Mallinckrodt Cheap Hydrocodone Returns! (Page 3)
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I'm sure they're more than a few of you out there that might be returning to look into basically the same problems with Mallinckrodt Pharm"s Hydrocodone/APAP 7.5/325, commonly referred to as Norco. About 4 years ago, Mallinckrodt dumped a bunch of this product on the US market. I have been taking Norco for about 12 years & have always been at about the same dose and never had any problems until I ran into this brand. I've had Actavis, Watson, & Qualtest brands with relatively no noticeable difference. Then four years ago, I filled my usual prescription and came home to find a different shaped tablet with M366 on the side. Almost immediately after my first dose, first came the stomach ache, then the headache, and eventually the feeling of withdrawal. I went to the web and found thousands of people with the exact same story. I had disagreements with both Pharmacists on-line and at local pharmacies because they insist the difference is "in my head". With one, I finally told him I would be willing to bet anything I could take doses blindfolded and within 30 minutes tell him over and over again what brand I had consumed. I understand this is not what pharmacists are taught in school, but my line of work is telecommunications and I can truly say, I have seen things in that field that text books say cannot happen. Anyway, I felt somewhat relieved when finally a recall of all Mallinckrodt's hydrocodone along with several other drugs came from the government. What I was told by one pharmacist was that Mallinckrodt had been caught light-dosing their medicines so many times, finally they suspended all sales in the US because they had been warned "multiple" times that they had quality control issues. I was just relieved I wouldn't be blindsided with their cheap medicines ever again. Asking a pharmacy, "Have you changed brands" does little good as I twice got this trash after being told they had not. Explanation given was that they fill generic drugs and I had been getting generic drugs all along?

Of course, that was the reason for not allowing me to return the unused pills and getting my prescription returned to me. And so, today arrives after over 3 years of never seeing any Mallinckrodt products. I obtained my usual script and went to the pharmacy, got home and looked at these pills and couldn't believe this was happening again. But I thought, they had such problems a couple years back, surely this has been corrected. So I took 2 tablets and within ten minutes got the stomach ache and began to feel like I have a fever. Same as I did 4 years ago along with the countless people who posted their stories and the thousands more who suffered the same but never bothered to write about it. I will tell you, I am quite angry this time. I called the pharmacy and told them the story. They said the usual, all brands are the same and that they would not replace what I have, even if I was willing to pay for it again. So I called the Doctor. He was worried that, no matter the reason, legally it's like I received two prescriptions in one day and "you know what the government looks at", finally telling me to try to get by until next time. So now angry doesn't quite describe what I'm feeling as now getting into the evening of day 1 with these cheap pills, the withdrawal is setting in pretty heavy now. I'm so frustrated, I finally called Mallinckrodt's US Headquarters in St.Louis, MO. Eventually they had me speak to one of their "pharmacy staff" and I got the same tune I heard 4 years ago from every pharmacist. So, I asked a couple questions I never had before. Was your company's version of this product not recalled 4 years ago and finally suspended from the marketplace? Wasn't the reason for the suspension that your product was under-dosed? Have you received other complaints about this product from distributors or end users? To all answers, I was told Mallinckrodt had no comment. Folks, this has been going on for too long. I realize many people out there feel that anyone who takes a medication in this or any similar drug class is automatically considered to be a "junkie" and deserves all the pain and inconvenience one gets.

I have seen both sides of this and I will say the people who have never had an injury, been shot or fragged fighting for your country, or had to endure a disease that eats away at your body everyday really should just stay out of the conversation. At least don't condemn the person who had every evaluation and treatment done by a medical doctor, usually many medical doctors, and has arrived at a point where you can't eat or sleep without taking something stronger than a OTC NSAID like Ibuprofen or Naproxen. We all aren't out selling it or driving around in a compromised mental condition. In any case, I know if I'm going through this as I did just 3 or 4 years ago, thousands others are suffering through the same thing and the frustrating thing is the bottom line cause of this is just plain money. The sad part is, in a couple of days I won't feel well enough to do anything. And it will get worse until my 30 days is up. Are there any politicians or members of state pharmaceutical boards reading this that wonder why illegal opiate use has more than tripled in the US in just 5 years? What I'd like to do is try to get enough people who are or have dealt with this issue to start talking and start telling this company we won't use their medications any longer. Surely the group of affected individuals includes some lawyers. Has there been enough history and enough people and enough suffering to talk about a legal suit? If anyone out there questions the validity of this argument, call your local walgreens and ask for a price for say 50 tablets of this medication. After you get your answer ask if they have a "brand" name available in the same. When the second price is almost 10 times the price of the first, ask what brand name they carry. It the same as the generic. I did this less than 6 months ago, $30 for generic, $300 for name brand. Same manufacturer. Bio-equivalent? Really? I invite you to check this out for yourself, and since almost all insurances force you to accept whatever is cheapest with any medication, it ought to upset just about everybody. If anyone is as fed up with this issue and the company.

