Such as the white ip110 10mg/325mg and the yellow norco 10mg/325mg? Thanks
Is there a difference between generic hydrocodones?
Question posted by brads23 on 14 Aug 2011
Last updated on 28 October 2023
18 Answers
Daveyboy70
28 Nov 2022
About fifteen years ago, i was on 6 x 40mg Oxycontin pills plus 6 x10 mg oxycodone pills plus 3 x 30mg morphine pills daily for two separate and severe injuries to my back (7 ruptured discs and severe injuries to both arms.) Then when all the problems people were having with addiction my doctors took me off all because he was afraid of something happening and him losing his license. I don't blame doctors for being afraid but man it was a hard time for me going cold turkey after taking so much for so many years. I changed doctors and he now prescribes 4 x 10 mg hydrocodone pills daily . I am still in constant severe pain and have tried pain management, Physical therapy etc... but didn't work. So now my days are bearable but very painful. I am 70 years old.
I have to say over the years i have been prescribed all generic forms of hydrocodone and have noticed a difference in them, but after taking all the Oxycontin and oxycodone if i do run out a few days ahead of next fill, i never get sick and never get the heebie jeebies with the hydrocodone. That is a good thing. Wish they could invent a drug that worked without being addictive though so i and everyone else could get a measure of quality of life. I feel sorry for those who need more help and cannot get it.
Debhead2023
28 Oct 2023
I think the pendulum has swung TOO far the other way and Now honest chronic pain patients CANNOT get the medication they need for relief It should all be about quality of life Doctors can determine Real pain patients and those patients should be able to get medicines that relieve their pain
Also the generic drugs for Hydrocodone do not work like Norco which I cannot find in my Birmingham AL area
Thank you and God bless
Backpainwarrior
27 Dec 2018
For me there is a huge difference. I have been on the yellow qualitest for years and my pharmacy has been unable to get them from their distributor for several months. The pharmacy started giving me the mallincrap ones {white} and they helped for about an hour and then got nausea and no pain relief. I just got a prescription for the Amneal brand{white}and so far quality has been as good or better than Qualitest. We will see how it goes a few hours into it but so far much better than mallincrap ones...
stnich
3 Oct 2018
Watson 10/325 was better prior to the company being acquired and decreasing standards. However, they are still one of the better generic versions.
Vicodin 10/325 is effective at pain but causes side effects similar to urinary track infection/burning
Mallekropt 10/325 is the absolute worse generic 10/325, taking (apparently) the entire 15% variance allowed as profit. Useless as Tylenol, alone, for chronic pain.
Gregrvc
14 June 2018
Yes, i’ve Been taking the yellow altertinative to norco for about fourteen years. The white generic brands are by far the cheaper , and less potent then the yellow pills with the v marking.. some alternative white brands are weaker,and act more like the straight codein,with the codein side effects. I ask for the yellow pills with the v ,but most pharmacy’s opt out for the cheaper alternative to the yellow ones. Keep asking for the yellow ones with the v marking.
Tredizzle
28 March 2018
It's the dye that companies are allowed to use and that decreases the strength of the medicine. Watson is the only one who doesn't cut corners and it's a huge difference between them abd any other manufacturer.
Backpainwarrior
27 Dec 2018
The dye does not affect it as much as the compounding and fillers used. The inactive ingredients are what are changing how our bodies absorb and use the active ingredients.
jackieruby53
30 Jan 2018
Yes, absolutely!
I was diagnosed in 2011 with severe RA, in my wrists, hands, fingers, and feet! Worse pain I’ve ever had. I could not lift my purse, open a plastic bottle of water, a jar or lift and hold my wiggly grandchild.
My first RX of hydrocodone was the yellow oval 10/325. Relieve was within 15 min.
After several years of managing my RA with a variety of RA pen injections to a once a day 11mg pill of Xeljanz, ( which has helped immensely), I still wake up and go to bed with severe pain in my joints.
