Adderall Generics Thread (Top voted first)

Hey guys. Most of us are probably in the same boat--our Adderall doesn't work and it's horrible and we can't function well and it's bull**** and we all know that, but there are other threads/forums to vent frustration. We need a thread with the basics to help us all get going again or to know what to avoid (even though that seems like all of them these days, ha.) PLEASE POST THE FOLLOWING: 1. MANUFACTURER OF YOUR RECENT ADDERALL PRESCRIPTION 2. XR OR IR? HOW MANY MG? COLOR/SHAPE/IMPRINT? (if possible) 3. ***PHARMACY NAME*** AND MONTH/YEAR OF SCRIPT 4. YOUR LOCATION (if you are comfortable with that) 5. SIDE EFFECTS/SYMPTOMS. GOOD? BAD? Generally speaking, chain pharmacies use the same manufacturer at all of their locations throughout the country and that will make it easier for us to either get a hold of that specific manufacturer's Adderall, OR to avoid it if it's a bad batch. Replies to other posts are allowed, but please try to stay on topic so that the thousands of people viewing this thread can easily keep track when they are going in for their monthly prescription. Thanks so much!

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Re: Patti B (# 87)

Hi. Same here with PUBLIX. I searched for info on Rhodes generic Adderall and surprisingly found little to nothing. What did you find?!
(RHODES is a subsidiary of Purdue)

Yes, ALL major pharmacies have adopted a "no special order" policy. MANY pharmacists have told me "our supplier always had a preferred generic. But we could order a particular brand based on customer request or doctors' orders, but now it is impossible. HQ says whatever the supplier has listed as the preferred is what you will get. And it can is changing.". So PHARMACISTS have been blocked out. CVS went to far as to remove the entire field on the order form says a pharmacist. It's all about negotiating lowest price by bulk ordering.
Publix gets it's meds from supplier AmerisourceBergen. Others use McKesson or Cardinal. These big 3
Suppliers basically call the shots and they are making $ doing it. They squeeze pharmacies AND manufacturers to negotiate lowest prices and biggest profit margin for themselves.

Unfortunately this is something that Congress will need to address federally, or State Legislation, and good luck with that.... They figured out how to give less and make more $. Customer Satisfaction means nothing because we'll take what we get they figure.

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YES! I would be more than happy to let you know about the pharmacy I regretfully made my primary.

KING SOOPERS RIDGE ROAD CASTLE ROCK COLORADO.

I have had major issues with their MALLINCKRODT NORCO and the ACTAVIS 20mg XR generic adderall.

The MALLINCRODT NORCO was tested by myself and 5 other people : result showed no hydrocodone in a 60 pill supply.

The ACTAVIS generic 20 mg xr Adderal is so bad that I have taken 3 in one day. Now that is just down right ridiculous. I am a 130lb female, I do not overdose on medication. This medication is a dud. It is a waste of my money, everyone's time and completely unethical.

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The strange part about posting here is that (at first) I was seeking answers for why there is a huge, nationwide back-order for Adderall/generics. I recently switched back to Express Scripts (after I vowed I would never do mail-order again, over two years ago), because I have had a tough time filling my 20 mg tablets retail, for the past four months.

Hysterical.

Not only does Express Scripts not have my 20 mg tables, they have NO TABLETS, WHATSOEVER. None, people. That's like...unheard of! I guess it's back to cold-calling pharmacies, until someone claims to have what I need.

Anyway. But back to subject at hand.

I have been telling my husband for about six months or so that I don't feel great about my meds, neither the long- (30 mg) nor the short-acting (20 mg) pills seem to be working very well. Conversely, I've been lately feeling tired and depressed. No medication should flip efficacy like that. I take my meds consistently and responsibly and I have never felt a drop-off like this, not ever. I'm a real creature of habit, too: I use the same pharmacy, in the same town, wherever I live, and I don't like to bounce around AT ALL.
Anyone who takes controlled substances long-term knows how pharmacists pill-shame. But ya, I couldn't imagine why the drugs were not performing the that way that I expected them to, and now I know it's not just me. It's not just my brain changing every seven years (or whatever). It's certainly not resistance -- I voluntarily reduced my dose about four years ago, bc I thought it was time to see how I held up on less medication. I was fine, until (like I said) about six months ago. I was also unwilling to discuss this problem with my doctor before my last appointment, for fear that he would worry I had developed too high a tolerance. But with this recent shortage, and with the stress of getting the less effective generic brands, I finally let him know: "Hey, my meds are actually not holding up very well. I don't think I want to increase my dose, but I just thought you should know." He looked at me and said (with a knowing sort of tone), "Huh. Okay, well, that's not too unusual, not lately."

