Difference Between Adderall And Amphetamine Salts (Page 29)
(Newest replies first)

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

There is a big difference in generic adderall and brand name. I have head aches, gitters, stomach aches,depression, eyesight problems, agitation, suicidal thoughts,etc. I have lost my insurance, and don't know what I can do. The FDA and the manufacturer should be held liable. This was discussed with my Dr. . He has had many complaints about the generic. I have just gone back to school and am very upset. Does anyone know an attorney that would be interested in this?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I will agree with all you stated about the generic Adderall IR salts vs the better generic Adderall XR salts because I'm only irritable when taking generic IR, but not the XR as much. I did receive cheaper generic of the XR this month and the capsules aren't full like they are with the non generic Adderall (Shire) brand or the regular generic (Actavis). It's the binders and fillers in the IR that bring on the irritability. I've researched for years now as well and the dr's don't say too much one way or the other. Hope this is helpful.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

lol to dispute this - been on the drug for 5 years since age 14. now i go to the one of the top public schools in the nation and have no "Addiction" i take it twice a day - same dose as i started, i eat well, sleep well, socialize well.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Shut it! You have no idea what your talking about!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I will tell you this,I get brand name olny, and cvsthey tried to tell me it was brand name. I started taking it 30mg regular adderall and a few hours later I was yawning, irritable it was not brand name. Teva makes brand name!. I t was no way brand name. Cvs in the past has passed on the generic and collected brand name money,on more than one occasion?
Brand name adderall is not made from Barr laboratory. Contact the lab, they will tell you this. Be leery of CVS

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I have narcolepsy and looking for the best adderral to use now I take the Orange oval generic ones 30mg 2 Times a day I still find myself falling asleep!! And have no motivation!! But have found the pink and round orange ones to be even less effective!! Help I'm so tired of being tired!!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Your narcissistic comments help no one. I take adderall for ADD and it works wonders. I have a higher GPA than I did in highschool while taking much more difficult courses. Adderall may not make you 'smarter' but it certainly help with focusing when it matters.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

To the "born stupid" comment: It has been my experience in meeting others with ADHD, that those who truly have the disorder tend to be exceptionally intelligent and creative. We simply have difficulty managing time, organizing space, maintaining focus and concentration on a single task (and when we do become so hyper-focused that we often lose track of time), organize large tasks into small manageable chunks (staring at the mountain and not quite sure how we are going to move it), and maintaining a calendar (remembering the list of things that we need to accomplish). It is often accompanied by dysgraphia (my mother used to tell me that she believed that my thoughts were processing faster than the signal was getting to my hands, resulting in my handwriting being illegible-often words on top of words, incomplete letter formation) and, in my case at least, an inability to complete multi-step formulas (I could give someone the answer in an instant, but if you asked me to actually follow the steps, I would end up erasing the answer at the end and filling in the correct one...my teachers were always confused as to how I got there since the work didn't match the answer...I never got why it mattered if I had the right answer).

Now, onto my reason for visiting this site. I used to take extended release Adderall in college and had issues with irritability and lack of an appetite, but nothing else. Now I am taking immediate release generic (due to cost...$300 and no insurance....vs. $60 with insurance) and have noticed significantly more-and more unpleasant-side effects (stomach problems-gas, bloating, nausea-, exhaustion, increased focus issues when I am not on it-I only take it during the work week-, extreme dry mouth). I was curious if anyone else had noticed these symptoms and if they are a result of the change from ER to IR or from brand to generic (I have a mild lactose intolerance and am wondering if something in the fillers may be causing issues, although I eat ice cream on occasion with less discomfort...or maybe a difference in how my body processed it at 19 and how it processes it at 30...final thought...could it be that I am 'coming down' from it since I am no on it all the time like in college?). Has anyone else experienced this?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

first of all you ignorant person God is real. and you have no reason to say different! and second it of all your depressed because you have your own problems to deal with! and third! this is rxchat.com not say theres no God .com your belief is your belief and my belief is mine. but one day you will see. i write this to you because this is a slap in the face towards me. good day.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

My Advise, talk to your pharmacist. He can give you the "filler" details, and the "real" difference between the two.
Honestly, they know more about pharmacology than the doctors do!
I'm a 2nd yr PA student...thus I have learned to talk to the direct sources. Good luck.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I have been on amphetamine salt 30 few years. I was diagnosed after my second child was. After numerous conferences with teachers and doctor visits I realized what the monkey on my back was for most of my life. I struggled all through school and college and after a change in job duties I really struggled. The meds have been a godsend.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

Is it true about ADHD and spelling????