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I had better add this as an edit to previous reply, Oxycodone is a semi synthetic opiate (meaning it's sourced organically but synthethsised further like dihydrocodeine is from codeine. But oxycodone actually comes from the poisonous part of the opium poppy... thebaine. I make no claim as to toxicity of this medication but knowing what I do I prefer to stick to the less synthesised parts of the opium product.... my experience with oxycodone was not good.... also due to differing synthesising methods a drug that's supposedly the same may have been produced with different chemicals and because we are all different, and adding binders, fillers, and quality control into the equation... all these factors can produce different results in different people which is why some people find one make can suit them over another, for example Valium (diazepam) has many synthesising methods but the end result is still diazepam.

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I was in pain mang for 14 years finialy got tired of up and down wit pain meds I put myself in a rehab I'm clean now was in for 5 days now I owe 17.000 hospital bill it's all about money not helping people makes me sick

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This is not just a single issue, I have had this with a brand of OxyContin (slow release oxycodone). The brand was Longtec 20mg and I had just had it put up from two 10mg Longtec and three 5mg Shortec (oxycodone normal release) which made 35 mg per day which was not quite helping with my 3 year old shattered lower leg. So I was given two Longtec 20mg making 40 mg in all upping my dose by 5 mg. Now Longtec were claiming 12 hour action. After 7 hours I started to go into withdrawal very quickly, and trust me I know what that is, just as you describe. I waited out 5 hours then took another hoping it probably had to build up in my body. A whole week went by, same issue, 7 or 8 hours in, pain and very quick withdrawal setting in (seems to be an issue with oxycodone as opposed to other opiates or opioids). So I phoned the chemist and doctor but was met with the same attitude you describe, I challenged them to tell me why should I be worse off taking 5 mg extra but was not believed... but being my own Guinea pig I knew 8 hours was the limit of these 'supposed' 12 hour slow release tablets. I tried to get around it by chopping them into halfs then quarters and doing away with the time release function altogether but could never cut them accurately. After two months I decided to do a web search, and there it was, many people and actual studies proving what I found out so harshly myself.

I went back to the doctor, flourished my iPad to show him how I had been right all along..... he must have took a dislike to this but I actually have and continue to study drug mechanism of actions in a professional capacity so told him quite plainly.... put me on dihydrocodeine. He offered me two 30mg tablets to which I replied was only 10 to 20% the opiate equivalence depending on which chart you choose to believe. I think he was a bit more taken aback that a patient should have this knowledge....... what he didn't know was my past studies into all sorts of things for organizations that it is not appropriate for me to mention here or to him, and my knowledge of precursors and differing synthesis for the same types of medication. I ended up getting three 30mg per day which I thought was a bit cruel, used a private pharmacy until I changed doctors to have my dose put up to therapeutic levels again. But my point here is there are faults with pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.... I have known this for years so if anyone is ever told that the medication they receive is exactly the same but a different brand.... in most cases it can be true, but differences using cheaper synthesis can affect the quality and even toxicity. Just a footnote.... did you know that paracetamol (Tylenol, acetaminophen) is highly toxic to the liver, so never exceed the maximum dose of 1000 mg 4 times daily and less if renal or liver function is impaired; you are better off with opiates which have next to no toxicity but carry the risk of addiction which I am sure I don't need to say really but there you go.

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Yea there is a big Mallicroft factory in Raleigh NC has All fencing n wires around it. It's still there n people work there,packaging up methadone n all sorts other narcotics

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Sorry but I didn't have time to read your entire post but wanted to let you know I've gone through the same thing with another narcotic. For years they were banned from the US and now they're back. Because they're so cheap the pharmacies are using them everywhere in georgia. It's Rhodes Pharmacuticals. I called and eventually made a report with the FDA. You MUST do this! I also called and got in touch with a top executive of my pharmacy and told them to look RP up and then explain to me why my pharmacist won't order different meds for me since I've told her it's made me sick and doesn't help my pain. Within that week they called me and said they were no longer using that brand of medicine. It's just a shame we have to deal with these cheap meds to begin with.

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I take norco also but the manufacture is ACTAVIS which the do not work they should be investigated I have gotten Norco from Qualatest not sure of the spelling and they work I Understand that Walgreens carries the Actavis for Norco and when I told them they are not working they tell me that the only thing that changed was they took the dye out of them that's a crock cause alot of other ppl complain about them also ever since Actavis took over for Watson other pills aren't the same

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I had the misfortune of having their 5/325 Percocet about 20 years ago. At that time I was taking 5/325 Roxicet for about 5 years with no issues. There was a shortage of Roxicet and the pharmacy gave me this Mallinckrodt generic 5/325 Percocet and it was like taking a placebo! It was a long suffering 30 days! I always asked the pharmacist before filling my prescription if they were using the Mallinckrodt generic after that. The pharmacist said that they had so many complaints about the Mallinckrodt 5/325 Percocet that they would never carry it again.

It's no surprise to me that Mallinckrodt hydrocodone hcl pill is just as worthless as their Percocet generic. The bad news is the chain pharmacies don't care and the government doesn't care either because addicts can't feel high on them, but the people who actually need the pain relief are the victims of this whole opiate out of control mentally that has ruined the lives of suffering Americans. All they care about are addicts who take this stuff of their own free will and then everyone is outraged at anything and everything except the addicts who did this of their own free will. Personal accountability just flew right out the window, the legitimately suffering Americans are now 3rd class citizens and are the victims. Not some poor me addict!

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