Posted by patk on September 1, 2006, at 11:18:40
Like others who have been relegated to the world of generic Dextroamphetamine Sulfate Tablets by the ongoing backorder status of Dexedrine 5 mg Tablets (which, according to GlaxoSmithKline will now continue until November), I've found that the generic versions (or at least Barr's) are absolutely NOT equivalent -- in fact they made me feel so awful I had to stop taking them..
So, it was back to the drawing board, with trial after trial of something else.
I was ill every afternoon on Concerta and Adderall XR (afternoon dip in release=flu-like symtom/nausea/headache). I hung in for a month on each, hoping the side effects would subside, but if anything things got worse as the periods that either one "worked" seemed to rapidly get shorter. Higher doses worked longer, but I still felt ill mid-day.
I tried the IR versions so I could better control the timing, but they were no better. I got a couple of good hours in the morning, but the second dose gave very little benefit.
So, I started poking around and learned that others (e.g.,, Ethex, Mallinckrodt) made a generic tablet. Unfortunately, finding a pharmacy that can order anything but the tablets made by Barr has been a bit of a saga.
When I poked around the Internet, there seemed to be some consensus that Mallinckrodt's Tablets are much closer in action to the brand. I took my prescription to every chain store in the area (Drug Fair, CVS, Rite Aid, Costco, Walgreens), but none could order 5 or 10 mg tablets from anyone but Barr (with an occasional Ethex).
A poster on ADDForums (http://www.addforums.com/forums/printthread.php?t=6993) was able to find out pharmacies in his area from Mallinckrodt, but when I contacted them, they were unable to help (apparently pharmacies are too low on the distribution chain for them).
Off meds and frustrated to the point of screaming, I took a shot and called McKesson (the largest distributor of pharmaceuticals), but without a customer code, they couldn't even tell me whether they stocked Mallinckrodt Dextroamphetamine Sulfate tablets, much less what pharmacies they had contracts with.
Finally, I took my unfilled prescription for Dexedrine to the little Baron's Drug Store up the street. I don't know why I didn't try them sooner. They checked, could order Mallinckrodt, and said it would be in "tomorrow" (which is now today). I'm off to pick it up with fingers crossed that I've finally found a replacement for the now (and I suspect permanently) unavailable Dexedrine.
So, for others in the same boat -- don't bother with the big chains. Their distribution centers are apparently more likely to enter into exclusive contracts with manufacturers that offer them the cheapest price. That may be fine for many generics, where price and equivalency are unrelated, but Barr's version of Dexedrine is an unacceptable alternative.
Try "Your Local Pharmacy" -- they probably work with the big distributors who offer a complete line.
poster:patk
thread:682029
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060901/msgs/682029.html