Generic Concerta in the US
ByArticle updated on May 11, 2011:
A recent new report shows that Watson Pharmaceuticals is cleared to create a generic form of Concerta for the US. A recent court of appeal decision is reported to have said that the patent on Concerta is invalid and that Watson is cleared to make their own version of the drug. Johnson and Johnson, the parent company which makes Concerta, had worldwide sales of $1.33 billion of Concerta last year.
Update:
According to this report, Watson is now authorized to sell a generic version of Concerta. This report shares the fact that the sales of Concerta totaled $1.5 billion in the year ending Feb 28, 2011 (it is unclear if that is worldwide or US data).
The report says:
Johnson & Johnson’s Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceutical unit is making and supplying the drug, and it will receive a share of the revenue from sales. Watson will market and distribute the generic.
The agreement lasts until the end of 2014. Watson can launch its own generic version when the deal ends.
What does this mean for you?
If you take Concerta (and you are in the USA), then it appears that you will be able to get a generic version of the drug which is sold by Watson, and manufactured by Ortho-McNeil. In other words – this should be the exact same medicine. This will last until 2014 – at which time this deal ends, and Watson will be creating its own version of generic Concerta.
This is quite a different circumstance than what is going on in Canada.
My experience in Canada is that the new generic Concerta which has surfaced in Canada is quite an inferior drug, and falls short of Concerta in many ways. That didn’t stop Health Canada from approving the medicine, and deeming it interchangeable – which allows pharmacists to automatically substitute the medicine to people, even if they come in with a prescription requesting Concerta. To read more about this, please refer to my article on Generic Concerta in Canada.
As always – the power of this blog comes from the discussion -and from you sharing your experiences and providing real feedback as to what is going on. As your prescription shifts from the ‘brand name’ Concerta to the Generic Concerta (from Watson), please take a moment and let us know if it is working well and if it seems the same to you.
Best,
Dr. Kenny
Dr. Kenny –
I have two girls, aged 12 (tomorrow) and 13, who both take Concerta. I just picked up prescription this morning for my daughter who’s on 27Mg and found it had been substituted by the generic from Watson Labs & Janssen-Cilag. This occurred within the past week, as the prescription for the daughter who takes 36mg came back just fine back then. The pharmacist did not alert me to the change when I picked up the medicine. I have spoken to them twice on the phone now and have been told there will be no difference. I am about to write to my daughter’s doctor to warn her about this change and ask for relief (no substitution), and am researching the internet right now. As with others who’ve posted to your Canada blog, I am in tears about the prospect of seeing my daughter(s) acquire to the Jekyll/Hyde personality we experienced with Ritalin LA before moving to Concerta.
Your Canada blog is very interesting. I thought you would be interested in hearing this news about the US.
Regards,
Mary Breslin
Thank you, Mary. I appreciate the update. I will research the US Generic Concerta issue a little more and write an update on it…
I live in U.S. I have been on Concerta 72mg for 7 years. I was given the “generic” without realising it and immediately I felt a completely different response then I normally do. Not knowing that I was taking a different pill I had no preconceived notion that the genric is inferior. I am an ICU nurse and was considering taking a leave of absence as I could not figure out why I was so agitated, and felt so different. My daughter is 18 years old and is also on Concerta . It is time for school to start so I wanted her to start taking it again. I gave her a dose out of the “generic” bottle and 1 hour later she said something was wrong, she felt anxious, her heart racing, like she was on drugs. Thats when I discovered that it was generic and even tho the pharmacy said that it is EXACT same pill (and I knew it was from exact same company)I decided to pay extra to have the brand name. I took it and felt “normal”. I gave my daughter her dose, she made no comment about feeling “weird”. I asked her how it felt after taking the medicine, she looked at me and said, fine , why? I KNOW it doesnt make sense that the company makes 2 different qualities of Concerta, especialy since it is the delivery system that is the uniqueness to Concerta, but these are different. I dont know why, I dont know how, They look EXACTLY the same. It is an EXTREME difference, life altering difference.
I have had a similar experience with the generic concerta. I had a pretty bad anxiety attack this past july and I did not think anything of it thinking my anxiety meds were not helping. So my doctor changed the dosage of my generic zoloft. This weekend I noticed for the first time the that my concerta was a generic version. I called my pharmacist and discovered this has been the case since may 2011. So it maybe possible that the anxiety was elevated from the generic concerta not doing its job to balance out the nor-epinephrine in my brain and nothing to do with my anti-anxiety meds dosage. Wow this maybe the part of the culprit to my decrease time management skills in the mornings, and change in anxiety mood swings. I think I need to call my Doctor. thanks Mary
Dr. Kenny –
I have since spoken to the pharmacist and asked for the name of the companies who make both the generic and the brand name. They are both Janssen – with perhaps subtle differences as one is “Janssen-Cilag” and I did not confirm that the other was also “Janssen-Cilag” or some other variant of Janssen. I also asked him what the brand-name pill is stamped with, and was told “Alza 27″. This is the same stamp on the generic that I have sitting next to me. I am feeling a little less fearful since this is not the scenario shown in your photos. I am now considering crushing one of these to see what happens but will think about that for a little since these medications are controlled.
Regards,
Mary Breslin
Mary – I’ve updated the post above with new information regarding the Generic Concerta in the US – it is being made by: Janssen-Ortho-McNeil-Cilag (there are a lot of names for this company!), and being sold by Watson. Please let us know if it works as well for your daughters!
