Adderall Generics Thread (Page 3)

Hey guys. Most of us are probably in the same boat--our Adderall doesn't work and it's horrible and we can't function well and it's bull**** and we all know that, but there are other threads/forums to vent frustration. We need a thread with the basics to help us all get going again or to know what to avoid (even though that seems like all of them these days, ha.) PLEASE POST THE FOLLOWING: 1. MANUFACTURER OF YOUR RECENT ADDERALL PRESCRIPTION 2. XR OR IR? HOW MANY MG? COLOR/SHAPE/IMPRINT? (if possible) 3. ***PHARMACY NAME*** AND MONTH/YEAR OF SCRIPT 4. YOUR LOCATION (if you are comfortable with that) 5. SIDE EFFECTS/SYMPTOMS. GOOD? BAD? Generally speaking, chain pharmacies use the same manufacturer at all of their locations throughout the country and that will make it easier for us to either get a hold of that specific manufacturer's Adderall, OR to avoid it if it's a bad batch. Replies to other posts are allowed, but please try to stay on topic so that the thousands of people viewing this thread can easily keep track when they are going in for their monthly prescription. Thanks so much!

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REPORT

I hate the Aurobindos so much I drive to another town for Wallgreens for Tevas. I recently complained to:
"[email protected]" after finding their information in a chronic pain article about quality control of generic medications, how yanking stock causes backorders, etc. They replied and it didn’t seem like a canned response. I ask that anyone with generics that they think are crap please tell the FDA.

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The strange part about posting here is that (at first) I was seeking answers for why there is a huge, nationwide back-order for Adderall/generics. I recently switched back to Express Scripts (after I vowed I would never do mail-order again, over two years ago), because I have had a tough time filling my 20 mg tablets retail, for the past four months.

Hysterical.

Not only does Express Scripts not have my 20 mg tables, they have NO TABLETS, WHATSOEVER. None, people. That's like...unheard of! I guess it's back to cold-calling pharmacies, until someone claims to have what I need.

Anyway. But back to subject at hand.

I have been telling my husband for about six months or so that I don't feel great about my meds, neither the long- (30 mg) nor the short-acting (20 mg) pills seem to be working very well. Conversely, I've been lately feeling tired and depressed. No medication should flip efficacy like that. I take my meds consistently and responsibly and I have never felt a drop-off like this, not ever. I'm a real creature of habit, too: I use the same pharmacy, in the same town, wherever I live, and I don't like to bounce around AT ALL.
Anyone who takes controlled substances long-term knows how pharmacists pill-shame. But ya, I couldn't imagine why the drugs were not performing the that way that I expected them to, and now I know it's not just me. It's not just my brain changing every seven years (or whatever). It's certainly not resistance -- I voluntarily reduced my dose about four years ago, bc I thought it was time to see how I held up on less medication. I was fine, until (like I said) about six months ago. I was also unwilling to discuss this problem with my doctor before my last appointment, for fear that he would worry I had developed too high a tolerance. But with this recent shortage, and with the stress of getting the less effective generic brands, I finally let him know: "Hey, my meds are actually not holding up very well. I don't think I want to increase my dose, but I just thought you should know." He looked at me and said (with a knowing sort of tone), "Huh. Okay, well, that's not too unusual, not lately."

Gee. Great.

So, why is this happening? I read that the DEA or FDA (the powers that be, if you will) basically restricted the manufacturing of Adderall by 45%, over the past two years. I wonder why all of these agencies conspiring to withhold an already less effective pharmacological therapy from legitimate use, so that patients sometimes have no access to it at all? And they also seem to feel no need to tell physicians or prescribers about the changes. Wouldn't doctors consideration perhaps prescribing this medication to fewer new patients (at least), due to increased drug shortages? Doesn't that create a sort of moot therapeutic environment? Won't people seek illegal sources of these drugs, if they can't get what they need legally, and in their own country? I mean, I certainly don't plan on going that route, but trying to crash everyone who takes ADD meds into each other by basically putting them in competition for medication -- and forcing doctors to cobble together new prescription, month-to-month, based on what's available -- isn't that more of a public health risk, than creating an artificial restriction on legal access to this medication?

I have come to feel that the powers that be continue to needlessly waste time, money, and patient stability.
It puts a strain on us, our prescribers, and (yes) even the pharmacists. Never in 20 years of taking medication for ADHD have I ever experienced such a prolonged strain on the supply side, nor has the quality of the drugs I take been so low.

