Difference Between Adderall And Amphetamine Salts (Page 26)

I was recently diagnosed with Adult ADD and have been prescribed Amphetamine Salts (Generic for Adderall) for a few months now. The initial dosage was one 10mg tablet/ three times a day and recently my Doctor upped the dosage to one 30mg tablet/ twice a day. I know that overall this has been very beneficial for me but I cant help but wonder if the generic brand (IR Amphetamine Salts) has less of the active ingredient, and more unnecessary side effects(irritability, fatigue). I know that while the active ingredients are likely to be the same, the "fillers" usually are not and even the active ingredients can vary up to 10%. I also know that everybody reacts differently depending on their bodies' make-up as well as the drugs and I have always reacted sensitively to any kind of drug. The more I "google" the more I want to stay away from the generic form. Also- almost every pharmacy around has little to no Adderall Brand IR tablets in stock, they only have the generic brands and possibly Adderall brand but only the Extended-Release. My Doctor seems to firmly believe that there is no difference between Adderall XR and Adderall IR, and because she prescribed me the generic form (Amphetamine Salts), she probably doesn't see a difference there either. I don't have the time to ask 10 doctors what they think so if anyone has any information or experiences please share! Thank you!

REPLY

REPORT

I'll comment on this one. I believe you misunderstood me. I was saying the salts are better for real ADHD. I could feel them work better on ADHD than adderall. I consider myself somewhat of an expert in pharmaceuticals, I study them daily. I like the 2-salt amphetamine better for ADHD. But I'm still studying adderall and know they are not the same, not completely. Adderal has a stronger effect, much stronger. I do not like them. It's not a brand name issue, it's a salts. Either two salt amphetamine that says exactly that on the bottle would be the best for real ADHD but 70% of people that claim ADHD are just addicts looking for a high. The very strongest prescription form is phentermine but its not for ADHD, its fin'fins sister drug meant for weight loss. Very rarely if ever prescribed the second strongest is ritalin however its spelled but has a bad bad come down. I will look into ADDERAL further.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

After reading your post, and I am just learning about Amphetamine Salts ER 15MG- is what my 7 year old grandson has been prescribed, for his evaluation of ADHD.Parents say they noticed a great improvement in his behaviour....On his visit as I live 400 miles away- I forgot to pack his medicine...I thought his mom said that she had some at home, but I guess I misunderstood her because she hasn't been able to get more, for some reason, and now4 days later he started having his old symptoms again.I offered to overnight the meds, but since I haven't heard from her - I'm assuming she has fixed the problem I caused..sure hope so..I just don't like this ADHD being so popular in our children today, and all these drugs to fix it.Perhaps it is an evolved condition stimming from our very own food approved by our FDA, that is full of artificial flavorings, and preservatives.....just food for thought...next generation thought too!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I'm a fifty plus year old male that was finally diagnosed with ADD six or seven years ago. I've been doing fine taking "AMPHETA/DEXTRO COMBO" until this past year. Three years ago I accepted a job that requires a CDL so, of course, random drug/alcohol evaluations. Eleven months ago and last month I was shown positive for Methamphetamine. I'm wondering if pharmaceutical Methamphetamine could have been substituted for Dextroamphetamine at the manufacturer?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

@Margarita (post # 2) You sound like you misused prescribed medicine and are an irresponsible adult with poor decision making skills and an addictive personality. Just because YOU don't know how to manage your life doesn't mean everyone else is that stupid. Trust me, your just a cynical, overly-biased bag lady...kiddo..

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

You are an ignorant, bible thumping, judgemental, ****n! You have no idea about what you speak of, and it is clear you are coming from a biased perspective.

This original post clearly is clearly written from the perspective of a legitimate patient, being prescribed Adderall but a Dr, for a legitimate ailment. Yet you come from way out there, about abuse, and coke, methamphetamine??? WTF? Sounds like you need some, because you are just on an uncontrolled rant with no clear purpose or structure to your response.

And where do you get off telling people about being "stupid" and God making them that way. You are completely contradictory. The one who believes a magic man in the sky who Shazamed the earth into existence in 6 days, is the one who is truly stupid. Religion was invented specifically as a way to control people such as yourself, meaning those who are incapable of independent thought! I have an IQ of at least 145 (Einstein was 160), and I use Adderall from my Dr for ADD. Without it, my perception of the world is just too much to focus on any one thing for too long without extreme effort and fatigue. This is because I receive information from every single thing around me, in addition to abstract though and concepts at the same time. My brain processes anything and everything all at once. The medication does not change my thought process, but merely gives me the help I need to cut through the fog of too much information so that I can focus clearly in singular and related pieces of information to accomplish extended tasks.

