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Opioids Hydrocodone/APAP discoloration

sprinkleme

Greenlighter
Joined
May 9, 2011
Messages
4
I found a bottle of Hydrocodone/APAP 7.5-750 mg aka Vicodin ES tab 7.5-750mg but they are a few years old. The date the prescription was filled is 6/25/07 and discard date is 6/24/08. Being familiar with this medication and this specific dosage I know that they are not supposed to be brown. Everything else checks out: imprint M 360, capsule shaped tablet, scored down the middle. This pill is supposed to be white so I guess my question is what happened to it and are they ok to take? The brown appears a little "chalky" and when I split one pill in half the brown coloration is almost consistent throughout leaving what appears to be the original color (white) in the very center. Any help?
 
A couple of years back, I was dope sick and ran across some perc 5's from 1993. They still worked stupendously. They weren't discolored though. I might pass on the ones you have with the discoloring and all.... Somehow I'm not convinced you will if 50 people on here tell you it's a bad idea though. In the interest of harm reduction, tell us if anything goes bad if you decide to ingest them.
 
Yep, the discoloration part is definitely questionable. I won't lie and say I won't end up trying them, but if 50 ppl DID reply recommending me to flush them, I probably would. It IS very tempting after just having my Norco prescription stolen by a "good friend."
Should I take them and have a reaction, I will def post, but wld really like more input as to why/how these have changed colors and if they are still ok to take.
 
Is there any way you can post a picture of the pills? It would help us to make a better determination.
 
Hmm....never seen a discoloration of the sort you're talking about. Trying to figure out why they would be brownish.
 
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Here are the pics. The color seems to be pretty consistent throughout which makes me question any exposure to outside elements. The bottle and label on the bottle is also in great condition, especially considering theyre over 2 years old. This is why I don't think heat or light exposure is the cause....but what do I know.
I may be totally off-track here, but I know they do compounding at some pharmacies and removing dyes from some medications is a process involved. Is there anyway this is a natural color and perhaps bleach is used to make the normal white we see for this medication? I'm just thinking, coffee filters and such.....we bleach these to make them white and some purchase the bleach-free to eliminate as many chemicals as possible. Just a thought and it may be a crazy one
 
After seeing the pictures, I can tell you that Vicodin, after sitting for several years, will not naturally turn brown and look like they do in your pictures. My guess is your Vicodin was exposed to a somewhat high level of heat (i.e in an oven or sitting in the sun for a long time), possibly some sort of radiation, or contaminated in some other manner. My advice would be to not use them.
 
Radiation? Mutant Vicodins maybe then?

To be honest I would expect bacteria or fungus eating some of the non active ingredients out and leaving their metabolites behind.
 
Radiation? Mutant Vicodins maybe then?

To be honest I would expect bacteria or fungus eating some of the non active ingredients out and leaving their metabolites behind.

Radiation as in a microwave for example.

Anyways, it's radically doubtful that a microorganism would grow and then thrive in and totally throughout all the way to the center of EVERY Vicodin... Plus, I've seen a variety of different pills after being microwaved or exposed to heat and some look pretty much the same as the Vicodin in those pictures.

It's impossible to tell for sure though, which is why I'd suggest not using them. If they are just charred or something, it probably wouldn't do much if any harm, but you probably wouldn't even get high and there is the chance the Vicodins were soaked in a chemical or some weird shit and could kill you.

As a note, years ago I saw Percocets that where a lot older than the Vicodin in those pictures and they looked exactly the same as when they were new.
 
Radiation as in a microwave for example.

Anyways, it's radically doubtful that a microorganism would grow and then thrive in and totally throughout all the way to the center of EVERY Vicodin... Plus, I've seen a variety of different pills after being microwaved or exposed to heat and some look pretty much the same as the Vicodin in those pictures.

It's impossible to tell for sure though, which is why I'd suggest not using them. If they are just charred or something, it probably wouldn't do much if any harm, but you probably wouldn't even get high and there is the chance the Vicodins were soaked in a chemical or some weird shit and could kill you.

As a note, years ago I saw Percocets that where a lot older than the Vicodin in those pictures and they looked exactly the same as when they were new.

Yea, My nearly 20 year old percocets did not look any worse for the wear. After seeing pictures... Please don't eat these...
 
a few years back i found a bottle of loraset (prob spelt that one wrong) 10's and they were a few years past date. the pills worked just fine but no discoloration. is there anyway that these could have gotten wet? i would say that the color shown is not supposed to happen and i would strongly recommend against eating them. now i understand if your sick your sick it happens to the best of us but call your friends first to get something before you use these because they are def not supposed to be this color! and that could be a bad batch to begin with (no matter what there are always some pills that get screwed up, like the lemon law for cars it just is gona happen eventually) but its up to you! good luck
 
I wouldn't touch those with a 10 foot pole. That brown is disgusting. Looks like they've been stored inside someones ass since '07. But I have a bit of a weak stomach when it comes expired dates and such on any product.

What about the smell? Was there any chemical or even mold/mildew type of odor? I think there's too much of a chance for the tabs to have been left open and had something spilled in them and absorbed it. I'm sorry I would be worried about ingesting something poison...

Are you in withdrawal? And if so is there any way for you to acquire some meds to bridge you on through til your refill? If I wouldn't have seen those pics, I'd have told you go for it. But no, that's an effed up brown.
 
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Here are the pics. The color seems to be pretty consistent throughout which makes me question any exposure to outside elements. The bottle and label on the bottle is also in great condition, especially considering theyre over 2 years old. This is why I don't think heat or light exposure is the cause....but what do I know.
I may be totally off-track here, but I know they do compounding at some pharmacies and removing dyes from some medications is a process involved. Is there anyway this is a natural color and perhaps bleach is used to make the normal white we see for this medication? I'm just thinking, coffee filters and such.....we bleach these to make them white and some purchase the bleach-free to eliminate as many chemicals as possible. Just a thought and it may be a crazy one



No way Jose would I ever eat the pills in your pictures. They look like chocolate flavored Vicodin but the thing is they dont come in any flavor but that nasty bitter taste. Do you know anyone that could test these to see what happened to them?
 
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Dude flush those and never look back. Those look fuuucked up bro. I really am curious to why those look that that. Its almost like they got moldy or some shit who knows.
 
call poison control and ask them. you can do it anonymously, they don't want any info from you. i've called them a bunch of times with all kinds of questions. or you can do the same with any pharmacy. just say you forgot you had them, and of course, they are YOURS. i'm pretty sure that will work. good luck, and let us know....
 
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