The change from yellow to the Watson 853, white oval at first was once in awhile; like every other month. Then it remained the Watson white oval.
Last month, it changed to an IP 110. I’ve been trying to cut back on my daily in-take to see if I can handle the pain, so when I started these new pills I noticed a few changes;
1: the relief took much longer
2: my stomach began hurting and I threw up
Now, that was enough for me to not take any a couple days.
I wanted to make sure I didn’t have the flu or a stomach bug.
I just refilled my RX today and it went back to the Watson 853.
The relief was within an hour but no stomach pain.
I’ve been off the yellow so long now; but I do know they worked faster.
How can a pharmacy make the decision on their own to altar my RX?
I’ve read all of your comments and feel for each one of you who are suffering with little relief or explanation either.
I’m on hold with Walgreens now to ask them why the change to IP 110 and now back to Watson 853?
I’ll post their response. Thank you for sharing
Daveyboy70
28 Oct 2023
Your post reminds me of something my Doctor told me a long time ago. After the MRI he told me my back was covered with Arthritis and bone spurs and that was probably causing more pain than my actual injuries. I hope you get all the pain meds and support you need in the future because for me it has gotten worse over the decades.
cptdarel
16 Aug 2017
I am a chronic and bothe state pain sufferer, been taking Norko for 6 years, just got my bottle of the white tab made by Mallinck, no way are they as effective as the Yellow ones made by Qualites, and yet both say 10/325... not happy, I will be calling my Doc and provider
MichiganHotBear
2 May 2017
In my opinion here are the best and worse;
1. Amneal IP110
2. Qualitest 3601 (almost tied with #1).
3. Watson 853 (decent)
4. Mallinckrodt M367 (useless. A sugar pill would work better).
iamkinzel
28 April 2017
I actually think the white ones are better, idk maybe it's different for people, but to be honest, the peach colored 7.5/325 Norco are the BEST, I like those better than 10's, but then again it could be just me, in my mind! :) Either way, I'm not going to complain, because it's hard to get a dr to write a script for them anymore, Kentucky has some pretty tight restrictions on prescription drugs and how they are dispensed.
wenn1
22 Aug 2018
7.5/325 Norco. I was given the "Generic" of this one this time because Medicare will not cover the real deal and it is a whole lot of nothing. It seems this time around they added something that makes me very listless and does not address my pain which causes me to take two now. My prescription is actually for two a day which I was hardly taking because I am a lightweight when it comes to drugs but this just does not cut it for even a half of day. When I had my surgery they gave me 4 -10mg a day and I was seeing the reaper coming up from the ground pulling me in. That is not for me! No More 10's but at least give me the lesser one but one that works!
Jimbo11
9 March 2017
There Is No Difference Between The Two... I Have Been Taking Them For Almost 20 Years Now...
Robspace1
13 Aug 2013
YES!! Listen Up-I don't care how many so-called experts come on here and try saying that there is no difference other then color, between the yellow and the white generic Norcos. The difference is real easy to tell for anyone that's been taking them for a while. I have been taking 4, 110/325 a day, for 8 years now. My last batch, last week, was the new white ones made by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. These are weaker, by far. I contacted the pharmacy and they said they switched to these new ones.
I know it was a cost thing. These are cheaper, and because they can sell them cheaper, well guess what? They are made cheaper! Which means their "stepped on". The pain relief formula has been watered down to add profit. In other words, they do the same thing street drug dealers do. They cut the product as much as possible to make it go further. I suspect the head of this company, as well as all other major drug makers are scrambling to find a way to keep their huge profits coming in, now that Obamacare is kicking in and their ability to gouge Joe Public is getting tougher by the hour.
So, who better to rip off but the people out there that are least able to buy the brand name drugs. The adverage peson can't afford to pay over $200.00 a month for this one bottle of pills. So, the big drug makers will simply make these pills go further by making them weaker. And, the pharmacy and the druglords will swear all day they changed nothing but the color, for that 1 in a million person that has a bad reaction to food coloring! Gimme a break. They put food coloring and food dye in everything. This is a scam folks and they don't expect us, the little people, to say anything, as we get the generic drugs at a discount.
