“When someone finds something that works, and then they’re not able to get it it can be a real problem” says Dr. Andrea Synowiec, a neurologist at Allegheny General Hospital in Pennyslvania. This has been the experience for many people who have relied on Excedrin for managing their headaches. A year and a half ago the maker of Excedrin, Novartis recalled certain packages of NoDoz, Bufferin, Gas-X Prevention, and Excedrin. Novartis said the recall was precautionary, due to stray or chipped pills… and they stressed there had been no harmful health related events due to these findings. In January of this year the FDA announced the recall affected Bufferin and Gas-X Prevention bottles with expiration dates of 12/20/13 or earlier, and Excedrin and NoDoz bottles with expiration dates of 12/20/14, or earlier.
ABC news recently reported that some people who have relied on Excedrin for headache relief have turned to online auctions to purchase whatever Excedrin may be out there. Reportedly one woman spent $500 buying Excedrin on ebay when she heard about the recall. Doctors have warned that the safety of medicines purchased from ebay and other online auctions can be dangerous. With no control or regulations, the possibility of tampering with the contents can be high… and the consumer may not be actually purchasing what he or she thinks she is purchasing. While Novartis has recently said they are working to return the recalled products to store shelves as soon as possible, they also stated it will happen when they can verify their manufacturing processes of the products….. Huffington Post July 2012