surgery section and look at the post about the horrible hospital experience. I believe that it was posted by diskreetkarma. He says that the opana is double the strength of oxycontin.

Opana is extremely expensive, but probably comparable to what you paid for the Kadian. Most insurance companies prefer plain old generic morphine ER - I asked the pharmacist I work with and she said it's really a negligible difference, but I am sure that the drug reps have been making their rounds. Strange that your doc hasn't suggested any ER meds that have generics? Oxycontin generic is no longer availabe, there are a few stragglers left, but I would imagine that when you last took it it was still available, so prepare yourself for a brand name copay. Doctors really don't seem to understand the whole insurance copay tier thing. I would suggest that you either call your insurance company or sign onto the website and view your formulary - they can tell you what tier a medication is in.

I've never taken anything in the morphine family - oxycodone, both ER and IR give me no side effects, so I have been on that. Good luck!

I am currently taking Kadian... Can you tell me what your side effects have been? Mine were TERRIBLE. The severity of them has passed, but most are still lingering. I've been trying to get my doc to take me off of it, but he refuses to try something else.

Just curious if your side effects are the same as mine

Thanks
Amanda

Kadian is time release Morphine Sulfate, and Opana ER is time release Oxymorphone. Kadian has an oral bioavailability of about 30%, where Opana is about 10%. About your reactions..

dmoonchild, were you taking oxycontin regularly, and then switched over to Kadian? You mentioned that you were willing to up the dose on the oxy, which makes me think you were taking it. If so, the reaction you had sounds like one of two things: 1: it sounds like typical withdrawals from oxy. or 2: it sounds like too high of a dose of kadian (morphine ER). Kadian IS an ER med, it's time release mechanism actually works better than oxy (it is more even over the 12 hours). Maybe you have bad reactions to morphine?

If you have good insurance and low med costs, i'd stick with Oxy. As for Opana, I pay cash, so the $750 a month is too much for me! Someone said in a previous comment that it's twice as strong as oxy.. I don't want to explain this all over again but when taken orally it's not, its more like less than half as strong. Due to bioavailability, if you've taken 20mg oxy then your doc would probably look at 40mg Opana. Personally, I think Opana is garbage. It's active ingredient IS twice as strong as oxy when injected, but when swallowed, only about 15%-20% as strong. A typical injection is ONLY ONE MILLIGRAM! That shows you how weak it is taken by mouth. Personally I think Opana should have 80mg and 160mg strengths..

Ok, I've bashed Opana enough. I hope it helps someone, and maybe it will help you, but so far it's been a big disappointment. Good luck finding the right meds!

I'm the one that posted the horrible hospital experience thread and can tell you a little that I know about Opana. I have been on it for about 4 months if I remember correctly. I was on Kadian and started having really bad anxiety and panic attacks. My PM doctor immediately took me off the Kadain and put me on Opana. The other member mentioned that I said it's twice as strong as Oxycontin. This is true. Usually that just means that you'd be perscribed half what you'd get if you were on Oxy. I didn't like Oxy because I felt like they wore off too fast and I also think your tolerance builds too fast on Oxy and your dose becomes ineffective. That's my opinion and from my experience. After Oxy I was switched to Kadian. I obviously didn't like that because of the side effects. I haven't had any problems with Opana. I was on 100mg of Kadian twice a day and was switched to 40mg of Opana twice a day. That's equal to two 80mg of Oxycontin. I also take the instant release Oxycodone for breakthrough pain. I really don't get much of a high or an up and down that I felt on Oxycontin which I prefer to have. Opana is Oxymorphone. If you read my story that the other member mentioned,it'll make you want to bring the conversion chart if you ever have surgery. Here's the chart and below that I'll put a link to the thread the other member mentioned. I can't think of anything else to tell you but please let me know if you have any other questions. I'll try to check back but PM me if I don't. Here is a conversion chart. Opana is the first one which says Oxymorphone. The rest are compaired to the 10mg dose that the Opana is compaired to. Does that make sense? It says that if you're on 10mg of Opana that it equals 20mg of Hydromorphone, Oxycodone (Oxycodone is generic for Oxycontin) and it equals 30mg of Morphine or MS Contin. I hope this helps.

http://www.spine-health.com/forum/back-surgery-and-neck-surgery/horrific...

