Generic Adderall Brands

I am very concerned and confused about why generic Adderall brands are so all over the place!! I usually get Aurora brand and I'm fine with it but last month I got this corpharma brand crap, it made my stomach ache and gave me a headache! It was terrible. Back on Aurora brand and I feel better again but wtf is up with this BS?! I'm thinking about having my dr write no substitutions on my script and just pay for the name brand adderall. I've tried it in the past and it is by far superior. Motivation, concentration, and energy are all together with minimal side effects. Anyone relate?

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REPORT

Yep, it's a huge problem (variation in effectiveness) and it's gotten worse over the years. Main problem. With generics the FDA allows up to 20% difference in the "main", active ingredient. You'll find the widest variation in CorePharma and Aurobindo (personal experience and educated opinion) and the least variation in Sandoz followed by TEVA/Barr. Related to the variation in the "salts", different companies use different "fillers" and some have worse side effects than others. Again the same companies are the "worst" and the "best". There's test results etc. on the web and Sandoz uses the least amount w/least side-effects. 3rd. Variations occur not only between brands but at times between "batches" and the FDA does not have near enough inspectors to investigate, etc. unless a LOT of people complain.. Years ago, Teva and Barr were the "best" and very consistent. After the merger, that has changed. The companies based in India (CorePharma, Aurobindo and a few others) do not have as good of quality control as Teva and Sandoz. Many psych docs and definitely legislators and the media and the general public don't understand that a generic for blood pressure, etc. is very different for a generic that affects brain chemistry and a host of co-morbidities (depression, social anxiety, etc., etc.) that go along w/ADHD/ADD that makes it very difficult to find the right "mix" due to brain chemistry, etc. This is one of a number of areas where lack of access to the "brand" makes a HUGE difference in the outcomes but the insurance companies run the show and the buyers for the drug store and other pharmacies are focused almost completely now on cost/profit. It used to be you could "special order" the brand that worked for you with little problem at multiple locations. Now you can't find anybody (at least not CVS, nor Walgreens, nor Walmart, nor Kroger, Safeway, etc.) that will do that. In my area (north Dallas) Walgreens will "always" carry Teva/Barr. I used to be able to get Sandoz at Safeway/Tom Thumb. Now almost all of them only carry Core (the worst for me) or Aurobindo (not much better for me and my kids). If you can afford or your insurance will let you, get the "brand", do it. But for most, the cost of Brand (TEVA) ranges from $300 to $400 for 30 20mg or 30mg even with insurance. That's a huge difference from the $50 to $80 that the generic will cost and it's not right. You have to educate yourself and you have to complain and you have to search your local area and talk to your Dr./Psych and make sure s/he understands your problems. Best of Luck!

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Thanks for your input, I appreciate it. I originally a while back always got the Teva brand adderall but then my pharmacy changed to aurobind brand. They aren't as effective but no side effects like the core pharma brand crap. I just am getting sick and tired of all of the BS with psych meds, I want PA to fully legalize medical marijuana so I can get a particular strain, say one for energy and one for anxiety, which is now actually a reality. In Colorado for example, their medical strains of MJ can be prescribed for your certain ailment exactly to the T. Amazing, energy strains, insomnia strains, anxiety ect... And no withdrawal symptoms! What other drug with such potency can you say that about, no physical withdrawal even with heavy use or abuse. Psychological sometimes, but nothing like running out of benzos or taking Vicodin after breaking your leg for a week, that's all it takes, and when the course is done your body goes into withdrawals, potentially starting a vicious cycle or reawakening an old one. But anyways, for now MJ is not legal fully in PA so I'll just have to keep popping s***ty addys and my 1mg Clonazepam at night with doxepin. Oh yeah and my neurontin 600mgs 3 times a day.... Everything seems to be backwards in this country. Especially the medical field and the marijuana policies. Legalize it and please at least make good quality amphetamines so I can go to work everyday!! Yeah right.. Gracias amigos y me amigas! Lol ??

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That was very detailed and helpful. It seems the past year the adderall generic are all switched around and it used to be consistent. I would get the orange football ones or pink round and now it's all different. Scary what they put in medication, the binders. Etc.

