• BASIC DRUG
    DISCUSSION
    Welcome to Bluelight!
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules
    Benzo Chart Opioids Chart
    Drug Terms Need Help??
    Drugs 101 Brain & Addiction
    Tired of your habit? Struggling to cope?
    Want to regain control or get sober?
    Visit our Recovery Support Forums
  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

generic adderall vs brand name

ellua

Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 21, 2006
Messages
1,192
When I started taking Adderall about a year ago, I got the generic kind. I didn't care, I figured a drug is a drug, they're still required to qualify a certain amount of the active ingredients, right? But the side effects were terrible. The come down gave me headaches that "froze" my forehead (reminded me of the one time I did coke), and I got really agitated by people, loud noises, or anything that I didn't choose to concentrate on. When I switched to name brand, the difference was amazing. I only needed half as much for the same effect, and it gave me all good feelings -- everything was fine
Recently I switched insurance and can't afford the name brand (over $100, even w/insurance)... the generic is only five bucks. So I take the crappy generic, and though I don't get headaches anymore (probably as I've been on it over a year now), if I take more than 60mg a day I do get muscle stiffness & twitches in my forehead and eyes, and it feels kinda..."dirty" compared to name brand.

Has anyone else experienced this, or noticed differences?

What is the difference, chemically, that makes them feel different? I'm pretty sure it's not just in my head...

(doseage: im prescribed 30mg IR twice daily, but just take it as-needed. depending how tired i am, i take anywhere from 15-30mg on weekday mornings, then another 15mg after lunch, and if im still dragging, another 15mg a few hours later)
 
ellua said:
Has anyone else experienced this, or noticed differences?

What is the difference, chemically, that makes them feel different? I'm pretty sure it's not just in my head...

(doseage: im prescribed 30mg IR twice daily, but just take it as-needed. depending how tired i am, i take anywhere from 15-30mg on weekday mornings, then another 15mg after lunch, and if im still dragging, another 15mg a few hours later)

There is suppose to be no difference chemically in generic and brand name.
A generic suppose to have same strength as brand name. But for some reason there is still a difference in generic than brand name. I believe that generic company don't use high quilty ingredients in the drugs, that is why you feel there is a difference between generic and brand name.
 
as far as adderall, i have done the brand name pills, and my prescription is for generics, and with that script i've thus far had three different generics. they've all had exactly the same effects as the others; i never noticed even a slight difference in effect. and i'm pretty sensitive to subtle changes in highs, so at least for me, it seems that any adderall or generic form of adderall is the same as the rest.

i've never really noticed any differences between brand name pills and generic ones, except for once when i got generic oxycontin... the pills were much bigger which was just annoying because it meant snorting a lot more crap in order to snort the good part. but even when taking into consideration how much more powder there was compared to the brand name pills, the high was nowhere near as good, which i not only don't get, but it pissed me off horribly because oxy 80s are too damned expensive to not work. but then i had two other types of generic oxy and they worked just fine (although they also were exactly the same size as the brand name ones, if that matters). i still can't figure out why just that one generic sucked.
 
the active ingrediants are identical in generic and brand name pills. although the bioavailability of generic drugs cannot differ from their brand name counterparts by any statistically significant amount, there will probably still be a slight difference since some of the inactive ingrediants will be different from one formulation to the next. this means the generic version might be absorbed a little differently than the brand name. the difference will be small, however, and difficult to notice, if noticeable at all, so i suspect much of what you're experiencing is placebo. i certainly wouldn't spend the extra money on brand name.
 
ratherbewater said:
as far as adderall, i have done the brand name pills, and my prescription is for generics, and with that script i've thus far had three different generics. they've all had exactly the same effects as the others; i never noticed even a slight difference in effect. and i'm pretty sensitive to subtle changes in highs, so at least for me, it seems that any adderall or generic form of adderall is the same as the rest.

i've never really noticed any differences between brand name pills and generic ones, except for once when i got generic oxycontin... the pills were much bigger which was just annoying because it meant snorting a lot more crap in order to snort the good part. but even when taking into consideration how much more powder there was compared to the brand name pills, the high was nowhere near as good, which i not only don't get, but it pissed me off horribly because oxy 80s are too damned expensive to not work. but then i had two other types of generic oxy and they worked just fine (although they also were exactly the same size as the brand name ones, if that matters). i still can't figure out why just that one generic sucked.