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I first posted on Dec. 11, 2013. I wanted to hear other folks experiences about brand name Adderall vs Generic Adderall. I now have taken both. I first started brand name Adderall last spring. Brand name Adderall was a Godsend for me. It calmed me and enabled me to be focused for the first time in years. After a few months, my pharmacy changed me to generic brand. It was cheaper and I thought it had the same ingredients. The generic med (Amphetamine Salts) had unpleasant side effects for me. It made me a nervous wreck, increased my heart rate, decreased my appetite, and gave me insomnia. At first I thought the medicine just wasn't working and I was back to being an unfocused anxious mess. Then I got to thinking that my symptoms came back when I switched to generic. I have spoken with both my pharmacist & Dr. They say it is possible that it can work differently in some people. I started back on brand name Adderall this month and it made a huge difference. It works like it should. I am less nervous, more focused and can eat & sleep as well. The generic made me "speed" which I don't want. So for me, my experience is the brand name Adderall and generic adderall affect me differently. Also, I notice brand name Adderall tastes sweet and the generic tastes very bitter.
Hope this helpful to someone out there! In Christ, PT

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I agree the God made you that way is stupid...but God is very real...just not at all what most religious folks want you to think He is. I'd love to chat w u about that sometime. {edited for privacy}...im not a religious nut.so relax

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

PLEASE CONSIDER THE EFFECT YOUR UN-FOCUSED RESPONCE MAY HAVE, 1--DONT TAKE THINGS PERSONAL 2---YOUR-OUR POSITION HERE IS TO IN A POSITIVE WAY GIVE OUR EXPERIANCE AS IT PERTAINS TO THE QUESTION
3---KEEP EMOTIONS OUT OF YOUR ANSWERING PROCESS.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

You sound horribly misinformed. No clue what youre talking about. Taking addrrall isnt for intelegence, it doesnt make you smarter. Adderall is for hyperactivity and attention. In fact, many people who have ADD/ADHD are above average intelegent, like myself. Speaking from personal experience, it helps to align your body with your mind in areas like focus, energy, etc. You are correct, its no joke. Its an amphetamine just like meth and molly. But taken properly, and its potential for improving lives in endless. I am way above average intellegent. But i get anxious. By the end of a lecture i physically feel like im going to explode. But on adderall im all focus in class, and if anything, more friendly and talkative (even after the drugwears off). Its made my life better and solved issues ive had since i was a kid. Btw, im a double major in HR and Civil Engineering, so youcan guess what hell i felt on many days before my doctor put me on adderall.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

From my understanding the XR and IR have the same exact amount of active ingredients. The reason the IR wears off so quick and seems ineffective is because the acid in your stomach breaks it down very quickly. The beaded system in XR is designed to slowly dissolve and gradually release it through out the day in a process that allows your body to use the active ingredient more efficiently.

A lot of drugs have these issues. A powder-based tablet of Morphine for example starts out as 100% of the primary ingredient but once it enters the digestive track nearly 90% of the opiate is destroyed before it actively takes effect.

This is also why some medicines provide warnings like "Do not drink grapefruit juice" because grapefruit juice helps neutralize the acidity levels in your stomach and could potentially make the drug much stronger.

I have a fast metabolism myself and from my experience with medicines I seem to lose some of the duration when compared to others. As always it does heavily depend on how your body handles the med as well. Over eating and under eating also has a huge impact on the strength of your dosage.

Sleep regulation and eating habits can help or prevent medications from functioning properly as well. It could be the drug, or it could be you. You should analyze all the factors first because it could be mood/lifestyle variations as well.

As far as brand name Adderall, I could never afford it. I would however recommend Teva generics for amphetamine. They have always worked very well for me.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Sweetheart there is a God. Don't die believing that. :)

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I wanted to add a couple more things. If you are unfortunate enough to have a bad doctor that ignores your concerns, drop him and find another doctor. Preferably a psychiatrist who has had special training and participated in at least one fellowship in the field of mental health or neurology, but a PMHNP (Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner) will work just as well and in some cases better, because they have training in nursing and tend to have a much better bedside manner than a doctor, and are less likely to ignore your concerns. I know that can be difficult especially if you are on Medicare or some other form of public assistance, but its worth it if your doc isn't providing you with the care you deserve. Also, PMHNP's are A LOT more likely to take medicare etc, in fact every one I've ever sought help from has taken my Medicare/Medicaid without any problems. Anyway, good luck to you all, and God bless.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Vinnie,

Thank you for your post. For being calm cool and collected, and giving a well thought out response. I was pretty angry when I wrote mine on page one. I've been ridiculed, belittled, and struggled my whole life because of my mental health issues. Many many people have said the same types of things (that Margarita said) to me over and over again my entire life. I am Autistic, suffer from ADHD, panic disorder, depression, and more I don't want to get into right now, and after 39 years of hearing these ignorant and frankly abusive comments, I get so angry I almost get to the point where I'm seeing red. I wish I could have handled myself as you did, and for that I apologize, to Margarita, but mainly to the entire forum. I've never even met her, let alone walked a mile in her shoes, just as she hasn't met me nor walked a mile in my shoes either.

Please people, if these medications help you and you don't become addicted to them (they can be highly addictive just FYI) by all means take them for as long as you NEED. There are other treatments for many of the disorders that have been discussed here, but many of them take years to work, therapy for panic disorder for example can take years to make a difference and isn't always successful. Bottom line, discuss the benefits and risks of any treatment or medication with your doctor and make an informed decision together on what is the best course of action to treat your condition. Take everything you read on these forums with a grain of salt. Research, research, research, but first and foremost discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your doctor. He/she devoted their entire life to medicine and for the most part are the best source of accurate information when it comes to your treatment. By all means share your experiences on these forums and try to help people when you can, compare stories and experiences, but take everything you read here with a grain of salt and talk with a professional before you do or don't do anything. Anyway, that's all for now. Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

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