I just had the same experience as Mary. I got home with my son’s Concerta ER 27 mg prescription and opened it up only to see a different name on the bottle (underneath saying it was a substitution for Concerta). I was not told of the change. I called the pharmacy a little while ago and told them what about this. The pharmacist was very surprised because he said he wasn’t even aware that there was an approved generic or Concerta. He is checking into this right now and is going to call me back to see if I can exchange it. Then I started immediately researching it online, and first saw the Canada blog and was very upset — so glad to have found this site as well, but still am very uneasy about this substitution.
I struggled with the decision to medicate my son for 3 years before actually doing it. He is doing so well on Concerta and I have no desire to mess with his medication. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that if generic is approved, then insurance will insist that is what he gets. I hope for a positive outcome here, especially since we are giving these medications to our children.
This just happened to my son as well. We spent the last few years trying to find the right medication and the right dosage to help with his ADHD. He has been on Concerta for approx. 1 year and has been doing GREAT. Last week, we went to the pharmacy to refill his rx and they did tell us that they had to substitute the generic concerta (methylphenidate) but insisted that it was the same medicine. His pediatrician agreed when I called him. Well, this week has been very difficult in school. His teachers are saying that his attention span is down and his impulsive and anxious behaviors are very high. I did not originally tell them that the rx changed. They all asked me if I forgot to give him his meds. We are looking to change it immediately but the doctor says that its not that easy. He is writing a letter to my ins. co informing them of my problems and asking them to pay for the Concerta. He is not confident that they will because it is a new product and it is supposed to be the same medicine and they won’t want to set a precident. There is an appeal process if they refuse. In the meantime, my son has 5 weeks left and is struggling. Any ideas or feedback?
My grandson is also on Concerta. I order it from Health Warehouse in Ohio. They do not carry the generic and the brand through them is expensive but not as expensive as a pharmacy. He has no insurance so this is the way I have to do his meds at this time.
I have been taking concerta 36 mg for 2 years and have seen remarkable improvement. Just last week I was offered the generic. I don’t know if it’s my imagination but it’s not working!!!! I called the pharmacy to see if I could bring it back and get the non-generic but was told NO!
This is going to be one longggggggg and miserable month for me as well as my family who have to deal with me and my symptoms.
Kris – this is not your imagination.
I’ve been on concerta 54 for years, and it did the job. When I started taking Concerta people remarked what positive change. Today after taking the Generic my symptoms were magnified. I would have been better off without taking the generic. I have taken Concerta free days , and never experienced what I experienced today. The Generic (Watson) is a dangerous drug, and the FDA did not do their job when approving this. I have spoken with my doctor about what happened today and he agrees that I do know my body as we have spoken for years about concerta and its benefits.I am not a child, I am a mature adult, and know and now experienced the difference. I know we have to take personal responsibilities for our actions and Concerta assisted in taking on that challenge. But the generic does not assist , it aggravates the symptoms. I cannot imagine what a child is experiencing on the generic.
Christi – thank you I will use FDA website.
Hi my name is Christi and I have a 9.5 year old son who has been on the real concerta for almost a year now and he was switched to the generic form on the 16th of May and within the day my son became violent, refussed to do anything at home or at school. He was not my child. Today I got him another Rx for the “real” Concerta and he will be starting it in the morning. I have spoken with the manufatures of the generic Concerta and reported it. I feel like this med needs to be removed from the market as it has more harmful effects than good effects and the “real” concerta needs to be kept on the market. We need to contact the manufactures and tell them about how its effecting your children. I will list the phone numbers as well as the FDAs website to file a complaint.
Concerts Mfr 1-800-526-7736
Generic concerta Mfr is Watson the customer svc 1-800-272-5525
FDA website http://www.fda.gov/medwatch
please lets inform these people of how this medication is effecting our children.
Thank you for sharing your experience, as well as the contact numbers.
My son who is 8 has been on concerta 54 mg for 3 years now, he has done wonderful on it. recently he was switched to the generic version of this medication. I didn’t pay no mind to it, as we have used generic versions of other medications before. Last week he came home with bad conduct marks in school and failing grades on his test. something that hasnt happened since before he was diagnosed with ADHD. I didnt put 2 and 2 together until last night, and started doing some research. I am going to call Monday morning to get a new script from his Dr. for the regular concerta. He has also had other negative side effects that have been noted since the switch. Thanks for posting this information to report this drug!
I have 3 kids leaving for camp in 3 weeks and the camp pharmacy just contacted me to tell me that there is a generic. I checked my insurance website and I am responsible for the cost difference. I am more than slightly worried to send 3 kids that are functioning well on their meds away to camp for 8 weeks with an unknown, BUT the cost of 6 scripts could be hundreds of dollars. Since I have meds now there is no way to “test” before they leave.
Has anyone been on the generic or had their kids on it for more than a day or two? If it is the same drug there should be no difference, but some of you are saying there has been.
Really need a quick answer, I have to tell the pharmacy in the next couple of days which to fill. I wish I could get a weeks supply, I take it also I would try it.
dr. kenny
im 21 an been taking concerta 27mg for the past year an half i recently got switched to generic its the same exact drug same pill i asked the pharmicst why it say methlphenediate er she said ” there just marketing it different.” i feel exactly the same the pill looks exactly the same no complaints. just take the generiac thers no sense in paying extra for the same eaxct pill. concerta prolly just wants more people to take it since it use to be so expensive.. my co pay is now 10 dollars it use to be 52 dollars.