While I have to admit that I know nothing at all about this topic, I do know that the info that discretekarma posted is the info that is in our pharmacy computers - I watched the pharmacist pull it up for a patient the other day. Therefore, I would say that it is what the manufacturers and the FDA use, also. Whether that is right or wrong, I don't know, but it probably is the generally accepted information.

Most lay people, those that aren't chemists, etc. probably have a difficult time wrapping JWM's info around their heads, I know I am having a hard time understanding it myself, and that is exactly why I can't say he is correct or incorrect, either. I guess it does make sense, but, if it is, that means that the manufacturers have mislead pharmacists, doctors, and the FDA, which I find hard to grasp. It is certainly possible, and is sad commentary on the pharmaceutical industry...

Yes! You find it hard to believe that a huge, profit driven pharmaceutical company would mislead people? Or that doctors would push drugs that don't necessarily work just for perks? My PM tries to push a new drug on me EVERY MONTH that I don't need, and it's always name brand and less than a year old. I see drug reps at my PM's office EVERY time I am there, vs NEVER at my primary care doctor. Actually if you look at my link, the FDA article itself shows that oxymorphone has a low bioavailability of about 10 percent. So I would say, the FDA is well aware of how little of the Opana actually gets into your blood. I would believe them over Endo.

I agree, it's definitely complex, and beyond what most people think about with narcotics, but it is so very important that it cannot be overlooked. You are correct; the manufacturers have mislead pharmacists, doctors, etc. This has not been something worth talking about too much in the past, because in the past most conversions were correct or very close, but with this drug people in pain are being SEVERLY undercut when being thrown onto Opana.

Here is why it is so important: 100 mg's swallowed, is NOT 100mg's in your blood. Usually, your liver has to metabolize the chemical swallowed, and THEN it gets into your bloodstream . Some chemicals metabolize very, very well, like oxycodone, and some not very well at all, like oxymorphone. The unmetabolized chemicals pass through in our urine/etc. The number describing how much of it gets in your blood is called bioavailability, and it is the true measure of how much you actually GET, which you can compare against how much you swallow. This is why, when you swallow 40mg Oxycontin you get 30-36mg over 12 hours or so, and when you swallow 40mg Opana you get about 4mg over 12 hours.

My main concern is that people switching to Opana are going to find that it does not control their pain very well. I hope that this information helps a few people to question or talk to their doctor about it, to ask them about it's low bioavailability, and in the future, I'm confident that you will see many, many people unhappy with the drug. In fact, try google, they are already out there and in numbers. I wouldn't be surprised to see them come out with stronger doses as well. My PM knows about it, we've had the talk. Time will tell for those who need to see something drastic happen to believe it, but it will.

I do see your point, and you make it very well.

Also, remember that what doesn't work for you may well work for someone else, and not everybody that takes Opana is switching from Oxycontin... I for one like my oxycontin and have no plans to switch to something that expensive, so I do see your point.

Rosetta, yes you are right what works for one, definitely can be different for another. Opana WILL help people. My main concern remains that people still might believe that Opana is stronger. Oxy works SO SO very well for pain, and Opana truly is a step down from Oxy, taken orally. For those not switching, it's definitely a viable option however as a starter, and can have a rediculously low amount of side effects. Unfortunately for me a side effect was no pain relief.

Thanks for taking the time to read my long repetitive posts; I'm stubborn and I want people to know the truth!

dmoonchild; oh my god, hair loss in clumps! Thats terrible! Sounds like morphine is not for you. I've had urine retention with ALL narcotics when adjusting to high doses, so that usually goes away.. Good luck and sorry for filling up your thread with so much typing and info!