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30mg oval orange pills this month from CVS near Pittsburgh actually seems like a consistent batch. Meds are working while not putting me to sleep, it's a miracle....until next month....this is an absolute shame.

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Re: Karen (# 40)

Check Harris Teeter. I live in Fayetteville and that’s the only place I found them.

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30mg Adderall IR- Indiana/Illinois area Sandoz brand from CVS.
Works great for me and has changed my life within a week of switching from Teva/Barr and yes I’ve tried every other brand too even brand name car still choose Sandoz by far! 30mg tablets are on backorder at every Cvs I’ve been too had to go to 4 different Cvs to find one that said they only got it on accident and they weren’t scheduled to have more til October! So idk if it’s just 30mg I had no problem with 20mg but yah this is real and is on the FDA shortage list due to the dea blocking the amount allowed to treat afflicted patients and the fda is mad at them for causing this shortage—like Richard Nixon said “I can not tell a lie” thank your local police for regulating your medicine and throwing all your doctors in jail.

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Is it just me, or is adderall generic sandoz getting worse...? I am noticing no benefits only side effects of hyperfoucusing on it since around my last refill in july.

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What is the best generic Adderall available in IL? The Adderall they give now do the opposite of what they have EVER done in 8 years. I don't understand how pharmacies can do this/or the makers of generics? We need this medicine to feel right.

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1. Adderall XR generic manufacturer: Prasco

2.
30mg XR - Orange & clear capsule with visible beads
20mg XR - Solid orange capsule
10mg XR - Blue & clear capsule with visible beads

3. Filled at Kroger Pharmacy, most recently 09/2018

4. Toledo, Ohio

5. TL:DR - Prasco was helping at first but stopped helping a few months ago and now it makes me super demotivated and lethargic and makes my neck hurt. Feels sort of like it helps the hyperactive part of my adhd a bit but makes the inattentive part go in to overdrive so it levels out to just being useless.

I have been on 30mg XR (up until June 2018), and now on a 20mg XR and 10mg XR (started in August). All of which were Prasco brand. I am a newly diagnosed combination ADHD and have never been on name brand Adderall XR so my experience is all fairly recent and without a name-brand baseline.

Prior to April 2018 I had been on a few different generics of both XR and IR but was not recording data at the time because I did not realize generics were a giant mess.

The first month I was on the Prasco (April I think) I did not have any negative side effects, and felt that it helped a bit with my focus but not a lot which is what caused me to take note of the manufacturer and start trying to read about all the different ones.

In June after refilling the same script and again receiving prasco xr, I felt demotivated and without any focus. Focus feels just like it did before I was taking anything or maybe a little worse, but the demotivation was much worse. Unmedicated, my focus is everywhere and I am very high energy and all over the place. With this refill though, I was more of a sedate unfocused - Just a lot of kind of staring at the thing I was meant to be focused on while my mind wandered. And my impulse control was terrible, my ability to force myself to change tasks or start tasks was even worse than unmedicated. I wasn't sure if that was due to some change in meds or if it was something else going on with me at the time though.

For July, I switched meds ENTIRELY and took one of the ritalins which is not what that thread was about; Ritalin does not work for me so I had migraines and no focus, but it was kind of a move of desperation just to see if maybe I could get away from the inconsistency of the adderall. The demotivation was better on the ritalin though than on the generic adderall, and even though I was all over the place my ability to redirect my focus was better than the previous month.

For August, I switched to prasco generic adderall 20mg xr & 10mg xr so I could space them out instead of 30mg all at once. Same issue - No focus, demotivated. I've also been having issues with neck pain and muscle soreness, which I did not correlate but after having seen someone else mention this, I feel it's worth note since the issue started at the same time my response to the meds changed and that the pain went away during my month switch to ritalin.

Also, one specific behavior I exhibit has gotten WAAAAY worse on the current Prasco. Sometimes I get 'stuck' on ideas or in places and it's easiest to describe it with an example: Sometimes I stop at home depot with a project in mind but without any firm details, and I find myself spending hours there in sort of a mildly distressed state being unable to make any decisions and being unable to leave so I just wander around. Not even brain storming, my mind just kind of goes blank and I get stuck and can't move on and it's a big pain in the ass. This has gotten WAY worse, not so much when the Prasco is in my system, but during the post-medication fade after about 3PM. So much so that I will no longer go shopping by myself any time other than the morning, but I can't always control what things are going to set this off so I'm still getting stuck in other ways. It's so much worse that I really have to blame the Prasco, it's never been so bad in my life. It got better during my month on ritalin.

