Stimulants A noticeable difference between generic and brand Adderall

[MikeFromClaims]

Hi everyone, long time lurker, first time posting. I'll dive right into my question - For those of you who have been prescribed both generic and brand name Adderall XR 30mg, do you notice a difference in the "high", efficacy, and comedown?comedian? When I was first prescribed Adderall back in 2019 my dr. put me on the brand name and I've taken that ever since. I recently changed jobs, unfortunately there is a waiting period before my new insurance kicks in. To make a long story short, for the first time ever I ended up having to get the generics.

WOW.

What a difference. I honestly don't like the "feel" of the generics at all. Working in the Healthcare industry I understand the differences between generic and brand medications, but for me, that doesn't explain why I felt such a difference between the two. Here is what I felt:

-The initial "high" felt, dirty. I know that's a subjective, vague statement, but it just didn't feel as good/clean as the brand

-Even though they were the same mg, they didn't seem to last NEARLY as long.

-Comedown. When I take a 30mg xr of the brand in the morning, then chew up some beads from another pill later in the day, I can usually "reawake" the high from my initial pill that I swallowed earlier in the day. By the time I'm laying in bed around midnight I'm feeling relaxed and almost euphoricly calm. With the generics, if I do this, I either don't feel the ones I chew or I do, but then I'm laying in bed later feeling anxious and with a headache.

Any thoughts?

 

[negrogesic]

In theory there should be no significant difference and the two should be equivalent.

However from my experience with both adderall and dexedrine, the generics don't feel equivalent. Not sure why this is.

Adderall in particular is somewhat tricky to manufacture given the delicate ratios of various amphetamines salts and isomer mixtures. Dexedrine should be comparatively easy to make given that it is solely dextroamphetamine, but I still found differences in generic. However in the case of adderall the generics seem to feel different in multiple ways, whereas dexedrine generics simply feel different in strength (one maker in particular, KVK pharmaceuticals - a troubled and often raided US generic maker - felt especially underdosed).

I believe an independent, consumer funded, watchdog group should exist that tests generic pharmaceuticals for dose and consistency, since the FDA is notorious bad at policing generic drugs.

 

[MikeFromClaims]

In theory there should be no significant difference and the two should be equivalent.

However from my experience with both adderall and dexedrine, the generics don't feel equivalent. Not sure why this is.

Adderall in particular is somewhat tricky to manufacture given the delicate ratios of various amphetamines salts and isomer mixtures. Dexedrine should be comparatively easy to make given that it is solely dextroamphetamine, but I still found differences in generic. However in the case of adderall the generics seem to feel different in multiple ways, whereas dexedrine generics simply feel different in strength (one maker in particular, KVK pharmaceuticals - a troubled and often raided US generic maker - felt especially underdosed).

I believe an independent, consumer funded, watchdog group should exist that tests generic pharmaceuticals for dose and consistency, since the FDA is notorious bad at policing generic drugs.

I absolutely agree. It's funny how the active ingredients should be nearly identical (except for maybe +/-10% according to the Dr. I work with) and the only differences should be the quantity and type of filler used. I don't understand how just that alone can make them feel so much different. Unless the generic pharms are pulling some shady shit. Wouldn't surprise me in the least, like you said, the FDA is a dysfunctional organization and the pharmaceutical companies know this all while taking advantage of said dysfunction. Gotta please the board/shareholders...

 

[Frazzled1990]

It may have something to do with a difference in the binding agents used, which may interact with the way the Amphetamine is absorbed. They say there's no difference in the active ingredients and that may be true. But even the "inactive" ingredients may effect the active ingredients in some way.

 

[dragonix]

At least I was snorting piles upon piles of this rather than meth in high school?

I always thought brand name was what you should seek if you could but I had no knowledge of why really

 

[Jabberwocky]

I have also noticed differences in adderall. It's not huge, but it's there. It might not be a difference in potency but in absorption?

I've also noticed brand name vicodin/oxy is noticeably better than generic hydrocodone/oxy.