Brent- for now, it should be the exact same medication. In a few years, the generic may change. At that point it could be an issue…
Exactly true, Brent. If I took the generic tabs and placed it in a bottle marked Concerta, there would be no way of telling the difference. It is not manufactured by Watson, only distrubuted by them. Ortho or Janssen or whatever you want to call them produces it in the exact same way, and I believe (but do not quote me) the exact same supply line. Dr. Handelman, how can you explain peoples’ dissatisfaction with these authorized generics? Worse symptoms before taking? Placebo effect? Are you aware of any studies testing this?
I have spent two days on the phone with teachers and doctors. My daughter has been taking Concerta for a year now, it has worked very well, after a few trials with dosing. We just got a prescription refilled on Wednesday. The pharmacy told me it was generic but I didn’t give it much thought. Today after several phone calls from the teacher and to the pediatrician, the subject came up about generics. We are going to get a new prescription to be written “Dispense as Written” and see what happens over the holiday weekend. The quote from the teacher is “she is not herself, one minute she can focus and then blam – she can’t focus at all, she is all over the place”.
Hello. My son (8 years old) has been on Concerta 54mgs since August of 2010. It has been such a blessing. When we refilled his prescription last week I noticed that my copay was much less. When I questioned the pharmacy they told me that they switched him to generic. I questioned them about the effectivness but they did not have a lot of details. (I need to switch from Walgreens!) So, bottom line, my son has been on the generic for a week and I have been trying to keep an open mind. However, it just isn’t working the same. We spent the weekend with family and they asked me several times if he is no longer on medication. I have also noticed that he cranky and argumentive, something that Concerta had really helped. I am so disappointed. I really could have used the financial relief of the generic. I will call the doctor tomorrow and request the real thing.
I keep reading that the generic is “exactly the same” as Concerta. I am sorry but I do not believe that for a minute. How is possible to sell the exact same drug for so much less and still generate a profit unless the makers of Concerta have been financially abusing us unsuspecting parents.
Hello again,
Just an update from my last post. I left my son on the generic for 1 more day and it was awful. I called the doctor again and told him that it was not working and I had letters from 2 of his teachers. He wrote a pre-authorization and sent it to my insurance saying that he needs to be back on Concerta. He was not optimistic that they would accept it since the drug was just put on the market but within 3 days, they approved the pre-authorization and he is back on Concerta. His behavior, anxiety, and impulsivity have all gone back to normal. I know that it is supposed to be the same but it clearly did not have the same results as Concerta.
Mike,
Thanks for sharing your experience, and I’m glad to hear that you had success.
Thanks for all input. I just picked up the generic concerta tonight called “methylphenidate”. Well, that’s supposed to be the name for ritalin generic. If I had a script for ritalin generic, would it be called methylphenidate, too?! I’m going to ask the pharmacist and the manufacturer first thing in the morning. I probably can’t return it anyway, and if I appeal, it will take ages. I’m an adult on 36 mg. To quote someone above, it’s goingto be a looooooooong month.
I don’t know what to think all I know is for the last month my son has not been doing as well on his medication. I asked his teacher if she noticed a change and she had. He hasn’t been doing as well in his extra-curricular activities either. Then my husband tells me after he picked up the month of June’s prescription that it’s a generic Concerta and that was what was given to us last month too which I didn’t realize. So now I’m left wondering is the change I’m seeing due to the generic or does he need a new dose. As of now, is the generic actually the brand name being marketed as generic or is this a different drug that may have slight variations to the brand name drug? Has anyone found info. on this?
Dr. Handelman,
I am experiencing some issues that I think needs to be told. My son and I have both been diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive type). We went through several different medications with him – Strattera, Concerta and now Ritalin. I tried Strattera also and it didn’t work very well for me either. My doctor and I decided to try Concerta, which was a great success. Now when I went to get a new prescription, it was the same drug as my son (methylphenidate). Mine was 27 mg and timed release and his was 10 mg. They made me pay $25 which is the going rate for brand name drugs per my plan, while I only pay $10 for his! I feel hoodwinked, not only because I’m paying brand name prices for generic drugs, but because he is supposed to be on Ritalin and I on Concerta and it’s both the same thing! I’m currently in between phone calls to my pharmacy and my insurance company telling the same story every time someone different answers the phone. Frustrated.
Concerta has the same active ingredient as Ritalin, but the manner that it is administered, the osmotically driven time release, is NOT the same. Drug delivery is as important as the drug itself.
Since the concerta is still made by the brand company and rather expensive, some insurance companies still price the authorized generics as brands.
It never shocks me at how inept government is with just about everything it does. I can’t speak for Canada but in America our government is not effective at any of the things that it does not but yet it still wants to be involved in more things that it will not be able to do correctly. Governments do not care about the citizens past how much tax money they can collect and if they can get you to vote for one party or another.