As I am sure you are all aware, it's really difficult to piece together information about these generics, but it looks like Prasco had a formula change around that time best I can see - I think they were previously distributing their own authorized generic, but then started distributing Teva's formulation under their name. If anyone knows if this is correct I'd love some clarity.

I really, really hope more people post in this thread with the correct above format, because it would be so helpful for trying to piece things together!

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Teva 20mg orange football shape, b973. Filled at Taylor drug/Utah. Have been on Every generic over 6 years, Teva has been the best besides the last year or so, but compared to Aurobindo and Mallickrodt it’s better. I usually fill at Walgreens and for some reason their Teva is awful. NEVER get Aurobindo. If you can find Sandoz or Teva you’ll be better off.

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I am plain miserable as you all are. Right now I am getting Teva from Walgreens. I swear they are sleeping pills! I get headaches & just don't feel good at all. Back in 2009 Adderal saved my life, I had been in a depression so bad, I talked to no one, I went nowhere, etc. My husband & mother died & was so alone missing them and didn't like life. When a Dr. in Madison, WI who gave me these, I felt so much better, it was a miracle. I started exercising, even eventually remarried. Moved to Belvidere, IL, in 2012 Uhg, it took forever to find a DR. to give me them, I take 20 mg 5 times daily. At first, I would drive half hour to Hi Vee store because they had Sandoz, which were the best then. They don't have them anymore and I can not find anything else that works. What can we do? I am almost back to where I started in 2008.

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This is the first time I’ve ever questioned whether my adderall prescription was a placebo, cheap, or just sucked.

This time, they looked different. I got it from the pharmacy inside my doctor’s office rather than Walgreens. Mistake. I always get generic, so that’s not the issue. Used to take XR’s but my insurance only covers IR’s now.

1) From online, it appears the manufacturer is Aurolife Pharma, LLC an Aurobindo Company
2) they are 30 mg, IR - round, peach (much lighter peach than normal) - quarter crossed on one side and imprinted “U31” on the other
3) I got them in my psychiatry office with their own local pharmacy, so I’d rather not say the name - but in Nebraska - got them October, 26, 2018
4) umm side effects = not s***

— I’ve been prescribed this dose for 4 years. I’m aware you build a tolerance, but I can still notice whether they’re working or not. After I got this filled and took them yesterday, I slept for 15 hours. That’s what happens when I run out of them for a few days too (dependence, I know). I’m prescribed 60mg per day. After not noticing anything after taking my normal 60mg, I took another one, so total of 90mg. Still nothing. I may call the pharmacy and question it, because these suck and aren’t worth it. I hope they aren’t full of fillers that can be harmful/toxic. I also noticed there was no taste to the pill whatsoever and it almost dissolved in my mouth before swallowing it.

In one forum I noticed someone who commented that there is absolutely no difference in generic brands when comparing manufacturers and it’s “all in everyone’s head”... then proceeded to call everyone meth-heads. No, if you have ADD, you’re going to notice if your medication isn’t doing its job. So please keep the negative opinions to yourself in that regard. Just want to know if anyone else has noticed this before I question the pharmacy about them. I don’t know why all the sudden their generics changed.

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Got Aurobindo one month, Teva the next, IR 20 mg, from CVS and Walgreen's respectively, both on the Central Coast of California. I would like to find a reputable lab to send these pills to as I am pretty sure they contain little to no amphetamines. Aurobindo pills literally made me fall asleep. Teva made me drowsy, unmotivated, depressed, and caused upper GI issues, even worse.

My theory is that the DEA/FDA/Big Pharma are conspiring to make sure that there is not only no more actual instant release amphetamines in these pills, but also to pack them with other substances that cause new physical symptoms, prompting us to go to the doctor to receive new diagnoses that require non-scheduled medications. For example, I can't count the number of times in the last few years that I've read about an ADHD patient on generic Adderall subsequently developing GERD and being prescribed PPIs.

