Got new form of a med I'm on, and it looks awful,help! The medicine is Clonazepam, generic for Klonopin, 0.5 mg and it's always been light yellow in color. Now it's bright orange, generic looking as hell, excuse my language. It has a 1 score line 2 on one side and nothing on the other. I just read it was from China and I don't really trust it. I remember a story on tv about how they put all kinds of chemicals in their meds, even road paint. It just worries me. What do you all think? Is Accord a good company or has it been around enough to know?
What do you know about ACCORD pharmaceuticals?
Question posted by mymy36 on 26 June 2011
Last updated on 8 June 2020 by Donnajt309
Added 16 July 2011:
Just wondering, has anyone ever gotten the yellow with the big M on it? Personally, those were my favorite of all. I know they have them in other counties around where I live, but I haven't been able to get them at my local pharmacy anymore. Do you know the brand, manufacturer,etc. of those? and, what did you think of them?
26 Answers
Donnajt309
8 June 2020
It’s sounds like the light yellow are Mylan! I can’t be sure about the orange ones though! I never got orange! I get 2mg white one’s that are accord and I hate them! They do nothing for me! I want Teva’s or Mylan! I have to find one of those kinds again! I hope they still make them. Donna
allsugar50
21 Sep 2018
Accord WEAK, had reactions, All the generics are WEAK, Now, TEVA which WAS the best, is NOT now. Per call to TEVA they stopped making their brand since they bought out Actavis and are now substituting Activas formula for their brand. Per phone call to them. They need to dump Actavis formula and go back to their own formula. It is different. One month controlling seizures, next month not. Not the same old TEVA formula that WAS the best. It will go downhill. Dr's trying to get people off benzo's. It helps people, now people are having seizures that were normally controlled. And all kinds of negative reactions. Bad drug.
Byrjun
14 Dec 2018
TEVA gave me my life back, Actavis nearly took it. I'm on name brand now but nothing worked like TEVA. I suggest everyone call them and complain. We might not make a difference but we wont know unless we try
allsugar50
16 Sep 2018
Teva brand clonazepam for 8 years(4mg per day) for seizures. Per call to Teva, they bought out Activas and Teva said they are using Activas formula now. So No, Just got Teva brand after they said they quit making it. It was a sugar pill, had a bad reaction. Weird from one month to the next of no problems then bad reaction. The lady at the CVS pharmacy showed me the medication (said TEVA greed pill 833) before I got it. Looked like TEVA but had a bad reaction to it. 1st time that happened in over 8 years. Just because it looks the same doesn't mean it is the same. Had the same reaction to another brand Accord. Somethings up.
GeriGirl42251
9 July 2018
I liked my .5 Clonazepam from TEVA too, but then was given the orange pill from Accord. Around the same time I started feeling like the pill was not as effective as the TEVA. I have simple partial seizures and nocturnal anxiety attacks. Anyway, my doctor just thought that my stress level had gone up. He told me to take .5 in the morning and 1 and 1/2 at night. I started having stomach aches and also felt a drug hangover in the morning. Then it dawned on me that I had been on TEVA for over twenty years .5 in the morning and .5 at night and had done well. I called a new pharmacy (Wegmans) and the pharmacist said that TEVA has stopped making the .5 Clonazepam. I called my doctor and asked him if he would prescribe the TEVA 1.0 (they are scored) and I could take 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 at night. I'm waiting for his answer. Sorry this was so long!!
BobAnne75
19 July 2018
I have been on this medication for 12 years. I have always obtained it through CVS pharmacy and it was always the TEVA brand. Recently, (and I am told this was due to the TEVA factory in Puerto Rico being destroyed), I tried to fill my 1 mg tablets and was given a generic brand (color is Blue with the letter C imprinted on the tablets). The TEVA 1 mgs are green and are scored. Long story short, I have been feeling HORRIBLE on the blue tablets and called CVS to see if by chance they had any TEVA brand in yet. It had been six weeks since they told me they were not able to get any. Lo and behold they had the TEVA brand, so I quickly got the script filled. It has been two days since I filled the script and am feeling myself again. This other generic medication is dangerous and should be taken off the market. Praying that TEVA makes its way back to the US again for the long term.
Bruceeeboy
27 Aug 2018
I used to get Teva 1mg green pill, my last two refills have been accord blue pills, the accord pills do almost nothing and I just got 90 day refill from accord uggh! I'm calling next time and if no Teva, I'm going to insist on brand name.
dsdfff
20 June 2018
I have been on generic clonazepam for 18 years with a break of about 3 years in between. I have always had Teva pills. I used to take more (up to 3mg/day PRN in 1mg green pills) and now take 0.5mg pills prescribed for up to 3x a day and they are yellow.