Generic vs. Regular Concerta in USA
We inadvertently got the generic, even though the Doctor’s Rx was for regular Concerta. I was surprised, but tried it on my son. It didn’t work at all. He was hyper and unfocused on it. I researched fda.gov, http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/drugsatfda/index.cfm?fuseaction=Search.DrugDetails&#totable and it says there is no therapeutic equivalent to Concerta. I had to get a new Rx from the doctor with “medically necessary” written on it, so that there’d be no substitutions. I printed out the FDA page, and the pharmacy refunded the $ for the generic and filled the Rx for the brand name. All is good.
Good for you, mom in Florida! Well done!
There is no therapeutic equivalent listed because the generic is not a true generic. It is still manufactured by Janssen, and everything in it is identical.
@Lora,
If you go by the WACs and the AWPs for Concerta and the generic concerta by Watson, the prices are fairly similar. not really more than 50-60 dollars apart (avg bottle price is over 500 dollars). Copays are not reflective of true drug costs, and people often take their copay amounts for granted.
Just wanted to update that my son has now been on the generic for 2 weeks and I have noticed no difference from the non-generic form. I am relieved as I was quite concerned and did not want to mess with what was going so well.
I am sorry for those of you having issues. I hope you are able to find resolution soon for your children or that your insurance enables you to stay on the non-generic form.
I just gave my son the generic, and after reading all these things it’s scary, but I hope I have success. Thanks!
My daughter took the generic form of Concerta today, typed on the bottle as Methylphenidate ER, for the first time, after being on the name brand for over a year. She cried over every small thing today and was more sassy. I will be calling the doctor and rectifying this situation immediately. It is not fair that insurance companies, force in my case, a child to take a generic version when they have done well on a certain medication.
A follow up to my initial response. My child seems to be doing okay now on the generic version. Although, it does seem to be wearing off a little faster than the original, but besides that it is working well. I tried to get the doctor to request getting the insurance to approve the name brand only, but it still hasn’t happened as of a month after my request.
My son is 11 and we were also given the generic Concerta two weeks ago, We were nervous but we are not experiencing any differences. He continues to do well. He is on 54mg and concerta has been a blessing for us, he previously was on daytrana which worked OK except we had issues with irritability in the afternoon and the patch would never stay on in the summer during swimming. Good luck to everyone and don’t be afraid to give the generic a chance.
I am a 64-year-old who has been taking Concerta 36 mg since it was introduced (10 years ago?) with good results (I took ritalin twice daily prior to that for about five years, after I was diagnosed at age 49 with ADHD).
Four weeks ago, I picked up my Rx script at my doctor’s and took it to be filled at my usual pharmacy…and didn’t notice what I was sold was apparently the new generic “exact same” Concerta. Several days into the regimen, however, I was feeling so different—noting none of the usual stream of late morning focus—or qualities that usually have sustained me through the day; I also was was becoming irritated, argumentative, and sharp (qualities I left behind 15 years ago when I started treatment for ADHD), and much more easily overwhelmed by tasks at hand than I have been in years.
I went back to look at my Rx and paperwork…sure enough, the druggist had hand-written “new generic” on the bag (I had missed it), and my husband had paid only the cheaper co-pay (very different from the $40/month we have paid for Concerta)….then I looked more closely at the new pill. It was generally the same shape, but the Alza type seemed less black and clear, and, if memory serves, the capsules looked a bit different—not as white? perhaps not quite as large? I decided I needed to stick it out for the month to see if the situation improved. It didn’t. It was a very long month that ended today.
I am out of town right now while I’ve been reading these comments for the first time, and I can’t wait to get home to check the “new generic” —I think I have one pill left—against “the real thing” that I went back to my doctor’s four days ago to get re-issued after a really crummy month on the substitute. The “real thing” surely looks crisply printed and very white. I’ll know tomorrow if I am back to my old Concerta self when I start the new batch. The Watson pill may be an “exact” replica, but with the month I put in taking it each day, I think there absolutely has to be something different—at the very least in the efficacy of drug delivery (which is, I thought, the unique difference Concerta offered over other forms of methylphenidate).
How can there be “a reverse placebo effect” if I didn’t know in advance of trying the new version that it was being substituted? I know the very different feelings I experienced (or didn’t) in my behavior, mood, and attention last month were not imagined (my husband, for one, started wondering if I had reverted to my pre-treatment days after 15 years of better moods and focus). I am very relieved to be going back on the real Concerta, and have notes all over my house to remind my doctor that she must write EVERY month a “BRAND NECESSARY. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE” order on my script. (And, while I think of myself as reasonably astute about free enterprise, the power of Big Pharma, and patent protection, I can’t for the life of me figure out why and how Watson gained such a concession from J&J to be supplied with and market “the exact same pill” as a generic until the patent protection ends. What’s the point? What am I missing?)
I am a 44 year old female who was recently diagnosed with ADD. My psychiatrist prescribed 36 mg of concerta in march 2011, there was an immediate, positive effect. In April the doctor increased my dosage to 56 mg of concerta, things were great. My only side effects were dry mouth and slight anxiety. In May I received an RX for 56mg methylphindate ER. This change was made without my knowledge and not realized until I returned home. The pills are white, obglong shaped with alza 36 stamped on it. I was thrilled with the reduced co-pay, and never gave it a second thought.
A few days passed and I started to feel differently. I experienced headaches, and seemed to run out of gas around 4pm. As the days passed, I continued to feel bad. I experienced waves of nausea through out the day. My anxiety levels started to increase and I noticed a tightening in my chest. To me, it felt like anxiety. My pulse rate and blood pressure were normal.