I didn't start with Opana. I started with Oxycontin, then I took morphine, Kadian, and finally Opana. It just so happens that the Opana is 1/2 of the Oxycontin that I took and 1/3 of the Morphine and I have no problems. I didn't have withdrawal or anything else which I would have had if it the chart wasn't right. I see that the bioavailability is 10% but I'm sure they make it up somehow or it just wouldn't work. I can tell you from experience that the chart is accurate. I know other people that take Opana and they think it's even stronger than half of Oxycontin. I've never had any problems with Opana and I love it more than the other as do the other people I've met. I'm sure if you search for it you can find people that hate or complain about any drug.

I just started Opana ~1 week ago. At first it worked great (5mg IR), but that was an upgrade from 5-325 percocets. It seems to have leveled off quickly (not great pain releaf). Deffinately not worth the money, plus it makes me very drowsy. I'm going to ask to go back to oxycodone.

Anyone here want to kick a dead horse(opana) with me? Lol..

Metalneck I'll 2nd the methadone suggestion; it's so underused, but works wonders.. I'm on a mix of morphine and methadone, both at 'lower' doses, and the combination is *perfect*. It's the only mix I've found that controls my pain as well as oxycontin does, but without making me feel high and having a terrible memory.

cheers

I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only one who Opana doesn't work for. My PM had me so brainwashed that Opana was IT.
He took me off Oxy 10mg and on Opana 5mg telling me it was equal. When I went back a month later and said I was miserable he doubled my Opana, but I'm feeling no better. Hmmm......
JWM, do you have a degree in chemistry or something?? You are crazy smart! Scholar or not, I buy into your theory.... either that or it just plain doesn't work with my body chemistry. I wonder what perks my doc is getting from the Opana rep.....

I'm a 29 year old mom in Phoenix hoisting kids all day long ... is pain relief too much to ask??

HotinPain thanks for chiming in to support me on this one. As you know others may not agree, but I would say you got ripped off. Your case is EXACTLY the situation I am afraid we are going to hear of again and again; PMs are pushing Opana HARD as a 'better' drug than oxycontin, and sadly, many of them just simply don't know or read up on how the drugs actually work in our bodies. I hope that many people who are getting great relief from Oxycontin will read this and NOT switch to Opana. Your doctor used the incorrect math thinking it's 'twice as strong' and you are in pain. Sorry =( I hope people spread this info, and take it to their PMs, so that it becomes common knowledge.

One of the main reasons for the Opana push is this, as some of you know: generic Oxycontin was discontinued due to patent disputes/violations. For now, as pretty much all of the generic Oxy has run out, the ONLY manufacturer is the patent holder Purdue Pharma. The maker of Opana is Endo Pharmaceuticals. Endo and Purdue are obviously in 'competition' with one another for having the best pain killer out there, and since Endo can't make generic oxy anymore, the push on Opana is huge. When you think about that, it makes sense that they would be putting pressure on the doctors with whatever perks they are allowed. Purdue's patent runs until 2013 I believe, so expect the battle to go on for a few years. It's Opana vs Oxycontin, and we lose.

What kind of perks do Doctors get for a patient using a specific med? New golf clubs? Anyway.....I started with Oxycontin 30 mg every 12 hours yesterday. WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Really good med for me. Im getting relief for 8 hours. WOO HOO!

dmoonchild, I'm happy Oxycontin is working so well for you; if anyone else has found that Opana just isn't all it's advertised to be, please reply.

As for the perks of doctors.. The actual amount of documented information, such as from lawsuits, is somewhat minimal, but nevertheless pharmaceutical companies pay big time for 'marketing' expenses. Billions. The laws limiting perks to physicians are very minimal, and most are just 'guidelines'. Here is a very biased page, however, it has many, many direct quotes from reliable sources. The 2nd link is one such source.