I don't expect you to understand. And don't worry your pretty little brain about it. You are just incapable of comprehending or perceiving the world from my perspective. It's like asking a 2 dimensional drawing to explain the 3 dimensional world. It is beyond what your mind is capable of. So instead of attacking people due to your own inadequacies about your limited brain function, either let the non-fairy-tale believers discuss our incomprehensible concepts and either make an effort to broaden your viewpoint a little or just stay out of places like this to begin with.

What are you doing here anyway? What is your purpose? What is your function? You are obsolete!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

OK, I didn't get a response on my question about Adderall generics. The way I understand the generic guidelines I read is that on a therapeutic alternative drug the active ingredient does not have to be the same as in the brand name drug as long as the same action is achieved over the same amount of time with a similar dosage. I would like to know if it is possible that the makers of ampheta/dextro combo could have substituted methamphetamine for dextroamphetamine. Would they have to disclose the fact?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

The XR form of amphetamine salts (generic) in my opinion is much more effective, compared to the IR form. The XR doesnt hit you as quick as the IR, but the feeling is a steady long lasting affect, with less negative affects ( sweating, anxiety, racing thoughts, impacience). I have been on all forms throughout the past 15 years, and i find that the generic 20/30 mg XR amphetamine salts (small beads) work the best. You can control your dose easily, and reduce the negative affects on your own. The drug is released evenly over time, so you wont just peak, and then fall every 4-5 hours ( i call the fall off my brain dead phase). The feeling of XR is consistent and longer lasting ( it is like the peak feeling of IR pills for 3-6 hours) and then a steady decrease; total activity is usually about 8-12 hours depending on metabolism. I have been using only 30 mg of XR per day now that ive begun to regulate my dose. I take 1 of the 30MG XR capsules and pour half of it out into another similar sized capsule. I will take my first half (15mg of XR, half of a capsule) at 8/9 am, and then i take my second half around 12/1pm. The affects are steady and last me about 16 hours by doing it this way. I no longer have any negative side affects, and it does not affect my appetite. I believe that the main reason you are getting side affects is due to the quantity you take per day, your tolerance level which has built up very high,elevated blood pressure and dehydration. I am betting that you have to use the rest room 4-6 times per day (for a #1) and this is because of the amount of amphetamine salts in your body at one time. I used to take 3 of the 30 mg IR pills per day and 1 of the 10MG IRs if necessary, and i would have many negative affects. Once i figured out how to take the XR , i have never changed again. (Its been about 8 years now that ive been using just XRs)

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

WOWSERS. "My IQ is 3x yours"