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The instant release does not have a name brand. Shire the original manufacturer of Adderall told me that Teva was the one handling the I R. My doctor wrote me prescriptions so I could get 3 or 4 to see which brand would work best. I found that Activist stimulated you the best but it wore off very quick and then they had a recall and now no one in my town has it. I tried Core and it shot my blood pressure sky high in a few minutes with no focusing in the brain. I tried Teva but it does not let you have the mental clarity as the Shire but they only make xl. Teva was also caught for having Tylenol and tramadol as their active ingredients. The Aurobindo brand was worthless. I would like to try the Sandoz brand but I would have to travel over a hundred miles to get it. So I have just been making do with the Teva B 974 logo. When I go back to the doctor I will get a script for the xl and use the Brand Name Shire which I know works. My problem with that is not being able to sleep.

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Hey, am considering taking aurora brand my local Target has it in stock. How is it in comparison to sandoze?

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Yes! But now the "name brand" are the same manufacturer as the generic so you feel like hell either way! :( it's crazy and making everyone who seriously has add crazy. I was better off before I ever started on this horrible downward spiral with these new generics and now the so called " name brands"! For years I was doing better than ever now I'm just sick and tired with zero personality. Are they trying to kill us off or what?! Wish I could just stop but then I'm really in a mess. Damned if I do and damned if I don't take them.

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I've never even heard of Aurora. Let me ask you this. Is adderall generic or otherwise an new thing for you or have you been prescribed this medication for awhile?
I think it's pretty stupid of them to be trying to give anyone who has been taking this medication for a long time new brands that are weaker because it's so freaking obvious to us what is going on. Unless we are all somehow prejudiced or biased. But since my mom and I have both been on the same medication , we have each other to compare our notes to and same pharmacy

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Get back on the brand for Adderall! Change pharmacys, Walgreen I used for years. Then they chained brands, the pills were braking up in my mouth I complained they did nothing.
Me, I did something. Rite aid seems to be reliable, but I always call to make sure they have brand on hand.

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Is there such thing as an IR (instant release) version of "real" Adderall?? Meaning the prescription bottle will actually say "ADDERALL" on it? NOT "Amphetamine-Dextroamphetamine"? I know my cousin takes "real" Adderall XR and the pills actually have the name "Adderall" printed on them. But I didn't think you could get it in IR for some reason.

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Re: jckinswo (# 1)

Very well written and informative post here. So I have a question, well background first. I've only ever taken Corepharm, Teva/Barr, and Sandoz generics. . . In that order. Sandoz is now apparently scheduled to be discontinued, which makes me sad as it's the one I prefer by far. I can take the Corepharm; it just has a higher side effect profiles for me. The one made by Teva/Barr I will never ever take again. It was horrible. But my question, if Teva now makes the name brand Adderall, have you taken both that and the generic they make? How would they compare?

I would be so reticent to trying it because of my bad experience and because according to Daily Med, they contain the exact same fillers.

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I've got a yellow pill with "0 9 8" on one side and then the letter "U" on the other side. Is this pill considered a 5mg Adderall generic? It's a lowercase U and looks like it's supposed to be Adderall generic, I'm guessing because I don't see the brand for it.

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I need to know if the generic Adderall my son takes is water soluble? He absolutely cannot swallow the pills and his doctor told me to try dissolving them. Can I do this effectively?

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Re: Benjamin (# 12)

Crush it up in a fine powder put it in apple sauce or chocolate pudding. Kid will never know the difference

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Adderallmillionare (# 13) & Benjamin (#12) --

Adderallmillionaire knows his stuff! This is true for both the instant release tablets and the XR beads (open the capsule carefully and try to get most of the beads given onto two or three spoonfuls of the applesauce, pudding, yogurt, etc..DO NOT stir it into the whole serving and do not "save" remainder for later.) Interestingly, i've read that the reason TEVA generic IR tablets are completely sugary tasting (All my fellow AD/HD sufferers whose pharmacy offers TEVA knows what i'm talking about) as soon as they hit the tongue is exactly for being able to administer it to children with AD/HD, so they're not getting an offensive medicinal taste. Good Luck!

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Hey, when you guys post an update or say which generic is or isn't working, can you provide a few details?

