New Opana Is Out Now - March 15
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I got my new Opana Prescription this week and it is the new formulation. The old ones were six sided and the new one is round. The new formulation, that the FDA approved, is supposed to be the same quality as the old Opana we are used to. I hope so. I am going to include the links to the articles that discuss this at the bottom, the latest article is directly from the makers of Opana and is from February. The old stock of Opana is all supposed to be gone from the shelves by now and the pharmacists are all supposed to be using the new formulation. Let us know here how you think the new stuff is working for you. Is it the same as the old stuff? IS there a coating on the new stuff that changes its effectiveness like the way the new formulation of Oxycontin did when it came out in 2010? Let us know. Mine only started a few days ago so it is too early to say. It is the Opana long acting. They had to change it to stop people from crushing and abusing them. Let us see if it works. here are the article links; This one is from Endo Pharmaceutical directly, the company that makes the drug; Crush-Resistant Formulation of Opana ER® Approved by the FDA Here is the second one ; Endo Announces FDA Approval of a New Formulation of Opana® ER Designed To Be Crush-Resistant Hope it helps everyone! Peace, Keith

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"Change meds." I needed to stop the stupid crap my doctor gave me because she was afraid of the DEA, "knocking on her door." Which they DID anyway because she kept crap records! I am a three-time, cancer, 27 surgeries, including back. The medication I had was not working and my new doctor said,"That is not right and we will fix it." He gave me 10mg Opana IR and 20mg ER, twice a day. I am MISERABLE. They are barely affecting me and the ER are not even dissolving and I see them in my STOOL! I put one in water to see what would happen. 48 hours later, it was a solid "stone" with a rubbery coating around it, i.e., in 48 hours, it did not dissolve. No wonder it just comes right back out. I do not feel "high". The DEA has made the new rules FOR the doctors. People that want drugs still get them. Those of us that suffer and depend on our physicians for help are being "told" how to feel, how long to feel it, and what to do to "not" feel that way. The problem there is obvious. How do you explain to your doctor when they are programmed to call you a "drug seeker" if you so much as say, "It hurts here." I need another cancer surgery and I just cannot do it. If it spreads - I guess my only option is Death with Dignity. I want a life! Not a nursing home and wheel chair. But, you cannot be happy in your own home in America - unless you do it illegally. Until the patient AND the doctor stand up for our rights together, we are doomed. Cancer will kill everyone because the only time you will be out of pain is when hospice decides you are on your last breath (YES, they don't want you to become "addicted" or "high" when you are about to die!!). F*** them.

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I agree with what this post says...please don't assume that because the new Opana doesn't work, we are all addicts just chasing a high! I'm a legitimate chronic pain patient who has used several different types of medications. Unfortunately, I lost my insurance and I had to go on patient assistance. I'm taking 40 mgs and it barely brings my pain down to a 7 (with breakthrough meds)...I'm frustrated and want to be "me" again, not someone who has to lay flat by noon. Going to try and change medication. Good luck to everyone who REALLY needs pain relief.

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I called Endo pharmaceuticals and told them how dangerous this coating is. I put it under water for an hour and it balled up into plastic. When I called Endo they told me it is made of polymer which is plastic. I had to give myself an enema because my stomach was so extended after 5 days and hurt so bad. Call them and complain. (800) 462-ENDO (3636)

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I have had such bad GI reactions to the new Opana, that I had to ask my Dr. for the Fentanyl Patch to use as a "break" from the Opana 2-3 days a week, so my stomach can get back in order each week. The patch does not work as good as oral meds, but my GI tract needs a break from the New Opana onlslaught of reflux, nausea, vomiting, burping, bloating, just to name a few. It's a shame that a few morons who abuse this crap ruin it for legitimate users.

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I sent an email to Endo corporate, and actually got a response from them that I was the ONLY ONE that has complained about the new formulation.

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If you are having problems with the new Opana ER, you should ask your doctor to write you a script for the generic Opana ER that is manufactured by Actavis. A lot of people are unaware that a generic version exists.

