My sister is routinely on antibiotics for an intestinal issue. I'm glad it's routine, because it meant that when my mom opened the bottle and noticed the pills didn't look quite right, she could take it back. Turned out the pills were actually a prescription-strength painkiller, and could have done serious damage had she taken the number of pills prescribed.
Take it back and have it checked.
Posts: 1784 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
Mack, it can and does happen. Sometimes something gets mixed up and the wrong pill gets put in the wrong bottle. If you're concerned go talk to the pharmacist who sold you the pills or call the company that actually makes it and tell them what your perscription is, what you think it should look like/smell like/taste like, and what this one is actually like.
Either way, talk to someone before you start taking them.
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I'm a pharmacist too. Where do you work? Sorry to derail the thread, but it's rare to meet another pharmacist like this.
As for the markings, I can help too, if you want. I'm at work, so posting here is the best I can do. I wouldnt't just stop taking meds with out first talking to someone. You can always call the pharmacy that filled the script. If their (there?) closed you can always call the inpatient pharmacy at a medium to large size hospital. Typically they are staffed 24/7.
posted
I didn't stop taking the med, I took a 20mg Ritalin LA instead of a 30mg today because I woke up late (my psychiatrist said I could do this when he switched the ritalin la from 20 to 30).
As far as the markings, it has the ones that Novartis says it should have. (Yellow capsule, NVR R30).
But it doesn't explain why it didn't seem to be working at all and causing such gastric distress (instead of merely feeling slight stomach upset when I took it on an empty stomach, I actually threw up) and why I wasn't getting tired like I usually do when the med has run its course (about 11-12 hours after I take it).
And since with the 20mg I have symptom management and no gastric distress and the abdominal pain has nearly completely abated (I'm ready to snowboard tomorrow), I'm completely confused about the 30s. I just have this sense that something is wrong with them.
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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As in, "If they are closed you can always call the inpatient pharmacy at a medium to large size hospital."
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
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It seems to me that the 30 mg dose may be too much. At least that would explain the not getting tired part and easily angered. I really wouldn't expect the stomach upset to happen though, since it is sustained release.
What was the reasoning for increasing your dose? Were the 20's not doing the job? Do you take just one per day or twice a day?
Anyway, I doubt the script was filled wrong by the pharmacy, because the markings are correct. That means if something is wrong with the med itself, it happened at the company plant. Not a happy thought, but occasionally recalls do happen. Which means they screw up sometimes.
As for my grammer. Please be nice. I know that my skills in writing are poor at best. It's just something that I have never been very good at. I do try to write well. I don't mind gentle reminding and I appreciate sincere help. So, let the flogging comence. Posts: 98 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Poor spelling/usage/grammar ought never be dealt with by flogging. Diagramming sentences would be so much more effective . . .
A suggestion, if I may? I love ieSpell, and you might find it helpful. It won't tell you whether to use their, there, or they're; but it will remind you to use grammar instead of grammer. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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See, I've already been on 30s for a month with no ill-effects. And it wasn't that I wasn't getting tired, I was normal-tired. With both the 20s and the 30s, once the med ran out, I'd be dog-tired for an hour before my brain woke itself back up. Apparently this is a common phenomenon with sustained release stimulants.
The easily angered, emotional, feeling overwhelmed, distractable, and thinking fast are all symptoms of my un-medicated ad/hd. Thinking over the past week, I had all of those symptoms and none of the calm, organized, thoughtful, relaxed medicated ad/hd me.
What really clues me in is the abdominal pain. We have neurotransmitter receptors in our gut (so sayeth CT and my psychiatrist also said) and that it's just as much affected by imbalances as the brain. This was the theory with my abdominal pain--imbalanced chemicals, pissed off abdomen. Ritalin affects dopamine levels--which is why going straight off ritalin is very nasty.
I'm reasoning that if something WERE wrong with the medication (maybe from the plant?) that it would have completely thrown off my chemical balance, resulting in seemingly unmedicated ad/hd and eventually abdominal pain from out of whack chemicals.
Perhaps it wasn't being a sustained release, but letting all 30mg out at once? That could cause some nasty stomach upset, I'm thinking.
posted
Sounds like it is possible that some or all of the active drug may have been released in your stomach. I'm not really familiar with the sustained release mechanism in that product. So it is hard to speculate.
Upper abdominal pain does occur in over 5% of people who take the drug, according to the manufacturer.
I know that it seems odd that a stimulant can both take away and cause the same symptoms. It's all a matter of dose. At smaller doses it can help a person focus and organize thoughts and reasoning. As you take more and more you will start to feel anxious, nervous and irritable. At very high doses you could hallucinate, have slurred speach and vertigo. Think of some of the people that you have heard of that were high on speed.