1. Manufacturer
2. XR or IR? Include the mg and a description of the pill (color, shape, etc.)
3. ***THE PHARMACY WHERE YOU FILLED YOUR PRESCRIPTION***
4. Your location, if you are comfortable with that, on the off-chance we are close and can then be guaranteed to know the manufacturer

Because if one of the generics works better than others, and it is available at a chain pharmacy, usually it is consistent throughout the whole chain and that will make it easier for all of us to get a hold of that manufacturer's Adderall, or to avoid it if we don't like that manufacturer.

Thanks :)

PS: I'm hearing rumors of Sandoz Adderall IR returning to the market. If somebody can confirm this, what pharmacy are you using?

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@Alex: Excellent idea! Thank you for being the 'calm voice of reason' and leading this research project, which will benefit us all. I suggest that we *also* post a new discussion for maximum viewing (and hopefully, maximum response!) Additional postings in some ADD discussion threads may be useful as well. I also suggest adding one more thing, e.g. #5: "Your insurance/method of payment, and how much did it cost?" because some pharmacies don't take certain insurance, but might offer the best deal even paying cash out-of-pocket. I'm thinking of Costco, which is incredibly cheap and you don't have to be a member, AFAIK. Alex, I'll be glad to put some effort into this in hopes of getting some good responses. My usual Kroger pharmacy just informed my husband that they can't fill my prescription because they're out of my usual medication and probably won't be carrying it anymore.

Until today, I WAS taking: Aurobindo IR (instant release) 20mg round pale-orange tablet. From Kroger/King Soopers pharmacy, just west of the Denver metro area. It was free under my insurance, Medicaid.

My evaluation: Overall, meh. Didn't keep me up at night like XRs do. Moderate appetite control for 8-12 hours. Ability to focus: Extremely meh. Side effects: Immediately after getting my monthly prescription filled, the first few doses might give me a very slight dry mouth. This leads me to believe this particular medication degrades when exposed to air. I keep my medication bottle in an old thermos, in the basement during the summer, and in an unused guest bathroom during the winter, to maintain storage temperature between 59-65 degrees, so I'm sure I'm protecting it from any degradation due to light or excess heat.

Anyway, I'm going to be calling pharmacies in my area to find one that carries (or can order) a quality generic IR Adderall. I can't use Costco because they don't take Medicaid, and FYI if they know you have Medicaid they won't dispense anything to you even if you pay cash. Maybe this is an idiosyncrasy of my weird state, Colorado?

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There is a large difference in the generic adderall, both the instant release as well as the extended release. The IR generic which are by far the best hands down is those manufactured by Sandoz! Sandoz also was granted by Shire to produce the generic form which is the original formula of the XR and production began in 2017. Previously Teva had this privilege and both the generic made by Teva and the brand made by Shire were one and the same. Sandoz now provides XRs that are excellent.

The absolute worst instant release is made by core pharm. They are pink and cause all manner of side effects, such as tight muscles, discontent, mental fog and an overall dysphoria that I would say it actually has no benefits at all. I had experience with Actavis XR and my experience was that they didn't work and I found that even if I took above my dose it still was not any where near the efficiency. I gave this manufacturer 2 months in case it may have been "all in my head". The reality is that Actavis XR are garbage and overwhelming number of people experience this same outcome. This is also true for the pink Corepharm IR, these are truly brutal to experience and I can't believe they allow them to be on the market! Do you really believe different fillers alone create corepharm dysphoric nightmare? I don't. Steer clear of both Actavis and Corepharm. I was able to get CVS to special order me Sandoz, both the XR and the IR. What you need to do, is ask if the pharmacy can special order generics, (which many of the big chains most certainly can) They will reply with a yes and only then tell them you would like them to order Sandoz Adderall.

The Pharmacist at a Mom and Pop pharmacy explained to me that they can no longer absorb the differing costs and now tend to go with the least expensive whereas chain pharmacy will be able to absorb the cost due to it's size along with keeping customer satisfaction. I struck out initially with these big chains being told they couldn't get sandoz. Mom pop Pharmacist explained to me that when inquiring at the big chain like CVS ect. I should first ask if they could special order generics without revealing what drug yet. Only after given the answer of yes should I reveal what drug I need special ordered. I left his store went up the street to the CVS doing exactly as he advised and have been taking Sandoz brand for a year now. I really feel for everyone here because I know what a complete nightmare this can be and what absolutely criminal is that we pay much more for insurance only to find their allowed formulary restricted quantities along with tiered bulls*** leaves quality medicine out of reach for many of us. I really am grateful that my choices weren't just Actavis, and Corepharm. I find Aurobindo to be acceptable, a bit edgy at times but far better than Corpharma. Hope this helps.