And of course, anything we say about how generic Adderall does not work the way Shire's original brand name Adderall did is dismissed as "nocebo effect" or "tolerance". B.S. I found an expired brand name Shire Adderall and took it and it worked as advertised for my ADHD and narcolepsy symptoms. These new generics do not.

With the insane War on (Patients Prescribed) Opiates, is it any surprise that they are now targeting patients prescribed the other class of Schedule 2 medicines, i.e. stimulants, particularly amphetamines, albeit in a more sneaky manner, i.e. changing what is in our meds and not admitting to it, rather than just arresting doctors who are adequately treating patients for their pain and manipulating the public into demonizing opiates and acting as if marijuana is a cure-all?

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Re: DannyDowner (# 52)

What do you do in this situation? Ask your doctor/pharmacy if you got BS pills?? ... or question the quality of who they get them from? I’ve wanted to ask but have hesitated because it’s awkward. I don’t want to seem like an addict... but I’ve been taking these long term, therefore I’m dependent on them (apparently), so this bad ‘batch’ has really affected me mentally. I mean, this is the first time (month) this has happened... the generics all the past 8 years have been just fine.

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I called my pharmacy and asked. They were really cool and honest about it. They straight up told me they just switched companies where they get them from to Aurobindo because they’re “much cheaper.” I let her know that in my opinion they’re much cheaper because they are absolutely not worth it. She said I can come fill out a form explaining it so that they consider switching back to their former company.

My advice to you all about this topic would be to ask your pharmacy what manufacturing company they go through. On my bottle, it says Mfg: Aur — that’s how to know.

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Re: Mallory (# 53)

What I did was tell my psychiatrist that I prefer brand name medications. I showed her the thread on Teva zolpidem (Ambien) here AND on the People's Pharmacy when my pharmacy switched generic Zolpidem brands from a previous generic that worked, and when put on Adderall IR again last year (no brand name) only to find it not to work the way it did when I was on brand name last time, and telling her about how an old IR brand name I found DID, she realized something was up and suggested I try a brand name IR medication, or to write "dispense brand name only/prescribe as written" in the case of ADHD IR stimulant meds (like Ritalin IR and Focalin IR) that offer both brand name and generic. She'd also had other patients who had had problems with non equivalent generics for both Concerta and Wellbutrin, so this was not the first time she'd heard of the issue.

For IR stimulants that are brand name, there's Zenzedi, Evekeo, and the aforementioned brand name Ritalin and Focalin. I tried Zenzedi and it has worked a charm for my severe ADHD and average narcolepsy. It is VERY pricey but so worth it. By the way, if you are prescribed 5 or 10 mg and the price is cheap, the pharmacist is not giving you Zenzedi. They are giving you generic dextroamphetamine. In the case of Teva dextro (like Teva Adderall), it may put you to sleep, make you depressed, or cause physical side effects like GI symptoms. Brand name IR dextro is sold as Zenzedi in 2.5 mg, 7.5 mg, 15, 20, and 30 mg (maybe 25 too?) and will actually help ADHD/narcolepsy without depression, exhaustion, or causing irritation to other organs.

If you can't afford Zenzedi or Evekeo (heavier on the l-amp than 100 percent d-amp Zenzedi), I think brand name Ritalin is cheaper (if methylphenidate meds treat your ADHD and/or narcolepsy). Brand name Focalin, also a methylphenidate med (but all dextrometylphenidate and no levomethylphenidate) is more expensive than brand name Ritalin but less expensive than brand name Zenzedi (dextroamphetamine) or brand name Evekeo (half levoamphetamine, half dextroamphetamine).

If the original brand name Adderall worked for you but the crap generics don't, you can combine Evekeo and Zenzedi at a 25 percent/75 percent ratio to make brand name Adderall. So, if you were on 15 mg Adderall, your doctor would give you 10 mg Zenzedi and 5 mg Evekeo. I found the lack of levoamphetamine in Zenzedi made me feel less sleepy, paradoxically, but we are all different.

Good luck!

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My TEVA 30mg Adderall IR (D-AMPHETAMINE SALT COMBO 30MG TABS) this month is exceptional. Been struggling for over a year with these stupid generics, usually getting TEVA and it barely worked and came with such negative side effects. I would get MYLAN from Sam's Club last year, and it worked well, though a 30mg felt more like a 20mg. But it didn't have the negative side effects and as of like January they would no longer special order them for me.