My pharmacy is Kroger and they just made the switch this last round I got my prescription filled. It was for 90 Count and they told me they ran out of the Teva and filled the last 5 with the Accord brand.
I have had this happen only one other time in the past and I know from experience that other generic clonazepam (the other ones I got a long time ago were white generics, yuck) simply are not as high of quality.
What I haven't seen mentioned is "half-life." Benzodiazapines (clonazepam, lorazepam, etc etc) have a "half-life" which is a duration of time that the substance stays in your system after having taken it. I do not use drugs and I do not drink alcohol and do not consume caffeine. I am sensitive to everything, so I can tell you for sure that the non-Teva generic clonzepams have a VERY short half-life. This may be due to the binders that others have mentioned and that they dissolve much more quickly and for some reason dissipate more quickly in the body.
If you have panic disorder, this half-life window is very important. If you are using it for a sleep aid, then this may not be as important for your application since you sleep through it anyway. But! WARNING! In my experience, any other generic than Teva causes "rebound anxiety," which means AS SOON AS the substance wears off, which is within hours (this is why I cannot take lorazepam, I get heart palpitations when it wears off which triggers my anxiety), I get extremely anxious and feel as though I have not taken my medication in days. And honestly, with the Teva, some days I will skip doses. I don't know if you're supposed to do that, but I do because I find sometimes the half-life of the Teva is enough. My one month prescription lasts me 2.5 months on average. I do not advise you skip your doses, but I do because I've been on it so long and I don't like to feel dependent on something and am sometimes just difficult with myself about needing to take it to begin with. I really hate it-- not the pill, but the fact I do rely on it.
And it is times like this, when a pharmacy changes their brand (and I checked, they are permanently switching to Accord so I will have to change to Walgreens or Walmart from now on), that reality sets in that I rely on something that can theoretically CHANGE at any point in time.
If you're happy with the Accord, then that works for you, great. It's also probably bias because I am not used to taking anything else, and you probably adjust to the first brand you take. And I did not know they were made in China. I am not against products from China, but I find this very deceptive. Molecules AREN'T just molecules. Artificial caffeine in beverages like soft drinks, etc would make me grind my teeth when coffee wouldn't. Caffeine is naturally occuring in coffee and NOT in soft drink products. This is also a concern of mine with people who use nicotine "vape juice." Nicotine naturally occurs in tobacco, the liquid is chemically manufactured. It is missing "the essence of life," you could say. I would also be suspicious if THC was made in a lab because much of the effects from marijuana are from the accompanying CBD content and terpines from the plant itself. So, I do beg to differ on the argument of "if it's chemically identical, then it's the same." That is simply just not true.
THank you all for your comments, though, I needed to know if anyone else had received these Accord brand pills and if you also thought the Teva were of a higher quality.
13sonny
15 June 2018
I have been taking Klonopin for 15 years, the yellow pill I always seem to get was from Mylan industries
This is now the second time that this is happened to me where the pharmacy could not get my Klonopin from Mylan
I received the medication, .05 from accord and I already knew based on past experience what was going to happen
Not only does it not work for anxiety, the side effects are immediate for me, headaches Eye pain , no anxiety relief, lay here in bed holding my chest!
The pills are orange and Chaulkey. And if you hold him in your hand or fingers too long they will dissipate, I called every pharmacy and my city just to try to get back on the medication that I have been on
This drug is terrible, not only does it not work, but it makes things more miserable for me, etc. side effects
I will not even be able to go to work tomorrow, whoever is responsible for this generic type program Ohta be held accountable
I went one day in my life is upside down! Good luck to all of you if you can avoid Buying anything from awkward industries please do so
Just changing to this drug may very well cost me my job
cheryleann58
14 June 2018
just got accord orange yesterday.took one and worked good calm and do feel like im on something.Is this normal none of the other brands ever did this
cheryleann58
14 June 2018
I just picked mine up accord orange,First time they have worked for me,I took 1 0.5. I feel alot calmer and a little like im on something which has me worried.cause this never happens.Maybe It was the odd pill in the bunch.probably wont happen again
Inactive
10 June 2018
I was given the Accord brand.5mg orange felt very ill and nauseous, I reported it to the FDA on their website if they get enough reports they will pull the meds for investigation. I am now on the Teva .5 yellow and they are very close to the name brand Roche . Unfortunately Teva has discontinued it's Clonazepam and it will be replaced with the Actavis brand which I was on for 8 year's and works just as well but disolves very quickly. Teva disolves slower but is more efficient in my opinion.
