Difference Between Adderall And Amphetamine Salts (Page 7) (Top voted 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!

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I want to start by saying that I'm sympathetic to these feelings; bipolarism is scary, especially because it seems to hit out of nowhere; in fact, it usually presents itself sometime in the person's late teens - mid twenties, and often it gets misattributed to lifestyle or a moody "phase". I know this because I am bipolar. I was diagnosed in 2011, and I can attest that the last 1.5-2 years that I've been on Adderall, I have not seen a progression nor a significant change in my psychological state(s) that could fairly be attributed to the medication. I also want to emphasize that I'm not blaming anyone that has struggled with bipolarism and felt that their medications were exacerbating their problems and changing their lives. It's a fact that some people's change in psychological states to bipolar or schizophrenic etc. is chemically induced. But typically, there has to be a genetic disposition to bipolarism, some level of risk already posed. And even then, I acknowledge that some people take things too far with drugs and maybe some of them are the way they are because of X, Y, or Z drug. But ultimately, everything poses some risk, everything has the potential for addiction. The rate of alcoholism is many times that of other substance abuse, including coke, methamphetamine and opioids. But that doesn't mean it should be illegal. More to the point, many people suffer health issues from their medications, but it would be unfair and unnecessary, not to mention unconstitutional, to pull those medications from the market when they legitimately help people just because somebody had a bad experience or a negative reaction or even an overdose. People are going to do what they're going to do, and as long as they aren't causing damage/trauma/violence to the public or others, how can you justify taking the right to choose what goes in their bodies or what lifestyle they lead for "security"?

There's an excellent quote, one of my favorites, from Benjamin Franklin that states, "Any society that is willing to give up freedom for security deserves neither, and will lose both". It's a little dramatic to use it in this case, but where do you draw the line? It shouldn't be up to government to control what American adults consume or don't consume.

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I am a 75-year-old Woman that has been on Adderall different generic pills I've been using for about 25 years I can use only the time release there was too many ups and downs taking it 2 to 3 times a day my life has been a lot fuller and better because of it wish I would have known about it in my younger years maybe I would have done better in school and been more successful financially in my life I do not like to take any medicine and I never abuse any Adderall has been good to me

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Wow, not sure how this 5 year old post escaped me, as I've been in these forums since 2011. Wish I saw this back then, but maybe someone can get something out of it now, at least. This subject of brand name versus generic seems to be a taboo subject like Politics & Religion, where there are always going to be people on either side of the coin who feel adamantly about their position, and of course there is no real wrong or right answer in this subject, it really is a personal choice based on your own experience.
I can only qualify myself by stating that I have worked for several large Pharma, as well as being someone who has done the trial & error work with ADHD medication over the last 6 years, and I personally know for myself, I highly recommend Adderall XR - but it MUST be the Adderall brand name made by Shire. I have had periods of taking both & for me it is night & day as far as how they work. I think part of the reason the XR version gets the bad rap that it does may be because of the generic versions that are out there, and I know there are tons! If you are able to with your prescription coverage/insurance, please ask the Pharmacist you give your script to to fill it with the brand name if they hopefully have it. Unfortunately, there is no longer a brand name of regular immediate release (IR) Adderall available, but somebody mentioned a 30 mg tablet a few posts below, oval shaped & orange, & that is the Teva brand made in Israel, and it is the closest you can get to the old brand name & a very good medication. It has a nice deep score & easily broken in half for when you don't want the whole dose, which of course as most of us taking these meds know, the less you can take, the better. Our bodies cannot help but to build up tolerance to amphetamine salts when taken regularly, so also try to skip taking it when you know you are in a position to get away with it. They used to like saying "take a vacation" from it, a few days or a week or so, and you quickly notice how effective it becomes again. Most, myself included, can't really take med vacations, so try to just take as little as you can take & still have efficacy. I absolutely find the brand name Adderall XR, in either the 20 mg or the 30 mg capsule, to be, hands down, the best ADHD medication out there. I had uncomfortable side effects with the generic XR, number one being nasty frequent headaches that even Exedrin couldn't banish, so that was obviously having a bad effect on my life - who wants to have throbbing headaches 5-6 days a week?

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I feel the same way, it's terrible. I am a student going through school and I was diagnosed ADD and was prescribed Aderall. My grades came up, I had more energy, and I could finally think strait. They recently have replaced it with Amphetamine salts, and I felt worse than before. I can't focus, I get headaches, I can't even read, and I am always feeling hungry. Would these be side effects or me going through some sort of withdrawal?

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I've been taking generic adderall for about 4 years and there IS a big difference in who the mfg is! If you read any ADD blogs you will find that most people agree. You said 10% difference in the active medication...but I read it can be 20%! I don't have insurance so I have to pay cash for this and I get so pissed to waste my money on useless brands...among them are corepharma, aurobindo (INDIA!), and a few others. This drug is SO difficult to get and every pharmacist thinks you're a drug seeker. WELL CHIT! Who created that? Did we write our own scripts?? I contact the mfg's every time I have to get one that sucks. They don't EVER get anything done to satisfy you but they want you to send the pills back to them...so why don't I just cut my own throat?

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Re: Margarita (# 2)

I've gone through 10+ years of depression including an attempt of suicide. I've been through multiple antidepressants that did not work and were very difficult to stop taking due to side effects. I started taking adderall and my life did a 180. I am now more productive, more responsible, more successful, more caring and compassionate, etc., but maybe this medication has allowed me to be how "god made me". I am now 2 months free of antidepressants after a 6 month struggle to wing myself off and happier than ever.