Gee. Great.

So, why is this happening? I read that the DEA or FDA (the powers that be, if you will) basically restricted the manufacturing of Adderall by 45%, over the past two years. I wonder why all of these agencies conspiring to withhold an already less effective pharmacological therapy from legitimate use, so that patients sometimes have no access to it at all? And they also seem to feel no need to tell physicians or prescribers about the changes. Wouldn't doctors consideration perhaps prescribing this medication to fewer new patients (at least), due to increased drug shortages? Doesn't that create a sort of moot therapeutic environment? Won't people seek illegal sources of these drugs, if they can't get what they need legally, and in their own country? I mean, I certainly don't plan on going that route, but trying to crash everyone who takes ADD meds into each other by basically putting them in competition for medication -- and forcing doctors to cobble together new prescription, month-to-month, based on what's available -- isn't that more of a public health risk, than creating an artificial restriction on legal access to this medication?

I have come to feel that the powers that be continue to needlessly waste time, money, and patient stability.
It puts a strain on us, our prescribers, and (yes) even the pharmacists. Never in 20 years of taking medication for ADHD have I ever experienced such a prolonged strain on the supply side, nor has the quality of the drugs I take been so low.

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1. Teva
2. 20mg IR
3. Walgreens
4. Problems with GERD, Extreme hunger, weight gain, sinus problem, nausea, extreme fatigue, no motivation, NO FOCUS (Is this even amphetamine!?)

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Today I picked up my adderall IR 20mg x 2. I opened up my bottle like usual and noticed the peach color was way lighter color than my normal teva brand and the next thing I noticed was the taste?. It's not the sweet taste like teva its more chalky!.. its made by Lannett pharmaceuticals. Never heard of them before. Since it's late afternoon i decided to try one and see what's up ¿. Humm two hours now and not much has happened. So i will wait a bit longer and update. I was just on a different blogpost page and read that some people actually liked the one by Lannett pharmaceuticals better than teva, but still prefer the sweet taste of adderall!. My question is has anyone else had the experience to try this newer generic version and what's you're opinion. Remember these are the same shape, just a lighter color and they are marked with a 2/0 (e). I don't know what the (e) stands for ¿?

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I’ve been taking IR and XR Adderall for 15 years. Never had a problem with any generic manufacturer before. Until Aurobindo aka Northstar aka Aurolife 30mg IR. This is sold in Arizona by Albertsons/Safeway and CVS. It puts me in the nastiest mood and gives me a headache. I switched to Walgreens because they carry Lannett and that doesn’t give me problems.

Aurobindo is a terrible company.

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I’m not a scientist, so I will start out saying this is speculation on my part. I know that not peoples bodies can react differently to medication from one another, so I am not saying that because one companies generic doesn’t work for me, that it means it won’t work for anyone else that ever takes it. I am just speaking on my personal experience. I’ve been on stimulants off and on for many years and I can promise you that adderall generics at least all the different ones I have taken have changed in the last few years and especially in 2022 and the last 4 months.

I never had any problems or negative side effects with generic adderall from 2008 to 2017 maybe 2018. Stopped taking it for 2 years. Got back on in 2020. I noticed from my very first dose that something was off. I’m prescribed 30mg 2 times a day IR. Now I only actually take 30 to 90 mg in 1 whole week. So I do not have a tolerance built up. I have never taken the medication daily because I haven’t needed to. So in the past this medication has always worked every single time. The first dose I took in over 2 years did almost nothing. I chalked it up to over hyping it in my mind. So waiting for the next weekend and took 45 mg on a Saturday 1 and a half pills. Basically the same thing. I noticed there was no sense of well being or extra motivation that usually comes with the drug. The only thing I noticed was that it felt like a large dose of caffeine, like I had drank a redline energy drink or something. The experience was therapeutically useless.

