Comments on: Generic Adderall XR in the US

By: Ron

Ron — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:45:39 +0000

My doctor told me that pharmacies get a monetary kickback for making customers switch to generics and that there is no law requiring such.

As for generic Adderall XR not working for some people after the switch, I was also informed that some ingredients in generic drugs require higher water intake to be effective.

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:02:31 +0000

on the generic adderall XR I experienced severe uncontrollable irritability. I would lash out at everyone and everything. Little things would turn my stomach and cause me to feel nearly enraged and there was nothing I could do to soothe this feeling of extreme anger. I told my doctor, and had her put me back on the generic adderall xr and almost immediately anger went away. I don’t know if there’s more than one generic adderall xr, but the one I was on was put out by Teva. I’m glad to be back to my old self, but it’s a scary thing that a generic of a drug, which is supposed to be essentially the same, could have such different effects.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:32:15 +0000

just to add to people’s experiences –
The past couple of weeks I was getting extra shaky, dizzy, a weird blurry feeling in my head — sometimes blurred vision, but just feeling faint. I was also feeling unusually nauseas and almost sedated (lethargic). I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me, but then I realized that after 2 years of taking Adderall XR 25 mg, the pharmacy switched me to the generic. My doctor had been writing no substitutions on my prescriptions (she said that a lot of the time the generic doesn’t work the same for some people). So, I called the doc and they said those side effects were definitely possible from taking the generic.

I absolutely hate it, I’ve experienced some shaking from the brand before, but this is like almost a bone-deep shake that I’ve been having. Not to mention, it’s been making me feel so lazy and tired, I haven’t been getting my work done – like I usually do when I take my meds. I also agree w/ melanie — the pressure behind the eyes, and feeling like you’re on something. I feel “messed up”. Like when people use the term “cracked out” – I feel like that’s how I am.

I don’t recommend the generic if you don’t have to take it — especially if you experienced any minor side effects from the brand.

side note – I also take instant release 20mg adderall, but in the generic form — that one doesn’t affect me as badly — probably because it’s such a short release.

By: Shelly

Shelly — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:41:41 +0000

One more thing. If I pay a very low price for generic and a very high price for name brand…And its the same crap (so they say), then are the insurance companies being ripped off too? Maybe if we get the insurance companies involved, that will get angry enough to get to the bottom of this issue. Whatcha think?

By: Jammie

Jammie — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:37:03 +0000

Dear John,
Well said. I recently had this same conversation with my pharmacist. Funny thing about Shire giving up the patent… is one has to question what exactly did Shire give up? There have been so many acquisitions between Barr, Teva, Shire,etc… but at the end of the business day, they are all really the same company. Shire “gave up” their patent to the Adderall XR nine years earlier than they had to. Why would a company with a patent until 2018, give up the patent in 2009? MONEY!! I feel that you are so correct about the newest and shiniest Shire ADD drug, Vyvanse. Shire does want us all to jump off the Adderall XR ship and onto their new “lifeboat”, The Vyvanse. I won’t be doing it. It sucks that the FDA allows this monopoly on these drugs to exist. I find it very disgusting that once again, something that was supposed to be good for consumers–generic drugs–with better pricing and more readily availibility–has been taken away from the consumer. I feel so badly for all of the children who are being wronged by Shire’s SELFISHNESS!! Does the FDA really exist? I’m wondering if the FDA should be placed in the same category as Santa Claus and unicorns.

By: Shelly

Shelly — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:08:45 +0000

No, expect nothing from the FDA. I did the same thing and they blew me off. As for “sticking with the brand name”, Dr. Kenny, as you can see by the posts…this too proves unreliable. I have what is marked Adderall XR but it is certainly not.
My question now is what do I try in place of the Adderall XR? My daughter took the Vyvanse prior to the Adderall and it made her nuts. I mean angry beyond words. So, since that drug is out (she and I both need to find a replacement now), I need to find out where to go from here. There a very few Psych docs available in my area anymore and my doctor actually turned to her computer once I explained my problem and looked it up on the internet. She got to a blog site, read over it outloud and then suggested that we try the drug the blogger tried. This, though she knew nothing about this drug herself.
I want to be normal again Dr. Kenny. I want to have a normal focus and have a normal disposition with no deep depression. Can you or anyone give me a suggestion? My doctor threw out Ritalin, Focalin, Concerta but could not discuss any of them.
Please, PLEASE, somebody tell me that they switched from Adderall XR to something that is working for them!!!

