Chronic Pain Support Group

Absolutely! This happens with my Tramadol and Hydrocodone. With the tramadol I have to make sure I get only a CERTAIN one from a CERTAIN manufacturer or else I might as well be taking Tic-Tac's because they are just as useless as the "tramadol". The hydrocodone, if I get it filled at Wal-Mart I have HORRIBLE episodes of anger and mood swings, but if I get it at target I'm just fine.

if the Malinkroft are light blue pills,30 mg, they are different. I had some white ones and it was like they didn't work. I know this because the first batch were the Malinkroft blues, second were white and I made sure I had the blue ones on the next and future fills. What a difference there is between manufacturers.

My nurse explained that in ganerics, there also could be differences in mg amounts in each pill. The malincroft ones are a better company. They work better for me in my daily headaches/migraines from a head injury.

I agree with everyone else. My pharmacy has done this with my duragesic patch several times. I have finally asked them not to order the one brand that doesn't work as well, and now they don't. We were looking for ones that would stick better, but in the process found out that the one that stuck the best didn't work as well. I have a great pharmasist who will work with me on any issue that comes up with my medicines.

Not a dumb question at all, actually a wonderful one. This topic should be important to all of us. Sometimes drug companies sell their patent and sometimes different companies make generics.

Norco/Lortab/Vicodin is a great example. Each of those hydrocodone meds are made by several different companies. They are not the same. I take Norco and only the Watson works for me.

On the prescription bottle it should say the manufacturer of the medication. Make sure to ask for that brand or the other one if the old pills worked better or you had less side effects.

Doctors and pharmacists will tell you there is no difference, but they are not taking them, we are. If their mothers were taking meds, you better believe they would admit there was a difference to them.

If you are unhappy with the medication return it in exchange for the right kind. If the pharmacy won't accept it back, then call your doctor and have him/her call the pharmacy and in the future write what brand you want on your prescriptions.

Both my DW Pink and I take Norco and Rite Aid has to special order it for us since they use one we don't like.

Thanks for the question

omg,,i thought it was just me!!!!!!!!!!not a dumb question,,

This is so important! Nothing at all stupid about that question. And the science behind the answer isn't obvious either. Thank you for this thread.

Keeping this very brief, because it is a Comment, the variability in how individuals respond - meaning how much medication to produce a desired effect like pain relief) - is, simply, STAGGERING. What i mean is that it is just clinically true that given two patients, who seem to have the same chronically painful medical condition to the same degree, that patient A ends up doing great on 120 mg (morphine equivalent) of opioids a day, doing great, and Patient B ends up needing 2,000 mgs (morphine equivalent) to achieve the same, good outcome.

So, the "rule" is that "THERE IS NO RULE" regarding effective end-dosages of opioids (as long as that end, effective, dose is achieved gradually by 'titration to analgesic effect." That's because the receptors on our brain cells, through which the medications work, and the array of enzymes in the liver, through which the medications are 'metabolized,' or broken down, for excretion, differ ENORMOUSLY from one individual to another. Individuals just vary a lot in the subtypes and quantity of critical receptors, and in the composition and efficiency of their natural detoxification systems, like the cytochrome P450 metabolic enzyme system in the liver. Yours are different from mine.

We are just genetically very different from each other in how effectively these drugs work, and in how effectively and rapidly our individual bodies metabolize or inactivate these chemicals. We all react to these medications significantly differently so, one opioid might be a potent analgesic in one person and virtually ineffective in another person, even in high doses.

This is the physiological reason why classifying some chronic pain patients as "high-dose," and then discriminating against them, is not only morally wrong, but also medically wrong, and just plain stupid. It doesn't matter what the absolute dose of opioids is in any particular chronic pain patient, it only matters how that dose has effected their quality of life, and the most important component of that is analgesia - pain relief, and what undesirable effects (side-effects) that dose is having, and to what extent those side-effects can be managed.

This is why the Pain Relief Network is suing the state of Washington over their "Interagency Guideline on Opioid Dosing for Non-Cancer Pain," 2007. ( Search for --> washington opioid guideline

the only thing i have heard but not experience is the difference between generic and and brand name, i heard the generic only has to be a certain % of the original so in other words it is not as strong as the original name brand one that is why it is cheaper, it is cheaper because it is not at full strength, and what else sucks is you cant just ask for the name brand the doctor has to prescribe it that way.

but as far as just switching who makes it, maybe like you said the compound that puts it together

Wow!! Thank you so much EVERYONE! I really thought it was just me that was experiencing this and after calling pharmacists etc.. I did learn that the compound does all differentiate between each company. Thank you again to everyone who responded! I'm just really sensitive and its good to know i'm not alone on this!

i have noticed that the percocet by watson, does nothing, so i go to a different pharmacy, where they have a different brand. There IS a difference, the name brand percocet worked fabulous at the hosp, but the only place i can get it is a hosp, which isnt convenient , for me.