I contacted my psychiatrist who suggested I start taking 5 mg of Lexapro in am and 5 mg at night for depression and anxiety. With my symptoms increasing in strength and frequency, I contacted my doctor again. He reduced the RX to 36 mg. I went to the pharmacy and received 36 mg of Methylphenidate ER. I experienced a severe migraine and nausea, actually vomiting the first day. My symptoms persisted.
I went to my Medical doctors office on Tuesday and had the nurse check BP and pulse, both normal. 62 bpm and 112/72. I scheduled an appointment for Friday (today). I shared my new side effects with my doctor. It was decided that I would drop to 27 mg of Concerta. I didn’t share with him that I had started taking the generic, as I assumed it was the same medication.
Tonight at the pharmacy I shared my concerns with the pharmacist. She noted the change from concerta to methlyphenidate. She said that she wasn’t even aware there was a generic for concerta. She did some research and explained that it was just released in May. She said that I shouldn’t assume that the medications would release the same way. That when you purchase concerta you are purchasing a timed released formula that may release the medication differently than the generic.
Like a light switch, my reaction to the medication changed. I have experienced waves of nausea (more prevalent after movement), dizziness, headaches, become tongue tied on occasion, experienced depression and feel like I have swollen eyes.
I have at my bedside, a brand new bottle of 27 mg of Concerta. I cannot wait to see if these symptoms go away. I am completely baffled at the changes I’ve experienced in the last four weeks. Ive been researching this topic the last two hours and I see that I am not alone. Something is going on.
I made a mistake above when I referenced the 56 mg pills marked as 36. I was referencing the wrong bottle.
Hi…
Just a quick update. I’m now two days back on CONCERTA. I can already feel a difference……more today than yesterday. I haven’t felt dizzy or sick once. I also have no “waves” through-out the day.
I think I am going to stay on the 27mg of Concerta for the next two weeks, if I continue to feel good, I will go back up to my original dosage.
Also, I realize this is far from scientific. But I took three half bottles of water and dropped a 36mg and 54mg of the generic in different bottles, I also dropped a 27 mg of Concerta in the third. I realize straight H20 is not the same as our stomachs. But I can assure you, the rate and way these pills dissolved were very different.
Osmosis is driven by differences in solute concentration. The greenish material inside a concerta acts like a sponge so to speak and absorbs water, which slowly pushes the active ingredient out of a small laser drilled hole on the opposite end of the capsule.
The “more pure” (less dissolved solutes) the liquid surrounding the capsule the faster the process. By using just water, the results you have observed are not at all physiologically relevant.
My son is also been on the generic for one month and has had horrible behavioral changes. I really feel that there is a real problem with the generic and I paid the same copay?
Similar to all the stories above, my 8 year old son who has been on 36mg of concertta for the last year was switched without warning to the generic. I ask him daily how he is feeling and he claims he feels normal. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I do see a difference in his behavior. He seems more argumentative and less capable to manage his impulses. I am very grateful for this blog, because I was not sure what to do. Now I know that I am going to call our doctor and ask for a brand specific script. The cost differential is not worth throwing away a year of success.
I have been reading consistently negative reports regarding the concerta generic. I noticed a positive report from Brianna and therefore urge the mom to look at the labeling on the generic pill. One pharmacy that I went to gave me the ‘brand’ but had the generic name on the label. That may be why you are not noticing and difference in your child’s behavior.
My son has been taking Concerta for a number of years with very positive results. In fact, my husband has taken it at one point also but does much better on the brand Ritalin tablets. I am not about to allow my son’s like to be complicated any more because he cannot get the necessary medication that he needs. I am urging everyone to please report your negative experiences to the manufacturer as well as the FDA. If they insist that your child has to be kept on the generic medication, than maybe Medadate CD would be a good alternative. There is not a generic equivalent. If that fails, than apply for SSI benefits and ask for an out of district school placement because your child will need more supervision!!
For Jeff Klosterman -
I read your post and just wanted to let you know that Concerta is Ritalin – just in a time-released form. Your new generic prescription for your Concerta should be labeled “Methylphenidate ER (for Extended-Release) and your son’s should just read “Methylphenidate. I know it can be confusing, but i hope that helps clarify a little bit.
Brianna – yes, that clears things up a lot. Thank you so much. No one ever explained that to me. I simply didn’t understand why they were given us basically the same medicine with different names. It looks like the “time-released” part is the only difference. Thanks again for the clarification, that did help me understand it much better.
I just picked this stuff up over the weekend. And boy it seems to have a kick when you first take it. This makes me really nervous, as I am also mildly epileptic.
But then again, I’ve heard that the patent on Concerta itself has been invalidated in the US.
I am a general pediatrician who treats a relatively large number of ADHD patients (I take referrals from other pediatricians).
First of all, I’m very familiar with the way that the Concerta capsule works. A detailed explanation actually involves a fair amount of calculus and physical chemistry, but I’ll spare you those details.
30% of the dose coats the capsule, giving immediate onset of action. The shell is a special water-permeable plastic that allows water to enter. You cannot crush it and it does not dissolve. Inside there are three layers of medication from the top to the bottom of the capsule. In the first layer, the amount of drug increases from the front of the capsule to the back. In the next layer, the amount of drug stays constant. The third layer is a resin that absorbs water and expands slowly as it does so, pushing the other two layers through the laser-drilled hole in the front end of the capsule. The medication is released over a period of eight hours, which gives most patients 10-12 hours of effect. I was rather surprised to learn that it had become available as a generic, since the technology itself is what is under patent, not the medication inside it.