By: Melanie

Melanie — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:39:03 +0000

When I filled my prescription for DAW (dispense as written) name brand Adderall XR, the pharmacist showed me that all the pills in the name brand bottle were all imprinted with M. Amphet. Salts – just like the generic. She even opened a new bottle, to show me that Walgreens wasn’t trying to screw me over.

I called Shire and they said that the FDA approved Shire imprinting the name brand capsules with either ADERALL XR or M. Amphet. Salts and that as long as my prescription came from a name brand bottle that said “Shire” that I was taking the same name brand drug I’ve been taking all along.
I HIGHLY doubt what I’ve been taking for the past few days is regular name brand Aderall XR. I have been experiencing headaches, tight/clenched upper back muscles, tingling/numbness in my face and pressure behind my eyes. I also feel like I’m on something – I never felt like I was on something when I took name brand Adderall XR before!

I called Shire again and again they told me that as long as my prescription came from a bottle that said “Shire” that I was taking the same name brand drug.

By: Brendan

Brendan — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:26:09 +0000

I’m having the same issue as many of these other posts.

I recently bought my three month supply of Adderall XR 20 mg through my health insurance company’s mail order prescription drug program. On the bottle, it read Adderall XR 20 mg, but when I looked at the actual pill, it read “M. Amphet Salts 20 mg.” After some research on the internet, I was suspicious of this, as I thought I was getting the brand Adderall, not a generic (and I’m paying $150 per prescription for the name brand stuff). I went and spoke with the pharmacy at my local CVS and she informed me that the pill I had was the generic, not the brand name form, and I should be paying the generic price for the medication.

I called the mail order place and spoke with one of the pharmacists there. She said that Shire had sent them pills with “M. Amphet Salts 20 mg” printed on the pill, but it was, in fact, the brand form of Adderall XR. She also went on to say that the mail order program did not carry the generic form of Adderall XR. I checked out the mail order pharmacy website, and it listed “amphetamine/dextroamphetamine salts combo TAB 20MG” on its options of alternatives to Adderall XR, which I was under the impression that it is the generic form of Adderall XR.

Should I continue to look into this further? I feel like I’m getting lied to about this and it’s costing me an arm and a leg! Should we work with our local pharmacists toward a resolution? This is frustrating and I feel like there’s nothing we can do to avoid this!

By: Rodrigo

Rodrigo — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:20:58 +0000

The pharmacy wont take back the generics either as they have been told by Shire that generics and the brand XRs are the same. Furthermore, the bottles of brand XR already come in mixed with the salts ones. Seems to me Shire is sabotaging their own med to make us go on that vyvanse garbage. The FDA is corrupt to the core. I filled an online complaint with them, but I am sure nothing will be done.

By: Rodrigo

Rodrigo — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:07:53 +0000

Same thing happened to me. I went to my doc, got a DAW script and the pharmacist gave me a bottle of brand name and generics combined! I am reduced to 1/2 or 1/3 of my true dosage now as i only take the ones labeled ADDERALL XR not the other ones. This should be freakin’ illegal! The generic and brand Adderall XRs are NOT the same medicine. I ended a 3 year relationship after 2 weeks on the generic. I was depressed, constantly exhausted and hopeless to the point that I didnt care what happened with anything. It was NOT psychosomatic since I truly believed the generic was exactly the same as the brand having being given the speech by the pharmacist about Shire making both and all that. It is only when I talked to my doctor about the sudden change in me that we arrived to the true culprit of my emotional downfall! We need a lawsuit or something.