Opana Reformulation?

Posted:: 13 Mar 2012 by Lydette
Topics:: opana, pain, morphine, dosage

Details:

I've had to be moved from Opana 40 mg 2x daily to morphine 60 mg 2 x daily due to the reformulation issue. Some pharmacies have begun to get Opana back in differing dosages. I've had a terrible time during this transition. In my opinion Opana is a uniquely effective pain mgmt drug. Has anyone else suffered from the change?

What I like about Opana is that not only does it really address my severe pain but I have few side effects and it makes me feel like I can do more. Even though I really can't it gives me the feeling that I can. I think that's really healthy. I use Oxycodone 7.5/325 for breakthrough pain, Lyrica for my piriformis syndrome, celebrex for severe inflammation, and other stuff. I have terrible degenerative disease in all of my lumbar discs with stenosis, and my cervical spine is a terrible state and we're thinking about what we need to do with fusions. I need a full knee replacement, tarsal tunnel syndrome. I don't really want to discuss it anymore - I know it can sound like 'whoa is me'. I just want to ask anyone how difficult it was for those with chronic pain (and I DON'T want to hear from addicts about what a 'drag' it's been' for them to be unable to snort Opana any longer - I can't really comment on it.

So, has anyone else had a terrible transition to other narcotics due to the reformulation of Opana?

Thanks folks! I'm a new member and will looking for guidance!

As always,
Lydia

http://www.drugs.com/answers/

Respond to this Question

Report Mark as Favorite

Responses (17)

tlcandmore

14 Mar 2012

Hi Lydia and welcome to the site. I had not heard of any reformulation with Opana. I did hear about the problem with the facility that manufactures it. I know pharmacies are having problems getting and keeping it in stock because of this. I can say that when they changed the formula for OxyContin it did not work as well for me and many others. Is this what is happening with Opana? Have they changed the formula to make it harder to abuse? Sorry I know I wasn't much help. I do understand though as it was a MAJOR difference for me when they changed OxyContin. Hopefully you will get some more helpful answers from other more knowledgeable members. Good luck and best wishes.
Your friend -Terri-

Votes: +1

Comment Vote up Report

Patiently Waiting 18 Jun 2012

I never had the old Oxy or Opana but both seem okay.. I have heard the dosing needs adjusting at the beginning due to the changes and packaging around the pills.

Add your Comment

Anonymous

14 Mar 2012

I hadn't heard of this either. I have a friend who takes Opana & is having a hard time getting it, but his doctor who is the head of a hospital did not say anything about reforulating. Where did you hear this if I might ask... Mary

Votes: +0

Comment Vote up Report

Lydette

14 Mar 2012

Hi folks,

Thanks for responding so quickly.

Yes, from what I understand the ER versions of Opana were removed from the market to make them more resistant to abuse. It seems the ones that are available now are actually a generic version! That blew my socks off as I didn't know there was a generic versions and I assumed that with the reformulation happening it was also a good reason to restart the patent date.

Thanks for your help.

As always,
Lydette

Votes: +0

Comment Vote up Report

Lydette

14 Mar 2012

Oh, sorry Mary, I heard this from my Pharmacist and my pain mgmt specialist's assistant.

Lydia

Votes: +0

Comment Vote up Report

cleo130

15 Mar 2012

Hi Lydia,

It sounds like you and I have many of the same spinal problems. I also have IC, Firbo and IBS. I've been seeing a Pain Managment doc and we are about to switch me from Avinza 120mg once daily to Opana ER, probably at 40mg. I threw my pills away by mistake and had to ask my doctor for something to last until my next appt. They gave me MS Contin 60mg 2 times a day.

I find it only lasts for about 8 hours, and in the literature I received when I picked them up it says take every 8 to 12 hours. I think it if I could take them every 8 hours I would be good. The Avinza costs me $50 per month and I will have to pay $75 for the Opana, but I understand there is a discount card that takes $25 but it only lasts for 1 year. The MS Contin only cost me $10!!

Expand this post...