Anyway, something has changed because this TEVA batch is working. I got it from Walgreens in Colorado. No irrational depression. No irrational anxiety. No irrational fatigue, lethargy, and sleeping 14 hours. I had heard nothing on any forum recommending this, I was expecting crap again, but with the first dose I was like...holy wow. It's been four days now and each day has been better than any Adderall day I can remember in the last year.

I've gone off Adderall twice in the last year because of the bad generics, but I'm prescribed it for treatment resistant depression. My depression is HORRIBLE without the Adderall. Like...yeah, you don't even want to know. With the typical bad TEVA Adderall in the past year or so my depression is really bad, but not quite at suicidal territory as it is without it. But damn close.

So for what it's worth I'm just here to report that this batch works. FOR ME. As I remember Adderall working a couple years ago. Your mileage may vary, obviously--your pharmacy might have an older batch--it might be a new formula, might be hit or miss due to the poor oversight on the FDA's part. Who knows why, but I'm simply reporting this to try to help others who have been stuck in a dark hole because of the horrible generics as of late (more like as of the last years, ha.) Again, though, this is my personal experience.

Anyone else have any input on a recent refill of Teva?

Again, this prescription was filled on November 14th at Walgreens in Colorado. Denver area.

TEVA Adderall (D-AMPHETAMINE SALT COMBO 30MG TABS)
OVAL PEACH TABLET.
Side 1: b/974
Side 2: 30

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1. Teva
2. 20mg IR
3. Walgreens
4. Problems with GERD, Extreme hunger, weight gain, sinus problem, nausea, extreme fatigue, no motivation, NO FOCUS (Is this even amphetamine!?)

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Re: J (# 56)

Hey there,

I’m also in Colorado (Denver) I was on Teva/Barr 20mgs ir from Walgreens for about a year consistently. I usually took 50mgs a day by breaking 20’s in half and had no issues until May/June 2018 I switched to rite aid for convenience picked up my rx and for the next 2 weeks I couldn’t figure out why they were not working! I blamed hormones etc.
So my pdoc suggested to switch back to Walgreens and go up to 30 mg ir and break them up to get my 50mgs a day. The first month wasn’t bad I actually thought wow I’m calmer on a 60 mg dose maybe that was the problem.
No way. Here it is December with a one month break in September and a few days here and there at 90 mgs and I feel awful. When I try lower dose 40, 60 mgs I feel irritated, I have gained 15 lbs since July and I’ve become a hermit.
There is no way my tolerance went from 40-50mgs one week to 60 then 90mgs.
I’ve had no luck with Teva since Barr was missing from the label, I filed complaint a man from India called from Teva quality control but I doubt that matters.
You metioned Mylan from Sams club? I’m willing to try another generic or pharmacy but I’m now at a integrative pharmacy who ordered these last Tevas so I hate to be changing pharmacies so often. Do you mind sharing which Walgreens you have had luck with? I was using one on South Broadway.
Thank you!!!

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Re: Truman (# 19)

I just got the yellow ones two days ago (sun Pharma now northstar)

It’s 11:00 am. I’m not sleeping but I’m in bed bc I can’t think of a good reason to get out of bed.

I’m sorry you have had two negative experiences in a row. I actually got Sandoz 20mg (60 count) last month. And it was the best I had felt in years.

Anyway, the yellow ones are the worst ever. Worse than Aurobindo even. What I don’t understand is people say generics have a variance of bioavailability between 80% and 120% of the name brand

But how many factors can mess up bioavailability ? I know binders and fillers can be different as well as the amount of active ingredient, but these feel like sugar pills. Aurobindo ones made me physically ill. There is something the FDA is letting these companies get away with that I believe goes beyond more than biosimilar active ingredients and binders/fillers

*also, I took another 10mgs and I still don’t feel any focus or motivation.

This is nuts. Writing something on the FDA medwatch site right away

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Teva
Miami
10mg

Made me hungry, sleepy dry mouth.
Headaches and nausea the first week. Horrible.
No one in Miami let’s you call ahead or order anything you want. Everything is a hassle. I can’t even ask on phone, I have to go in person. So frustrating. I have a book to finish and 4 classes and haven’t been able to be productive all day. I have a terrible headache.

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