January 29, 2006 - 11:55am
as the title says, why in the ???$* would Mallinckrodt make two of the same pill? 
in fact, at one point there were three of them i believe lol....
these two are BOTH being manufactured..... 
SAME exact thing: 5mg Oxycodone-IR/Roxicodones
makes ZERO sense to me?? maybe the capsules are made so u can dump them on food/drinks??
thanks and if this is in the wrong forum lemme know!
BTW, they used to have another 5mg oxy-IR tablet, but the imprint was wayyyy too close to a 5mg methylphenidate tablet they manufactured as well....the only difference being a friggin SCORE(think how bad that would be to get those meds swapped.....eeek)! so they had to change it to the newer one i pictured above.......here is the old version of the 5mg Oxycodone-IR tablet as they are prolly still floating around:
and here is a picture of their stupidly-close methylphenidate 5mg tablet:
later guys any input is appreciated; just never seen a company manufacture two identical medications(besides liquid preperations)!! 
ahhh, good 'ole Mallinckrodt at their finest once again!!!!!
January 29, 2006 - 4:34pm
#2
There is also Codeine 60mg
There is also Codeine 60mg APAP 300mg 
and Hydromorphone 4mg 
In my opinion these two are also too close, especially considering both pill are used for pain. The box around the M sets them apart fairly well, but I would think that Mallinckrodt could come up with some better, more distinct imprints.
February 7, 2006 - 3:48pm
#3
^yea considering ive had
^yea considering ive had both of those pills above as well, it seems very irresponsible of mallie to do such a thing...while its pretty easy to notice the square around the M, its not enough IMO; especially for similiar meds.
while they are both painkillers, hydrmorphone is just so much more potent than codiene...loose pills could be mixed and someone could easily OD.....
and thanks for the reply...i didnt think the capsules were for dumping out on food, but it makes sense that some people prefer capsules(i do infact)! i guess i learn something knew everyday....
later guys
February 11, 2006 - 5:12am
#4
wow
you guys are amazing
i think that these are so cloce that a pharmacy could even missidentify these
good job and you might of saved some lives
November 13, 2006 - 7:11pm
#5
I was looking for the round
I was looking for the round pill with 5 on one side and a boxed M on the other. It looks exactly like the coedine with acetomphine pills only they are labled 2,3,4 and not 5. What is my 5? methylphenidate 5mg?
November 13, 2006 - 7:16pm
#6
Yep,Methylin 5mg
Yep,
Methylin 5mg (Ritalin)
Next time, start a new thread. It keeps things in order and keeps your post from getting lost/overlooked.
Excellent post - very educational.
You managed to bring together important elements and illustrate the
problems with identifying some of Mallinckrodt's pill imprints.
The M5 tablet presented many problems in the past. Even the DEA was confused and thought the oxycodone tablet was counterfeit methylphenidate.
And when posters ask "What's a round white tablet with M on one side
and 5 on the other?" we had to ask "Is it scored?" Pill
identification shouldn't be so difficult!
Regarding your question about why does the company make two forms of 5 mg oxycodone IR, I think it's because some people prefer capsules and others prefer tablets. Ethex (and maybe other companies) also makes both a capsule and tablet. And look at all the forms of brand name Tylenol - capsule, tablet, caplet, easy swallow, rapid release gelcap etc.
I checked the package insert for the capsule and didn't see any reference to opening the capsule and mixing the contents with applesauce or other food/drink. But it seems to me since it's immediate release, mixing it with food is a good alternative for someone who has difficulty swallowing pills.
Thanks for your very informative post.