Due to the recent takeover of Watson Pharmaceutical by Actavis, there has been numerous complaints in regards to pain medication being given as a possible placebo pill. I was diagnosed approximately five years ago with spinal injury, degenerative joint disease, lumbar and cervical protrusion, fibromalgia and arthritis. I have been on Oxycodone 10 mg tablets for four years, taking it carefully as prescribed and under the monthly care of a very good pain physician. Now that Actavis has taken over Watson pharmaceutical, it's as though I'm taking a placebo pill with no pain relief as well as experiencing side effects which includes headaches, irritability, nausea and anxiety. When trying to contact Actavis and leaving numerous messages, noone has returned my call. I thought it was all in my head until I decided to go into an online medical forum. I was in total shock when I read the numerous amounts of complaints written by patients who suffered with chronic pain. There were so many patients that were experiencing the same exact problem as myself. Patients who originally were taking the Watson generic Oxycodone without any problems are now experiencing not only severe pain due to the change to Actavis Pharmaceutical but also unbelievable dangerous side effects. The side effects that people are experiencing are devestating and could possibly cause life threatening diseases. A dear friend who happens to be a pharmacist informed me that Actavis is probably saving money by using more binders and fillers than the norm to save on money. Of course, most insurance companies do not want to pay for the brand medication which is Percocet. That in itself is a disgrace to patients who pay for costly medical insurance. The brand medication would not only cause the patient to take less medicine which is healthier but it would also save the insurance company money due to less usage. Of course Actavis doesn't want to hear about saving money and the lives of the patient. They want to hear about making more money. If the medication is not affective, patients are at risk of taking more than prescribed which is dangerous but yet lucrative for the pharmaceutical company because some doctors will add on a different pain medication to take in between regular scheduled meds. That means more medication! Remember, this is not just for pain medication but all pharmaceuticals. Who do you see most of the time when visiting the doctor? The pharmaceutical rep! And they don't mind interrupting your doctor's appointment. Their job is to promote new medication and sadly the pill may help for one thing but cause a host of dangerous side effects. I've never had a problem with becoming addicted to Oxycodone made by Watson mainly because it worked and I didn't always need the next scheduled pill. My pain doctor is very professional and strict, monitoring me monthly with routine and random drug testing to make sure my blood test is at a therapeutic level to ensure that I'm not taking more than the prescribed dosage. He also test for any illicit drugs. I've always passed my test with flying colors each time. People who do not suffer with severe pain are very quick to judge and suggest that patients are wanting to become drug addicts. That's until they become severely plagued with pain. I use to think that way in the past due to ignorance and being healthy at one point in time until I became ill with chronic pain. It has altered my life tremendously. As I've stated before, with the Watson Oxycodone, there would be times when I didn't necessarily need to take my routine scheduled pill because it worked just that well without any problems and I could function. Less medication means less chance for addiction and less chance for organ failure. If anything, now people will become addicted while being on Oxycodone made by Actavis due to not having any pain relief and then doubling up on meds which could cause long term damage including kidney and liver disease. Please help many of us who suffer with severe pain without any relief. We no longer want to make the Pharmaceutical companies rich by giving patients no relief and possibly causing bodily harm. I truly believe in my heart that if it's not a placebo, it's definitely like my pharmacist friend suggested and that the medication is filled with more than enough binders and fillers. If there is no change then Actavis could face repercussions due to patients going from chronic pain to dangerous side effects which could include organ failure ore even death of overdose due to faulty medication.

Thank you

1. Tracy Williams