About Talwin and Generic Naloxone Pentazocine
June 30, 2008
We have received several emails this week from patients suffering from severe pain, such as that caused by arthritis, regarding a drug called Talwin and generic forms of its active ingredients Naloxone and Pentazocine.
Please know that US Recall News is not a government agency; nor are we medical professionals. You are urged to always speak to your doctor about any drug before taking it or discontinuing its use.
Upon calling in their prescription refill, some people taking Talwin NX or generic Naloxone / Pentazocine tablets have been told by pharmacists that the drug has been recalled.
After calling the FDA, searching their database and speaking to several pharmacy contacts we have found no reports of this drug being recalled as of 6/30/2008, although we are still investigating this story. One major manufacturer of a generic version has had several major recalls recently, which may have something to do with these reports.
Actavis Totowa, formerly known as Amide Pharmaceuticals, Inc. out of New Jersey was the recent focus of a huge recall involving all lots of Digitek (digoxin tablets) marketed under brands from Bertek and UDL Laboratories. Actavis Totowa also recalled Fentanyl pain relief patches due to a fold-over defect, another potentially deadly oversight.
This company also made Pentazocine And Naloxone Hydrochloride Tablets at one time, but the drug no longer appears in the list of products on their website, which may be the cause of this confusion.
Drugs get taken off the market without being recalled all the time. Usually this happens because the drug is no longer profitable for the pharmaceutical company.
Another potential cause of confusion is what the FDA is referring to as a “nationwide shortage” of Naloxone Hydrochloride for Injection. The Talwin NX tablets and generic forms of the drug contain a mixture of Pentazocine and Naloxone. Pentazocine is an opioid narcotic used to treat moderate to severe pain and is sold by itself under the brand names Talwin PX and Talacen. However, due to the potential for addiction, the drug is also mixed with Naloxone (used to counter the effects of opioid overdose) and sold as Fortal and Talwin NX. Thus, if there is a shortage of Naloxone, perhaps that has something to do with a shortage of Talwin NX and rumors or news of a recall.
So far we have been unable to verify these reports either with the manufacturer or with the FDA drug recall hotline. Sudden withdrawal from this drug may be dangerous so we will try to stay up-to-date on stories relating to any possible Talwin NX or Naloxone/Pentazocine recall. In the meantime, talk to your doctor about this drug and call your pharmacist well before you are due to renew your prescription in order to limit any possible sudden changes in your pharmaceutical drug use without approval from your doctor.
Please comment below if you have any news tips regarding these recall reports so we can continue to investigate and provide Americans with information relating to this product.
Here are some other online resources for more information about this article:
- Actavis Totowa Product List
- FDA Report on Naloxone Shortage
- Yahoo Answers Question About Talwin Recall
- Naloxone information on Wikipedia
- Pentazocine information on Wikipedia
- Yahoo Health article on oral Naloxone and pentazocine tablets
- Talwin NX drug information and side effects
Click Here to speak to an attorney about this recall!
Comments
11 Responses to “About Talwin and Generic Naloxone Pentazocine”
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I can no longer get this medication. I have taken talacen for about 10 years for arithitis pain relief but can no longer get it. I have been switched to propoxaphene and hydrocodone.
I really did a lot better on the talacen. There was a big plus for me— The talacen gave me great allergy relief. I have not been able to find any allergy medicine that can help me as much as talacen did.
I have been trying to find out more information about what happened to talacen but can not get any where. I am back to just what the pharmacist told me in the beginning IT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.
I also have taken talwin for about 15 years and can no longer find it. My pharmacist states that there has been no indication that it will no longer be available, but they do not know when it will be back. I have found talacen and it is available. I live in Louisiana and I use Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, which is in most states. The talacen is twice the price of the talwin because it is not considered generic and it does not have NX (Naloxone) in it, which may be the reason it is still available. Your pharmacist may have to order it for you because it is an older medication and it is not written by very many doctors anymore. Let’s hope the drug makers realize there are a lot of us out here that need this drug and do not want to have to take the more powerful drugs like demerol, etc.
I have been on pentacocine (talwin rx) for 23 years at 10 per day. I have been using it for arthritis pain, and ankylosing spondylitis pain. It has effectively relieved pain and I have had no adverse reaction to it–even though I have been on it so long, and am now in my 60’s. I was not warned that talwin rx was being taken off the market and I strongly feel patients, or at least the pharmacists of talwin patients, should have been warned way in advance that this drug was going to be unobtainable after a certain date. My Doctor now has me on Norco at 1/2 tablet every three hours. I might as well be taking sugar pills.
Going off of the Talwin abruptly was very hard and the Norco is making little difference in my pain.