I bet they were the Teva 80's with (93/?cantremember) were green and oblong, called "footballs" by some. They had alot of wax filling that required 5x the amount of time to chop them up and use a very sharp razorblade.
Even by chopping for 30 min the wax would still stick to some of the power and prevent the rest from being completely absorbed in the membranes of the nose.
Swallowing the green footballs was the exact same as the Perdue 80's.
 
Amphetamines are pretty easy to make and therefore there shouldn't be any difference in the high between orally ingested brand or generic adderall. However, I wouldn't be surprised if there are significant differences in fillers/binders between different brands of pharmaceutical amphetamines. Differences in the 95+% of the pill that is inactive could lead to differences in bioavailability if these drugs were taken nasally rather than orally as prescribed.
 
There IS a difference other than $100 a month. I felt the generic IR was definitely more speedy and sometimes made me feel uncomfortable.

Shire RULES!
 
Yeah, I've noticed a difference as well. They're both OK, but definitely a different feel to them...
 
I've never noticed a difference between them. If cost is an issue for you then you could discuss possibly switching to dextroamphetamine with your doctor. The generic is dirt cheap and you might tolerate it better.
 
Although the generics are supposed to be the equivalent of the name brand version of the same drug (i.e "Ritalin" or "Adderall"), they can vary slightly from the named brands in the amount of active med they contain, and that small difference may be noticeable to some.

Also, the fillers in the generics are different, and that causes differences in how the active ingredient is released. Plus, some people may experience side effects from the filler itself.

In the pharmaceutical world, many compounds are sold under registered brand names. Here in the U.S., those compounds are produced under regulations that require very strict control of the effective amount of medication contained in each dose. (It doesn't matter if it's a pill, a tab, a tablet, a caplet, a capsule, a Spansule, or whatever.) I think that in the trade, this kind of standard is known as an A-level standard. Each tab must contain the same amount of effective ingredient within plus or minus one per cent under the A-level standard. When you buy brand-name Ritalin, or Dexedrine, or Detrostat, or Adderall, or Cylert -- to name some of the drugs most commonly used to treat ADD symptoms -- that is SUPPOSEDLY exactly what you get.
 
Some information on generics:

"The generic drug manufacturer must ensure that the drug they are producing contains the same active ingredient(s) as the brand-name product, in the same dosage form, at the same dose or concentration, and for the same route of administration (for example, amoxicillin 500 milligram (oral) capsule). The drug may differ in color, shape, taste, inactive ingredients, preservatives and packaging, however. Because of these differences, the generic drug manufacturers are required to submit additional paperwork to the FDA to prove that their product is manufactured in accordance with good manufacturing practices (GMPs), and is as pure and stable as the brand-name product. Additionally, the generic needs to meet pharmacokinetic parameters in the body, which means it must dissolve (in a beaker) at the same rate and to the same extent as the original. This process ensures that the two products are bioequivalent because if product A and product B dissolve in a virtually identical manner, then they should behave the same in the body. "

Come on people, generics contain the EXACT same active ingredients as the brand name pills. The brand name costs more? Why is that? Well, the company that sells the brand name has to recoup the costs of the development of the drug, they have to pay for all the fancy advertising they have on TV and in magazines, and they have to cover the costs of their drug reps and all the free shit, dinners, golf outings, and other junkets they take doctors on to get them to prescribe their shit.

So if you want to pay more for the exact same amount of the exact same drug in the exact same dosage form with exactly the same bioavailibility go for it. If you are thinking the brand name is hitting you harder or works better, that is called placebo effect.
 