So I waited another week and had the same results. So I thought we’ll maybe my body is reacting differently since I'm a little bit older. Then one of my close friends I grew up with got back on his and I asked him what he thought. He said it didn’t work for him either. So I’ve been taking it 1 to 2 times a week for the last year and only about 5% out of all of those doses have I actually felt the medication working. But since it wasn’t something I had to take daily and wasn’t actually negatively affecting my life I didn’t look into it until about 3 months ago or so I noticed that the medication took an even bigger nosedive in quality/effectiveness.

So I finally took the time to look into this out of curiosity because at this point I still thought maybe it was just my body changing or all in my head. Keep in mind I take it even less than I did before so I don’t take any more that 60 mg a week so usually I’ll take 2 doses on Saturday. I thought it was for sure me and I’m probably the only one that is dealing with or noticing this but after a few hours going over personal accounts, discontinuing of products, lawsuits, complaints to the fda, lawyers, etc. I was kinda surprised to see soo many people upset, physically getting sick not with withdrawals but from whatever is going on with the manufacturing or quality control with these meds.

Now again I am not saying these are facts or that this is what is happening but to me it seems like the medication has changed in all of the generics I have taken. They do not work the way they are supposed to and it’s not even like ohh it’s a little bit off or different no it literally feels like instead of 30mg of the active ingredients that are suppose to be in them aren’t and was replaced with some kind of gas station truck stop pill concoction. I do know that the meds should be working I have not built up a tolerance. Take 1 to 2 pills in a week and even goin 2 weeks to a month in a few cases to find out for sure if that’s what it was.

I know I’m rambling and I’m not sure if this has helped anyone but i felt some relief after seeing that I’m not the only one dealing with this. I have taken Lannet 30 IR useless-Mallinckrodt that one was probably the worst or cheapest. The pills would start falling apart just from taking out of the bottle and turn into chalky dust like if I had bought it from an alley. Teva had the same reaction as lannet. And those definitely used to work in the past for me. Not anymore. Sandoz used to work great not but not recently. And 2 or 3 other generics that no longer work for me. Just picked up refill today. They are Yellow circle MP 477 I think North Star or something like that. Haven’t tried those yet. Alright I’m done rambling. I wish I could have found definitive answers but like I said this is speculation on my part and unfortunately correlation doesn’t equal causation.

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One more thing: if you are a lurker here who never posts (like me, until now) PLEASE just scroll down and post a reply answering the questions. I know it will help all of us HUGELY and you don't need to register on the site! It just takes a minute!

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1. MFG = ACTAVIS (first script)
2. 30XR @ 30 caps [each half of the cap solid yellow stamped 3061.]
3. Fred Meyer
4. Northwest
5. Side effects: Very nauseous (and I never get sick) stayed in bed, couldn't wake
up & when I tried to function my head felt like it was full of concrete. *
* after 2 days I saw my doctor, explained. He wrote a new script with a detailed explanation. I took this prescription to the Sheriff's office for destruction. THEN,
I had the script filled again so to answer questions again:
1. MFG = PRASCO (2nd script)
2. 30 XR/30 tabs
3.RITE AID
4. Northwest
5. I can barely type this out. I am not nauseous but cannot focus nor think clearly. very disheartening.

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Sometime over the last year or so I noticed my ADD being far worse and that the Adderall wasn't managing it. I had been on 10mg and w/i 18 months because I was complaining it wasn't working Dr. upped dose to 30 mg. Still wasn't working.

In December 2016 it finally dawned on me that it was a generic and maybe there was something wrong in the raw materials or the dosage, etc. I looked online and started seeing these other complaints about Teva -- Teva sold this line of drugs (Adderall ER/XR) to Prasco.

Told Dr. and she gave me 20 mg to see if it was different. It is. I just took it today. Something isn't right. Usually if I took too much Adderall it would make me drowsy. This has made me tense and given me a headache on the back of my head.

I can take the 10 mg non XR/ER and that works better than anything by Prasco.

Everyone experiencing anything similar needs to complain to FDA at: fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch

This is causing me serious problems getting my work done. I think we need some attorneys.

Worthless. Does nothing: 30 mg Adderall dispensed as "30 mg D-Amphetamine Salt XR (ER)" manufactured by Prasco sold by Walgreens

Bad. Causes jitters and headache: 20 mg Adderall dispensed as "20 mg D-Amphetamine Salt XR (ER)" manufactured by Prasco sold by Walgreens

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This is the first time I’ve ever questioned whether my adderall prescription was a placebo, cheap, or just sucked.