I have had mixed experiences with generic “CONCERTA” in my practice. Some parents have reported good effect and some have reported poor responses. I have not noticed any features that predict whether a given patient will respond well or poorly to the generic vs. the brand.
My advice to parents who find that they are receiving the generic is to give it a try and talk to me if it’s not working as well. I’ve found that a dose increase (e.g 36mg of the generic vs. 27mg of the band) often fixes the problem. I do, however, run into a logistical issue because I do not know which one will be dispensed until after I write the prescription!
The problem with methylphenidate is that it has a very narrow “therapeutic index.” That means that the margin between “not enough medication” and “too much medication” is quite tight. In addition, different patients respond differently to the same dose, or the same formulation. I have a patient doing very well on “METADATE CD” who responded very poorly to “CONCERTA,” even though they are the same medication.
So in the end, my advice to patients and parents is to give it a try, and if you are unhappy with the result, call your doctor to discuss the matter and come up with solutions to the problem.
Dr. Ginsberg,
Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience. I’m glad to hear you are treating and helping so many people with ADHD!
Thank you both soooooooo much!!!! This whole process of trying to find a medication that worked right for my 10yr old son has been very stressful, and the $60 price tag while I’m sure very reasonable is still very hard as a single parent. When I was told about the generic, naturally I said yes please, mainly due to cost. Then I started to do the reasearch, and got scared. My li’l man has been doing sooooooo well that the thought of ruining that scared me. However, after reading the advice on here, and calling both the pediatrician and pharmacist I decided to give it a try. It is hard because unfortunately by the time I get home in the evening it has already started to slightly wear off so I look forward to the weekend to see how it works. Thank you though for helping me to realize that I’m not alone in my feelings or fears, and also for your professional opinions. You will never lnow how much it has helped.
Janine — Yes, the label reads generic (methylphenidate er), but the pill itself is the same as the brand name concerta (the pill says Alza — same as before). This is because the generic is supposed to be the exact same medication made in the same factory as the brand name until 2014, at which time Watson Labs can then manufacture their own generic version. Right now my understanding from all I have read is that the medication should be the same.
I was very excited about the generic becomming available. Concerta is very expensive. When I picked up the generic brand I only save $20.00. What is whith that>
My 8 year old son has only been on Concerta for 3 months. The first two months were great! Finally we had some improvement at home and in school. When I picked up his third month it was the “generic” (I put that in quotes because according to the FDA website “There are no Therapeutic Equivalents”). Before the first day was over I noticed a difference. But since my kids were out of school for the summer, I just thought it was due to that. After a week, things had gotten worse. I decided to make an appointment with his doctor. The first appointment they had was 2 weeks out. In those 2 weeks things got even worse! He started complaining of headaches and his behavior was really bad (bouncing off the wall, talking excessively, just uncontrollable). Yesterday the doctor tells me that there is no generic for Concerta. I was confused because the pharmacist told me it was the generic. The doctor said that the pharmacy should not have given him anything other than Concerta! I am really mad! Today he started back on Concerta and I have noticed a complete difference!! I have done a lot of research in the past hour and am going to take this further. I wonder how many other parents this is effecting…
What my thinking is that these “Watson” generics are manufactured and packaged the same way as the brand name Concerta (with the OROS system), but it seems as though these are kind of like those articles of clothing you get at outlet malls–deficient in some way which lends to its reduced price. I don’t have empirical evidence to support this but it seems that Ortho is obligated to provide Watson with these tablets and I wonder if the quality assurance is as scrupulous as those that bear the Concerta brand name.
In my personal experience I have noticed that the 36mg generics that were surreptitiously substituted seemed inferior in terms of delivery (muted effect) and there was an unusual growling in the stomach shortly after taking the dose. There was no such upset stomach when on name. So there does seem to be a slight difference, and I wonder if the binders used or formula is identical or if there are some corners cut to save costs and out of resentment for the court proceedings.
I am an adult who has been taking Concerta for two years with great success and just received the Generic version this week. I was told it was the exact same medication and the pills looked exactly the same so I was happy a it was slightly cheaper (only $10 cheaper). However, this entire week has been a nightmare for me. I have had a severe migraine all week, I’ve been unable to concentrate at all, cold sweats, dizziness, exhaustion and have been extremely emotional. I went to my doctor today and he wrote me a new script for the name brand only. The pills look the same and I keep hearing they are made by the same company so I don’t understand the HUGE difference I had. All I know is this generic medication is the only thing that changed this week. I haven’t missed work in over a year and I have missed two days this week. The days I did work I accomplished nothing, couldn’t concentrate. Maybe they are the same but I will never try the generic again no matter how much the original costs. This has been the worst week of my life in the past few years.
I just wanted to update everyone. I received a new script of the “Name Brand” Concerta on Friday and I’m back to normal. No more migraine, nausea, dizziness, or exhaustion. Those of you with children taking the Generic and having problems, rest assured you are right. I’m an adult who had a bad reaction to this generic and it’s a horrible feeling. I can’t imagine a child going through what I did for a week. Too those who are taking the generic and not having issues I am glad! For some reason my body did not react well at all. Thank you for your posts and letting me know I am not alone and that I am not crazy!