I, too, have noticed a huge difference in generic Adderall and the name brand. I have been prescribed 90mg a day for 10 years now. When I was first prescribed Adderall (at 14yrs of age) you couldnt even get the generic in drug stores. Although, it was difficult to find a drug store that carried enough stock, because so many people were beginning to be prescribed Adderall. Now, I simply cannot find a drug store that even carries the name brand. I will ask, and the pharmasists will roll their eyes and say, "Why do you want to pay $100+ for the same as generic?" I would pay that much because I've experienced in my 8 straight years of taking the name brand, that the generic is nothing like it. It will actually make me sleepy, it makes me yawn terribly, muscle aches, short temper, the shakes...etc.
 
Do some research before posting!

Some information on generics:

"The generic drug manufacturer must ensure that the drug they are producing contains the same active ingredient(s) as the brand-name product, in the same dosage form, at the same dose or concentration, and for the same route of administration (for example, amoxicillin 500 milligram (oral) capsule). The drug may differ in color, shape, taste, inactive ingredients, preservatives and packaging, however. Because of these differences, the generic drug manufacturers are required to submit additional paperwork to the FDA to prove that their product is manufactured in accordance with good manufacturing practices (GMPs), and is as pure and stable as the brand-name product. Additionally, the generic needs to meet pharmacokinetic parameters in the body, which means it must dissolve (in a beaker) at the same rate and to the same extent as the original. This process ensures that the two products are bioequivalent because if product A and product B dissolve in a virtually identical manner, then they should behave the same in the body. "

Come on people, generics contain the EXACT same active ingredients as the brand name pills. The brand name costs more? Why is that? Well, the company that sells the brand name has to recoup the costs of the development of the drug, they have to pay for all the fancy advertising they have on TV and in magazines, and they have to cover the costs of their drug reps and all the free shit, dinners, golf outings, and other junkets they take doctors on to get them to prescribe their shit.

So if you want to pay more for the exact same amount of the exact same drug in the exact same dosage form with exactly the same bioavailibility go for it. If you are thinking the brand name is hitting you harder or works better, that is called placebo effect.




In response to this post----

First off, do you take Adderall on a daily basis? Probably not. Nonetheless, it is amazing how hundreds of thousands of individuals are complaining about the shitty generics that are being put out on the market these days and you want to say the Generic compound is absolutely the same as the Brand Name. Bullshit! A) FDA standards require a generic to be 80% similar in it makeup to approve it to go on the market. B) Shire was the originator of the formulation and then Adderall exploded (what a great time for some shady small companies like Core Pharma LLC,/Ranbanxy Eon Labs/Sandoz, Malkrndt, and even Barr (now brand name) to make this drug as cheap as they can, not paying attention to anything about it except trying to get it 80% compliant and then sold to as many pharmacies as they can. The pharmacies get paid big time bonuses and $ in general to sell these shit generics and it is all a big money maker. Bottom Line is that everyone reacts different to every drug out there and has different body chemistry. What may work for some, may not work with others.

Try seaching google for "the new pink Adderall) - this is proof that it is not a fucking placebo effect and that is complete bullshit. Sure companies like Shire want their fucking money for all the R/D that went into making such an effective Drug for ADD/ADHD as they are still the leader in ADHD Meds in the US and in other Countries.

Last thing- Consider this... If I put a 30mg round orange pill that said EON 404 on one side an was scored two ways on the other side, and then put another 30mg pill still round a a little lighter orange or peach colored that was scored down the middle and said AD on one side and 30 on the other, which would you eat? Now ask yourself why?

I am done-

My hat goes off to Shire Labs and I will say fuck Barr and all other shit companies that make half ass pills that are fucking with peoples lives and causing all sorts of adverse side effects.
 
what ive heard, and i dont know if its true, but subjectively it makes sense, what ive heard is that Adderal has a very tightly controlled ratio of d-amphetamine to l-amphetamine. generics tend to not have the same control, so even between different batches of the same generic, the feel will change
 
I don't believe the hype. Had plenty of generics, plenty of brand throughout the years. I have severe ADHD and am on a daily dose of only 20mg (which I was going to change to 30mg because Barr was getting very hard to take @20mg per day), but since getting "the new pink adderall": which by the way, if you're new to adderall or prescription drugs in general, every few months there's a huge hyper manic scare that gets sent in capital letters all over the internet ADDERALL USERS: AVOID COPHARM, AVOID SHIRE, AVOID BARR, WATCH OUT FOR THE NEW PINK PILLS!