Pretentious much ?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I would find a new Doctor! I have been taking Adderall for year's now I take 20mlg 3 times a day(your Dr is lying about 20mgs being the highest dose! The "recommended" highest dose is no more than 60mlgs daily ie. 20mg 3 X's daily or 30mg 2 X's daily. But there isn't a set cut off dose! A Dr can give a much higher dose but Ins companies won't cover it. The Dr. has to apply for special cercomstances for exp. and the Ins company reviews the request & decides to cover it, not cover it, or may want the Dr. to jump through more hoop's?). As for you feeling sleepy after your medication kicked in (vivance? I think u said) that is a common side effect!! I have the same problem with my Adderall & so do my friend's on Adderall. You will probably experience the same or similar issue switching to Adderall. Withdraw symptoms from all of these ADHD medications that are a "stimulate"(narcotic) is extreme fatigue & tiredness!! I am not sure why a lot of times when I take it I'm nodding out or feeling very tired? I experienced this more with certain generic brands & less with other generic brands? I also exp a lot of bad side effect's with all the generic Adderall. I started to think I had some serious medical condition or something but after doing a lot of research & blog reading about it I learned I wasn't alone. The answer seemed to be switching to the brand name non generic IR Adderall but it was around $400 more than any of the generics. I then was considering switching to something else or just stopping meds all together after 2 more yrs of these side effect's like extreme irritability, mood swing's, depressed thoughts & feelings, headaches, extreme sweating/feeling hot, skin problems, swollen ankles/feet, & a ikky agitated feeling that often made me feel sick to my stomach. Until one day stopping into a Walgreen's Pharmacy to fill my script & the assistant asking me "do u want generic or brand name?" I said I didn't know I had that option!!? & she double checked my Ins.& yup I had coverage for brand name! So of course I said brand name. It's been 2 months & almost all of those side effect's are gone! I still get hot & sweat a lot & my ankles still swell once in a while but that's it. I was told that the brand name tabs are not "salts"? & the information paper that always comes with any medication does not say anything about salts anymore it just say's Amphetamine/Dextrophetermine. I to am Bipolar & when I first started Adderall I to went into a manic episode for about 6 months then into a serious depression with suicidal thought's. I found out I was pregnant & it changed everything! I still take Adderall but I'm very aware of my mental state & if I notice signs of either depression or mania I go see my Dr. I do not think in my opinion kids that are bipolar, suffer from any depression, personality disorders or angry mood swings should be prescribed Adderall or the other 2 ADHD medications that have a stimulation effects as children typically can not see the sign's of mania/depression happening to ask for help before it becomes out of control & possibly causing harm to themselves, someone else, or dramatically effecting their life in someway! & same for a lot of adults. Another thing you mentioned was that you suffer from anxiety & well so do I! A lot of Drs will not prescribe medication for both because one is considered a "upper" & the other a "downer" which can be very bad for your heart if it's being pulled "up" after being very "down" it's not natural and cause's a lot of heart attacks (often very common with addict's that for example abuse crack and cocaine all night then take a bunch of xanax or tranquilizers to come down & sleep). I am prescribed Klonopin 1mg 2 X's daily & it doesn't have that "downer" effect on me! I don't take Adderall to try to get high or energy & they don't have a "upper" feeling to me & I'm cautious. I STRONGLY feel in my opinion Benzo's(xanax,klonopin etc) should not be prescribed anymore than a couple days, a few a month to have invade of a panic attack, or in the ER for emergency use only. Benzo's have the 2end worse & most dangerous withdrawal symptom's alcohol being #1. Like with most Narcotic meds your body becomes dependent on them & when their taken away your body goes through withdrawal symptom's! I don't care if the Dr tells you that you can slowly ween off them(or any narcotic med) without going through bad withdrawal symptom's.... In most cases that is NOT true! I wish I'd known everything I know now I would of never touched them! I just wanted to share that with you because you mentioned your Dr. saying you had to treat one can't treat both. I would skip the benzo & try Busbar or anything non narcotic. Anyways so YES there is a huge difference between Generics & Brand name Adderall there is a reason their $400+ more than all the dirty generic Brand's. I don't feel like it's only the inactive ingredients either I feel like the Active ones are different also. I read they are but I don't really know? Trying to find out their exact formulas I have the generic still looking for the brand name witch I believe I found?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

My opinion is DONT TAKE ANY STIMULANT'S! You or your son. From my experience & watching tons of my friend's experience's is how I formed my opinion & with any narcotic medications there are side effect's but worse & more important Withdrawal symptom's if you stop taking then, miss a dose or lose your script etc.... & why take something knowing if you ever want to stop taking someday your going to go through hell for weeks? You have that choice but your son don't!! They do make non narcotic non stimulus medication for ADHD why not start with that first at least. Adderall is now a category D narcotic! Level 2.. I'm 38yrs old 4 yrs ago I never heard of Adderall now every person Im friends with is taking it & addicted even the nurses at my Drs office are? It's crazy... I actually have ADHD & I may switch! I've had them stolen several times! I have friends beginning me to barrow a few? Save yourself & mostly your son all the mess & look into another medication! & not Vyvance it not much different than Adderall its just weaker! I can't spell it but I think its called Strageara or Stratiera? This is very popular & non stimulus non narcotic medication!! Good Luck

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Everything she said is true. Do not take down her post. Instead, post it in elementary schools' teacher break-rooms for all the teachers who don't want to deal with excited creative kids who think outside the box of what our society manufactures them to be. Hopefully they'll see what they are really doing when they diagnose your kid with ADHD because they want their job to be easier. To which, most do and could give a f*** about you and your kid because their pay is near minimum wage.

Society manufactures us towards mathematics and reading so we become well behaved and employed, tax payers. For any parent reading this... If your kid likes to draw or sing or dance and play when it come time to sit down and read f***ing Jane Eyre, then you probably have a dreamer on your hands. People who follow the pavement instead of their dreams never create unimaginable things that change the world for other dimwitted f***s that click the dislike button on Margarita's post.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

AMEN to that - pun intended. :)

I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until I was almost 19 years old. I tried a few different stimulants when first diagnosed, but Adderall-XR was the only one that worked for me. I didn't feel a single change on any of the other medications, but I've been on Adderall-XR for 10 years now (15mg-30mg depending on the day) and I can't tell you how much it's done for me. I went from a kid that didn't give a s*** in elementary or high school, I just wanted the minimal grade to get into college. I completed college with a 94% average, and then went on to graduate University with my BA in Psychology, also with honors. Several people with ADHD/ADD (the DSM only uses the diagnostic term ADHD now as both diagnoses fall under the same umbrella), are actually extremely intelligent, many also being diagnosed as Gifted. I went my whole life not knowing my full potential, and now I'm working in the School System as an Intervention Specialist working with children with complex diagnoses, and severe behavioral needs. We are not stupid. People with physical conditions need medications or therapies to support them daily, and mental health is no different. Please don't be another person contributing to the ridiculous mental health stigmas. Educate yourself.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

