7/2010. Generic (Barr) adderall not working as well, so just got Brand, but also Barr. Any dif?
42 yr old. recently diag ADHD. been taking 15mg 3x day for 2 months... but not working as well now. however, had surgery (2 weeks ago) and been taking hyrocodone 1-2 pills each evening for about 2 weeks. Would that interfere with Adderall's daytime benefits? Pain is tolerable now, so don't need the hydro. Just really appreciate the benefits of feeling "normal" with the Adderall.
Generic Adderrall. Any difference to brand?
Question posted by Anonymous on 28 July 2010
Last updated on 2 September 2011
Answers
suzanne66
29 July 2010
Adderall (amphetamine and dextroamphetamine) is a prescription medication that is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy.
Adderall is manufactured by Shire US Inc.
Adderall XR is a long acting form and at present is not available as a generic.
The patent is not due to expire until 2018.
A patent blocks a company from manufacturing a generic form.
Several different manufacturers make a generic Adderall.
Some of these companies include:
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd.
Eon Labs
Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals.
Generic Adderall is available in the following strengths:
Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine 5 mg tablets
Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine 7.5 mg tablets
Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine 10 mg tablets
Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine 12.5 mg tablets
Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine 15 mg tablets
Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine 20 mg tablets
Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine 30 mg tablets.
All generic medications must undergo certain tests to compare them to brand-name medications. Based on test results the fda has assigned an "ab" rating to all the generic amphetamine-dextroamphetamine products. This means all the generic amphetamine-dextroamphetamine products should be therapeutically equivalent to Adderall. Generic drugs can have different inactive ingredients than their brand name equivalents. This can include dyes, fillers or other ingredients which may cause problems for some people who are sensitive or have allergies.
Inactive
29 July 2010
sorry if I wasn't clear. Just went out of my way to find brand name Adderall 15mg, only to find it's now made by Barr too, as is the generic. Any difference between the two?
MINIxMinnie
29 July 2011
Sorry to reply so late, but I found your post when searching for an alternative to the Barr Brand generic for Adderall since my insurance company does not cover the brand name. Sorry for the length... I just know when reading others post that specific details help if you are in a similar situation. :)
I have been using the generic equivalent of Adderall for the last 6 months or so and gradually found my best dose to be 30 mg, taken 2 (sometimes 3) times a day. (I felt like 40 mg would be ideal, though). I had been on this dosage for 3 months. Finally, for the first time at my current job, instead of being an airhead slacker, I was winning awards and was quickly becoming a top performer. However, last week, I open my newly refilled prescription bottle and though the pills were the same color, except that they were round and not oval like my usual pills.
I immediately read the paperwork included with the prescription and verified that the description of the tablet listed was the medicine I received. It was. Okay. I need my meds, so I gave it a shot.
The first day, I noticed that all of the side effects I had seemed worse (clenched teeth, tightness in chest, faster heart rate, slight agitation) and I didn't seem to have nearly as much benefit. I had trouble staying at my desk while at work, and when I was there, I was not productive. At all. Since my sleep tends to affect how well I can focus, I thought that perhaps this was the case for that day and decided to keep taking the new generic brand.
It was terrible. The side effects were magnified (clenched teeth, rapid heart rate, edginess, insomnia, and more) and I received very few of the benefits. My pharmacist insisted that the pills were exactly the same, only produced by a different manufacturer. My doctor said that there is a percentage of active ingredients that the generics must contain in order to meet the criteria to be a substitution. My pharmacist disagreed. He said the active ingredients must be a very specific formula, but that the inactive ingredients cause people to react differently and the body's uptake may be different. He told me that what I had been taking was manufactured by Barr and are no longer being produced. He said that some large pharmacies may have stockpiles of this brand, but that his pharmacy (which is a MAJOR drugstore chain) had finally run out.
My doctor offered to write a Rx and indicate that the brand name is medically necessary, but mentioned that many, if not most, insurance companies do not cover this and I may have to pay out of pocket. My pharmacy couldn't give me an exact cost without a prescription, but estimated the cost to be about $150- give or take. I enjoy my fast-paced analytical job, but not THAT much!
According to the research I have done in the last few days, most posts I have read agree that the Adderall brand is best if you can afford to take it or it is covered under your insurance. Every post that I have read agree that Barr is the best of the generics, and now that it is nearly impossible to find (believe me, I have called around!) I don't know what I am going to do. My doc gave me 2 week sample of Strattera. I know that everyone is different and some people have much success with it, but I don't want to try something new when I have already found something that I like and that works for me.
I am currently working with my insurance company and doctor to see if I can get "Adderall" (the real deal) covered under the plan. Apparently, if the doc lists the brand name as "medically necessary" and answers a check-list to see if the medication qualifies, insurance will cover a portion of the payment. I'm crossing my fingers that it will be approved and I'm hoping that all of you that may read this post find something that works for you, especially if you were formerly using the Barr generic as I was.
I hope this helps.
PS. I hope this post made sense. If you are ADHD too, I know you may have trouble with such a long post, as I had trouble writing it all at once. I wrote it in stages at a time since I am still currently taking the "generic-generic" as I like to call it. Thanks for understanding!