Votes: +1

Comment Vote up Report

PsAgirl28

20 Mar 2012

Yes they are making them in new abuse proof very similar to the new oxycontin.they have already started receiving the 10 &20 mg strengths in pharmacies in tenn. where I live.i have psoriatic arthritis & take opana er30mg.2x daily im so scared the new reformulation wont work .good luck.everyone

Votes: +1

Comment Vote up Report

sickofitall-75 19 May 2012

Hi
Just wanted to comment on psAgirl28.. I take the opana 40 ers and i KNOW the Pain has been more for myself since i have had the new ones, which has only been since 5-2-12. I also live in tn and was wanting to ask a two part question, have u found or know of a pharm that still has some of the old style left in tn, as i have seen from other post that they have been able to still find some, few and far between, if u know or anyone in the area i would be very greatfull for the info? And as i stated i do not find but very little pain reduction copared to the old formulation. I was also wondering if u or anyone knows if any lawsuites have been filed on behalf of all of us cpp who have had to go thur this EXTRA pain without very little notice and also the hassels of trying to just find a place that carries any of the opanas? Sorry if the questions are too long ect... as iam a new to posting on here. Thanks for any help.

Add your Comment

Lydette

21 Mar 2012

Hi All,

How wonderful you all are. Thanks for the support and recommendations.

I spoke to my doctor's asst. a few minutes ago... during this entire fiasco of having to switch me to morphine from Opana he was on holiday! This caused horrible issues as I had to call and beg his substitute for options when the morphone didn't work. What a nightmare.

Anyway, the assistant told me that the pharmaceutical rep was in their office this week saying that Opana should be back in stores now, Kroger Pharmacy in my area being the first (Ohio). I'll start checking around and let everyone know!

hugs,
Lyd

Votes: +1

Comment Vote up Report

betsyscre...

25 Mar 2012

Well, I guess that we are both in the same boat. I have been on 40mg. opana er for about 2 years, and when it was pulled from the mkt. last month, I was put on oxycontin 80mg. and they DO NOT WORk. Several yrs. ago, I was on them, and they worked at that time, but they sure arent any good now. This has been a very painful month for me, The oxycontin was changed, and now the pill is hard, and I guess it is full of wax or something, but what-ever they did to it made it a drug that does not work. I pray that they havent done that to the opana, altho I have heard from several people that it is different to. I wish that the druggies would stop the bull crap that messes up a drug that REALLY works doe those of us that need it. I also have a lot of trouble with my back. Dr. wanted to do surgery on my back about 3 years ago, and I refused because I know to many people--my Mother being one of them that the surg. has messed up really bad.

Expand this post...

Votes: +2

Comment Vote up Report

bigguy789

6 Apr 2012

I have been on 40mg of the opana er 3 a day and up to 3 10mg ir for over a year.It has been tough to find them,ihave tried at least 20 pharmacys to get them last month.Ididn't have them for 2-3 wks. and the withdrawl and back pain was HORRIBLE!! I guess i didn't realize how much they were helping and how much worse my back has gotten.God i hope they don't change them,it took forever to find something that works.There must be a better way to keep these drugs out of the wrong peoples hands.They might as well give me sugar pills and let me suffer instead of hi$ pills that dont work.

Votes: +1

Comment Vote up Report

Chibi

20 Apr 2012

I just took my 2nd dose of the new reformulated Opana and I feel AWFUL. I feel very,groggy, foggy headed and like I took too much medication despite that I took my reg. dose. I also have this feeling of mild fire wafting up my esophogus and a mild headache. My heart is also beating too slow. Whatever they changed, they screwed up royally. If this gets worse, I'm arfaid I'm going to have to go to the ER. That's how bad this is. Be careful everyone who is taking this med when you get the new reformulation!

Votes: +1

Comment Vote up Report

lynnette 2

21 Apr 2012

I have also had to change to 60 mg morphine er due to endo changing the formula and ruining a perfectly good drug that leaves us without much to choose from now. I have just noticed I am a lot more tired and pain control isn't controlled as good as with old opana. Just hate that people with real pain issues have to suffer. Hated to see endo is getting money off my morphine after what they did to us. Don't fill new formula. Just wasting money and they do not work.

Votes: +2

Comment Vote up Report

joyd47

10 May 2012

I was prescribed opana 30mg 3xa/day. Since the new opana came out I am in severe pain. They do not control pain like the old form of opana. I suffered for so many years,until being prescribed opana. They desperately need to bring the original form of opana back,because the new form is no good.

Votes: +2

Comment Vote up Report

oxymorph 10 Jan 2013

everyone"s complaining about the new opana formulation but dont they know if they take a 30mg morphine pill and a 30mg oxycodone pill they have a 30mg opana some people are just not very smart.