It's chain-letter shite basically. 80% compliance is huge for amphetamine, a salt-based product which is therefore incredibly bio-available (unlike the real change that's happening with other prescription drugs such as oxycontin, which aren't as bio-available and minor changes in formulation can change a heck of a lot more than metabolization).

Seeing a bunch of people complain about something new and strange (CorPharm's takeover is obviously a government plan to kill everyone who takes adderall) that has happened to their drug of choice. Unfortunately for oxycodone/contin users generics can have a hugely unfavorable effect due to the way they metabolize, and many people use this real tragedy to scare other prescription drug-takers. I'm not saying it's not possible that CorPharm and Shire are involved in some pharma-takeover mutiny anti-christ resurrection, but what I am going to say is this:


Every time a new kind of pill (shape, size, color, or imprint) is released it is instantly convicted of being the cause of every headache and spell of diarrhea that happens to the person for the rest of their life. Conveniently for people who spread these rumors of fear, most people who get an unfamiliar script log on to some pill identification site where you can read about all the strychnine and rat poison mixed into this year's favorite batch to pick on.

This year it happens to be the pink adderall. Next year it'll be another color, shape, size, or imprint that is rumored to be both inherently dangerous and wildly corrupt. It's just paranoia, and unfortunately people love to spread paranoia and there are plenty of believers out there.

So, I have tried ever single kind of adderall, and although it's subjective, my experience with these has been identical. There's always a period of getting used to the new formulation, but it is usually a positive upgrade. Even though it merely metabolizes differently with each new formulation, this can manifest into "strange side-effects" from experience to experience. I'm sure everyone remembers the first time they got diarrhea from adderall and thought they were being poisoned, or the all-too-familiar headache..but really, we all know that the side-effects that people are freaking out about have been there since it was formulated, just in varying degrees. Most subsequent formulations are an attempt to perfect the compound and take away such noticable side-effects, not necessarily to "change the experience" or "take away from the experience" for profit.

We're not living in India or China. There are great regulations in America; unfortunately oxycontin brand has gotten away with doing everything they can to drive the price of brands up, which has resulted in some funny misdoings and definitely some terrible batches.

But this is a completely different matter, biochemically. The way that it absorbs has everything to do with all these "nasty" side-effects.


Freak out if you like, throw a party and tell all your friends to avoid such and such a company's adderall because they're pissing in the vats, but don't try to back up a claim by saying "look what all these people are saying on the internet...it must be true!!!!"


These are *different* but not better or worse. Although, frankly, for me the new pinks are working out marvelously and I haven't had a better formulation with fewer side-effects since the first brand dose I had years ago. Everyone is different, though, and unfortunately some of you are going to get the diarrhea from hell and exploding headaches that *Barr's* particular formulation was giving *me*.

These side-effects will all pass, for most as quickly as they did when they had such problems during their first few doses. And next year's catchword will be "remember those pink adderall, well that ain't nothin compared to the new tylenol formulas!!"


Just bizarre, man. This stuff is like clock-work. I often wonder who benefits from spreading these half-truths...


Edit: Also, forgot to mention, for all you out there snorting these and complaining: stop snorting them. They are very dense and much harder to snort (probably one of the reasons for a new formula) and doing so will end in disappointment and probably a lot of shit talking because they don't powder and break apart like those shitty Barr's. If you must insufflate, please make sure that it is completely broken up into the finest powder possible and hope for the best, but don't get upset because they're not powder like the others...expect to see more changes like this. And I would hardly say that, even with its bioavailability and quick absorption time in the nasal cavity, these incredibly dense CorPharm pills will produce even half of the effects of the easily snorted powder pills (Barr, Ramboxy/Sandoz, etc.). Those things were made for your nose, and frankly the Barr formulation is too speedy (no clarity whatsoever sometimes for me) and as such have far more addictive potential. I mean they practically look like they're going to fall apart into a line when you put them on a tabletop. I think a lot of formulas in the last few years have been aimed at delivering the speed to keep all the addicts going, fortunately for people who need these things to think clearly they're starting to focus on what's important, or so it seems.