But, I think we have a right to the same drugs as anyone else. The generics are suppose to be the same as the name brands, by law. But, their not, and now, this company has gone too far and tampered with the formula just to add more profit to the stockholders. If you like these new white Norco, fine. If you don't, speak up. I called my doctor and he said I could bring them in and he would give me a new RX. I called around and found another pharmacy that has the yellow ones. Then, my pharmacy called and said they would special order the yellow ones, and put my name on them so I dont have to switch pharmacies! Now, thats good business practice.
I also have sent 2 emails to the drug maker of these lousy white things. Their company rep called me this morning! She asked me alot of questions and I told her she will be getting many more complaints on these and they need to get their lab boys busy and figure out how they screwed up. If you want to let them know how you feel, contact them by emailing them here:
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals
Leave your phone number and let the girl really know how much you hate these fake Norco!
Debhead2023
28 Oct 2023
Good for you Thank your God that you can even get the real ones…I’m in Bird AL and CANNOT find the name brand anywhere The pharmacies here say they are no longer being manufactured As far as I’m concerned the white ones do nothing…I have RA Lupus and Sjodrens and suffer from Real chronic pain and NEED the real medication for some semblance of quality of life
Thanks for contacting manufacturers
lalayal0
26 June 2013
I have always used the yellow, since my pharmacy has changed up on me an have started giving me these others, which I am not used to takin I have now Changed Pharmacies, Rite-Aid has the ones we are more Familiar with... just to let you all know. ..
char58
25 April 2012
Personally i think the yellow 10/325 is better than the white, just a personal opinion
ValleyGirl26
6 Jan 2013
I agree. Ive been taking the yellows for over a year and a half (2x a day ) and i just got my script re-filled and they gave me whites... I didn't think there was going to be a difference but i feel like these aren't as strong my pain was still bugging me. So tonite i took the yellows ( i had 4 left over from last script) and well they relieved my pain ALOT better than the whites.Im thinking of taking them back the my Pharmacy but I highly doubt they'll switch them... looks like im stuck til next re-fill ( 2 months).
Chronicpainsuffering
17 Aug 2017
I completely agree. This is not a perception issue. I did a blind trial with both and the yellow is more effective for me personally. I might as well take tic-tacs with the white ones. Very frustrating because they should be equivalent.
mike1974
3 Feb 2018
Novel Laboratories, Inc is what I get . Norco 5mg/325
texasangel9
7 April 2012
Hello I'm under pain management due to several health problems and norco 10 is what I'm on. The dark yellow norco 10 is name brand and Watson light yellow plus whites are generic. I'd have to say the dark yellow with v on them are stronger then the others. Doctor told me its cause they put less ingredients in generic pain meds so thats y they cost less when filled at pharmacy. Hope this helps answer ur question mam. Good luck with ur health problems. God Bless u all
Jhavansek
11 Jan 2013
I agree that there is a big difference from the name brand verses the generic.if generics were exactly the same then why are they called generic???
Inactive
14 Aug 2011
I have heard (can't show you any reference for it but I have heard this many times) that the FDA requires the active ingredient to be within 20% of the stated amount. Now 20% seems like a lot of difference to me - one fifth of the dose is 2 mg - I think I could feel the difference and I know I have on some other, unrelated medications. Could very well be that you feel a difference between manufacturers, and they all do include different fillers, preservatives, caulking agents, dyes - you name it, as the inactive ingredients that can change the way your particular body can digest and react to them. Other than that, there is no difference and at the pharmacy there is no difference. Regards -
Inactive
15 Aug 2011
I agree with Eliza Jane on some other generics I have taken too, but on the ones in question, I could not tell any difference. Just my thoughts.
Related topics
norco, pain, back pain, hydrocodone, generic
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