The Pharms and Doctors: Corrupting Medicine
Quoted New York Times article on this issue..

I've said it before, but I see reps EVERY time I visit my PM. They are always inviting him to seminars, buying lunch for all of the nurses and PAs, dumping boxes of samples, pens, tissue boxes, you name it. In fact, during my last PM visit, a rep actually BARGED INTO the room I was in with the doctor, without knocking, in a desperate yet forceful attempt to get him to attend a lunchtime seminar that Wednesday. Really? Yes. I'm not saying drugs don't work; they most certainly do. Most of them. Just know that pharmaceutical companies rarely have YOUR best interest at heart, but rather their bottom line. It's very expensive to get a drug approved for the market, and they only make their $ back if you swallow their pills, even if they don't work at all.

wishing everyone a pain free day..

Jon

Sorry, but that's just my opinion. It didn't touch my pain, wasn't worth the money and IMHO just ain't worth it.

I've never been on Kadian, but that's my definite opinion on Opana ER though I'm glad some have had some success with it. I took both 20mg and 40 mg and got about squat.

Hope everyone feels okay today.

strike three, Opana loses. =) I think that just how a mild percentage of us just can't handle morphine, a similar percentage gets good results from Opana, which is why we have the couple people it actually helps, but, that's the exception.

I don't want to start a run on thread but when talking about bioavailability this is used to calculate doses of the same med given orally vs any parenteral form of administration. The Opana example cited would be 40mg oral with a 10% factor so you would administer 4mg IV or IM to get the same result. It is not used across meds.

Same AMOUNT, exept immediately into the veins in 5 seconds instead of over 12 or so hours, which is a huge, huge difference. You are right in that bioavailability is a pretty much exact way of looking at a SINGLE med, and that it differs when comparing meds, but it IS used across meds; the problem is that most of the so-so narcotic converters on the web don't account for it, and too many doctors forget about it, or aren't aware in some cases. Whether the defacto standard or not, it can be argued that bioavailability is directly relevant and must be considered. If not, then you end up with people going to lower doses of Opana and being in terrible pain. In the argument of common practice vs fact, the facts win. Good point, but Opana is still very, very weak.

ive been takin opana 5mg IR for 3 months,last month i noticed it wasnt working as well for me as it did on the first month and a half.I did tell my PM he just added Topomax which is a med for seizures it didnt help all i got from it was migranes ,im seeing my PM this friday im requesting another painmed Opana SUCKS!!!!

I've been swapped on various meds and it (Opana) still works best for me, to each their own. Don't understand whats the purpose of listing your problems as a signature. With all this medical knowledge (yea right) this site is way too deep for me.
cya

I'm getting ready to start Opana this weekend. As a nurse, and someone who's been on MS Contin and Avinza before, I'm willing to be open minded and try it. As for the "perks" to doc's-I don't see it. All the tissues, pens and notepads get on our nerves and we pass them on to our patients. As for the dinners and lectures, my doc (employer)only goes to the ones that interest him, and he takes it with a grain of salt. Doc's spend a lot of years in school and they are by no means stupid....they know that reps are going to sell their med with all the BS they can muster. Thanks to the reps/drug companies I can keep patients who otherwise can't afford medications (generic or not) in free samples. We have programs offered by the drug companies that bring copays from higher tiers down to generic copays (actually Opana has that right now). I also sign indigent patients up for programs that are offered by the drug companies so they get free meds sent to their home for an entire year. My patients don't have to choose between eating or medications if I allow drug reps a few minutes of my docs time during the day to schlep their med. As for a rep walking in on a patient exam-my doc would have them banned from the office because he sets the standards. He would never allow that to happen. It's extremely disrespectful.
The bottom line is what works for you ...bioavailability or not. The conversion chart for the purpose of converting patients from one med to another is correct. It has been approved by 2 docs and a pharmacist (for me)and that satisfies me. We all know that meds are hit or miss, and it takes titration and change to cover our pain as it waxes and wanes. The chart gives your doc somewhere to start, and the safest way is to start low and work your way up. If you have to use breakthrough meds at first that's ok, b/c unless you have a vial of narcan on hand (to reverse opiod overdose)--you can't take it back if it's too strong. I do very well with morphine products and awful with oxycodone products, so we'll see how this does. When my doc comes to me with a new medication, I trust that he is doing so with my health and comfort in mind. If I didn't trust his intentions, I wouldn't allow him to take care of me. I don't mean to bash anyone, but felt like I had to contribute. There are two sides to every story...or in this case about 30.