I am thankful to have access to this blog. We live in Florida and have an 11 year old son with ADHD who takes Concerta 36 mg. He does very well on this and tonight the pharmacist mentioned filling it with the generic. I had not been following this blog lately and just told them not to..fill it with the name brand based on the Canada information I had read earlier on this blog regarding the generic. I thought I’d do some research on the US version fist before switching him (it would be less expensive). After seeing the responses, I’m not sure what to do now. He starts 6th grade in a new school (middle school) this year so I think we will stay with the name brand for the year and maybe try this next summer when school is out. It definitely sounds like the Canadian version is not the same but seems like the US version may not dispense the medicine in the same manner. Thanks for sharing your experiences with everyone!
My young child was also changed to generic from name brand Concerta ER. Within a few days she was talking excessively, angry, aggressive, argumentative, her handwriting went from being neat to scribbling, and she finally pushed her hands through our front storm door in anger.
It was apparent that the medication wasn’t working property, but I didn’t understand why until I read the label and remembered they replaced her name brand with generic.
We made an emergency call to the doctor and will be picking up our new script in the morning for name brand Concerta ER. Now we’re just hoping the insurance company will come on board to pay since it was only a few days ago that we acquired the generic version. If not, the prescription will be over $200 per month.
I find it shameful that children (and adults) are suffering at the hands of a generic that pharmacists are required to fill with unless the script reads “dispense as written.”
Our child is too young to adequately express or explain what she is feeling, so we were left watching her go berserk before we understood the issue. For all the steps she has made forward in impulse control, etc….., she has taken a huge step backward in how she feels about herself in just a few short days. She was so proud to have some control when she was on name brand Concerta……..and we are angry for her.
We will be calling the manufacturer and the FDA tomorrow. I urge everyone who is experiencing an issue with the generic version of Concerta to make the call as well.
I wanted to add that we filed a complaint with the FDA and contacted Watson. The person at Watson said they have been receiving many, many calls regarding the generic form not working like name brand does.
Our doctor wrote a script for name brand and insurance paid it. Now to get our little girl going again…..
I’m 30 years old, married with a 21 month old daughter. I got diagnosed with ADD 8 months ago and after reading “Delivered from distraction” could definitely see myself as an adult with ADD (being uninformed I actually laughed at the initial diagnosis).
So I started on 18mg Concerta, which went up to 72mgs which is was working great. My husband and mom couldnt believe the difference, since ironically my biggest issue was anxiety – apparently due to the learned behavious of trying to keep all my ducks in a row, all the time. I would just never allow myself to relax.
Anyways, this is my first time on any blog so just wanted to share that.
Unknown to me I also got switched to the generic in May. Looks the same, so who knew. I’m usually a big fan of generics and substitute for the generic wherever possible. But oh man, was this a disaster… And worst is I didnt know what was causing the change, since I didnt even know about the generic. I was questioning my life, my ability to be a parent, my job suffered and I was so anxious and nasty to the ppl I love. I’d gone up to drinking 8 cups of coffee a day just to try and focus, stuffing sugar down my throat, rolling around for 10 hrs a night and still being tired, not to mention the headaches and general feeling to crawl under a bed and hide from the world.
Last week, I believe my angel wispered in my ear that it might be the generic medication. I spoke to my pharmacist, researched online and everything I found told me I’m wrong and the medication is not the issue.
Thank you all SO much for sharing on this blog, now I can finally say “see, it’s not me losing it, the meds really aren’t working the same!” I can only see my Dr in another 2 weeks, but at least I can explain to my family what’s going on.
My 10 year old son is having the same problems with the generic Concerta. I was told it was a “clone” meaning it is the real Concerta only being manufactured by Watson, but in the same factory as the brand name. However, he is very moody, hyperactive, and the medicine is wearing off earlier than the brand name does. I asked for a new rx stating “do not substitute”. I filled it tonight, but not without a fight from the pharmacy. They tried to push the generic on the basis I stated above, and they said they would have to “eat” the other pills because they are not ordering or able to get the name brand Concerta anymore??? Sounds strange to me! What worries me is the fact that the pills look the same…..so how do I know if they didn’t slip me the generics and just label the bottle as Concerta? I will give the new supposed brand name to my son tomorrow and see if all goes back to normal. I am glad I am not the only one who is experiencing this, and I called the Watson company and filed a report with the number from this website.
Thank you all, SO much, for blogging about this. My son has had amazing success with Concerta since being diagnosed with ADHD nearly 2 years ago. Our insurance (United Healthcare–$975 premiums per month for 3 people!) has charged us the maximum allowable copay ($50-$75 per month), which we have struggled but are HAPPY to pay, considering the positive effects for our son’s quality of life. When we heard that the generic was coming out, we were very relieved and eagerly awaited our $15 copay. I had no idea about any drug inferiority until today-finding this blog. Perhaps the first month was better because we were financially relieved, but there’s no doubt in my mind now after 2 months that we have been reliving much of the past nightmare of undiagnosed ADHD. Not only have I misinterpreted drug inferiority for him not doing his part to work with the medication on impulse control, but the second month copay for the GENERIC equivalent was $100! My insurance company explained they had changed the generic from “Tier 1 to Tier 3″ medication, meaning they have decided to charge even more for it than the name-brand.
