IS THE GENERIC OXYCONTIN AS STRONG AS BRAND NAME?

[HOTROD123]

I WAS WONDERING IF THE GENERIC OXYCONTIN IS AS GOOD AS THE BRAND NAME BECAUSE I HAVE HEARD ITS NOT. ALSO DOES THE 10MG GENERIC HAVE GEL TOO?

[Red931]

I have to say I agree with everyone that has posted so far. I also agree that people that abuse these drugs in any way cause problems for the people that they were intended.

The difference between name brand and generics is the fillers that are used in the process of making the drug. Thus one person saying here that they had ill effects from the generic when taking it improperly.

It also depends on the drug company that is making the generic version as there are several. Some are better than others.

[catwoman64]

I KNOW OF A FEW PEOPLE THAT ABUSE DRUGS AND KNOWN OF THEM GETTING MAD BECAUSE THE COMPANIES STARTED MAKING SOME OF THE PILLS GEL UP IF THEY WERE BEING SNORTED.... MY OPINION ONLY.. I FEEL LIKE THE PEOPLE THAT ABUSE THE DRUGS MAKE IT HARD OR HARDER FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE IN NEED OF THEM HARDER TO GET. LIKE I SAID MY OPINION ONLY AND I KNOW EVERY ONE HAS ONE..HA..HA..HA

[xclusivjon]

coming off from an addiction to oxycontin i will give you my 2 cents. once every month i would take at least 20 generic oxy's and at least 20 real oxys at different points after withdrawal symptoms. The generics deffinetly lasted longer and kicked in almost instantly rather than the real oxys which took at least 30-40 min to kick in. Also the side effects i recieved from the generic were twice as worse then side effects from the real oxys. So imo do not abuse the generics!

[LCDLBA]

Wow, I must be SUPER naive! I had no idea that people crushed and snorted pills! Coming from a girl who was always so afraid of drugs, I never even so much as tried a "drug" until I took a vicoden. That is some serious problem stuff there. I guess now I see why docs are generally so careful about prescribing them. Coming from a girl with three different bottles of different controlled pain medications that are all still FULL after a year. I find that a sad state for people to get themselves into.

[sandee1818]

Purdue, who makes the brand name Oxycontin had at one time tried to make a pill that was not able to be abused but it fell through because the DEA who requested they do this said the version they came up with was not good enough so they left it as it was. Now it could have changed since then.
I have noticed a huge difference between the generic and the name brand. The generic forms I have tried ( two different ones) both made me very sick at my stomach and they provided very little pain relief. I think everyone is different and you have to choose the one that's right for you. My doc says the fillers are most likely the cause of the generics making me ill and generics can be 20% higher or lower in strength than the name brand.

[Bre333]

Hi,
In the US, the generic is usually less potent than the brand, hence the price difference.
Breanne
http://www.opiates.com

[Mage1970]

In AUSTRALIA they add something to the OXY so abusers cant crush and shoot them,Here its also LAW that the Generic contains the same active ingrediants as the brand name Good Luck

[Tuckamore]

Hi BigRed and Hotrod,

Bigred, Thank you for clearing up the gel statement. We certainly learn from one another. I was thinking about something from a tube like nitropaste or Icey Hot. I didn't think about the actual medication being a gel-cap. Some times I can be so ignorant. So I did some searching.

From CNN Money on January 22, 2007 I found an article discussing the gel form of OxyContin. It says that in an attempt to reduce abuse of the painkiller a company called Durect was developing a tablet called Remoxy. It is a gel cap form of OxyContin. It is swallowed like the standard pill and therefore not able to have the option of crushing it. TEVA appears to be the name of one of the manufacturers.

So Hotrod there is a gel tablet. But not a gel that would be applied to the skin like I was thinking. It is a bit less expensive than the regular form of OxyContin. I cannot find the dosage charts for these so I do not know for sure if it comes in a 10mg tablet. I would guess it would but you can ask your pharmacist.

I hope this information is helpful. Again take care and please let us know how you are doing. Tuck

[BigRed5150]

I know what your talking about when you say the gel, they are commonly called TEVA's and are dreaded by abusers because they will "gel up" when crushed and snorted. The only reason I know this is because a friend of mine was addicted to OC and would tell me about the different strength's and forms of OXY. I have never abused pain medication myself, I only use them when I need them.
As far as generics go, some say they notice a difference, I don't. I think it is all mental.

[scaredmom330]

have to say I agree with the above post...most insurance companies request you get generic if available...the generic for mscontin is morphine...but am also confused about the gel you are talking about...good luck

[Tuckamore]

Hi Hotrod,

Yes I agree with Mollyrae. The generic form should be just as good as the brand name. The active pain drug is the same. I do not know of any gel form. If you do not obtain the same pain relief you can always request the brand name. It's just more costly.

Take Care, Tuck

[Mollyrae]

Hi HOTROD:

Welcome to the Pain Forum. The generic is as good as the brand name. I have had both and have never had a problem with a generic drug.

I'm not really sure what you mean by the 10mg gel?? Oxycantin does not come in a gel form. The only gel form narcotic that I'm aware of is the Fentanyl patch. These start in the 12.5 mcg/hr. formula and goes up to 100mcg's so maybe you could explain it better.

Anyway, don't worry about generic, in my opinion, it is just as good as the name brand.

Take care,
Mollyrae

[Amber99Amber]

I have been on Purdue Oxycontin for 3 years and I was given Teva's brand 4 times.  I am here to tell you it didn't work as well.  It is not as strong and I even went through some psychological problems all 4 times.  They say it is the exact same thing, even the fillers.  But if it were the pill would be the same size and it is not.  Do you guys know that with generics they have this 10%, I want to say window whether they put the full 100% of the main drug.  Why do you think so many generics aren't even equal to one another.  Yes fillers can cause it but so can this 10% they chose to put in.  You notice this more with Opioids and psychiatric, and even seizure meds.  So NO they are not as good at all.

[mombojombo]

Well, every generic version of a brand drug is slightly different but for most people they do produce the same efficacy.  If you are on a generic, I think it is important to take the same manufacturers generic each refill.  I take generic and it is as good for me. If you have a particular med that is problematic, your doctor may be able to write 'do not substitute'. Problem is insurance companies can push back but with appeals and a letter from the doctor, that is often enough to get it covered.  I personally have not had any issues with generics.