Add your Comment

tle45

14 May 2012

I have just wrote to Endo about the new formulation my husband has extreme Lupus and he has had a terrible time with the transition. He has hurt so bad I can't explain what he is going through. He is not an addict but the doctors don't want to hear his issues because they say they have given him the highest dose they can give him. He could work with the old formula and now he is so swollen and in so much pain I am worried he will loose his job because he is unable to do his task. The doctor put him on Oxycodone while the transition was made to the Opana ER then took him off when the medicine was back on the market. I feel so sorry for him and I don't know how to help him. Please people pull together on this and contact ENDO. They need to change the formula back to the original midicine.

Votes: +1

Comment Vote up Report

sickofitall-75 19 May 2012

I just wanted to let you know that u are not alone as iam also in the same boat as yourself concerning this change that endo has caused all of us... i also wrote and phoned endo, which was really a waste as the rep acted as if i was a druggie, which iam a 59 yr old with two failed back surgries and 15 plus yrs in pm... I was also wondering if we could not file somekind of lawsuite concerning all of this with the endo ect? Thanks

tle45 21 May 2012

I have been asking myself the same question. I think that a suit should be filed against Endo for the needless pain and suffering. I am still having a problem getting the medication filled even after the new formulation. I have had the script on file now since last Thursday and still waiting on the med. They keep using the same old story "It's in shipping" I am so sick of seeing my husband in the pain and now he has had to overuse the Hydrocodone 10/500 to compensate for the pain this weekend. When he has to have that filled he is going to have an argument out of the doctors office (OVERUSE). He is not an addict and I am tired of all this MESS. Endo aught to be ashamed of themselves but they are not. Let's ban together and SUE them for what they are doing--it's horrible because the Opana ER is the only my husband is getting to continue to work his job. Like I said earlier ban together. The true people that need this medication not the addicts out here.

Expand this post...

View all 7 comments Add your Comment

garyb128

15 May 2012

I just created an account to answer this... I'm on Opana er 40mg 3x a day and oxycodone 30 mg 6 x a day... I fell 4 stories and have alot of bone and nerve damage going through some epidurals at the moment... I guess what I want to say is, I have tried alot of different pain meds such as morphine 60 3x a day and a few others I can't quite remember but,when I finally got put on the Opana ER and oxycodone for IR Finally something that works and helps me to enjoy a few things I couldn't before and after being on it for 2 years the reformulation process made it hard to get but I got by and have a wonderful pharmacist that helps me get through it...

Expand this post...

Well today I went to the Dr and it's a fairly large pain center with 5 doctors and a Physicians and he came in the room and said well we have decided to take all the patients that are on Opana and put them on other medications because to many patients coming back saying they can't find it any where and they will no longer be giving Opana out at their clinic... My Dr is also the owner of the clinic and I told him my pharmacy tries to have them ordered for me because I go there every month for the past 5 years so thank you God!!! The Dr handed me my Opana ER prescription and said if you can get it every month with no problem you will be the only patient here on Opana and when I went to my Pharmacist he had my scripts and as far as the reformulation that is fine with me because I take them as directed for pain and I take them whole... I will say it has changed my life as far as the pain level to be able to do things that I couldn't do before without severe pain now after one task I will sit for a few and then do something else... I don't think going back to Morphine will even remotely compare to the Opana as far as the pain level How is that working for you Lydia? I was going to suggest maybe you could ask your Doctor for the 15 mg oxycodone it has nothing else no Tylenol which through the years got hard on my Liver the Dr said and didn't want me to have Tylenol and they work really good they have helped me alot... Lydia hope this helps My pharmacist at Walgreen's told and BTW you will actually talk to a call center and they do not have the right info sometimes so just tell them you want to talk to a certain store... My Pharmacist told me that sometimes the call center has different info than the actual store one time I was told they didn't have any and the actual store did have them so sometimes it's a mix-up that way because when they reformulate them the ndc#'s change so the call center looks at the old formula ndc# and it shows they are out when they actual have it under the new formulation I'm so sorry this is so long but, I do understand what you are going through I am just beginning to get them regularly again one in part my knowledgeable Pharmacist and right now after a year my ins requires a Prior authorization which takes 3-5 days so my pharmacist has filled the bottle so I will be able to have them when it goes through thank God for that I hope it helps Lydia God Bless! and to all the addicts please seek God for help and go to rehab they have programs as well for Opana only!!! Thanks,Gary

Votes: +1

Comment Vote up Report

Lydette 15 May 2012

Hi Gary,

I so apologize for not responding to this sooner. I just didn't see it!