Margarita, you don't have a clue what you are talking about. You seem to be under a rock or maybe just some hard-core Bible beater who is ignorant to reality; historical and medical data. Please refrain from sharing your opinion if you have no personal experience with the medication discussed in the forum. Feeling as though your opinion is more superior than medical research may just be "how god made you," but I can assure you that feeling is incorrect and I hope that you seek help to find a solution for your ignorance. Best of luck.

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These pills are a waste of money and my health has declined. No matter what pharmacy I talk to it's the. Same answer it's been investigated by the fda and ingredients are the same. But don't ask the person who has taken these pills for many years. There not the same and its effecting the quality of my life

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Well, I've been taking 15 mgs of the amphetamine salts (insurance won't cover the brand Adderall) and to be honest, I don't feel any different. In fact, the vivarin still works better for me. My doctor even suggested I try 20 mgs. and still.......... vivarin works better. Interesting, huh? Any thoughts from anyone?

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CRB, well said

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i just been prescribed the amp salts i understand its hard to get add been on it one day but feel a little more energy well we see let u no

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this is to dancing dream, i have found out that i am ADD to, had no clue. I was fine to deal with it for a while. But i had heard so much great things about when people had gotten medicated for it, its night and day. With ADD life is so much harder than it should be. It will change your life for the better. Plus find a good doctor or psychiatrist because my doctor dont tell me s*** about what she will give me and she thinks ADHD and add are the same thing. People with add will struggle with life if your smart or not smart. Helps me with nervousness and me being scared which gone helps with finding a good job.

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I don't know where you get your information, but it is wrong concerning the fact that in Texas you have to be seen by a neuropsychologist and go through some form of testing before being prescribed Adderall. My daughter and I both were diagnosed with ADHD as adults and neither one of us went through any form of testing. Our psychiatrist diagnosed us and prescribed us Adderall. Unless what you claim has went into effect in the last 6 months or so, I'm sorry, but you are incorrect.

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Marg: clueless and rude. Try an intelligent informed response.

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Get a Sam's club plus membership. 60 adderalls will cost about $80 not sure about Sr think its 50% off. Ritalin is like $4 if prescribed in 10.

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I had the same problem with the generic form, every day I got the most horrible headaches as the medication wore off; I explained this to my doctor, in the past I didn't have insurance so I couldn't afford the name brand & would have to make sure to take the next dose shortly after the 1st dose peaked in order to avoid the headache for as long as possible; now that I have insurance I asked my doctor to write my script for the name brand to see if there was any difference as far as the adverse effects I experienced, she agreed and now I don't get the headaches so I can take it less often. I strongly recommend advocating for your rights as the patient experiencing the adverse effects. If your doctor continues to disregard your report of adverse effects when taking the generic I recommend finding a different primary care provider... Nurse Practitioners are often preferable to doctors when it comes to listening to their patients, part of the training that nurses get at every level of education is the 'primary directive' of patient-centered care [meaning they are taught that as a nurse they are often the only one advocating for the patient and that stays with them through every step of additional license & certification]; somehow I doubt the same goes for medical doctors. Also, while you should always stick with a single pharmacy to fill all of your prescriptions to give the pharmacist the best opportunity to prevent dangerous drug interactions, that doesn't mean you don't have a right to switch to a different pharmacy. The manufacturer shortage led to a run on the brand name drug so most pharmacies were out of Adderall, after a long and frustrating search I found that asking the pharmacy staff if they know of any pharmacies in the area that have your prescription in stock is a good idea. As I stood there waiting the pharmacy staff person called around and found that one of the locations of Rite Aid in my area had my prescription in stock so even though they are not the closest location to where I live I am sticking with them. Rather than change the date I schedule for my monthly doctor visit, the delay in finding anywhere that had my prescription in stock was almost a week so now the insurance won't cover payment until 30 days have past from the date I had it filled, I drop my prescription at the pharmacy on my way home from the doctor and that gives them plenty of time to contact the distributing warehouse; the Rite Aid pharmacy staff are really good about making sure my prescription is filled and ready for me to pick it up by the time the date the insurance will pay for it rolls around. I think if you ask to speak with the pharmacist and explain that [unless your ADD magically goes away or you are able to become a recluse so you don't have any need to be able to function within societal norms] you will be returning every month without fail, if they want to keep you as a customer they will work with you to ensure they have your prescription in stock every month designated for you [otherwise I suspect they dole out medications on the 1st come 1st serve methodology which sucks if you live near a community that is filled with wealthy parents who would rather their child be on drugs than spend any time with them].

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Margarita, you are funny. Most people with ADHD have an IQ that is above 120. What's yours?

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Why the heck are you on this site? Do you have adhd? Does Margarita? I assume you are Margarita, what is your issue? Please post your reason to rip apart people trying to get by in life like everyone else.

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Let me just say when I was five I was on the highest dose of Ritilan and I slept all day in school... So my mom walked the school and flushed all the meds I was on..... Today I'm 29 And I'm on 150mg of Limictal twice a day, and 0.5 kolotopin once at night for panic disorder, Elivil aka amitripiline 25mg for bipolar , anxitiy , mood stablizer, and bladder spazam and I take at night so it wont make me sleepy in the day . And I don't take nothing for the ADHD . Yet ! I hope you and your daughter the best of luck with the medication.

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hes taking it for medical purposes that was prescribed to him by a doctor and is wondering if there are harmfull fillers and binders in different brands, not a junkie like you make him sound to be. im sure hes aware of the side effects, as hes probably been briefed by his doctor. also you do sound pretentious, only because your reply had nothing to do with the question at hand.

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Adderall isn't just for narcolepsy . It's primary use is for aadd. Certain individuals brain chemistry lacks proper amounts of synapsids . Telling people medication is unessasary is wrong and dangerous . Dr. Murphy

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