Dexedrine Missing?

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I was told by several Pharmacies that Dexedrine & the generic is NOT available, (on manufacturer back order, etc.), Does anyone have/not have the same problem? Please advise

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1

There have been a couple of other posts about this problem recently.

Unfortunately, the only thing that anyone can really suggest as a solution would be for you to contact your doctor and see if there is an alternative medication you can use in the meantime.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Dexedrine/­

Does anyone else have any advice to add?

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2

I have read that the manufacturer should have all back orders filled by end of June. I had to call no less than 25 Pharmacies yesterday to fill my prescription, hopefully next months will be easier.

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3

I have used the Barr Dextroamphetamine for many years. I take 15mg 3x/day. I have always gotten my rx filled at various Walgreens; if one store didn't have it then one close by did. June 21 I had the prescription filled w/out having to go to more than 2 stores; however, the rx I have now, written 0726, is impossible to fill. I have called at least 20 pharmacies (Walgreens, Target, Walmart, Albertsons) and they don't have it or "don't stock it ever." Is there now a ready supply or still a shortage?

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4

I was finally told by a pharmacist that the DEA has a production quota, and it was maxed out. This makes no sense, but might be true. Now that dexedrine generic (Barr) is available again, it seems to have increased in price by about 5 times! This is horrendous. Something is drastically wrong.

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5

This advice may sound drastic...but it is the only alternative I can think of, and, I have had this on my mind since December of 2011.
Buy a airline ticket, for Canada, and take at least one full week off minimum, if not two weeks. Dexedrine 5mg, and Dexedrine 10 and 15mg Spansules are available in Canada. But there are a few hoops to jump thru.
1. Getting a Canadian M.D to write you a RX for the
medication.
2. Bring plenty of documentation, preferably a fresh
script for Dexedrine in either 5,10, or 15 mg size.
(from your USA M.D)
3. Rent a car, and drive if necessary into rural areas,
such as 40 to 50 miles out of Vancouver, or,
Montreal, or, Toronto. Avoid Urgent Care Centers,
and ER rooms if possible.
4. Try to plan on time management, to locate a M.D
in Canada, you sees ADD ADHD patients.
5. Talk with pharmacists in Canada for advice.
6. Final hoop, heresay, is that, the Canadian Royal
Police are fickle about carrying more than a 50 day
supply of Controlled Substances back into the USA.
Weight your options, with the Transportation Safety
Administration, if flying into Canada, or exiting
Canada, by aircraft.
7. Be very careful, about mailing controlled meds,
even with Documentation papers, due to the
allegeded crackdown, with mailing medications,
either way, into, or, out of Canada. I read only,
Australia, is stricter, with x-raying the mail.
Mexico is next on the list, but amphetamines are
not available there, only Clobenzorex. Controversial
8. Last ditch effort is the United Kingdom, as Dexedrine
is also still marketed in the UK, and perhaps, Ireland
(citation needed).

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6

I've been prescribed generic Dexedrine 10 mg. tabs for 5 years with no problem getting it at regular drugstores, although some in large urban cities don't carry it for fear of robberies.

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7

When I tried to get dexedrine spansule 5mg 3x daily filled at my usual locally owned pharmacy, they said they could not get it. I asked who the wholesaler was and they said Cardinal. I had this problem about two years ago and none of the big name pharmacies could get it which is why I switched to this pharmacy. Now they are saying the same thing. Could be a concerted effort to get people to switch to the generic which I tried and made me so jittery that my teeth chattered and I felt like screaming.

A long time ago when I was taken off the dexedrine, the doctor put me on imiprimine four times a day 25mg which had a calming effect but did not have the focussing effect and awakening effect of dexedrine.

I really don't know what to do and I don't think the doctor will have an alternative. There is a newer drug made by Jazz Pharmaceuticals but it has only been around a year or so and I don't know if it is available on a retail basis.

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8

Smith Kline & French, formerly of Phil, Pa, USA, began making Dexedrine Sulfate 5 mg (instant release) and Benzedrine in 1937. SKF, later, got a patent, on the famous Dexedrine Spansules, in 5, 10, and 15 mg extended release versions, in the year 1952. Benzedrine, gradually lost market share, and was eliminated, during the SKF + Beecham merger in the middle 1980's. THE CULPRIT IS SKF, WHICH CHANGED TO SMITH KLINE BEECHAM, WHICH MERGED AGAIN, WITH MEGA GIANT, BRITISH FIRM, GLAXO, FORMING GLAXO SMITH KLINE, ABOUT 7 TO 8 YEARS AGO. USA HDQTRS CHANGED FROM PHILADELPHIA, PA, TO NORTH CAROLINA, WORLD HEADQUARTERS, STILL IN UK.
GSK, BEGAN IMMEDIATELY DETACHING FROM THE AMPHETAMINE MARKET, THAT MADE THEM WHO THEY ARE, MANY YEARS AGO, WITH NEARLY HALF THE SALES OF STIMULANTS IN THE EARLY 1970'S vs, Abbott Labs & Strasenburgh. .
1. They licensed out the mfg of Dexedrine Sulfate, the orange heart E-19's (5 mg) to North Chicago's ABBOTT LABS, then, pulled the plug on manufacturing Dexedrine 5 mg, in the spring of 2009, (USA) after, a production run of, 62 years!! that was not enough, they sold most patent rights, to Dexedrine Spansules, to Cardinal, and another small pharma firm in Albuquerque, NM (Catalent Pharma Solutions) as soon as the merger went thru with Glaxo. To add insult to injury, Glaxo, sold all patent rights to mfg Dexedrine in all forms, in the UK, to a smaller mfg in Ireland, thus, there is no more Dextroamphetamine, from the legendary firm SKF, SKB, and now GSK.
However, with deep pockets, the greedmongers, have bought out a license, to re-produce, the Dexedrine tabs and Capsules, in both Canada, the USA, and, UK/Northern Ireland, and, the price, now has tripled, in the USA alone, in the past 15 years, on a drug, the patent expired, "decades ago". Of course, I am not surprised, that Barr Labs, (now owned by Israel's Teva, have also increased prices, to take advantage of the paranoid patients, not only in the USA, but, the other smaller pharma firms, with, the coveted Glaxo Smith Kline license, in Canada, and UK/Ireland, are price gouging as well, as, "shortages" of this product have been a problem for citizens of Canada. Newer formulations, at very high prices, are being marketed by the greedy pharma firms, including,
ShireUS, and, Novartis.(Ciba-Geigy) When I started using Dexedrine in 1994, the wholesale price was $100.00 for one bottle, of 100 Dexedrine 15mg Spansules, by, 2009, it had risen to over $300.00 for the same bottle.
Source: REDBOOK 113th edition Pharmacy's Fundamental Reference. Publisher, PDR, Inc. That was before Glaxo Smith Kline sold completely out, I predict the prices will increase even further, if not already. The media has a campaign to demonize it, just like OxyContin 10 yrs ago, and Quaaludes, 30 yrs ago. Just my 2 cents worth. Sources: Martindale, the Extra Pharmacopaedia, London, UK, 36th edition. The New York Times, January, 2012.