Thanks for contributing your thoughts on the matter; you're right that PAPs (discount programs on meds) and samples often help those with limited means, and doctors are by no means idiots. Obviously I posted some things here with a very strong opinion; most of all my concern is just that people are not mislead when switching to this new drug. The charts are correct as you say, but ONLY if you are considering oxymorphone as an IV med; their Oral calculations are incorrect.

I sincerely hope that Opana helps you with your pain, and whether it does or not, please post your results here! As a nurse, I hope that at least being aware of the low bioavailability will help you to understand if you find the medicine to be a severe 'underperformer'. Good luck!

Opana ER works good for me, please understand I am repeating what I was told and it passes the "smell Test" in that it makes sense in conjuction with the conversion tables. I was told that Oxycodone is metabolizes into oxymorphone in the body and the amount of oxycodone needed to metabolize into a given amount of oxymorhone is 2:1, i.e 2 units of oxycodone metabolizes into 1 unit of oxymorphone thus the 1 mg Opana = 2 mg Oxycodone.

I can't prove it but it makes sense and we all know what works for one does not work for another, and if you are at a point that 1 unit of a pain reliever is no longer working swithching to a differnt pill to deliver 1 unit of basically same thing medication is going to leave you dissappointed.

My 2 cents worth - hope everyone finds something to work for them!!

Later

I enjoyed reading all your views on this medication. I can't understand why the pharmaceutical company would advertise Opana as being the strongest and most effective and the bioavailability is only 10%. I understand what works for one might not work for the other, but I do also take in account mathematics. I never took Opana or Oxycontin so I can't compare the two. I am on Fentanyl 75 mcg and I found out that its bioavailability is 90%. It is the highest one I've seen so far. Judging solely by the numbers, I don't think it is as strong as as the company says it is.

JWM you are really getting on my nerves. Even in the face of evidence you proceed to deny what is plainly obvious. You keep spreading false information and its annoying as hell to see all these people just fall under your pressure.

So, here is the deal.

Oxymorphone (Opana) is ~2x as strong as Oxycodone (Oxycontin, OxyIR) when taken orally. This is backed up by the chart someone else posted from Opana's website. They CANNOT lie about those things. They would have been forced to change the chart immediately once the FDA found out they were giving false information.

Now, where you are getting your information either totally wrong, or just mixed up a little is in your percieved strength of Opana. Oxymorphone via injection is actually 6-8x more powerful than Morphine. So while the bioavailability is very low, the extremely potent drug itself will make up for that.

Drugs.com backs this up, saying that you should multiply an intraveanous doseage by 10x to find the oral dosage. Wikipedia is where I got most of the other information. This shows that you are wrong, that it is NOT 2x stronger than Oxycodone when injected, but rather that when someone says it is 2x stronger, that is a rough estimation, assuming it is taking as prescribed. That rough estimation takes into account the low bioavailability, as well as the fact that it is 8x stronger than Morphine/Oxycodone.

Eat a high fat meal right before you take your pill, or have a shot (seriously, no more than that) and it could increase your bioavailability to ~70% though. That is the sort of stuff the drug companies don't want you to know.

Either way, you can keep saying its only half as strong as Oxy if you want, but I'm going to go with what all the reputable sources say. And besides, why wouldn't Opana want you taking a larger dose if they could do that? Because if they suddenly said that everyones does of Opana needs to be doubled they would make a TON more money. If they are such an evil corporation why wouldn't they do that? Because its not true.

