PM Update & Question

Hello Pirate!

…actually, this new to me and I have not heard of it. I did do a little reading on it, and I see where a patient or two claim that it was 4o to 60 percent less effective than the brand name Oxycontin. I'm also not sure what strengths it comes either….all I saw was the 80mg. I'm sure someone will know something about it….but I sure dont…and have used Oxycontin for several years now.

I will be interested like you about it.

Thanks for asking,

SE

Nope....there is not a generic available for Oxycontin right now.

The story that I read in the news and my Pharmacist told me was that when a laboratory makes a medication...they apply for a patent that lasts up to a certain period of time. With medications, they can only last so long so that generics can be made eventually.

So, once the patent ran out for Purdue...there were generic versions of Oxycontin as I was on this for years. Then, because of the abuse that was rampant, especially with Oxycontin....the DEA/FDA were pressuring Purdue to come up with a tamper proof version.

Because this is a new patent as the break down mechanism is different, this stopped all generics from being made and now the clock is ticking on the Purdue patent for the new Oxycontin. So it was beneficial to them at the same time to have this new patent. I have heard as early as next spring that a generic will be available but I'm not holding my breath.

I switched years ago after the generic was gone to MSContin and have done very well on this medication as my long acting med. I do not have any health insurance right now so I pay cash for everything so working with my PM we have chosen the least expensive meds that also work well.

I get 60 MSContin 30mg a month as well as 60 MSContin 15mg a month as I take anywhere from 75mg to 90mg a day and this makes it flexible. Those two cost me $98 a month. It used to be half of that but Sam's club just switched their contract for generics of this med and only get Mallincrodt.

Just FYI but anyone, without a membership, can use the big box store pharmacies so make calls around your area to every place from Walmart, Sams, Target, BJs, to CVS, Walgreens, etc. And price your medication. They all have varying prices but some will match a lower price to keep your business..

Good luck..

Post Edited (Snowbunny21) : 9/6/2012 2:53:31 PM (GMT-6)

Methadone is another medication that is very inexpensive and also  has one of the longer "half lives" which basically means how long a medicine stays in the system. But many people move to that after trying other meds.

In a typical scale of weakest to strongest meds the MSContin (Morphine Sulfate ER) is weaker than the Oxycontin (Oxycodone ER)....

And whenever you see "contin" on a med, it means continuous. So that means it is a long acting medication. Both the MSContin and Oxycontin are similar in they are made to be 12 hour medications. But many Drs. end up dosing a patient every 8 hours if that is needed.

However...it's really about hitting a different receptor in the brain. Most all Drs. will start lower on a dosage when switching medications and then tirate up as needed.

When we did the switch, I went from 120mg a day of Oxycontin and going by a conversion chart it would mean close to 135mg of MSContin but we started much lower as again, because it's a different medication, I always want to use the absolute lowest amount possible. And as I said, we could move up if needed.

So for that reason, I started on 75mg a day of MSContin and here I am, 3 years later and I still use only 75 to 90mg a day. As I mentioned, I have the 30mg and 15mg pills so that I don't have to take 90mg every day and can vary my dosage on better days.

Conversion charts are tricky as the "cross tolerance" percentage for a person can be anywhere from 25% to 75% as well as everyone has different metabolisms, as well as possible other health issues and other medications someone takes.

All that being said. I'm sure your Dr. will work with you and start at a good dosage and tweak as needed.

The only side effects that I had were a bit of nausea and fatigue in the first few weeks of taking it but I used some Tums and by that first month they went away. It is a very smooth medication in that you can't feel it in any way except a lowering of pain levels.

I also use the OxyIR (IR means Immediate Release), for my breakthrough medication. And my PM happens to believe in having the bt med be different than the long acting one so it works better as again, working on a different receptor in the brain.

Those are also very inexpensive at Sam's club so for 120 pills of the generic OxyIR 5mg it is $24.