Thank you for your very detailed response. My apologies for the tardy response, but I was in the midst of a nasty alcohol addiction and chaos ensued during the course of recovery. I agree with your points and acknowledge that drug defects occur in every drug company regardless of size or geographic location. I disagree on your contention that the Oxycodone ER and Oxycontin tablets were exactly the same due to first hand experience. The OC 80 was a very small tablet and every junky (myself included) sought and loved them for the euphoric high they produced whether you crushed, ate, or snorted it. The Oxycodone ER was a long fat horse pill that didn't produce the same high (or even close for that matter) as the OC 80. As a matter of fact, I had a blister sheet of them which had 15 or 20 tablets and the local heroin / oc junkies wouldn't touch them. One of the junkies told me they have different binders and don't release the same thereby not producing the same high. I snorted a whole 80 MG Oxycodone ER and subsequently took 2 more over the course of 2 hours because the first one I snorted produced such a shit result I just assumed I had gotten ripped off. Later on, I indeed had an intense opiate high but not enjoyable in any way like the OC 80's were.
If you're saying that Oxycodone ER was never marketed as OC generic and the pharmacy fleeced me, then I could accept that. If you're saying the horse pill was the same as the tiny OC, you quite obviously are not and never have been a drug user. I'm very interested to read your response on that point. However, with your extensive knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry, would you have any idea as to why different manufacturer's of Tramadol (or any pharmaceutical drug for that matter) would produce a different effect in the patient? I'm sure a geared out lab could find the difference, but I do not have a proper education much less a geared out lab
In my pursuit to answer this question on my own, I explained my situation to the doctor who then agreed to write "BRAND ONLY" on the prescription. I could hardly contain my excitement on the way to the pharmacy. I happily waited for my prescription to be filled and subsequently took 2 of the 50MG ULTRAM tablets. 1 hour after ingestion, I failed to achieve the feeling I was looking for. I was edgy, panicky, and aggressive in emotion. In conclusion, even the brand name Ultram as currently manufactured failed to replicate my original high. Very disappointing indeed.
If you search on google for tramadol generics not working, you'll see this is an issue that is not just happening to me. I'll entertain any plausible reason as to why this could be occurring. Could inactive ingredients change the way a drug interacts with the body? Something is amiss and I would love to know the reason why. Also, one of the nicest things about Tramadol (when the generic worked) was the subtle opiate itch that would ensue about 1-2 hours after ingestion. Along with the fantastic mood and elevated energy, the itching was quite welcome. Teva and Caraco made me itch considerably, all of the others did not as if there was no opiate effect.
I had a funny similar experience with Valium years and years ago. I was periodically getting Valium scripts from my Doc in my early 20's and I thought I'd see if the brand name was any better, so I ponied up the extra $$ and gave it a try. I can't tell you the why or the how, but I can tell you that the name brand Valium was not as effective as the generic. It took longer to kick in, it was weaker once it kicked in, and altogether simply wasn't the same. Could it have been different fillers decreasing the bio availability in my gut? Who knows, but there was most certainly a difference. I'll say this, The brand name Ultram I currently have is very similar in effect to the Sun Pharma, Amneal, and Zydus generic Tramadol. Teva was nothing like any other Tramadol. It was very sedating and made me look doped up. No other generic or name brand Tramadol has done such a thing. I believe the source of the problem is simple greed. Tramadol is big money and the manufacturers have found a cheaper way to produce the product thereby affecting the end product. Anyhow, my post is getting a little long in the tooth so I'll shut myself up and look forward to a possible response.