[girlie girl]

I have a white oblong tab with M358 on one side and a line down the middle of the other side. It is suppost to be hydrocodone 7.5/500 that i got from my pharmacy but I just wanted to make sure because they dont feel like they are working at all. Are some generic pain meds weaker than others?? Thanks [:X]

Girlie Girl

[zippysgoddess]

As to your question about generic pain meds, yes, some are weaker than others. It all comes down to quality control at the facility of the manufacturer. The FDA allows generic meds, in the active ingredient, to differ by as much as plus or minus 20% from the original name brand.

Thus, if the company has poor quality control, and doesn't maintain rigorous testing of their pills as they produce them, you can end up with some pills that have large amounts of the active ingredient, some pills that have the correct amount, and some that have virtually NONE.

I, myself, have an Oxycodone instant release that I can take 3 times a day for breakthrough pain. I have had some that didn't do anything, I might as well have swallowed a tic tac, some that were fine, and others that made me sick like I had overdosed and taken too many, even though I only took one pill, and these were all in the same bottle!

The pill you were asking about is manufactured by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals and they have gained an awful reputation for making bad pills. If you do a search for information on their meds, you will pull up many BB sites, similar to this one, with everyone complaining about their products.

Now, on top of this difference, there are no requirements that the inactive ingredients, the fillers and binders, be the same as the name brands at all. The manufacturer can use whatever they choose, as long as they are on the FDA approval list for pill making. Some people have problems with these as well, as they can affect each person differently and how the pills main ingredient works in their body.

So while some generic meds are great, from companies that maintain high quality standards, some are awful and you get a double whammy if you don't react well to one of the inactives.

verwon@gmail.com

My information is not guaranteed correct. I do not get them right all the time, but I do enjoy the hunt~

[girlie girl]

Thank You Sweetie!![:X]

Girlie Girl

[katvision]

ya some are.that kind aint very strong either.the line down the middle is for you to break it in half.

[ictinus]

Originally Posted by zippysgoddess

It all comes down to quality control at the facility of the manufacturer.
...
The pill you were asking about is manufactured by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals and they have gained an awful reputation for making bad pills. If you do a search for information on their meds, you will pull up many BB sites, similar to this one, with everyone complaining about their products.
...
So while some generic meds are great, from companies that maintain high quality standards, some are awful and you get a double whammy if you don't react well to one of the inactives.

I disagree and think we must be careful of overgeneralizing. I take dextroamphetamine for ADHD and find Mallinckrodt's product to be the best. (D-amphetamine is not a pain med but is a C-II controlled substance like narcotic pain meds such as oxycodone.) Many or most pharmacy chains where I live have exclusive contracts with Barr for generic d-amphetamine, but in my experience Barr's version produces a less even dependable effect, and I was much more likely to have headaches. I have found posts elsewhere that likewise tout Mallinckrodt's d-amphetamine and rail on other generic brands.

Amphetamine and many opioid pain meds are grandfathered in but when Barr applied to make Adderall (which contains d-amphetamine but wasn't grandfathered) the samples were twice rejected by the FDA because of too high levels of impurities. So I find it curious that Barr uses a much larger tablet than Mallinckrodt for the same 5mg tablet. Is the extra mass beneficial or benign fillers or undesirable impurities? There could be many reasons but smaller tablets also mean smaller bottles, smaller cases, less weight—issues effecting profits—so companies would take the matter seriously.

Perhaps the ultimate truth is that it depends on the patient, the drug, and the manufacturer. If you have problems, try a different generic brand. This often takes effort because you will likely need to get the pharmacist to special order it or (as in my case) need to find another pharmacy that will special order it. Don't let the pharmacist tell you that they are all the same so don't fuss with another generic brand. Don't be dazzled by mumblings about the FDA and being bioequivalent etc. Instead ask him or her why the words "Brand Medically Necessary" can be used on prescriptions. Actually, you don't need to justify your desire at all.

Don't hastily form a prejudice against Mallinckrodt. (FYI Mallinckrodt has entered an agreement to make the branded version of the drug: Dexedrine.)

[Jacob-Oram]

My doctor has in the last few months put me on a couple of different pain meds that I have to take every day. Since then it seems like I have been having stomache problems, uncomfortable feelings in my abdomen area, etc. Some are for inflammation, some for sleep, and one is a straight pain med with a weak narcotic in it.

My question is, is there something you all take before or with your medications to help your stomache? I have read, as just one example, that Ibuprofen can cause stomache AND intestinal ulcers, even if you take it with food. Since I take my meds with food and/or milk, is there any other way to help prevent problems, like drinking a teaspoon of Maalox or something with them? I would think that would help, but then I read online that drinking stuff like that everyday can have problems of its own, and is not meant for regular consumption. Is that true? What can I do?

I guess my thinking was, if I could coat my stomache/intestines with something more than food or milk (Maalox or something?) it might get rid of my problems as of late, as well as prevent future problems. Does anyone "coat" their stomache or anything like that before taking their pills? Also, what else can one do to prevent complications from taking several pills every day? I'd appreciate any ideas and suggestions!