Also, Endo created the new abuse proof forms to help them maintain their patents. The Opana ER patent was going to expire in 2013 and Endo needed a way to sell Opana ER as a name brand or else lose lots of money. So, they reformulated Opana ER and received a new patent. Why do you think there are so many legal battles going on between Endo and generic medicine makers.

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Also, since your so worried about my health, I am taking the generic Opana ER manufactured by Actavis and it works GREAT! Also my information came right from the U.S. patent office. Here is the link to the INTAC technology patent.

patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=112&f=G&l=50&d=PTXT&s1=oxymorphone&p=3&OS=oxymorphone&RS=oxymorphone

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Ok, maybe I had poor word choice. Dose not matter though. The facts are the new Opana ER contains a lot more chemicals than the old version. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And my opinion is the new ones are terrible and ineffective. The response a person has to a certain medicine or formulation thereof is mostly related to their genes. If new Opana ER works for you, that is great. But, it is wrong to assume the people who dislike the new Opana ER are all drug abusers/addicts.

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Your wrong James... There is no plastic in Opana!
Read the manufacturers data sheet with the ingredients...
And change meds if you don't like it, there are plenty of other drugs out there! You need to get your facts straight. Where did your info come from? Mine came from Endo!

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To James:
There is no "plastic" in Opana! If it was plastic, then it would go right thru you, and do nothing!
I have the manufacturer's bottle with ingredients, and a 2 page document all about the medication information.
So, you sir, need to get your facts straight before making an ass out of yourself! Now, some of the binders did change, but none are plastics of any kind. The worse thing that would happen, is a allergic reaction to this, but the meds would still work... So... change to something else if that is the case...don't make ignorant claims!!! Enough said!

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Also, to everyone who thinks that the adverse reactions are made by up by drug abusers are wrong. Your body responds to everything you put in it. The human digestive tract did not evolve to digest plastic. There are many reasons why a person could have a bad reaction to the new formulations. Many responsible patients are reporting new and adverse side effects. If you are going to make such outrageous claims, you should at least have some evidence instead of an ignorant opinion.

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Everyone who has had problems with the new Opana ER, ask your doctors to write you a script for the generic Opana ER manufactured by Actavis. I had severe reactions to the new version as well, so I switched to the generic. Many people are unaware that it exists. Corporations like Endo only respond to profit. We must show them with our dollars what pain medicines work best. Why should us responsible pain patients suffer because of a few idiots? It is ridiculous. I wonder if the government will force them to go back to the original formula, since people are dying and becoming very ill from injecting( abusing) the new formulations. For details, see:

reuters.com/article/2012/10/11/opana-warning-idUSL1E8LB9RB20121011?type=companyNews&feedType=RSS&feedName=companyNews&rpc=43

Just goes to show that nobody can win the war against drug abusers. They do risky things and die no matter what the pharmaceutical companies do.

Here is the link for generic opana:

actavis.us/en/products/group.htm?name=Oxymorphone%20Hydrochloride%20Extended-Release%20Tablets%20CII

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Exactly! I'm astounded at the number of people saying they don't work. They didn't change that part. It contains the same amount of the same medication. You just can't abuse it and get high! The pain relief is omg great! People just need to get a grip and stop the abuse!

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The FDA didn't make them change the delivery system, they did it because of the large numbers of abusers that were overdosing...They didn't want any liability...and I don't blame them... If there weren't so damn many pill abusers, then this wouldn't have happened. It's estimated that their are about 2 million pain med abusers in the US! That's just nuts! What a shi**y life to choose to live!

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The new Opanas work fine... They just take a bit longer to kick in... People don't like them, because they are difficult to abuse!!! My friend uses a stone bit on his Dremel tool to make a fine powder to snort...he says it works really well...BUT...when he stops using them that way, he gets really strong withdrawal symptoms....really fast! Wishes he would have never started... I tried to tell him, but some people have to learn the hard way... I have noticed that if I I wait too long to take my next dose, that I start to feel funny...so I can't even imagine how bad his withdrawls are!