Now, some people react to drugs differently, and you may have had a bad experience... that I don't know about. But many people prefer Opana, many dislike it. I am on OxyContin and its pretty good, I hate morphine though, didn't do a thing for me. We all react differently to different drugs, but that doesn't mean that because it didn't work for you that you have to go around bashing it just cause you didn't have a good experience. So please, look up the information for yourself and you will see what I'm saying.

Knowledge is power.

There has been a lot of good information exchanged here. Not everyone has to see eye to eye with another members posting.
There are some people that have proven their knowledge base over a period of time. JWM is just one of them.

I do not approve of member bashing or telling another member that the do not know what they are talking about. Differences of opinions will also occur, but when that situation starts to become inappropriate for these forums, I must insist that those dialogues be taken offline and done
via Private messages.

When I see the inappropriate behavior continue, I have two
options:

1- Close down the Thread
2- Warn the offending member and potentially banning from this site.

I do not like to close down a thread that has provided good information to the entire site. Closing it down because 1 or 2 people ant to showcase would make it unfair to everyone else.

So, please from this point on, no more bashing of members.
If it does continue I will take some corrective actions

Hello All,
I am new here and have read all of the above posts. I was interested in what other's thought about opana since my PM doc switched me to it several months ago, and even made a comment about being paid to prescribe it over oxycontin. Not only am I paying a ton of money for it, but it really is terrible for my pain control. I am having to take more percocet than I was before for the break through pain, and every time I complain about how ineffective it is he just ups the dosage a bit. I am now taking 20ER 1 every 12 hours. I don't think I even get six hours to be honest. I don't see him until next month when I'm out and I really want to get off this stuff. I am not sure how to approach it, or how to tell him that I don't want to be bumped up to a higher dose I just want off! He is a bit intimidating at times, and moody. I can't take this pain anymore, I am awake all night long with it. I totally agree with everything that JWM said. I was on dilaudid for awhile, then avinza (that didn't work at all), and now this stuff. Any advice would be appreciated. I am not a timid person and do speak up for myself, I just always get the feeling that if I don't tell him what he wants to hear, like everything is great, he tends to tell me I am not sleeping or exercising or some other stupid thing instead of understanding that I am in constant pain, how the he** can I sleep or exercise??

I take 30mg Morphine extended release every 6 hours or 60 mg in the morning and 30 mg 6 hours later. For me it doesn't last 12 hours like they say it does. I was going to take oxycontin but I have personality changes with oxycodone so I'm staying on MS Contin. I had to go back to my Doctor several times to let her know the pain med does not last the 12 hours as it's supposed to.
Dmoonchild I'm so glad you're pain is being relieved now. Take care. Charry

I am still in the undiagnosed category. It may be RA, and I may have a C6 nerve impingement since my right arm, scapula, and back are really the non-stop pain that keeps me up all night long. The RA is the part that just makes it so hard to even get out of bed in the morning. My quality of life has seriously decreased, and I have 4 teenagers and a 2 1/2 yr old. All boys, and thank God for my wonderful husband. I am so very frustrated with this opana! I am anxious about the upcoming appointment with the PM doc in November because every time I say it's not working he just wants to bump it up! It is also really expensive!! I do remember him discussing with me that he could put me on oxycontin which comes generic but that he'd rather try the opana. I have tried avinza and that was worthless too. I told my Neuro doc about how he mentioned he gets compensated for writing the opana Rx's and he said that is against the law!! I don't think he believed me either. Whatever. That's why I am worried about how the heck I am gonna get off this crap without him doing his usual, I'll bump you up again! Do I just ask for a specific drug? What is MScontin? Like I said I have taken dilaudid for my cluster headaches, but built up a tolerance to that, so I'm not sure what I should ask for, and how to go about the conversation without him just wanting to bump me up from 20mg to 40mg. I personally think opana is a joke and I don't even get a little relief from it, never mind 12 hours!! Any advice on how to talk to my doc?? I have never been in PM before, and feel unsure since it's seems to be in HIS best interest to keep me on it, ya know?
Thanks,
alicia