I have been told by my VA doctor, at the Missoula Montana VA Clinic that Talwin NX is no longer being produced so i have to change to another medicatoin next week, I wonder were he is getting his information?
I have been on Talwin NX for many years and it has been THE ONLY medication that does not make me itch and still works great to reduce pain, it is also wonderful for depression and manic symptoms as no anti-depressant has ever worked for me. I have had this medication stopped abruptly 3 times and it was a terrible experience each time. I don’t know what will happen if there is no other medication of its type to replace it.
Thank you to all the people who have written in. My doctor also told me that she could no longer perscribe the Talwin NS. I have taken it for Migraines and Depression for the past 12 years. I take 1/3 of a tablet at a time and it works well. The MD wanted to put me on medications that I did not need such as propanolol and BC pills to attempt to prevent headaches. I declined the other medications. I wish they would find an appropriate substitute if Talwin NS is no longer available. Other pain meds have not worked as well.
i am itching like crazy also. the benedryl usually helps but i am finding that i need to take more tablets to get the itching under control. i am curious about any other pain meds that are as effective as the narcotic meds but won’t cause this intense itching. i worry about my liver and kidneys processing all these pills.
i am probably going to have another knee replacement surgery later this month and quite frankly i am scared to death to take more pain meds for fear i am going to scratch myself raw. it has happened before.
I have had three back operations in the last two years. This last operation they put in titanium bars, I have been taking Talwins for the last two years. I take 6 a day. The first surgery gave me lortabs 10mg., which they did not help at all. So they tried me with Talwin NX TAB. They have really made a big difference. Now the pharmacist says they no longer will be getting them. Does anybody take something different now to replace the Talwin and does it help? My Doctor or pharmacist never told me about Talwins being stopped or not being made, until the other day I picked up my script and instead of being 90 pills which lasts me 15 days, I got 53 and was told they would not be getting any more in., and this is “WALMART”s Drug Store. I called the other pharmacys in my city, everyone were out and backed ordered 4 monthes ago or the company that makes, the Reps. no longer carry them. My surgeys have been on my lower lumbar area L1- S5 . Every morning I am crippled feeling, and when it rains or changes weather even the Talwins and Flexaril cannot mask the pain. So if anybody out there was prescribed a different drug and it helps just as good as the Talwins ,PLEASE!!!!!!!!! Let me know, I do not see my Doctor for another month, and at least I will have a name of another drug that might help when I do see him.PS I been in rehab 3 different times and each time my back is worse. I think if I had to do it again I would not do the surgey!! Crippled 45 year old Male haha
I have been having trouble getting pentazocine/NX [generic Talwin] and was told by the pharmacy that it had been recalled because tests showed that it did not retain effectiveness for the stated period for expiration. One generic manufacturer had stopped making it and another had, apparently, started, but it was not available through the usual channels.
I’ve taken Talwin NX (generic) for over 10 years for cronic pain. Things are no better here in GA. It just can’t be found anywhere.
I contacted Watson’s customer service department (973-355-8300). They make the generic brand of Talwin and have it in stock. Watson advices to talk with your pharmacists and have them order your RX from Watcon.
I sent an email to the FDA/CDER. Below is the reply from them….
Thank you for writing to the Division of Drug Information in the Center
for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).
The Drug Shortage Offic has informed us that they’ve contacted Sanofi
Aventis regarding the availability of Talwin NX (pentazocine, naloxone)
and confirmed that they are not distributing product at this time
because of a recall initiated on 4/17/08 by Actavis who is their
contract manufacture. They also contacted Watson’s customer service
department (973-355-8300) and they have confirmed availability of their
pentazocine, naloxone tablets available under NDC #00591-0395-01
(generic Pentazocine NX).
Hope This helps,
Mollie
I have taken Talwin for 14 years . I have talk to my doctor about ,what is going on with the Talwin recall and they don’t even know what is going on!!!!!!! OR DO they! In the last 4 months I have tried at least 5 different kinds of pain pills and none of them work like Talwin. I don’t know what iam going to do. I don;t feel like getting out of the bed. I have always been a avtived person only because the Talwin help me in more ways than one. I have called around to other places about the Talwin and always NO answers. Some one has to know what is going on! And by the way the generic Talwin is NOT the same as the name brand, it does not work for the kind of pain we all have . The FDA needs to get to the bottom of this because it may be something really bad wrong with the Talwin we all been taking and we need to KNOW NOW!!!!! WE have the right to know. I do know M.S. patients take Talwin, Montal Williams takes it. I bet hes not doing with out. Please find out whats going on,,,,I need my Talwin back. Thank You .
Rita Williams