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Well were should I start ,I got into a bad reck in 06. An I'm all screwed up I got to have help get in dressed ,long story short ,I go to health first medical center .an I was get in opana 40 s .....them pills took my pain away all day ,and now the new ones ant worth s*** !!!!!!an the FDA F***ED UP EVERYTHING !!!! NOW IM MISSERIBLE an I half to live like this

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I think you should give up on the opana sooner rather than later. I gave it two months and I still throw up more days than not. And the nausea is every single day. Such a shame. It's a great medication for pain, even with the new formulation. But throwing up chronically is bad for your stomach, esophagus, teeth..... It's just not good. I have an appointment with my pcp on Friday. I'm going to ask for a medication change. Maybe to patches. Then I don't have to take a pill at all.

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I started taking the new formula of Opana in July. Since then I have been having horrible upper abdominal pains, nausea and vomiting. I went to my family Doctor; he told me I was constipated; which I did not feel. My test results showed abnormally low Lipase and Bilirubin (Direct) levels. I did not connect the two problems until I read some of the posts on here about the horrible side effects others are having with the new formulation of this drug. I do have a brain tumor and Chronic Shingles of the nervous system. I thought it was possibly the shingles causing the problem; but now, I am not so sure it isn't the medication. I had a bad reaction to the generic Opana & ever since I started taking this medication I have had problems with an upset stomach. Since the release of the new version. I throw up at least one a day out of two, which makes the chronic pain so much worse. To deal with the pain and the nausea both is a lot to handle. SO the plastic in the new formula can actually build up in your intestines? I think I found my problem, now just getting my Doctor's to agree to switch the medication will take a miracle.

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I do feel for you. It's working so well for the pain and no fuzzyheadidness....(i realize this is NOT a word =) At any rate, bless your heart. You realize you are in a very small minority of people that take these medications exclusively for pain. You don't want the high, I commend you. Some simply don't like the high or "buzz". I wish so much I was one of those people. But, the getting sick to your stomach can actually be managed fairly easily. Promethazine or Phenergran (both the same but Phenergran is the name brand the other is generic. No difference. But, the may help. They make some people drowsy. But I did take it for a while and it seemed to take away the nausea and the drowsy feeling went away after a week or so. May or may not work but I feel so bad for you. You're trying so hard to JUST have some relief. And you deserve it. No one should have to live in that kind of chronic pain if there are alternatives. So you may want to discuss with your doctor. Like I said, it may or may not work. I just want to try and help. I hope you feel better and get this medication thing straightened out as best as you can. Not all pain can be taken away but there is no reason, in this day and age, that you can't be made as comfortable as possible. You have been patient and honest with your doctors. MAKE THEM KNOW THAT.....
The best of luck.

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Please Isn't there a Dr. Out there that will speak up for Us ppl. With Real Chronic pain? You can't be that nieve , to believe though so many patients complain of big. Problems/ side effects !!! How would you like a blockage , the worst stomach sickness Plus Still DEALING WITH MY CHRONIC Pain ? When the MEDS were still Good , b4 they started looking out for the addicts.It started w the fentylenol patch (changing) then I was taking OxyContin 3a day(1in am 2nd in afternoon&3rd.at bedtime.I was able to move & deal w the pain.Then they changed them & they stopped working So I was put on opana 12 x2 Xs aday I wasnt on them long, afew mo. & they got changed them ! This is Some Game there playing w ppl.who have kids, & w every change I suffer more ! Why can't they leave one ER med Alone ?my life has come to a standstill ! I think 1/2 the Dr.invest in these MEDS & tell us how strong the New formulationis so their investments make them $$ & We suffer! I can't take much more.The dr.s should be looking out for us chronic pain patients! I've been going to the same Dr.for 13 yrs.,he's seen me suffer w all the changes in our MEDS,I can't figure for the life of my daughter who was 5 when I started w him, She's now 18, CAN'T HE DO ANYTHING? He knows all Ive been through? I can't take much more.Im ready to get some of that st. Stuff & overdose! I can't keep living like this! He tells me that there isn't anything left!! I use to get fentenyl taffys but they only tested them on cancer patients so I guess I have to have cancer to get them now ! Chronic pain is chronic pain.Living with it or dying w it , IT'S STILL CHRONIC PAIN. ! ! ! I'll.be the one w the blockage next , from these hard plastic pills, 24 aday ! GOD PLEASE HELP US & our families ?????

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