I am so happy for you to have found some relielf. I know what it is like when the pain is so severe that one cannot do anything but squirm on the couch, crying at times, lacking the energy to even look for a solution. But my situation came over time and after many falls and situations. I can't imagine the horror of falling 4 floors. I'm sure all of us here are so glad you survived!

My most powerful and helpful drugs are:

- Opana 40 mgs, 2 x day
- Oxycodone with the tylenol (I am very interested in talking to my pain doc about the variant without tylenol, thank so much for the information - can you tell me more about it? Generic name?) for breakthrough pain.

- Lyrica 2 x a day - really helps with the stenois and all the nerve damage

Expand this post...

Anonymous 18 Jun 2012

Instead of Percocet with tylenol, ask for plain oxycodone. That is the narcotic in percs.
Peace,
Sweet Hippie
Also a chronic pain patient, now on morphine instead of oxycontin. Doesn't work.

View all 4 comments Add your Comment

mikebec

7 Jun 2012

Opana ER 20 mg was introduced to me 2 years ago. I was hit by a fork lift in 1992 and have had over the years 15 surgeries. Because of the cost of the drug and the money I receive My Dr splits my script up, 45 every 2 weeks 3 a day. I filled the new formulated Opana 2 weeks ago and have found one pharm with the old drug, that i will get my last 45 filled. The new formulation is making me sick with little or no releief. What can be done? Will Endo listen?

Votes: +1

Comment Vote up Report

Lydette 7 Jun 2012

Hi Mike,

Personally I have never had a problem with nausea and opana UNLESS, I start getting more active (superman complex :-) when I feel better and do something in the heat. This is an ongoing problem for me with all narcotics. I can't take the heat and do activities at the same time.

On another point, I spoke at length with my pain specialist on the new opana last week. He said that in his particurlar practice the only folks who complained about the effectiveness of the reformulated opana have turned out to be abusers of the drug. Before everyone jumps on him, he is very highly accredited, kind, diligent and has had some pretty serious issues with abusers trying to get meds from his practice. I feel he saved my life so I trust him. It doesn't mean he is speaking for everyone but he does feel the new formulation should not cause a decrease in pain relief (I didn't ask him about the naseua Mike.)

I love how people care about each other here. I've been surprised at how much it has helped me. Thanks all. Lyd

Anonymous 8 Jun 2012

I thought I'd make a comment on this too, as a friend & another member on the site also takes opana ER, & his doctor is the head of the hospital ,& his pain management doctor. His doctor has given him extra opana ER to take as she has had so many complaints about the new formulation not helping as well a the old one did. He was on it twice a day with percocets for breakthru pain, & now is on it 3 times a day, & can be 4 times a day if he needs it. She is keeping him covered, & comfortable as she can . I have never taken it so can't say for myself, but caringsonbj is who I am speaking about, & he has one of the best doctors around.I believe he told me he is on 40mg. of opana ER & then the percocets for breakthru pain also. Just my thoughts... Mary

sickofitall-75 9 Jun 2012

mikebec

Expand this post...