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Re: LIBBY (# 9)

It does exist and my insurance company won't allow me to get it. My doc wrote a note requesting name brand only after my bad experiences with Aurobindo and Mylan and they denied it. Now I need to fight their decision, which according to my friend (who is also a pharmacist) is a battle that can be very hard to win.

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Re: Benjamin (# 12)

I can't believe s doctor told you to disolve the pill and drink it. Adderal is made up of a combo of four different amphetamine salts that work in different part of your digestive track. It's called bio availablity..

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Re: Benjamin (# 12)

I had read that people who prefer a more distributed effect, (rather than on/off) crush 1 tab to 1 quarter bottle of water. I asked my doctor about it and he said to give it a try but all I found was that the effectiveness was (sorry for the pun) watered down.

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Re: Minerva Seeks (# 38)

Can't be worse than Rhodes

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Re: JohnnySno (# 40)

Global seems ok. DO NOT ACCEPT RHODES!

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Re: chill33 (# 41)

Surprised Rhodes had any effect on you. Just nausea for me. Also was prescribed Rhodes oxycodone after surgery that did nothing but make me look like a DRUG ADDICT when I would mention it to my doctor's (plural) or pharmacy. Fedup

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Re: Chris (# 26)

Corepharma discontinued making generic Adderall several years ago.

Also...most do not know this but Barr Pharmaceuticals actually makes Teva's product.

If you have doubts simply visit the FDA, look for a recent Orange Book, slide down, and you will find that Barr is approved by FDA
to make generic Adderall.

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Re: jckinswo (# 1)

I mean, I spend $3.40 on 10 mg epic pharm and 20 mg rhodes for upwards of 300 I could get brand name but I don't have that kind of $$

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Is it the filler in Rhodes that gives me such a s***ty feeling? Literally even took my dose and felt no difference.

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Re: JohnnySno (# 40)

I have had almost a different generic every month for the past 5 months. I am prescribed 20mg ir and 5 mg ir. I had
Sandoz in 20mg - April 2022
Aerolife 20mg June 2022
Rhodes 20mg - July 2022
Camber 20mg & 5mg August 2022
Just got Epic 20mg (September 2022)

I have taken adderall ir for 9+ years and have tried almost every generic, though haven’t had this many different generics changes, and all from the same pharmacy.

Every time I got a new one I went straight to Google for reviews before taking.

Sandoz 8.5/10. Smooth and seemed correctly dosed

Aerolife 5/10. Felt super underdosed

Rhodes 7.5/10 smooth. Felt slightly underdosed, but consistent

Camber 8/10 - super surprised on this because everyone else on the internet seemed to hate this generic and I expected to hate it and feel like crap after reading others experiences, but was actually very smooth and worked pretty well. Felt similar to Rhodes to me. I might have just gotten lucky and got a good batch. Both 20mg and 5mg were good.

Epic 9/10 - i have had 5mg from epic majority of the time the past few months, but 5mg are hard for me to determine effectiveness since it’s such a small dose, but got 20 mg for the first time ever this month. (Years ago had the pink Core pharma) BY FAR the strongest of any of the generic I’ve had in years. Significantly Stronger than TEVA and Sandoz.

Only knock is I feel more in my head and less social, but also because I feel WAY more focused on the task I am doing.

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Re: Lola (# 5)

I'd like to see the brands that ppl found effective.
I give thumbs up for good answers ! ??

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Re: Lazaro (# 14)

Well, I was wondering why those tasted like sugar. Anyway, years after your post, the copay for those jumped up by $650.00. So have to take generics. Only found one that works, but can only obtain them every few months. It's all so wrong.

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HEADS UP!!! WHATEVER YOU DO... DO NOT TAKE "CAMBER" GENERIC AT ALL. REPORT IT, RETURN IT, REFILL PROPER.

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