Can’t find it in any of the stores. Anyone?
I seem to recall a story some time back about there being a shortage, but can’t remember why that is so.
Ah, recall.
There was a big recall back in January due to production issues, but it’s coming back.
I can still get it (thank god); it’s the ONLY medication (prescription or not) that gives me any level of relief from my migraines.
My mom swore by this stuff when I was a kid. For those interested it’s essentially just half aspirin, half **acetaminophen **(Tylenol) and a dash of caffeine.
Hmm, that article repeats the Novartis claims that the recall was due specifically to pill mix-ups among the Excedrin, No-Doz, and Gas-X brands. Virtually every OTC product from Novartis has been on recall for a year; liquids, powders, liquid gelcaps, oral strips, and external creams were pulled as well as tablets (which is why Benefiber, Maalox, Triaminic, and Lamisil are all off the market and/or difficult to find). They’ve had larger manufacturing problems than just having the pill counting machines go awry.
I’m also a little skeptical that Excedrin Migraine will be easy to find when it supposedly gets reintroduced in mid-October. Excedrin Migraine is exactly the same as Excedrin (the only difference is in the labeling/box). The Migraine version sells more slowly than the normal packaging, so it sounds like Novartis’s manufacturing capacity is still not back to normal, and they’re putting that limited capacity into the slow seller, as that’s all they can manage to keep pace with. If they had actually fixed their quality control problems, they should be able to churn out both Excedrin and Excedrin Migraine.
For those looking for something bioequivalent to Excedrin and who find generics aren’t effective, the new Bayer Migraine brand may fit the bill; exact same active ingredients and strengths as Excedrin, and presumably without the slow absorption rate issue that some people report from generics.
Is anyone else amused by the fact that Gas-X is made by Novartis (No-fart-is)?
Yep, I’ve always been puzzled as to why combining those ingredients works so well at relieving otherwise intractable headaches. If any one of them is removed, the cocktail completely loses it’s effectiveness.
ETA: Although it’s more than just a “dash” of caffeine. Each tablet gives the equivalent of a weak cup of coffee (65mg) and usually a person is taking more than one at a time.
The caffeine part is easier to explain, especially for my dad whose headaches are invariably from skipping a cup of coffee. IANAMD but I’ve heard caffeine generally can accelerate the effects of some drugs.
Why aspirin and acetaminophen make such a great pair, though, is a mystery.
Geeez …
Q) How difficult is it to type in the word
Excedrin
into an Internet search engine and then mouseclick on NEWS?
Ambivalid, have you ever tried just taking equivalent doses of those three drugs separately (but at the same time) to see what happens? That sounds like a useful experiment, just so you will know, in case it ever happens that you really can’t get your Excedrin fix.
Like Ambibalid, Excedrin is the only thing to really, reliably work on my migraines. I probably tried 6 different prescriptions over the years before conceding that. I have been able to get some relief from my migraines by taking aspirin, acetaminophen and drinking several cups of coffee, but it’s not as effective as taking the Excedrin, plus then I have to try to keep the coffee down. If only they’d make an Excedrin that melts under your tongue…that would be the best.
There’s a headache-inducing folk song hiding in the title here.
No.
I’m another Excedrin fiend. I’ve had no problem finding generic equivalents on the shelves during this recall shortage. All the big pharmacies around have been carrying them.
Hmm. I noticed that Theraflu was nowhere to be found when my wife asked me to buy some recently. Apparently it’s another Novartis product that’s MIA.
Any experiments that combine aspirin and acetaminophen because Excedrin is MIA should include taking a No Doze or other caffeine over-the-counter pill, or half pill or whaterver, not drinking coffee or, Og forbid, Mountain Dew, as in the top article of ClevelandProud’s link.
A relative of mine takes giant caffeine-only pills for migraines and also drinks a lot of coffee. They have noticeable side effects, though-when I was a teenager, I thought she was on cocaine all the time.
This may sound weird, but have you tried Midol? I used to have a friend who swore by it (he’d nab some of his wife’s supply when he needed to).
Obviusly it’s not funny to people who need them, but that premise reads like a comedy skit. “My head still hurts, I keep nodding off, and I can’t stop farting!”