Again, all my experience is subjective (but extensive). Pharmaceutical companies are evil, but they've not yet stopped making medicine in favor of sugar pills that pass as such.
 
Last edited:
generics

It's baloney that generics and brand are the same thing. There can be big differences. For that matter there can be big differences between generic and generic. Brand is considered 100%. By law, a generic has to be 80-125% of the brand. Most generics are AB rated. This means they don't have to go through the rigorous multi-phase testing that the brand drug makers have to go through because the FDA feels it would be redundant to make the generics go through all that testing since the brand drug maker already did it. But, the generic makers have to come up with an alternative formulation since they can't copy exactly the formula's of the brand drug makers. Yes, it's the same active ingredients (possibly not the same quality, however). There formula's usually differ when it comes to the inactive ingredients or the excipient ingredients (binders, fillers). But these excipient ingredients can determine how well the active ingredients work, or are absorbed.
In testing these AB rated generics, they basically feed them to people, get their responses, and at a point just after the 1/2 life of the drug they draw their serum levels to make sure the active ingredients are within that 80-125% curve. So, some generics may seem weaker or stronger because they CAN be. Usually, it's only a couple of percentage points in the minus.
In my opinion SOME generics like the generic adderall IR(30 mg), made by BARR, seem like they don't fall within 20% of brand. It feels about 50%. Their excipients must suck, to explain this. Barr's generic dexedrine spansule's don't seem to release as smoothly as the brand either. Barr sucks. Demand better generics!
 
This is such a common problem with generic adderall. I see this thread at least every week or so. I'm convinced the generic don't work as well.

-lenses
 
My pdoc changed me from Ritalin to a starter pack for Adderall 30mg by the original best brand name Shire. At that time, no generic Adderall was available yet in the USA. Without health insurance, I had to shop for the best price for Shire Adderall and it was expensive. The pharmacist knew my doctor and always gave me the best discounts on the cash price for Shire Adderall.

Then several years later, generic forms of Adderall became available, so to save money, I had my newest script filled for the generic and IT WAS LOUSY!! The pills had a sickening sweet aftertaste, crumbled when split into a powder and the drug effect much weaker that brand name Shire. I told the pharmacist about it and complained that I noticed a main difference between Shire Adderall vs generic. She said her other patients taking this drug had complained of the same differences.

I have had several generic Adderall scripts filled from BARR, CorePharma and a new one. The pharmacy tech told me they had BARR and Sandoz 30mg, scored tabs. The BARR was always crumbly and sweet aftertaste. I seemed to do better with the CorePharma Co, the 30 mg are orange, round tabs scored to quarter the dose which I take through out the day. But this week I ordered the Sandoz brand, knowing of their high reputation for quality name brand and generic drugs. I haven't taken the Sandoz yet, but it has to be a better generic hopefully than BARR and CorePharma.

My doc will only write me 30Mg Adderall generic, 30 tabs per script and there are no refills or phone ins because of the drug class which is a triplicate, special prescription pad. I have to make the 30 tabs last about 6=7 weeks before I get another script. I don't take the med everyday because I have to ration them out to last until I run out.

The average cash price for Shire Adderall 30Mg, #30 tabs was about $117.23-$130+ The generic Sandoz Adderall 30Mg. #30 round scored tabs was $12.57 with my prescription discount card.

I'm hoping the Sandoz brand will work closer in effect like Shire. And Shire has made their millions in drug profits, why can't they lower the price so more of us uninsured can afford it?

Certain generic drugs reported by many patients do not work s well as name brand meds, some examples, Wellbutrin XL, Xanax, Lamictal, Darvocet, Adderall, Ritalin, Dilantin and others.

Does the FDA do random generic drug assays from major drug companies to make sure the quality is kept to high standards? The fillers and delivery systems are not the same in brand name and generics. There are many complaints from patients that share these opinions about differences between brand name meds and their generic counterparts. Hope we see some improvements soon

zink
 
Top