Help with pill (medicine) identifocation

[Bamby1]

I have been diagnosed with ADHD many years ago and got a prescription of Ritalin from a local doctor here in Thailand. It is the Novardis brand and not the gerneric. I have been taking this medication for a long time and really know what to expect from it. But, this time I have experienced really bad adverse side effects that are very much opposite of what you would expect from taking this mild central nervious system stimulant. I have spoke with doctor and all he is able to advise me to do is stop taking the medication.

 

Given, the medication has been purchased here in Thailand, I thought that I should examine the medication to see if I could authenticate it. So, I used several online pill identication websites and could not find a match for the pill. I also  checked Google images to see if I could find it, and the only match I was able to find of the pill was those being sold from questionable online pharmacies.

 

So, my question is to those with experience purchasing Ritalin, immediate release, 10 mg tablets here in Thailand; what does the pill look like, what is the imprint on the pill, what color and shape is it? Another question I have is vyvanse now available in Thailand?

 

Thanks for your help.

[CMoldie]

If it were me, and I had any doubts about the authenticity of a drug, I would contact the manufacturer.

 

https://www.novartis.com/our-company/contact-us/office-locations?tid=All&name_list=TH

 

If it is counterfeit then they will be more than happy that you have contacted them.

[Bamby1]

1 hour ago, CMoldie said:

If it were me, and I had any doubts about the authenticity of a drug, I would contact the manufacturer.

 

https://www.novartis.com/our-company/contact-us/office-locations?tid=All&name_list=TH

 

If it is counterfeit then they will be more than happy that you have contacted them.

Thanks, for the advice, but already contacted this company website. It has a highly automated website that only directed me to a page to report adverse side effects, which I did.

 

The page does not offer a discription of the pill (medication) and there is no image of it.

 

So, again, I continue to ask for your assistance in helping me identify this Ritalin, 10 mg, immediate release pill, manufactured by Novartis. If you have a photos, please include it in your responce. Thank you.

[Sheryl]

Vyvanse is not available in Thailand.

 

I am not able to find a picture of the Ritalin available in Thailand.  But the description from Novartis is:

 

round, pale green, scored, (imprinted CIBA 3)

 

In Thailand Ritalin is strictly controlled and only hospital pharmacies are allowed to have it. If you got it from a doctor outside of a hospital then there may be reason for concern as he may have obtained it from other than "usual" channels.

[Sheryl]

Appears to be this

 

https://www.drugs.com/imprints/ciba-3-319.html

 

 

[Bamby1]

Hi sheryl:

 

I got the medication from a psychiatrist at a Thai government hospital and it does not match your discription! The imprint on my tablets has "CG" on one side and "A B" on the opposite side.

 

I have taken Ritalin for many years in many countries around the world and have never experienced the extreme adverse side effects that I have experienced with the medication in Thailand!

 

Another troubling issue is the packaging, or to be specific, the printing on the box the medication came in. On the top left conner of the side panels of the box is "Methylphenidat. HydrochI." I have, in the many years taking this medication, ever seen Novartis (a multi billion dollar, global corporation) abbreviate words on its packaging. Further, the last letter of the second word abbreviated is an upper case "I"???? This just seems very unprofessional for a multinational pharmacutical corporation!

Edited December 12, 2019 by Bamby1

[Sheryl]

I have some trouble reading the side panel. Where does it say it was manufactured? Can you show picture of it more clearly and any other panels with text on it?

[orchis]

10 hours ago, Bamby1 said:

Further, the last letter of the second word abbreviated is an upper case "I"

no it's 'l' : methylphenidate hydrochloride

[orchis]

16 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

I have some trouble reading the side panel. Where does it say it was manufactured? Can you show picture of it more clearly and any other panels with text on it?

Novartis, etc. Spain

[Sheryl]

3 hours ago, orchis said:

no it's 'l' : methylphenidate hydrochloride

 

However the standard medical abbreviation would be HCL. That is universally used nomenclature.

In addition it seems odd for  methylphenidate to be written as "methylphenidat."  Maybe there is some practice peculiar to Spain I don't know of but it seems unlikley.

 

It does appear that at manufacturing sites outside the US Novartis does produce Ritalin 10 mg with "CG"  and "AB" imprint, white in color.  From a New Zealand drug fact sheet Ritalin 10 mg is described as :

 

" A round,flat,white table with slightly bevelled edges containing 10mg methylphenidate. Tablet diameter is approx. 7mm and is imprinted CG on one side and A/B, with a score on the other.... blister packs containing 30 tablets"

https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/datasheet/r/RitalintabSRtabLAtab.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

[PPMMUU]

seems legit

 

it is virtually impossible to get a fake medicine from a government hospital