Question yall.......Had a doc appt today and my prescriptions and had them refilled. My husband picked them up.... Since we kept my meds the same , no change in dose or anything, I had an approximate for price. When my husband came home with my pills he asked what my doc had changed since the price went up $21 bucks or so ( I have no insurance)......I looked at them and all was same..so I called Wal-Mart...they said that my doc had changed my hydro to 5-325 which was more money. They girl couldnt tell me the benefit of it and what was so much better about them that warranted the increase in price. She said last pills ( 5-500) were generic lortab , and these 5-325 are generic norco. Are these better or something ?...

I even asked for the methadone instaed of methadose and they dont carry it...

thanx in advance

deana

Hey Choctaw,

The only difference is the Tylenol (APAP) that is in it. The Lortab that you were getting was 5 mg of Hydrocodone and 500 mg of Tylenol. The Norco is 5 mg of Hydrocodone and 325 mg of Tylenol. The benefit of the "Norco" brand or generic is that the Tylenol is lowered so that it gives your liver a break if you are taking in frequently. The maximum Tylenol dose in a day is 4000 mg and people that take it daily should not really exceed 2000 mg. I'm not sure why the increase in price though. Its probably just a pharmacuetical thing.

Take Care

WHAT A RACKET !!!! ........Wow !.....It costs me more to be kinder to my liver !

Thanks for the reply , Aranger !!!!

Just FYI - 5/500 is dispensed more often than the 5/325, since the lower does of APAP is ususally used on people taking it more often. Since the demand is higher, the price is lower...I hate economics....

You and me both, Robin !!!!

What generic brand do you get for the Norco? Was it the same as the Lortab generic? You can also ask your pharmacy for another "Norco" generic. Some generics cost more than others.

Take Care

ARANGER.....really dont know....on my last months bottle it reads..: HYDROCO/APAP5-500MG TAB MALLINCKRO generic for Lortab 5 TAB

this month..

HYDROCO/APAP 5-325MG TAB MALLINCKRO

and thats all ....so made by same company...still dont understand the big price diff !...especiall since theyre the same strenght !

Hey Deana: The Hydro you mentioned is made by Mallinckrodt. That explains the Methadose too. They make that and it's a bad news product. Normally it's not up to par with Methadone by Roxanne. Dave (Shoreline) once had it checked and it was something like 8.3 mg, instead of the 10 mg it was suppose to be. I'm on Methadone as well, and that's why I always tell people on this board to ask for Methadone and not Methadose. I will not accept Methadose when I fill my script. It's inferior, when you only get 8+ mg per tab when you're use to getting 10 mg per tab, 8+ mg is a definite difference.

You might want to call Wal*Mart and ask them to order in Methadone (made by Roxanne) for you before your next fill. I don't know about your pharmacy, but mine can order it today and they will have it in by 10:30 the next morning. My pharmacist just keeps it in stock for me all the time.

As Director mentioned, Mallinkrodt products have had many complaints about them. Unfortunantely, Mallinkrodt is a very large Pharmacuetical company that supplies many of the smaller companies.

You could ask your Pharmacy what other generics they have for Norco and check the price. You can also call around to some other Pharmacy to see what their price is for generic Norco. Of course, check with your Dr first before changing pharmacy. I would try and steer clear of Mallinkrodt though. However, you will find that many pharmacy will stock their products.

Watson Pharmacueticals is the place that makes the brand Norco. I believe they have a generic as well. Not for sure about that though. But if they do, then you're getting a quality product and Watson is a pretty reputable company. However, the price may be a little higher for Watson products.

Take Care

I agree that you need to call Walmart and speak to a pharmacist about them ordering your the methadone instead of the methadose. After getting Director's advice on this I told my pharmacy that I would not accpet methadose for my prescription even though that is what they NORMALLY stock and now the past 4 months they have made sure to order in the actual methadone for me because I told then it was either that or I would have to switch pharmacies. I cannot imagine that they do not have the capabilities to order the brand of the medication that you want? If not, then switch pharmacies. I definitely feel better taking the methadone than the one month when they gave me methadose. The difference between the two is incredibly noticable to me!

Tina :)

Hey Arranger: Just so you know, in case it comes up in the future, Watson does make a generic Hydro 10/325. They're a blue tab and that's what I took (and asked for, I might add) when my doc had me on Hydro.

As for the methadone/Methadose comparison, Tina is right when she says you can tell the difference in the two. When you get a 15-20% reduction in the Hydro, it makes a difference that is noticeable. Most pharmacies don't want to lose money or customers in this type of retail business. I think most head pharmacists will be more than happy to accomodate your request for Methadone by Roxanne. They were happy to order what I wanted (Methadone) because we're probably woth somewhere around $2,000 a month to their bottom line. Thank God for insurance. Having you go down the street to their competitor is not what they want to have you do.

Thanks Director. I knew that Watson was the maker of "Brand" Norco, but wasn't sure if they also made a generic for the same thing. I always like it when the original company makes its own generic as well. It seems that the quality is a little better. Its kind of funny that a pharma company produces a brand and then a generic made of the exact same thing. I guess its a marketing thing and a way to get control of the market.

Watson seems to be a good pharmacuetical maker. They are also producing generic OxyContin but it is manufactured from Purdue the actual makers of OxyContin. So if you're getting Watson OxyContin, you're getting the real thing so to speak.

Hey Tina...Yeah, tomorrow morn Im going to call Wallys Mart ( wal mart) and ask for them to order the Methadone and will explain that I ll go on down the street if they wont....hopefully they will as they are the cheapest Ive found without insurance....

and on the subject of hydros.....what generic is better on the 5s ?.....the last fill I got was the more expensive 5/325 mallinckr.....does watson make them as well ? I ask that since yall seem to like them better on the 10s....


thanx yall !....its always nice talkin to yall ! ....

deana