As an adult diagnosed ADHD individual your synopsis is WAY off. For me the difference in my life with and without this drug was night and day. Without it I am all over the place and with it I am a stable normal person.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I have just recently been described this medication because I went in to the doctors office completely fatigued. I asked them to take my blood to make sure everything in my body was going ok. I have been taking it a couple of days and it seems like its harder to concentrate on the drug. I did get the generic and if the name brand doesn''t do this I would much rather have it. It has completely helped my fatigue, but is hard to concentrate.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

In my opinion you should read the comments on the problems with certain generics. I have not tried the Sandoz brand because I can't get it in my area. So out of the three brands I have to choose from the Teva B 974 has been most tolerable. Stay away from Auribindo and Core. Forget Name brand, I don't believe you will get that anymore. I read where the original manufacturer had even sold it's XL version to another company effective this year. The original was Shire.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I have been prescribed generic adderrall for the past 10 years for Adult ADD. One 30 mg generic pil. However at some point they said generic for Dextramphetamine Salts and the latest just says Amphetamine 30 mg. The Dextra I was very unhappy with so I requested the pharmacy to get me a different generic Adderall. Simply put, what is the difference between a 30mg Amphetamine Salts and same no salts? All 3 of the generic versions have a slightly different reaction and find the plain amphetamine to be most effective and the Dextra to be least. Thanks in advance for any answers because as most adults I feel we all need to be responsible with what we put in our body. BTW- because someone takes a prescribed medication for a medical condition does not make them an addict. I've been working with addicts at a Methadone Clincic as a CSW for two decades

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Jessica, thank you for posting your story. You are an inspiration to educators and parents alike. Our children need more teachers like you and more programs like yours. Rather than question why so many students have attention, behaviour and learning difficulties, I believe it's time we start to question our (linear) education system.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I take adderall 30mg 1 & 1/2 tabs a day along with one 70 mg vyvanse tab a day for add and ocd and xanax for anxiety. And yes the adderall is not as good for treatment as vyvanse but I have such a hard time focusing on everyday tasks I have to use both and it helps me a lot, but also everyone reacts to all medications differently, so it may just take trial and error to find the right meds for you.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Although I agree that it shouldn't be prescribed to children, Adderall makes a significant difference in those who have issues with ADD/ADHD. As someone who relies on this drug to keep a full-time position for myself and my family I have found Adderall to be the best form in terms of how it gently stabilizes my day where the generic versions seem to be a lot less graceful. This drug isn't bad unless it's abused and the main difference, I feel from experience, is the way the fillers are reacting to the body.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I can tell you to try and keep away from generic Adderall. They absolutely don't work as well as Shire Adderall xr the original manufacturer. Some will cause sudden blood pressure increase, some like you never took anything. Even if you call Shire they will stear you toward Teva brand for I R. But even though I have tried Aurobindo, Core, an Teva, the Teva brand is the most tolerable but not nearly as effective as Shire. The one brand I would like to give a chance to is Sandoz but it can't be found unless I drive over a hundred miles.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I HAVE BEEN TAKING GENERIC ADDERALL which has always been called amphetamine salts. My last script instead of saying amp...

35 REPLIES

I was taking 20mg with salt and my new presciption is without the salt. Is there any difference? ## It's not actuall...

5 REPLIES

My name is Phil and I am 18 years old. I weigh 170 lbs and I am 6'3. At the beginning of my Freshman year of college...

3 REPLIES

What is the difference between d-amphetamine salt combo (adderall)10mg and dextroamphetamine sulfate tablets (Zenzedi)? ...

7 REPLIES

Hi, Can someone please educate me on the differences between Adderall ER as opposed to Adderall XR? I had no idea there ...

4 REPLIES

Are the M Amphat salts 30mg a generic form of the Adderal XR capsule the same exact thing as a Adderal XR 30mg capsule??...

6 REPLIES

The vast majority of Adderall prescriptions, are filled by the generic version, also, made by the foreign parent, Teva o...

8 REPLIES

I have been taking generic Adderall, Amphetamine salts but yesterday when filling my prescription it says now Amphetamin...

15 REPLIES

For several years I've taken TEVA 30mg Amphetamine Salts 2x daily with consistent positive relief. Focus and a feeli...

254 REPLIES

I was recently prescribed Adderall by my doctor for Adult ADD. My pharmacy gave me Amphetamine Salt. Is there anything d...

4 REPLIES