I was also on opana er for close to three yrs before this reform of it and it did the same thing to me as well as other painful side effects. Everyone is diff and a drug may work diff on each person as well. Iam a new member here as well and had to open a profile on here so i could hopefully help anyone out with my probloms with the new opana er. It would take to long to list all of my probloms with chronic pain and the yrs i have had to deal with it, so i know a little about meds and pain ect... frist of all there is alot of helpful info and helpful folks on here which is another reason i made a profile on this site and no other site as alot seem to just want to talk about how to abuse a drug ect. Back to endo and the new opana er, i tuffed it out for a month as i was trying to see if my body would adjust and it never did, so i called my doc and was switched to another med and unlike many of us cp folks iam lucky to have a careing doc(after many long yrs) that listens and she understands what pain i go thur everyday. She let me know that i WAS not the FRIST to have this problom with the new form of opana er not working as well as it had. U ask what u can do, really nothing when it comes down to endo except call and make your report to them and u can also cal the fda, as they have a number for which u can report your side effects to, which if u are having issues with the new opana or any drug this is a must do phone call. As what u can do with endo is just not help them in the future when it comes down to taking any more of thier items and thats about all u can do concerning them, which is hurting them as the best thing for any company is word of mouth. Which is what i try to do, i wont tell anyone to switch to what i take as i dont endorse any drug, unless someone asks what i take than ill let them know if i think it may help them out. Trust me if u get someone who just goes on and on about a drug and how its so powerful ect, than it may be someone who works for the company or has something to gain from as many people they can get to stay on a certain product. But u can go thur the comments they have made to u and others and u can useually tell if its a drug rep or really a cp person as most of us are. Also pay attention to anyone who says that only drug addicts and such are only the ones who are having probloms with opana, which is not 100 percent true by no means, if u go to endos home page they will have a chart showing what a share is going for and it has been going down for the most part since this change. Hope u get some help with your pain control and what it boils down to is u HAVE to do what HELPS u out the most and u KNOW your body better than anyone else. Hope this helps some what and please feel free to ask me anything u need to, and ill try and help the best i can.

Lydette 19 Jun 2012

Hi there,

Expand this post...

I get the sense that I am in the minority for taking some time with Opana reformulated and that's fine but I don't like any insinuation that I might be working for the drug company. Mike, I am so sympathetic for your pain, all of our pain, but I felt as if I should give you the perspective of some other physicians then your own. As I go through my own situation, I fought to keep off the drugs for many years. I was in denial. I think a great doctor in pain medicine should work closely with their patient and offer all the alternatives that might be appropriate for them. When I tried all the options available to me I actually found some that helped with my situation IN TANDEM with the drug therapy I actually signed up for... you've already read those postings of my physical problems. My water exercises (lucky enough to have a pool) for example. Yet other than this some exercises, besides stretching, do more harm than good. My doc was cool with that and then said if I wanted to try other options such as acupuncture, holistic methods,etc, he would support me. For me, this is the kind of cp doctor I want because what I don't want to end up is like my neighbor - he has had 10 back surgeries for a similar condition and he is miserable, in terrible pain, and none of the surgeries has helped, only worsened his condition. He's a constant reminder every day of what I want to avoid at all cost. My neighbor also does not want to take narcotics but we argue about that all the time. I tell him it gave me my life back but he is afraid of addiction. I tell him dependence is different from addiction - I show him every day how my pain management regime makes me a member of society, not a recluse. Which is what I was for two years.

This current Opana problem has created real problems for cp patients, for our families, and our doctor/physician relationships. My doctor tries to balance pain management and potential addiction or death of his patients. He loses a number of patients every month to over-use of Opana and he loses another number of patients who justificably get the meds but then sells them for money to support other problems. Preferring living in pain to paying bills sometimes. All I am saying is if a cp doc doesn't automatically write a new script or doesn't instanteously give one more when asked or challenged doesn't make them a bad cp doc... they must watch for behaviour, consistent behaviour, to protect themselves from government and insurance companies who would rather we didn't have cp doc who write pain medicine scripts at all! Ask your GP. Most of them won't touch issuing strong pain meds and then ask them why.

I try to give my doc some slack and I work with him - maybe I shouldn't care but the FDA and DEA watch our guys so closely so I hate to think of them losing their careers, and my access to the care I need most. Just writing new scripts (which endo would love) puts them under increased scrutiny. So I am careful before I ask for more or take some time to look at my body closely, to see if my pain really has increased or if it is my imagination. If people want to jump on me for that, I'm sorry. I hate having to take more, worried about respiratory failure, and potential abuse of what I need so desperately to keep my family around, my marriage intact, and the better life I have grabbed onto since finding the drug regime that works for me.

I apolgize for the long email but I felt as if I was being poked at for merely suggesting that perhaps the new formulation was working but maybe I was so angry at all the crap we have had to deal with caused me to be suspicious and assume the new med was 'downgraded' in effectiveness. Given that somedays, for me at least, even the Opana AND the percocet together do nothing for my pain, I wanted to be thoughtful of the situation. The last thing I want to do is have my husband find me dead in the morning from an Opana overdose.

So, sorry guys if I set off a negative feeling here. I am so dedicated to my cp doc because of my pain, and the fact that he gave me a new life, I simply wanted to ask some questions and share his perspectives.

With love and support,
Lyd