The Forums › Forums › Medication › Dexedrine › different manufacturer = less effective?
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February 11, 2013 at 11:10 pm #118965
I recently filled my script of Dex. opened the bottle and saw different pills what usually look like..i was told that there was a new manufacturer but they (the pharmacy) should be back to the old version of Dex. soon Has anyone taken the different manufacturer version and found that it’s less effective? Thank you.
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 12, 2013 at 10:26 am #118966I tried two different manufacturers of methylphenidate. Both were probably equally effective, but one was ‘rougher’ than the other – I got more headaches with it. So I now expressly ask for the one I prefer. I blamed the different carriers rather than the active ingredient.
February 12, 2013 at 11:01 am #118969That’s usually the way with generics.
One reason is that the standards allow for a variance of +10% to -10% of the strength of the branded version. That’s a range of 20%.
And it can make a huge difference if you’re used to a generic version that’s 10% weaker than the branded, and then you’re suddenly switched to a different generic version that happens to be 10% stronger than the branded. It may suddenly be too high a dose for you.
Or, if you’re used to the stronger generic, and are suddenly switched to the weaker one, you’ll wonder why your meds suddenly aren’t working so well.
The situation gets even trickier in the case of Concerta, because it’s the unique osmotic delivery system that makes it Concerta. This delivery system is patented, which means that none of the generics have it. Therefore, they are NOT a generic equivalent for Concerta, despite the manufacturers’ claims. Health Canada is now studying this, and (hopefully) will come up with a ruling soon.
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 12, 2013 at 4:19 pm #118975I get two types of generic Adderall. One of them is a little light tan pill and the other generic is a sky-blue. They both cut in half well, and I have noticed no difference in their strength compared to the brand name. Then again, the difference between 5mg and 4.5mg is really small. I probably wouldn’t notice.
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 12, 2013 at 5:44 pm #118981The Dex. that I take is the genetic kind..I always thought that the generic kind is the same form (chemical make up) of the medication than the brand kind…am I wrong?
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 12, 2013 at 7:44 pm #118983@phoenixmagic, that’s the funny thing about generics.
Most generics for physical conditions are pretty much perfectly interchangeable with branded versions. However, generics for mental issues are much trickier.
Technically, they’re the same chemical makeup as the branded. But “technically the same as” doesn’t necessarily mean “identical to”, and even a small difference in the pill can make a big difference to the patient.
If the branded version uses a special delivery system that releases a certain amount as soon as the pill is taken, then gradually releases the rest over a given time-span, then you’d expect the generic equivalent to do the exact same thing. But, since it’s made by a different company, in a different factory, with different methods and different fillers, there will always be some difference between that generic and the branded—and even between different companies’ generic versions of the same drug.
I know of people who had tremendous trouble with a certain generic brand of Ritalin (methylphenidate), but were perfectly fine with the branded version, and with a different generic brand of it. Turns out, the people were lactose intolerant, and one of the fillers in the “intolerable” generic brand was lactose! But they weren’t advised when their pharmacy suddenly changed generic brands, so all they knew was that suddenly, their formerly-reliable methylphenidate was giving them terrible stomach issues.
The lesson here is, learn what your meds look like, and check each refill, before you leave the pharmacy. If the pills look different, talk to your pharmacist about it. Ask questions, and get answers. You need to be fully aware of any changes, because they just might make a difference to the treatment of your condition.
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 26, 2013 at 8:48 pm #119272@Larynxa…thanks so much for explaining that. it makes much more sense now.
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 27, 2013 at 12:02 pm #119279@phoenixmagicgirl, you’re welcome!
These videos can really help explain things: http://totallyadd.com/medications
REPORT ABUSEFebruary 28, 2013 at 12:07 am #119292Those video’s are for premium members only.
In almost every case that we’ll be talking about here. The generic medications are going to be almost exactly the same. I know that we can also count on some unknown amount of “placebo effect”. It’s a good idea to google “placebo effect” too. This can be a hard topic to talk about because our opinion and what we believe a medication will do come into play much MUCH more when we’ve got a very active imagination. I bet I’m not the only ADDer with a very active imagination. A good imagination can make a difference with some solutions, that’s how we get tricked into all kinds of “snake oil” type remedies.
It sounds like Concerta may be one of the few exceptions to the so called “rule” that we can almost always expect generic meds to be just like the original meds. I’ll bet they’re working on that too.
It’s also important to remember that while medications make all the difference for many people when we start dealing with our un-diagnosed ADHD, or other medical problems. Later on when we develop a good support network. More than just the many friends we find here and elsewhere on the Internet. We learn many other very useful tools and coping strategies along the same path. It’s a debatable statistic. But I think medication is about 20% or 30% of the solution for most of us. Of course there are exceptions. In general medication is kinda like training wheels for lot’s of us.
I had an appointment today with a new social worker. A psychologist working on her Masters degree who’s serving an internship at the clinic I go to with my medical/medicare. I take Wellbutrin. I used to take Ritalin (the generic is methylphenidate, and the generic wellbutrin is bupropion) I stopped taking the Ritalin because… well mostly I felt like it wasn’t helping all that much. Had a lot of questions about dosage that I wasn’t getting answers to. And the truth is I gave up because it was too much dang hassle to go through all the waiting process to eventually see a psychiatrist about specific changes I wanted to make with the Ritalin dosage. Unfortunately my general practice doctor. While being an excellent doctor. Has certain limitations in his knowledge about ADHD treatment.
I think he was just afraid to make a dang freaking decision! and Yep, that really pissed me off. So I just said “screw it” and called to cancel that prescription. In hindsight, I realize I should have waited for the next available appointment. Even if it was 6 freaking months… DGMS.
So, yeah… I’m still working with some patience problems. We’ll get there.
One day.
For now I’m not under all that much pressure to produce anything at all in my life. So it’s no emergency. I do have a lot of very important (to me, and people in my life) projects going. I’m very active in my community in several different areas. But it’s not a matter of life and death. So… I take the medical care that I can get. I try to be grateful too.
I ain’t all that good at it. I try. 🙂
If you have any more un-answered questions about your medications. Basically, accept for a few kinda rare situations. You can count on the generic being very close to the original medication.
You can call just about any pharmacy for decent advice. I’ve called more than just a few over the years. I’ve been taking medication of one kind or other for depression and ADHD for over 20 years.
Remember you can call more pharmacies than just the one you get your medication at. As a common courtesy, any pharmacist will give you good advice about any medication you are taking, call for a second opinion at another un-related pharmacy. The good advice is part of the service you should expect when you’re paying a retail prices for the medications.
The pharmacy makes a profit on all medication. So pick the pharmacy that seems to have the best knowledgeable advice you can find. Call more than just a few even after you think you’ve found a good one. Also remember to ask you doctor any questions you don’t find an answer to. It’s just your basic right as a patient.
Hope I didn’t rattle on and on too much here.
R-
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