This time, they looked different. I got it from the pharmacy inside my doctor’s office rather than Walgreens. Mistake. I always get generic, so that’s not the issue. Used to take XR’s but my insurance only covers IR’s now.

1) From online, it appears the manufacturer is Aurolife Pharma, LLC an Aurobindo Company
2) they are 30 mg, IR - round, peach (much lighter peach than normal) - quarter crossed on one side and imprinted “U31” on the other
3) I got them in my psychiatry office with their own local pharmacy, so I’d rather not say the name - but in Nebraska - got them October, 26, 2018
4) umm side effects = not s***

— I’ve been prescribed this dose for 4 years. I’m aware you build a tolerance, but I can still notice whether they’re working or not. After I got this filled and took them yesterday, I slept for 15 hours. That’s what happens when I run out of them for a few days too (dependence, I know). I’m prescribed 60mg per day. After not noticing anything after taking my normal 60mg, I took another one, so total of 90mg. Still nothing. I may call the pharmacy and question it, because these suck and aren’t worth it. I hope they aren’t full of fillers that can be harmful/toxic. I also noticed there was no taste to the pill whatsoever and it almost dissolved in my mouth before swallowing it.

In one forum I noticed someone who commented that there is absolutely no difference in generic brands when comparing manufacturers and it’s “all in everyone’s head”... then proceeded to call everyone meth-heads. No, if you have ADD, you’re going to notice if your medication isn’t doing its job. So please keep the negative opinions to yourself in that regard. Just want to know if anyone else has noticed this before I question the pharmacy about them. I don’t know why all the sudden their generics changed.

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Re: Mallory (# 53)

What I did was tell my psychiatrist that I prefer brand name medications. I showed her the thread on Teva zolpidem (Ambien) here AND on the People's Pharmacy when my pharmacy switched generic Zolpidem brands from a previous generic that worked, and when put on Adderall IR again last year (no brand name) only to find it not to work the way it did when I was on brand name last time, and telling her about how an old IR brand name I found DID, she realized something was up and suggested I try a brand name IR medication, or to write "dispense brand name only/prescribe as written" in the case of ADHD IR stimulant meds (like Ritalin IR and Focalin IR) that offer both brand name and generic. She'd also had other patients who had had problems with non equivalent generics for both Concerta and Wellbutrin, so this was not the first time she'd heard of the issue.

For IR stimulants that are brand name, there's Zenzedi, Evekeo, and the aforementioned brand name Ritalin and Focalin. I tried Zenzedi and it has worked a charm for my severe ADHD and average narcolepsy. It is VERY pricey but so worth it. By the way, if you are prescribed 5 or 10 mg and the price is cheap, the pharmacist is not giving you Zenzedi. They are giving you generic dextroamphetamine. In the case of Teva dextro (like Teva Adderall), it may put you to sleep, make you depressed, or cause physical side effects like GI symptoms. Brand name IR dextro is sold as Zenzedi in 2.5 mg, 7.5 mg, 15, 20, and 30 mg (maybe 25 too?) and will actually help ADHD/narcolepsy without depression, exhaustion, or causing irritation to other organs.

If you can't afford Zenzedi or Evekeo (heavier on the l-amp than 100 percent d-amp Zenzedi), I think brand name Ritalin is cheaper (if methylphenidate meds treat your ADHD and/or narcolepsy). Brand name Focalin, also a methylphenidate med (but all dextrometylphenidate and no levomethylphenidate) is more expensive than brand name Ritalin but less expensive than brand name Zenzedi (dextroamphetamine) or brand name Evekeo (half levoamphetamine, half dextroamphetamine).

If the original brand name Adderall worked for you but the crap generics don't, you can combine Evekeo and Zenzedi at a 25 percent/75 percent ratio to make brand name Adderall. So, if you were on 15 mg Adderall, your doctor would give you 10 mg Zenzedi and 5 mg Evekeo. I found the lack of levoamphetamine in Zenzedi made me feel less sleepy, paradoxically, but we are all different.

Good luck!

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Re: Truman (# 19)

I just got the yellow ones two days ago (sun Pharma now northstar)

It’s 11:00 am. I’m not sleeping but I’m in bed bc I can’t think of a good reason to get out of bed.