MINIxMinnie
29 July 2011
Sorry to reply so late, but I found your post when searching for an alternative to the Barr Brand generic for Adderall since my insurance company does not cover the brand name. Sorry for the length... I just know when reading others post that specific details help if you are in a similar situation. :)
I have been using the generic equivalent of Adderall for the last 6 months or so and gradually found my best dose to be 30 mg, taken 2 (sometimes 3) times a day. (I felt like 40 mg would be ideal, though). I had been on this dosage for 3 months. Finally, for the first time at my current job, instead of being an airhead slacker, I was winning awards and was quickly becoming a top performer. However, last week, I open my newly refilled prescription bottle and though the pills were the same color, except that they were round and not oval like my usual pills.
I immediately read the paperwork included with the prescription and verified that the description of the tablet listed was the medicine I received. It was. Okay. I need my meds, so I gave it a shot.
The first day, I noticed that all of the side effects I had seemed worse (clenched teeth, tightness in chest, faster heart rate, slight agitation) and I didn't seem to have nearly as much benefit. I had trouble staying at my desk while at work, and when I was there, I was not productive. At all. Since my sleep tends to affect how well I can focus, I thought that perhaps this was the case for that day and decided to keep taking the new generic brand.
It was terrible. The side effects were magnified (clenched teeth, rapid heart rate, edginess, insomnia, and more) and I received very few of the benefits. My pharmacist insisted that the pills were exactly the same, only produced by a different manufacturer. My doctor said that there is a percentage of active ingredients that the generics must contain in order to meet the criteria to be a substitution. My pharmacist disagreed. He said the active ingredients must be a very specific formula, but that the inactive ingredients cause people to react differently and the body's uptake may be different. He told me that what I had been taking was manufactured by Barr and are no longer being produced. He said that some large pharmacies may have stockpiles of this brand, but that his pharmacy (which is a MAJOR drugstore chain) had finally run out.
My doctor offered to write a Rx and indicate that the brand name is medically necessary, but mentioned that many, if not most, insurance companies do not cover this and I may have to pay out of pocket. My pharmacy couldn't give me an exact cost without a prescription, but estimated the cost to be about $150- give or take. I enjoy my fast-paced analytical job, but not THAT much!
According to the research I have done in the last few days, most posts I have read agree that the Adderall brand is best if you can afford to take it or it is covered under your insurance. Every post that I have read agree that Barr is the best of the generics, and now that it is nearly impossible to find (believe me, I have called around!) I don't know what I am going to do. My doc gave me 2 week sample of Strattera. I know that everyone is different and some people have much success with it, but I don't want to try something new when I have already found something that I like and that works for me.
I am currently working with my insurance company and doctor to see if I can get "Adderall" (the real deal) covered under the plan. Apparently, if the doc lists the brand name as "medically necessary" and answers a check-list to see if the medication qualifies, insurance will cover a portion of the payment. I'm crossing my fingers that it will be approved and I'm hoping that all of you that may read this post find something that works for you, especially if you were formerly using the Barr generic as I was.
I hope this helps.
PS: I hope this post made sense to you, since I just reread my post! If you are ADHD too, I know you may have trouble with such a long post, as I had trouble writing it all at once. I wrote it in stages at a time since I am still currently taking the "generic-generic" as I like to call it. Thanks for understanding!
PPS: OMG! I think I posted this in the wrong place! I just read the ORIGINAL post again. I must have been distracted since I had to register to post. I was about to delete the whole post, but decided to leave it incase it may help someone. Plus, it reiterates the fact that I have no idea what I am doing on this very poor excuse for Adderall. ;)
MINIxMinnie
29 July 2011
Just read my post along with the ORIGINAL post. OMG. I posted this after the wrong post. I think. Maybe I just missed the part about Adderall name brand also being manufactured by Barr. I was about to delete my response when I thought that it may help someone. Plus it took me all day (on and off!) Sorry again. Can you imagine when I don't have any medication at all? I surely hope I can get the real thing soon.
Right80
2 Sep 2011
there is a brand called COREPHARMA. They are awful! The pills are round and pink with a crossing on the back. What They "report" to the FDA is not what they put in thir meds! they will be CAUGHT!!! THAT IS NOT RIGHT. i will tell anyone who listens. The pharmacy ALREADY KNOWES DO NOT GIVE ME COREPHARMA!!! IF i go to a new phar i ask beforehand. i had a situation with Walgreens. They told me they filled with barr and gave me that RAT POISON COREPHARMA!!! I RAISED *&^%! (IN a very nice way) and they actually switched out. He said he will cnt those as "salvaged" flush or dispose and gave me the right kind. i have reported Corepharma to the FDA. I am going to follow up with a letter to the DEA and FBI. They really need to be investigated.. its not just the dsg. even their oval "blue" generic adrl is the same way. ...
Hidding under tables looking over my shoulder??? Really Corepharma? you say the ingredients "are the same"? I have ADD, I am low attention span, not low intelligence! They R such LIARS!!! Adderall is not sopposed to do that. i never exp that with TEVA or Barr. Are they the same? Their meds look the same? Anyway, Corepharma should be ashamed of themselves... it NEVER pays to be dishonest!
Related topics
Further information
- Adderall uses and safety info
- Adderall prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Adderall (detailed)
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