Confusion About Morphine - Not Available?

[Vito Andolini]

Doc says he can no longer order MSO4, that it has been taken off the market. And so has oxycontin except as oxydone + acetaminophen, due to some lawsuit that started about 2 years ago.

Pharmacist said she had to check, as she was new to my state and this is being done by some states and not others. Turns out morphine sulphate as MS contin (slow release) is available.

I googled some for the lawsuit that set this mess in motion, but not very successfully. The doc, BTW, prescribes very costly Avinza (costs about 4-5 times generic morphine sulphate to do the same job). What do you think?

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

Here's what I know about it, and my memory is kind of vague, admittedly. Some forms of MS, including oxycontin were taken off the market for a short time, because they didn't go through the official FDA testing process (even though lots of forms of the same thing did go through that process). In response to an uproar by people who prescribed and used the newly-gone drugs, the became available again. All of this was a couple of months ago. I don't know if more has happened since then or not.

[nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN]

All it meant at my hospital was that we pulled the 4mg tubes, and had to find someone to do a waste of the extra 2 mg. We could get the big guns, we just couldn't get the prefilled 2mg doses.

[Mulan]

Just gave some, comes in 5mg/ml vial.

[PAERRN20]

We have 2mg/ml, 4mg/ml, and 10mg/ml.

[HeatherISU]

Where are you that you cannot give morphine? I have heard nothing about it. We are still using it where I work in IN.

[Kabin]

The FDA was recently out in left field when they identified liquid MS as an "unapproved drug" and sent letters to manufacturers to stop making the drug. Hospice and hospitals made them aware of the big picture and the FDA retracted their decision.

[Kabin]

And any doctor saying its unavailable is seriously out of the loop.

[kids]

Roxanol in the 20mg/ml concentration is still in short supply in some areas (mine being one of them).

[dosamigos76, RN]

Roxanol was difficult to get for a bit and still is in some spots in the market. In hospice, we live and breathe with Roxanol, so we had to scramble there for a bit. You should be able to get it. You're right, hospice did "educate" the FDA about the importance of this medication and they scrambled to get it back available. Some of the larger pharm companies had heard the rumbling and had stockpiled it (thank goodness).

[onetiredmomma]

Recently the FDA "advisory committee" recommended stopping the manufacturing of combination drugs that have tylenol in them due to the risk of liver damage from tylenol. On the news cast that I heard this from it was added that the FDA usually follows the recommendations of these advisory committees. Haven't heard anything further, this was maybe a month ago.

[Vito Andolini]

I should clarify. I meant morphine slow release for ambulatory patients. Doc said it was not available. I agree, he is wrong, as our pharmacy definitely has it, per the R. Ph saying so!

Oxycontin is not morphine, is it, Whispera?

Thanks to all for their replies.