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
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