Regarding oxycodone shortage

For those wondering, and who have heard all kinds of rumors.

I called Mallinckrodt at the number listed below. Per the lady there, the other 2 manufacturers of oxy's are no longer making them, making Mallinckrodt the only company making them. They are trying as hard as they can to meet the demands, including running extra shifts, etc. They hope to be caught up within a couple of months. However, the rumors that the DEA is forcing these companies to quit making this drug due to abuse is not true.

Also, the lady II talked to said that we should contact your local Attorney General's office and the State Bd. of Pharmacy with any pharmacy that is price gouging. I used to pay any where from 75-90cent a pill, and now have heard as high as $4.50 per pill. Report these pharmacies as they are breaking the law and taking advantage of the shortage. For people that are on a fixed income, this is a horrendous situation. Don't ignore this; act on this as it will only benefit you and the rest of us! The text below is from the FDA's website.




Oxycodone Immediate Release Tablets (5mg, 15mg and 30mg)


updated 3/25/2009
Mallinckrodt Inc.  (5mg, 15mg and 30mg) (1-800-325-8888)

Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(Roxicodone 15mg and 30mg) (1-800-773-7793)

Vintage Pharmaceuticals (15mg and 30mg) 1-800-444-4011



  Increase in demand related to product recalls by other manufacturers


Visit: http://www.kvpharmaceutical.com/news_center_article.aspx?articleid=276), and http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2009/safety09.htm#Ethex for more information
Mallinckrodt continues to work diligently to meet the market need during this temporary period of limited supply.

Xanodyne is releasing product as it becomes available.

Vintage Pharmaceuticals is releasing product as it becomes available.

FDA is working with manufacturers to help them increase manufacturing in order to meet demand. The firms are producing and shipping as product becomes available and it is currently estimated that return to normal supply levels may occur in approximately 2 months. For the other forms of oxycodone, such as extended release oxycodone tablets and combination oxycodone products, we have not received reports of shortages.

[Addicted2Pain]

I realize this is an addiction site, and am not posting this to help someone who is abusing their drugs. I am posting this to help those who have legitimate pain and who are suffering through this oxycodone shortage. Hope this doesn't offens anyone!

[sandee1818]

The problem was with ethex generic brand as the DEA made them stop production due to some problems they were having. they had to recall several strengths as they were the wrong strengths for what they were suppossed to be. They were all more potent than they should have been.
I know this to be fact as I have an attorney involved.
As for the other companies the DEA did not stop them from making it due to abuse there were other reasons and I am not exactly positive of those reasons so I will not post anything on that matter.
I was able to get the brand name this month.
Thanks for the information:)

[Tuckamore]

Thank you for your information. It is appreciated. My information from pharmacists and physicians is in line with what Sandee has stated.

I just wanted to comment on your statement, " I realize this is an addiction site." This is not an addiction site. This is the Pain Management Forum. Our members take opiates because their Chronic Pain is unbearable with out them. No one that I know wants to take opiates. We just want some kind of normalcy.

Again thanks for the information.
Peace, Tuck

[luppygirl]

That's weird that there is a shortage in the states but up here in Canada we have no problem at all at least in Ottawa where i live. My pharmacy has never been without.  I think once or twice they were short maybe 4 pills but got a new shipment in the next day.  Truth be told I am  not even sure where the pills i take are manufactured.  They could be made here in Canada or in the States i have no idea.  I should find that out.

[Ghilly]

Right now I am not having a problem getting my pills, although my doctor switched me from the 15mg, of which I was taking 2 tablets every four hours, to the 30mg, so I now just take 1 tablet every 4 hours because my pharmacist said he had a LOT of the 30mg but very few of the 15.  So the tablets are not a problem for me at this point.  Where I have hit a stumbling block this month is that the liquid Oxycodone that I take for breakthrough pain is not around, and I'm running into big problems because of that.  I am supposed to take one 20mg  ml for breakthrough pain in between the tablet doses, and because the liquid has not been available this month, the pharmacist advised me to break the tablets into quarters and take 3 quarters of one for breakthrough pain.  That's fine and dandy, they break fine with a pill splitter, but I'm going to run out of them way before I'm supposed to.  All the companies that are making liquid now would tell him was that they WILL have it available in April, but if it's not in the next week, I am going to have to call my doctor and make another trip to Houston so that he can adjust my meds and either give me something else for breakthrough, since he can't just make a medication switch over the phone with a schedule II drug.  It's VERY inconvenient and a BIG pain in the butt!  I wish this would get worked out, because it's a royal pain driving to Houston.

Ghilly

[Red931]

I had to wait one day for my refill this week in NJ and I take the name brand Oxycontin 20mg. I would suggest that everyone make sure that they have enough medication should you have to wait a couple of days for your pharmacy to restock.

[Mollyrae]

Hi Addicted2pain:

I think your post was moved to the pain forum because of the information. In regards to the Oxycodone, yes there was a shortage but the manufacture is catching up. I had no problem last month. The Doc did switch me to the Morphine because of the fact that it may become sparse again and it is just a hair stronger. Thank you for the information, it is very good info for our forum.
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Ghilly:

I guess I am not understanding you...Do you mean that you take 30mg of the Oxycodone every 4 hrs and then another 20 mg,ml for breakthrough in between..this makes it so that you are taking Oxycodone every 2 hrs??   Gosh, that is 50mg every 4 hrs. or 300mg per day. I hope I'm wrong or that you were mistaken in your dosing. I feel that it is too much Oxycodone going into your body and you could do some real damage, especially to your liver.

Molly

[Ghilly]

Nope.  You are not mistaken.  I trust my doctor implicitly, he is one of the leading physicians in the country for treating my condition.  There is no tylenol in anything I take, and according to the regular bloodwork that I have done, my liver values are right where they should be.  Over the years we have tried several different medications and combinations of medications, and oxycodone is the only one that works to the extent that it does, enabling me to live a mostly normal life activity-wise, and even with the oxy, the lowest we have been able to get my pain on the 0-10 scale is a 4/5.  Adhesive arachnoiditis has been described by a doctor who himself has the condition as living with the pain of cancer without the release of death.  So I follow the instructions that he gives me to the letter in order to not be bedridden as I was for one solid year before I became his patient.  After he put me on the oxy (of course I wasn't at that dosage at that point yet) and a regimen of zero-impact exercise swimming every day (thank God we have an olympic sized pool here!), within 6 months I went from only using my power wheelchair to walking without even using a cane, and now I am working full time co-managing a large hotel.  Thanks for your concern, though.  :)

Ghilly