27th April 2004
Hey Joe, Methadone and Methadose are both generic alternatives for Dolophine. If the doc writes Methadone on your prescription either med "methadone or Methadose" is a valid substitute. It just depends on what manufacturer your retailer has an agreement with or what methadone product the local jobber carries. When He types in the generic drugs name on nthe sticker that goes on your bottle he may or may not use the name Methadose or methadone. It really doesn't matter because both are seen as the same by the FDA.
Methadose is made By Mellencrodt, The smaller tabs made by Roxanne use the name methadone. Very similar to a doc writing a script for Percocet, If generic is allowed you may get Endocet or Roxicet any of a number of generic version of 5mgs Oxycodone and 325 mgs of apap.
Regardless of what's on your bottle either product may be dispensed unless your prescription is specific. Like Methadone only or Methadose only. Or Percocet with no substitutes checked on the prescription. If a doc wrote a the script for Endocet, any generic equivalent can be used because the Name brand product "Percocet" wasn't written and dispense as written was not checked
Mellencrodt is actually the only bulk manufacturer of methadone in the country.They also produce bulk morphine, bulk Hydrocodone, and bulk Oxycodone. How each manufacturer formulates each pill is up to the manufacturer and the guidelines from the FDA. Obviously Methadose uses a whole lot more filling agents than Roxane meth, mainly Glucose.
How many actual mgs of active ingredient contained in each pill or generic substitute is spelled out by the FDA guidelines for generic equivalents. The FDA does allow what they consider a reasonable percentage of variation and can still call it equal. It's +15% or -20%. So a 10 mg pill can contain anywhere from 8.0 mgs to 11.5 mgs and still be considered an equivalent to the original 10mg Dolophine tablet.
So Roxanne buys their methadone HCL from Mellencrodt to formulate into their final product.Generic methadone tablets and name brand Dolophine Diskettes and liquid versions of methadone. They may choose to use the high end of the allowable variation because meth is dirt cheap.
It's the allowable variation that gets to some people. Another forum member and myself both had a Methadose tablet analyzed and found out why we were experiencing withdrawal when we were forced to use the Methadose brand. Both our chemical analysis came back at 8.2 mgs of methadone HCL in a 10 mg Methadose tablet. Skimming 1.8 mgs of meth from each tablet because the FDA allows them too, also allows the manufacturer to create almost 2 extra tablets for every 10 tablets made. Doesn't sound like a huge difference, But when you get 2000 extra tablets for every 10,000 tablets made, those little pennies add up.
If you start with Methadose and stick with Methadose you will never know the difference. If your dose is reasonably low, loosing 3.6mgs out of your 20 mg dose may not be a noticeable difference. Not everyone has a problem with Methadose.
But when your dose is say 150 mgs a day and your used to receiving that in the form of Roxane methadone, The way the FDA allows variations, each Roxane tablet may contain as much as 11.5 mgs of active ingredient. It would be dirt cheap to make a superior product compared to a manufacturer that uses the bottom end of the allowable difference
So your 150 mg dose could actually be as much as 172.5 mgs of meth per day.
If your next script is filled with Methadose, and they stay true to their penny pinching you would actually be receiving 15X8.2=123mgs of Methadose per day. Try dropping your daily intake of meth from 172 mgs a day to 123 mgs a day and see if you experience withdrawal. Even a drop from 150 to 123 would cause problems for many people.
I've been through it twice and won't except Mellenkrodts version, Methadose. I take 15 10mg tablets per day. A decrease of 28-50mgs of actual methadone is more than enough to send anyone into withdrawal. Even if Roxane hits it right on the money and puts exactly 10mgs in a 10mg tablet I'm still looking at a 27 mg a day decrease in active ingredient.
You certainly wouldn't expect less active ingredient in a pill twice the size, But apparently glucose and talc and other fillers are even cheaper than methadone HCL.
I've never seen a low dose patient notice a dramatic difference, But the higher your dose, the less meth you actually receive by using Mellenkrodts methadone.
Here's the rub. Mellenkrodt is the only producer of bulk methadone in the country, In the last year, Roxane meth has become harder and harder to find. How would a corrupt company like Tyco "The parent company of Mellenkrodt" capture 90% of the retail methadone market?
By simply slowing distribution of bulk methadone to their competitors so they can't fill their retail orders and loose their distribution contracts.
Then crank up production of Methadose and guarantee availability of their product.
Would the two execs from Tyco that just had a hung jury for embezzling 600,000,000 dollars be capable of such dirty corporate play, A company that bought over 200 other companies last year alone in Hostile takeovers be capable of such nefarious activities when all it takes is one juror to create a mistrial. Nahhh....Not in America.LOL
Take care, Dave
PS. If you don't believe this is possible, Next time you are at the pharmacy, ask to see the bottle of generic Tylox they use and check how many mgs of Oxycodone are in each capsule. If it's more than 4.3 I'll recant everything I have bad to say about mellenkrodt. Name brand Tylox is 5/500. Not everyonewill notice the difference in strength, particularly if you have never had brand name. This is common practice. They are allowed variations and some companies take it to the limit.
