontin as dispensed worldwide, except in the USA. I suggest that anybody who has been prescribed Oxycontin in the USA (and I am surprised that people still actually take that OP crap) change onto immediate release oxycodone. I use those anyway as I find them better four times daily than Oxycontin.
On the other hand, I am thinking of returning to OC as a background analgesic and using a rotation of Oxynorm, Diconal, hydromorphone and Palfium (dextromoramide) as rescue meds because unlike the US, no country's Health Authorities will allow prescription of OC other than twice daily. i found this out when a doc I was seeing prescribed me 80mg tds and within three months auditors told him to cease those prescriptions immediately, give bd, and use rescue meds when required, eg three Diconal prn, max 9/day, 5 x Palladone 2.6mg prn, max 15/day etc.
The 120mg strength OC (purple) are superb but still suffer from short action, requiring rescue meds. I find the 120s are more effective than taking one each of the 80 and 40mg tabs, as one had to do before the introduction of the 120mg purples.
Jeanie, I hope that gives you my view on duration of action - it certainly doesn't matter whether you are taking the 10mg or the 120mg OC, you are never going to squeeze any longer than 6-8 hours from them.
#194 Robie: There is another example of the USA breaking patents many years before they expire, in the case of oxymorphone.
If it had a Product Licence here then I would be most interested to try it as a rescue med in a rotation. As far as i can gather, whereas dipipanone and dextromoramide require 30mg and hydromorphone around 12mg as an effective med in that situation, my OC titration being 120mg bd, it is stronger than the first two and would need only 15mg. Whether or not it would suit would have to be found out by trial. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a single person/clinic/online pharmacy which will ship any to the UK; I am desperate to try any analgesic that works. I do not understand how or why Diconal, by far the best i/r opioid analgesic on the market in my opinion, is denied to US citizens, or oxymorphone denied to everybody outwith the USA. Correct me if i am wrong but I think it is the ONLY country to grant oxymorphone a licence for human consumption. But I hear good things about it, as long as you avoid any m/r version - using only 5mg and 10mg i/r tablets.
However to return to the subject, if Oxycontin is NOT reintroduced to the USA then something is far wrong, because my experience of the 'pretend' stuff, the OP, was so bad, so weak (the 80mg tablets provided the analgesia that only a 40mg OC does) and with such bad side effects, esp GI, headache and back pain I thought was separate from the GI, perhaps kidneys, that I really fail to understand how Purdue have managed to actually sell ANY OP at all. As I said, no British patient would accept them, being so far removed from OC in their effectiveness and their side effects. They can not possibly have had enough time to properly test and trial OP before bringing it inadvisably to market.
STICK TO I/R OXYCODONE! The original brand capsules Oxynorm are immeasurably better than the tablets, most of which are generic, if not all; b/a when insufflated (the caps contain powder finer than any I know and no binders and other stuff which make insufflation of crushed tablets a bad idea) is 87%, 89% PO. The great advantage and why snorting the caps is so common here is that onset of action is less than 2 mins.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Robbie..i plan on writing to the FDA as well as Purdue.I feel in my bones Purdue paid off the FDA to keep generics off the market. The only recourse patients have is to quit buying products from them. I keep telling myself that he 'filler's in the new formula oxycontin are harmless yet my 'gut' is saying otherwise.How many lives will it take before they put a stop to this insanity? Every time I dose, I can feel the heaviness in my stomach and the severe nausea forthcoming.That can't possibly be a good thing.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