After an hour on the phone with the United Healthcare in tears, questioning how they could do this to an 8 year old boy, the best they could say was to file an appeal to hope for an override and more copay coverage, but the odds were not good. In the meantime, we are to pay cash for a couple of weeks of medication while we hope our insurance company has mercy–now $85 for 2 weeks of pills!
I got online this morning to research buying the generic from Canada to see if there’s any way we can avoid changing his meds and after reading this I am at a total loss as to what to do. One thing is for sure, I am not going to pay more for a generic medication that is clearly not working–and my idea of possibly buying it from Canada is out the window because I’ve realized here that the stress of the past 2 months is not just financial, but physical because the medication is not working as the name-brand has for the last couple of years.
How can these people do this to anyone-mentally, financially or physically-let alone children? Legally how can this happen?
My son has taken the generic form with absolutely no differences what so ever. It’s like it’s the same drug.
Just wanted to give people the knowledge that it can be the same. He’s doing wonderfully.
Hi, I’m 20 years old and I’ve been on 54mg of Concerta for about 3 years now. I just got my prescription filled for Concerta and got the generic form and wasn’t too concerned until I started breaking out in blisters. I went to the ER and they informed me that it is from switching medication so I had to immediately stop taking it. I also felt no difference while taking the generic, I just want Concerta back!! The blisters have since stop growing in size, but a couple still pop up as the generic gets out of my system.
I was on the US generic Concerta for a month. I keep a journal, and had written several times during the month “…it’s like the Concerta isn’t working at all.” I didn’t even think about the generic issue because it’s supposed to be identical. But my wife and daughter said I was scattered, down, and angry. Toward the end of the month, I ran out of the generic before I got a refill, so I took one of my “reserves” I keep in my briefcase in case I forget to take it in the morning. By midday on that day, I felt way different. More focused, calmer, and more optimistic. Big difference. I pondered the cause, then realized the reserve was the name brand, not the generic. I called the pharmacy and switched the refill back to the name brand, even though the copay was higher. The pharmacist told me they had heard similar stories from other adults on Concerta. I have been back on the name brand for a week and the difference in focus, mood, and productivity has been huge. My family confirms this, even unsolicited. This is all anecdotal evidence, but strong enough for me to continue paying a higher Copay for the name brand and refusing the generic.
I should add that I had been on 54mg of the name brand Concerta for 5 years prior to the 1 month on the US generic, and I had never before thought or written that the Concerta just wasn’t working. This only occurred on the generic. I have been back on the name brand for about 3 weeks and the difference is very noticeable.
My son takes Concerta 18MG ER. I went to the pharmacy today to get it filled with the generic version and received Methylphenidate 18MG ER. The bottle says it’s the generic equivalent for Concerta. Our insurance says we pay $10 for generic so that’s why I filled it will generic however, I was charged $30.19 for it. I called our insurance company and they said that the ER version of Concerta is NOT considered generic because all Watson did was change the name and we would NOT be able to get his medication under the generic price. Please be aware of this when getting your prescriptions filled.
my daughter has been on the ‘generic’ concerta 36mgs for 3 mos and her symptoms are magnified…she has a very pessimistic attitude and her grades in school are plummeting which is something thats never happened before now. I also believe this is a concerta that is not passing quality control though mcneil and therefore able to be labeled the same because it manufactured the same when its not the same…I started at 18mgs which was the does she had always taken…now we are at 36mgs and its like she’s on speed…something needs to give…I will be calling for a new script tomorrow and I will insist that generic sub is not allowed. When I look up on my pharmacy benefits website there are 2 available. the real deal and the ‘generic’
I, like many others had not known my RX was switched to generic.I have been taking concerta for 7 years and could not have been happier. I have been on the generic for about 8 weeks and was feeling really lightheaded around 1:00 and just not feeling myself. It wasn’t until a friend this past weekend was asking me Qs about the generic concerta. She was saying her daughter was having side effects similar to what what I was having when I once tried the Dytrana patch to see if I could get a longer day out of the medication. I was having Panic attacks, violent nightmares, sweating and hives after a few days. I remember going to my Dr. afterwords and telling him my reaction to the patch. I aslo said to him ” I can’t ever imagine being a child and just thinking I was having bad nightmares !! “So, I started reading blogs about new generic concerta..
I decided to look at my 90 day mail RX and saw it was the generic. What I did not realize until that evening was the hives I have been getting for past two months that I thought was a new alergy I developed, was caused by the drug. I would have never thought of the concerta.. for 7 years of having no side effects why would they start now? I stopped taking the medication and the hives went away. I’m back on concerta and what a difference !!
I do get hives from a lot a different medications that are very strong. So, for people that are saying it is the same exact pill..it’s not !! My Dr. said he had several people saying it’s just not working.
My daughter who is 11 started taking concerta last Jan. and was a new child in school. I did not give it to her during the summer. When I started back the week before school she said to me that it is not working like it did last year. I just thought she may need to be brought to 54 instead of 36.
We I looked at the co pay and the generic is 10.00 more than the concerta !! My ins. co said because it’s time released it was not be charged like a generic. So, if the generic is not going to be cheaper why do we need to have it ?
Wow after reading all these stories I really do think I need to talk to my doctor. If this is the solution to the recent problems and being written up at work for being multiple times I will be very excited. It will be worth even an extra $100/month to remove all the unwanted side effects. I need to be able to function and be happy.