Love A.D.D.erall
At 21 they diagnosed me with AD/HD & gave me smart pills. My grades shot up & my future brightened & some said I was better. But I am numb inside of this drug. People I love become distant strangers sometimes, so proud of me for victories I didn’t earn. How do I tell them I am not what I do or have done. I’ll never be happy on this drug, but I’ll never be successful without it. If only I could Love Adderall.Archive for October, 2009
Generic Ingredient Only Needs to Be 80% Effective
From a post by Josh Kelley over at ADDforums.com
Yes, Generics must have the same active ingredients (80-120% of the amount is acceptable by the FDA).
Generics effect can be different because of the binders and fillers that effect its release in the body which is I think is the key to its effectiveness. If its released too fast you will experience symptoms of over stimulation (jittery, nervous, anxious, confused,…etc). It would also go out of your symptoms so fast that you experience big crash.
Imagine having a glass of wine every hour over 12 hours or so. You would feel alot better than drinking the whole bottle in 15 minutes.
Once the patent for the active ingredient expires, generic companies can copy the formula but binders and fillers which were developed by the brand manufacturer specifically for the active ingredient to be the smoothest release with the most benefit and least side effects are considered trade secrets that generics can’t touch. usually brand manufacturers spend billions of dollars on research and clinical trials to workout every angle of the drug. Because they put their reputation on the line.
Generic companies don’t care, they will combine the active ingredient with the cheapest binders because they are not required to do clinical trials.When people experience side effects from the generics, generic companies deny any responsibility and blame on the brand manufacturer.
So I’m wondering if anyone in the pharmaceutical industry can confirm or deny these two very disturbing claims, namely:
- A 40% fluctuation (80-120%) really allowed in the amount of active ingredient, and
- The so-called “trade secret” binders that a brand manufacturer selects for its maximum effectiveness can legitimately be replaced with the shittiest, cheapest ones a generic company can find.
If either or both of these are true, than how can pharmaceutical reps honestly say with a straight face that there’s no difference? And if that’s true, then why is it so important to brand manufacturers to keep these secrets in the first place?
Are Doctors Giving Pharmacies a Clue about the Defective Pink CorePharma Adderall?
I’ve been reluctant to talk to my doc about the problems I’ve experienced with the round pink generic Adderall by CorePharma.
For the past four years he and I have had this very nice “You don’t fuck with me, I won’t fuck with you” thing going on. Unlike other doctors in my past who wanted to monitor my social drinking & scrutinize my familial relationships, he really believes that A.D.D. exists and that I have it.
So I try not too push it with complaints that I like one color pill better than another. I guess I also figured he’d just have the same blind faith in the pharmaceutical industries as the mindless clerks behind the counter, the difference being my doctor has the power to stop writing prescriptions if I get to be too much of a pain in the ass.
So last week I was floored when he initiated conversation on the very topic I’ve been biting my tongue about. He said a number of his other patients have complained about the round Adderall being inferior and he was wondering if I’d noticed any difference between it and the old kind. Of course, I then told him about all the negative side effects, how it turns me into a mindless drone, but it’s still slightly better than nothing because it at least prevents me from bouncing off the walls while I’m trying to analyze data and/or write about it.
After our appointment, I went upstairs to fill my prescription and I was doubly ecstatic to find out my pharmacy had switched back to the old orange/peach colored generics by Barr Laboratories.
Ever since my grad student insurance stopped covering off-campus pharmacies, I haven’t been able to afford to go to CVS or Wal-Mart for the Barr generics. So the other day after I filled my prescription was my first time with a non-crappy Adderall in over a year, and, I have to say, any doubts I’d had about the differences are completely gone. That pink shit really just makes me hate life. It also kind of changes who I am as a person, to some degree. For instance, I was always a casual horse racing fan, but for some reason over the last year (right about the time I had to switch permanently to CorePharma pink Adderall), I suddenly became totally obsessed with it. I mean, like, obsessed, as in, starting a new blog about it, making my own custom spreadsheets, trying to devise fancy new speed figures. It really is crazy how much time I’ve spent analyzing Past Performances, and how little time I’ve spent on the things that used to interest me before, such as politics, this blog, science and history, etc. Honestly, if the government wants a way to squash all dissent, they should totally just feed the shitty pink Adderall to the Michael Moores of the world. It really makes you not fucking care. At all.
And now, how strange that it only takes one week of being off of that stuff and suddenly it’s like awoken from a coma. I feel sharper, and able to think outside the box again. And I’m disgusted with how inert I’ve been since that awful CorePharma brand got inside me.
Anyway, I hope this isn’t just a temporary one-month thing with my pharmacy, and that the switch back to Barr (or to any other alternative to the pink CorePharma Adderall) will be permanent.
My doctor asked why I didn’t mention anything to him sooner, and I guess I really definitely should have. And you should too, if you’re among the hundreds of people who’ve commented on my other posts (linked to throughout this entry) that these differences are real and not just in our heads.
Even if you’re afraid to talk to your doctor about it, as I was, just keep talking about it to someone, anyone who will listen. And don’t let the bastards get you down, or convince you it’s your fault.
As for horse racing, I feel like I’m totally not into it. Seriously. There were several major, Grade I, Breeders’ Cup Win & You’re In races in Canada on Saturday, and I haven’teven bothered to check the website to find out who won. Yet somehow, there are still those who say the differences between these two generics are miniscule, or imagined. I’m sorry but, with due respect to those simpletons, this is no placebo! If my passions and hobbies completely change depending on which generic medicine is cheaper for my pharmacy that month, the two medications are not interchangable!