Try this: "Doc, I've been trying this Opana for several months now and it just isn't covering my pain at all. Moreover, I haven't noticed any benefit to the increases in dosage. So the increase from ___mgs to___mgs. made no difference whatsoever in terms of pain relief. And the increase from____mgs to ____mgs made no difference either. Plus, this is probably the most expensive pain medication I've ever tried. Given how expensive it is and given the fact that it isn't helping my pain at all I'd really like to try something different. What other drug could you recommend? Preferably something generic." I think that's quite emphatic but pleasant. I wouldn't bring up his saying that he gets paid for prescribing Opana. Everything I've ever read says one should never ask for a drug by name. But if you bring up the cost along with the ineffectiveness of the drug FOR YOU, he should not be bothered by your request. Let us know how it goes. By the way, I am very sensitive to opioids and I couldn't tolerate Avinza but I'm happy as a clam with Kadian, a different kind of long-acting morphine. Go figure. You just have to keep trying until you get the right one. I know that you will. Good luck. Susan

Susan,
Thank you so much for giving me such a great dialogue to go by, I think it's great and just what I was looking for. I really appreciate that. No, I would never bring up the getting compensated thing at all, it's just in the back of my mind every time he increases my dosage, LOL. I will definitely be using your suggestion as it does get across exactly what I want to say without being offensive or difficult.
Thanks,
luv

Just to add some support to the information supplied by JWM in this thread, I found that the listed strength for Opana compared to other pain relievers was not as claimed. I believe that the bioavailability is indeed the culprit and while I found Opana to be a good pain reliever if enough was taken, the necessary dosage was far in excess of what the manufacturer and the conversion charts would have me believe.

I think that for those that had good results with Opana it may have been caused by the variance in liver function between patients where more of the active pain reliever was able to get through. In my case, I found 30 mg of Opana to be equivalent to 15 mg of oxycodone and to 12 to 15 mg of dilaudid, which is very different than what has been advertised and listed.
I haven't taken Kadian, so unfortunately I can't compare Opana to that particular medication.

Opana is useles for me, I am on day 8 and it gives me no relief. The switch from MS Contin to this was a complete bomb as far as pain control goes.
Later today I will be getting a patch for the pain, I pray that IT will help me...I hurt so badly right now!

To the best of my knowledge. There are no restrictions on a physician ... or his wife ... brother ... kids.... buying stock in a particular drug company.

They write RX's that are retailing out at oh say $400 for a 30 day supply of Fentnyl Patches, $350 for a 30 day supply of Oxycontin, or maybe just $225 (if your lucky for a months supply of Percocet). Now indeed there are a couple of different companies that could supply those meds ... but only a small handful. I would never want to imply that a doctors RXing pattern was financially motivated.... but The demand for the products are there ... and they control the supply. Heck throw in a couple major pharmacy chains into the mix and one could build quite a lucrative portfolio.

I have been in Healthcare for over 30 years in many forms and positions and beyond what I just mentioned have directly seen the pharmaceutical company excesses. Olive Garden Lunches for staffs of 40? Pizza and salad for entire floors of P.O.B, s, (Physician office buildings) Chinese for entire hospital departments. .... A couple of years ago CMS (Medicare) got smart and via congress provided legislation that prohibited physicians from referring patient to diagnostic centers that they had a financial interest in. (Stark - Anti Kickback).

The lunch’s thing has fallen somewhat out of favor over the past several years, but I still know practices that have their lunches scheduled and paid for months in advance.

Funny.... I don't believe that they have put the 2 + 2 together yet with Rx writing patterns and ownership in pharma company stock. I did eat a lot of free lunchs ... shame on me! ...

Hoping you all are having a pain reduced day!

D