Maybe even benzos too... idk maybe overthinking it

 

[Carbink]

Bump! Had Mallinckrock of shit last month (AKA Mallinckrodt) and am opting to pay the extra for brand tomorrow during refill. Furthermore, my dose will be going from 20 to 25. I’m optimistic that brand will be more effective, and not as inconsistent as the Malletchronicles of Riddshit…

These shady pharmaceutical companies really do be reminding of that show called “The Fall of the House of Usher” (created by Mike Flanagan, whom I have met at a con). Seriously, like some Umbrella Corporation type of shiznit.

 

[Cult315]

I used to sniff both generic and branded adderall religiously(so much so that my actual name was used locally to name the method of crushing the beads lol) and it could be all in my amphetamine crazed mind but I was positive, with no proof other than my own experience, that branded Adderalls beads were uniform and each one contained a certain mg of the drug and generic had a mix of active and non active beads. With adderall I always felt like I got the dose I took, with the generics sometimes I’d feel very little or nothing off a half of a 30 and other times I’d feel like I just sniffed a whole 30. And everywhere in between. I’d caught on to it and started (somewhat) keeping track when doing generics only because it didn’t take long to notice that every time I’d crush half a capsule and feel nothing, the other line(or whoever had received the other line) always felt the opposite - like you’d just done a whole 30.

I had many people relay the same experiences, so it was either locally spread paranoia, or generics(at least the generic I’d get, not sure what company produced them) uses a mix of active beads and inactive ones. Or maybe half are Levo and half are Dex. Not sure if that’s a thing they could do or not

 

[pixies+]

I couldn’t tolerate generic. Adderall at all. It had a dirty, speedy, anxiety inducing feel that in just couldn’t shake. It was awful.

. I thought maybe my body just needed time to adjust. So I gave it 2 weeks. I seriously couldn’t handle it…

I called my Dr, and he explained that he had to specifically write “brand name only” on the script. Which he didn’t have a problem doing, he just assumed id want generic because they were cheaper and not all insurance companies cover brand name Adderall.

Luckily, mine did.

 

[negrogesic]

I've sort of settled for generic after all the shortages.

But I sort of go back and forth between adderrall and dexedrine (dextroamphetamine). Brand name dexedrine immediate release pills stopped production so I once got a script for "zenzedi" which is like non-generic dextroamphetamine.

Adderall has more push to it than dextroamphetamine due to the adrenergic effect of the l-amphetamine, which is more physically energizing but also with a harsher side-effect profile.

 

[zylà]

Hi everyone, long time lurker, first time posting. I'll dive right into my question - For those of you who have been prescribed both generic and brand name Adderall XR 30mg, do you notice a difference in the "high", efficacy, and comedown?comedian? When I was first prescribed Adderall back in 2019 my dr. put me on the brand name and I've taken that ever since. I recently changed jobs, unfortunately there is a waiting period before my new insurance kicks in. To make a long story short, for the first time ever I ended up having to get the generics.

WOW.

What a difference. I honestly don't like the "feel" of the generics at all. Working in the Healthcare industry I understand the differences between generic and brand medications, but for me, that doesn't explain why I felt such a difference between the two. Here is what I felt:

-The initial "high" felt, dirty. I know that's a subjective, vague statement, but it just didn't feel as good/clean as the brand

-Even though they were the same mg, they didn't seem to last NEARLY as long.

-Comedown. When I take a 30mg xr of the brand in the morning, then chew up some beads from another pill later in the day, I can usually "reawake" the high from my initial pill that I swallowed earlier in the day. By the time I'm laying in bed around midnight I'm feeling relaxed and almost euphoricly calm. With the generics, if I do this, I either don't feel the ones I chew or I do, but then I'm laying in bed later feeling anxious and with a headache.

Any thoughts?

Wow I must have taken generic the last time I did it over a decade ago something similar has only been available to me since or how did that happen lol totally was as you describe