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9

see the following pharmacists site for current info.
ashp.org/DrugShortages/Current/Bulletin.aspx?id=853

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10

I was told by my pharmacy that they r on back order I live in pa Lancaster county n I should try aug.of 2013 well im going to try n find out what is going on ..im calling Teva 1-800-545-8800. they will know me by name by the time im done ...wish me luck people..

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11

I live in Canada and am prescribed Dexedrine 5mg Tablets the same ones they made in the 1930's. They are orange colored pills in a triangular shape or as some mentioned before they look like a heart shape. The front has SFK E19 on it and the back has a breakline. I am prescribed 20mg 4 x 5mg Tabs TID. So 60mg Daily. Or 12 Tablets per day. I could take the Spansules if I wanted however they are that well produced only fiving 8 max 10hrs of effect. Which is not desirable if I forget my last dose by 3 hours. This will have a profound effect on getting to sleep where if I take the 5mg IR Tabs it's maybe max 2-3 hrs that will affect my sleep and since the last does is 4pm it really doesn't matter. I get 360 Tablets per Month or 1180 per 3 months which is what I'm regularly dispensed. In BC there are much diffrent regulations to that of the United States. If, my doctor wanted o prescribe me 12 months of Dexedrine he could. It's up to the doctor how many is to be dispensed at once. E.g 1 month, 3 months, 6 months. 1 or 3 being the most standard and refills for 1 or 2 months being the most common for me. So each prescrtion is authorized for 6 or 9 months supply. The only medicines that are not permitted for refills are narcotics like morphine. The doctor can only prescribe without any refills. That being said they can put a 3,4,5,6 month quantity on the prescription if they so wish. Canadian Doctors have been through enough training to garentee them their Medical license, with a huge majority only prescribing quantities to patients they trust and have. Good relationship with. There is no need to fear the DEA as patients like myself who follow directions to the letter and notify my doctor if anything to do with medication would change. The doctors and patients all win out. I feel sorry for the majority of Americans who find it difficult too have enough medication without paying to see the doctor every month when they have legitimate pain complaints have a medical condition that requires stimulants I.e ADHD etc. because the minority who get their hands on these drugs misuse or sell them.

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12

I also live in Lancaster County and was just prescribed 10 mg 3x and am experiencing a similar situation--nearly a year later! Basically, everywhere I've checked says they never stock that much at once, it's a special order, I have to speak to the head pharmacist (who is NEVER in), etc.

I'm interested in learning what your situation is now and if you can offer me any advice.

Thanks in advance for your help!

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13

I was prescribed Dexedrine for several years, the orange triangular type, and did very well with them and then all of the sudden my doctor said he was no longer going to prescribe Dexedrine to any of his patients? So he gave me Adderall instead, which seems to be fine, but I have to drive to his office which is not close, and be there in the waiting room while he writes my rx EVERY MONTH!!!! I now have insurance and don't HAVE to use this doctor, so I'm thinking about changing docs, one that is closer and will prescribe me Dexedrine. But after reading this wonder if I'll have a hard time getting them filled??? Live in Texas and use Kroger Pharmacy and they are awesome about always having enough Adderall on hand. Are a lot of you having problems getting Dexedrine???

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14

if you take immediate release, you can ask for Zenzedi or have it written as that. It is the new brand and the 5 mg and 10 mg tablets are in the same price range as the other generics... zenzedi has a 2.5, 7.5, 15, 20 and 30 mg tablet...

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15

Dexedrine is still very hard to find. It usually takes two or three weeks to get a refill. The pharmacist tells me that the problem is new regulations from the FDA for controlled substances.

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16

Yup same problem, they will say they don't have it, even when they do

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17

I used to have the same problem with getting my prescriptions filled. I'm prescribed 30mg twice a day, so that's 60 30mg Aderall per month. The best solution for this is to find a good neighbor pharmacy or small personal pharmacy. Then create a relationship with the pharmacist making him/her your main prescription filler for all of your meds. And like clockwork, you should be able to get all your prescriptions filled every 4 weeks. Including Aderall, oxycotin, etc... Hope this helps. Good luck.

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