I’m sorry you have had two negative experiences in a row. I actually got Sandoz 20mg (60 count) last month. And it was the best I had felt in years.

Anyway, the yellow ones are the worst ever. Worse than Aurobindo even. What I don’t understand is people say generics have a variance of bioavailability between 80% and 120% of the name brand

But how many factors can mess up bioavailability ? I know binders and fillers can be different as well as the amount of active ingredient, but these feel like sugar pills. Aurobindo ones made me physically ill. There is something the FDA is letting these companies get away with that I believe goes beyond more than biosimilar active ingredients and binders/fillers

*also, I took another 10mgs and I still don’t feel any focus or motivation.

This is nuts. Writing something on the FDA medwatch site right away

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I stopped going to Rite Aid (NH) because they only buy Aurobindo brand and I swear they are no good. I take 10 mg but when I took their 20 mg they did not work. I only use Walgreens because they have Teva ovals and they work great. The Mallinckrodt I tried seemed to be real but REALLY weak. I'm not joking when I say I am really sensitive to meds, and if I take an afternoon dose I take half a Teva and it’s good. The tiny circles with the M, I had to take twice as much.

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Teva 30 mg Adderall IR
Date: February 2022
Location: Phoenix
Pharmacy: Walgreens
Symptoms: Feels like a sugar pill. My Apple Watch says my heart rate has been 10 points lower since the day I filled. I am struggling

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Usually get Teva for 20mh IR. My last refill was switched to Sandoz because of supply issues and it’s almost like I haven’t taken anything. Going to be strugglesville this month. Called my pharmacy and they said to call a week before next refill to request Teva to see if they can get it. Otherwise I’ll have to call around other pharmacies in town. Not sure how they can call this generic Adderall. More like pressed orange chalk.

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For me they were pretty good, no problems with them. I’ve been through many brands recently and so far they are up there but of course nothing like Teva. There are about 4-6 decent brands and 5 you never want to get. I spent some hours and came up with this list, from best to worst:

1. Teva
2. Sun
3. Sandoz
4. Lannett
5. Camber
6. Zydus
7. Core pharma
8. Mylan
9. Alvogen
10. Mallinckrodt

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I take 30mg IR x 3 times a day (if i need to) I’m in the Atlanta Ga area. Filled at CVS- the peach colored U31 round tablets. Not very impressed with these. I have had just about every brand, color.. i don’t know all the manufacturers- but, i like the football shaped ones, the bigger orange tablets round, and i even like the Hot pinks, but i am not impressed with these peach ones. I always fill with CVS, but i would rather have anything but the peach ones, where can i get the others!?

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I take a relatively large dose and have for over 15 years. I am extremely sensitive to subtle changes in generic formulations. I finally found a generic that really works but can't find a pharmacy that consistently carries it anymore. I was taking Sandoz 20mg IR tabs. I live in Portland OR, if anyone can help me track this manufacturer's product down I would be eternally greatful! My most recent script was filled by brooklyn pharmacy, I got a version I've never tried b4. Manufacturer: Sun. 20mg tabs, 2 tabs TID, same as always. They are round and bright yellow, markings MP with the number 446. They are slow to become effective and then leave me wired, feeling strung out at the end of the day. Not at all therapeutic. And I'm constantly nauseous. For years I took brand name only, but my insurance won't cover it now and few if any pharmacies even have enough on hand to fill my script. Sandoz generic was absolutely the best for me, if anyone in the Portland area is reading this and knows a pharmacy that carries it, again, I would be so greatful for help finding it.

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1. Teva generic
2. IR 20mg, orange oblong oval (football shaped) b973
3. Rite Aid - January 24, 2018
4. Michigan, Metro Detroit Area
5. Feels less than 50% effective compared to the last few scripts I received from the same pharmacy (which were Aurobindo round light orange and lots of people seem to dislike). Taking the same dosage, there is hardly a noticeable effect. If I compress my dosage (not going over the prescribed daily amount), I start to notice some effect when taking a full pill (vs the 1/2 I was previously taking) at one time, but it doesn't last long and it feels really mild. I suppose I'm lucky to get some effect compared to some of the stories in which it was completely useless, but this seems really messed up. We pay taxes for public services, one of the more serious ones being regulation of medications for efficacy and safety.

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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...

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