I'd wager that the stomach pain was just a fluke. Maybe it had to do with what you ate the night before? It's hard to say. Unless it repeats again, I wouldn't be to concerned.
Peraselsus was a doctor back in the 14th or 15th century who has a famous quote:
"In all things there is a poison, and there is nothing without a poison. It depends only upon the dose whether a poison is poison or not."
I always liked this quote. Each of you have cyanide and arsenic in your bodies at this very moment. How come your not dead? The amount. It is possible to die of water poisoning (and I don't mean drowning).
posted
Some common foods have been known to cause strange medication interactions. Grapefruits jump to mind, but there are others.
mack, is there anything you ate in the last few days (or had considerably more of than usual) that you had not eaten for a long time prior?
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Strangely enough, this board seems to attract a statistically unlikely number of pharmacists. Alucard is also a pharmacist (hence the name of the thread), and I seem to remember that there was a fourth, but the name slips my mind. Anybody with a better memory able to help me out?
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I spoke with my psychiatrist about the wierd reaction. He also thought it was odd that after a month of being on the med with no problems, that issues would crop up after a new refill. He said to speak to the pharmacist and see what they thought.
Said pharmacist decided to speak to me as if I were stupid. She told me I needed to speak to my doctor about it, it's a one on one relationship, that it sounds like he's fine tuning my medications...
"I work in mental health. I know the typical reactions, dosages, and side effects of this and other medications. I've been on it for a month at 30 and prior to that, a month at 20. My doctor found it odd that I'd have these side effects just after a new refill."
"Well, we can check to see if you got the right pills, but we can't test to see if they're working right or if they're false. You really need to figure that out with your doctor."
I need to start LOOKING my age, dammit.
So basically, we've NO IDEA why the Ritalin LA 30mg is acting so funky. Psychiatrist suggested trying another 30 to see what happened, I agreed, I just need to pick a day that won't be horribly affected if it tweaks on me.
posted
The spider thing is an urban legend, but if anyone could be chowing down on spiders while catching z's, you'd be the one!
Good luck figuring it out! Sounds like the pharmacist was the one who was having comprehension issues . . . too bad we can't assign a Hatrack Pharmacist to your local pharmacy! Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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It is typical in medicine to repeat something weird to see if it will do the same thing again. We are biological beings and as much as we want to be predictable and mundane, we happen to have a few surprises that no one can figure out.
Grapefruit can cause significant interactions with some medication. It works by either inhibiting or increasing the way medications are metabolized in our livers.
I would much rather be flogged then forced to diagram sentences. Posts: 98 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Tullaan, for my last english test I had to diagram the first sentance of the declaration of independance. I agree, I would rather have been flogged.
Posts: 4174 | Registered: Sep 2003
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Are the capsules made the same in the two strengths. I once had the weirdest drug reaction and as near as anyone could figure out it was a reaction to the capsule, not the drug inside.
I could take the same drug in any form but the capsules at one particular dosage.
Never thought of it before, but it could be that the drug was getting released early, so it wasn't like I was allergic to the dye in the capsule (or something else like that), but rather that the drug was going into solution too soon...or too late.
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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Some people do have allergies or alergic type reactions to the excipiants of drugs. Excipiants are the inactive stuff in tablets and capsules that help it hold its shape, yet dissolve quickly in liquid. They include dyes which cause the most problems with people.
Another excipiant that can cause problems is lactose. Lactose is used in many medications and if your lactose intolerant it can cause problems. Typically a pill or two won't cause a lactose intolerant person to have problems, but some people do, indeed, have problems.
Since this is a drug from the same manufacturer just a different strength, there is probably not much difference. Color is the most common difference with different strength drugs from the same company.
Posts: 98 | Registered: Aug 2003
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I can't advise you on the medication snafu, but I can empathize with you on hating to be talked down to like one was stupid. I also know something about the "not looking your age" dilemma. I have yet to find a cure. (Growing older has yet to help me out. )
I hope you solve this mystery. From reading the posts in this thread, it looks like you have some good gumshoes helping you out.
Posts: 822 | Registered: Jul 2001
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I'm not suggesting this as a course for you, but I used to be on the Potatoes not Prozac board and the variety of neurotransmitter effects that can come from food is truly staggering. I came to decide they were nuts... so not an endorsement.
Also, sometimes prescription meds don't dissolve. This is a well known problem with vitamins, which are not overseen by the FDA. But folks have also found "the little purple pill" in their septic tanks. Even pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practices allow for some leeway.
How do recalls happen? Through complaints from consumers. I mean, if this is a bad batch, how are they going to find out? It could be a little too much drug, or the binder is too strong or the coating too thick, or someone neglected to change the marking when the dosage run changed. Or it could be a caffeine or sleep cycle interaction. Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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