HappyinHI
3 June 2018
I felt horrible when I took accord clonazepam generic! Never again. I wonder what is in it to make me feel that bad. Now I can't get a prescription because I just had it filled. I hope nobody makes the same mistake. I'm only going to take Teva or just suffer. No more other generics for me.
cmtaylor29
13 May 2018
Hello! I too have just experienced what you did with the generic clonazepam 0.5mg. I have been taking the 0.5mg for years with good results with the manufactuer Teva. The new bright orange ones from Accord have been totally ineffective for me and may have caused an allergic reaction in another patient I know. I’ve been switched to another medication due to the lack of efficacy with weird looking orange ones. I have called several pharmacies and been informed that other patients have had similar complaints and that some people may react poorly to the orange dye/coloring agent. I would be cautious and monitor your response to the med. Unfortunately, this is the most I can offer at this time, but I plan to do further research. I’ll post if I find out anything more substantial than my anecdotal experience, but I hope this helps!
carter0712
19 Oct 2018
what can i do, call the pharmacy about the orange accord brand clonazepam that i got instead? For years I have been taking yellow teva brand and im pissed. the Accord is like a sugar pill. it does nothing. i even went back inside and asked the pharmacist about the change and he pretty much dismissed my question. i never walk back inside like i did today, i knew when i saw them there was a difference. And for me to noticed the difference, and now see many other people do as well there has to be a way to have this fixed bc the Accord plain out do nothing!
kjh1315
23 Oct 2017
I’d ask for another brand. You can make a formal request for only one manufacturer. I actually take another medication called Quetiapine (generic). For years I took PAR with no problems. An oblong, light yellow pill with XR300 on it. About 6 months ago, I was switched to Accord. They did not look like they were professionally made-more like hand pressed. They were a darker yellow and round with a stamp. I took them for 2 weeks and started feeling as if I had the flu among other issues. I realized the only difference was the pill. I took them to a busy Walgreens to ask for a different brand. I walked up to the pharmacist, and said I thought something was off and maybe weren’t working. He looked at the name and without a single pause, he immediately walked back and gave me the other brand, no charge and thanks for coming in. Took the regular dosage and felt better in two days.
After 3 mos., they gave me Accord again. I had already opened them so I tried again. Two weeks in, I felt awful! I usually take 600mg. It wasn’t working. Manufacturer max is 800mg. I was taking 1200mg and still felt awful! I went back to the pharmacy, they replaced them again with no problem. They had to call the insurance company and they immediately said yes (they generally are a little annoying). When they gave them to me, they recommended I call the FDA. I did and they called me the next day! When the found out how much I was taking and it didn’t make me feel better. She then took a full report with MANY questions. At the end, she urged both me and my doctor to report them.
Snoopy2010
10 Sep 2017
I just got the Accord clonazepam as well after being on the yellow pills for probably 20 years. I have ADHD and anxiety disorder which take turns at trying to ruin my life so I have resigned myself to taking lowest effective dose meds. I'm down to .5mg at night and really only taking it for sleep but yesterday I took one in the afternoon due to a heavy stress situation I am going through. I had just picked up the new prescription so I took one of the Accord ones and it made me crazy sleepy! Which is a bonus for me because normally I take it when I wake up in the middle of the night. I slept like a log last night. So for my needs I see this as an improvement. But if I tried to use the drug the way I used to (to function during the day, before my ADHD diagnosis) it would make me way too sleepy.
Inactive
25 March 2017
FDA does not mean anything, really, insofar as "a molecule is a molecule". They are correct of course in that sense. Standard Pharmacists/Pharm Techs (I worked in Parenteral Pharmacology)
Let me just cut this short: A Chinese, Mexican, Cambodian, et al molecule is the same. That does NOT mean a given preparation/pill is the same, as in absorption for one. One milligram of one substance - and this is very well documented - may NOT be the same in terms of efficacy.
If you are prescribed anything that does not 'work' as other brands... it may/is not your imagination.
Ask another pharmacy what brand(s) they have in stock/prescribe. If this simple request upsets them, well, that is their job. Transfer your Rx to another, sentient pharmacy that is satisfactory! :)
If the tech kid does not "get it"... well, he loses your business and you in turn get a better pharmacist.
hctz
25 March 2017
I just got a Hctz from Weiss instead of Costco. My blood pressure has gone up. I have a headache now for 2 days. The same 2 days on these new pills. My blood pressure has been 120/75 for years.
This happened to me once before when I had used Walmart. My husband and I had the same problem at the same time ,using Walmart.
Is there some place that will take these pillls and analyze them? I am fortunate, I get a headache when my pressure is up, some people don't. This is dangerous for those who do not check their BP.
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klonopin, clonazepam, generic, medicine
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