Methadose is made By Mellencrodt, The smaller tabs made by Roxanne use the name methadone. Very similar to a doc writing a script for Percocet, If generic is allowed you may get Endocet or Roxicet any of a number of generic version of 5mgs Oxycodone and 325 mgs of apap.
Regardless of what's on your bottle either product may be dispensed unless your prescription is specific. Like Methadone only or Methadose only. Or Percocet with no substitutes checked on the prescription. If a doc wrote a the script for Endocet, any generic equivalent can be used because the Name brand product "Percocet" wasn't written and dispense as written was not checked
Mellencrodt is actually the only bulk manufacturer of methadone in the country.They also produce bulk morphine, bulk Hydrocodone, and bulk Oxycodone. How each manufacturer formulates each pill is up to the manufacturer and the guidelines from the FDA. Obviously Methadose uses a whole lot more filling agents than Roxane meth, mainly Glucose.
How many actual mgs of active ingredient contained in each pill or generic substitute is spelled out by the FDA guidelines for generic equivalents. The FDA does allow what they consider a reasonable percentage of variation and can still call it equal. It's +15% or -20%. So a 10 mg pill can contain anywhere from 8.0 mgs to 11.5 mgs and still be considered an equivalent to the original 10mg Dolophine tablet.
So Roxanne buys their methadone HCL from Mellencrodt to formulate into their final product.Generic methadone tablets and name brand Dolophine Diskettes and liquid versions of methadone. They may choose to use the high end of the allowable variation because meth is dirt cheap.
It's the allowable variation that gets to some people. Another forum member and myself both had a Methadose tablet analyzed and found out why we were experiencing withdrawal when we were forced to use the Methadose brand. Both our chemical analysis came back at 8.2 mgs of methadone HCL in a 10 mg Methadose tablet. Skimming 1.8 mgs of meth from each tablet because the FDA allows them too, also allows the manufacturer to create almost 2 extra tablets for every 10 tablets made. Doesn't sound like a huge difference, But when you get 2000 extra tablets for every 10,000 tablets made, those little pennies add up.
If you start with Methadose and stick with Methadose you will never know the difference. If your dose is reasonably low, loosing 3.6mgs out of your 20 mg dose may not be a noticeable difference. Not everyone has a problem with Methadose.
But when your dose is say 150 mgs a day and your used to receiving that in the form of Roxane methadone, The way the FDA allows variations, each Roxane tablet may contain as much as 11.5 mgs of active ingredient. It would be dirt cheap to make a superior product compared to a manufacturer that uses the bottom end of the allowable difference
So your 150 mg dose could actually be as much as 172.5 mgs of meth per day.
If your next script is filled with Methadose, and they stay true to their penny pinching you would actually be receiving 15X8.2=123mgs of Methadose per day. Try dropping your daily intake of meth from 172 mgs a day to 123 mgs a day and see if you experience withdrawal. Even a drop from 150 to 123 would cause problems for many people.
I've been through it twice and won't except Mellenkrodts version, Methadose. I take 15 10mg tablets per day. A decrease of 28-50mgs of actual methadone is more than enough to send anyone into withdrawal. Even if Roxane hits it right on the money and puts exactly 10mgs in a 10mg tablet I'm still looking at a 27 mg a day decrease in active ingredient.
You certainly wouldn't expect less active ingredient in a pill twice the size, But apparently glucose and talc and other fillers are even cheaper than methadone HCL.
I've never seen a low dose patient notice a dramatic difference, But the higher your dose, the less meth you actually receive by using Mellenkrodts methadone.
Here's the rub. Mellenkrodt is the only producer of bulk methadone in the country, In the last year, Roxane meth has become harder and harder to find. How would a corrupt company like Tyco "The parent company of Mellenkrodt" capture 90% of the retail methadone market?
By simply slowing distribution of bulk methadone to their competitors so they can't fill their retail orders and loose their distribution contracts.
Then crank up production of Methadose and guarantee availability of their product.
Would the two execs from Tyco that just had a hung jury for embezzling 600,000,000 dollars be capable of such dirty corporate play, A company that bought over 200 other companies last year alone in Hostile takeovers be capable of such nefarious activities when all it takes is one juror to create a mistrial. Nahhh....Not in America.LOL
Take care, Dave
PS. If you don't believe this is possible, Next time you are at the pharmacy, ask to see the bottle of generic Tylox they use and check how many mgs of Oxycodone are in each capsule. If it's more than 4.3 I'll recant everything I have bad to say about mellenkrodt. Name brand Tylox is 5/500. Not everyonewill notice the difference in strength, particularly if you have never had brand name. This is common practice. They are allowed variations and some companies take it to the limit.