@Anna & @MoreProblems- Please write to the FDA at [email protected] and tell them your problems with the OP version and your disgust over their horrible decision. I wrote to them yesterday before they made their announcement. I received a response today from a Drug Information Specialist and the email was signed by someone with the initials L.E. I was a bit surprised that someone actually read my email and responded to it. They need to hear from patients that are prescribed Oxycontin OP and who are having issues with it. I saw my pain management doctor today and told him how disgusted I was that the FDA had ruled against the generics. I'm lucky enough to be able to afford health insurance. But, since I work for myself and have individual insurance my carrier limits me to the number of pills I can have in a 30day period. It doesn't matter if I'm on different doses, they'll only pay for a maximum of 120 pills. So, I have to pay cash for my other prescriptions. I was really looking forward to the generics- not only would I no longer have had to worry about that glue/gummy material in my body, but I would have saved hundreds of dollars per month! I can't understand how they allowed generic Opana, but they denied generic Oxycontin. If I lived closer to Canada I'd go over the border to have my prescriptions filled. Does anyone know of a mail order pharmacy where I could send my prescriptions and have them filled with generics?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Re-lable oxycontin? So..purdue is extending their patent by re-labling? And not to further studies on children as planned? Hmm..Purdue certainly is creative in finding ways to extend their patent.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I have the elevated liver enzymes too. This began right from the start of the the new OP formula. I have been on the OPs since they were first introduced, and now I was recently diagnosed with fatty liver disease, a prelude to cirrhosis. I don't take anything else that could cause this, not overweight, etc, etc. Anyone have thoughts on this one. I never had elevated liver enzymes with the OC formula. The insurance companies are probably paying Purdue to kill us off so they don't have to cover the high cost of the medication.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Yeppers, I just read the FDA is banning any generic oxycontin as of today. Guy, the thing to do is write the FDA and your senator explaining what this medicine is doing to your health.The other alternative is to stop buying purdues products.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Oh no! I am so disappointed. Purdue's excuse for extending their patent for 6mo. is to do research on children receiving oxycontin. At least that is what I heard. Why don't they research all the health complaints patients on their products are complaining of?! I am sick of being a 'test' subject' with their product that can make patients so ill. Also although purdue 'stated they changed the oxycontin for safer uses, the truth is their patent was expiring in 2010 and they didn't want to give up their money maker. GREED is what moves them!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

MoreProblems: I too have had autoimmune problems. I have been diagnosed with Raynaud's Syndrome. I just read the article where the FDA has rejected generic Oxycontin. Needless to say, I'm furious! Something has to be done. Maybe we can start a FB page and get signatures. Do you have any idea how long this extension is for? I'm praying it's only a few months and not until 2025. OMG! I had a feeling it wasn't going to be good, but I was praying I was wrong. Feel free to inbox me at my personal email address: {edited for privacy}

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Right after I replied to you I looked on FDA site, as of today, Purdue's request for extended patent has been approved (through a labeling revision request via Purdue) called sNDA (supplemental new drug application). Purdue has 14 days to reply to FDA with required pre/post market studies... you can bet your butt they have that ready and waiting. Amazing what deep pockets will get you. So staggering that the public has no say against all those millions.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

@Robbie Interesting as I too now have elevated liver enzymes, as well as more medical 'issues' than I could list. Almost every problem I have started after the reformulation. I had originally told my Dr that I thought something was wrong with the new formula but was eventually convinced that no one else had problems & it was purely coincidental. I had been on the OCs for complicated problems with my back & neck. I now have pain from head to toe, I've been diagnosed with several autoimmune disorders. I took a shot in the dark the other day & asked my rheumotologist if the OP formula could have caused the autoimmune & his exact words "yes, I absolutely believe that some of the fillers in these meds are causing autoimmune". I had been switched to almost every pain med on the market & after being 'convinced' that OP was safe, I went back on them, I could kick myself for not giving another med more of a chance! If the generic does not get released, I'm really not sure where I will go from here. Besides the autoimmune I also have the problem with my liver enzymes that my team of Drs are trying to figure out, my blood tests are showing problems with my iron (saturation levels too high) as well as clotting problems & hormone problems. Whew, a mouthful, huh!?! So yes, I will write the FDA, thank you for the suggestion. Even if a generic is not made, at this point I feel even the brand (Purdue) should be further tested!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Anna- I too have had GI issues. I just sent an email to [email protected] asking them to please keep politics and greed out of the equation. You seem like an intelligent person. Let's all write to them. They need to hear our voices.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

who has any OC 80s I live in Florida what is the closest Pharamacy to me ## Hello, Robert! How are you? I'm sorry, b...

2 REPLIES

I heard that all the pharmacy replaced all the original oxycontin (OC) with this new formula that prevents anyone from c...

82 REPLIES

Insight Pharmaceuticals has recently changed the Nostrilla formula they have been using for years. They have added a pre...

4 REPLIES

I have been on oxycontin for years...I have terminal illness and suffer every day...only relief i had was from oxycontin...

17 REPLIES

I have been taking Oxycontin extended relief in low doses for about 24 years I believe. I started out taking 20mg 3 time...

Greetings, I am a 57 year old female patient who is currently on 160 mg of oxycontin per day. I have SEVERE osteoarthrit...

i am having a hard time finding a doctor who will help me i dont know what to do i am on 80mg of oxycontin and 20 mg for...

1 REPLY

I moved from chicago after 2 major back surgeries to bergen county,nj. I cannot find ANY DOCTOR who prescribes this and ...

9 REPLIES

I have a friend here in Florida who's mother is still getting 80's original formula. I seen the bottle which was...

8 REPLIES

Is there a brown colored pill for the 60mg oxycontin OP... my new Prescription is brown with the number 60 on one side a...

7 REPLIES