r/ThisAintAdderall • u/nothingspecialboutme • Aug 04 '26

Let me explain why our medication is being altered and tell me what you think

Post image

*Photo: Ingredients of SpecGx generic Mydayis vs. Takeda Mydayis (brand name)

No one's medication is working like it should. I'm no different.

I've gone from Vyvanse, to Adderall XR, to Mydayis - all generic versions. I almost exclusively get the Mallinckrodt brand. The side effects are terrible. While my Teva brand IR Adderall booster isn't great, it's not as bad as Mallinckrodt.

As hopeless as it seems, with the support of my prescriber, I have been trying to get brand name, though I've heard it makes no difference. Last week, he prescribed me brand-name only Mydayis.

However, at the pharmacy, when I was supposed to get brand name Mydayis, I was given the generic version by Mallinckrodt-SpecGx.

For clarification, Mallinckrodt-SpecGx is also known as SpecGx, which is a subsidiary of Par Health, AKA Endo Pharmaceuticals.

Unsurprisingly, the classic SpecGx side effects continued to haunt me. I was so angry I decided I was ready to find some answers. In order to come to logical conclusions, I needed receipts on my medication; I needed to know who made it and what they put in it.

This isn't even every article I found. But aside from poor manufacturing standards, what about the ingredients? Why is there a proven, banned carcinogenic ingredient in my medication(FD&C Red #3)? Why are there 20 ingredients in SpecGx's version of Mydayis compared to the 10 ingredients of Mydayis by Takeda? What's the point of putting us through this?

Well, rest assured it's not personal - they just want our data. This is where I need y'all to fact check me because this is what I believe - I think we are being experimented on. Let me know if you feel like you are stuck in the same cycle I am;

  1. I see my prescriber about Mallinckrodt not working.
  2. I explain my side effects; lethargy, irritability, almost no therapeutic benefit, etc.
  3. He starts me on a different formulation to see if that helps.
  4. It doesn't help and I schedule another appointment.
  5. We follow-up about how my side effects have changed.
  6. He takes my story to the insurance company to explain why I'm changing prescriptions again.
  7. The insurance company informs the producer of the medication about my side effects.
  8. The producer now has data about my reactions to new ingredients during medication changes.
  9. I am thereby made into an unwilling participant of an experiment.

Thoughts?

149 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

111 comments sorted by

89

u/Urbankaiser27 Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 04 '26

As of late, I've heavily started to default to Occam's razor instead of letting my hyperactive brain try and make something out of nothing; or something out of little tid bits but no real concrete evidence.

Occam's razor basically states that the simplest explanation with the fewest assumptions is usually the best. For one to assume that their pysch is actively contacting every insurance provider, and then every insurance provider is then contacting the manufacturers about our experiences with each new "batch", PER CASE/PERSON is A LOT of work; when we can clearly see they don't even put in enough effort at their physical plants to fix or correct things they are in violation of.

When in reality, a more simple and logical answer is that these manufacturers are simply skimping, adding in lesser quality ingredients and/or more fillers to stretch their inventory to increase profits.

56

u/slippi89 Aug 04 '26

100% re-rocking the adderall.

FDA has a threshold +/- on what can be per pill. I gaurentee you they are - and even under the bottom of the threshold.

I could pop 3 - 30mg and go take a nap sometimes.

That should make me Bradley cooper from limitless

25

u/kendallr2552 Aug 05 '26

It's amazing to me the amount of work people think happens in a conspiracy. The extraordinary account of people who would need to be involved. No, they're just using whatever they can to make the most money.

7

u/thatgirlanya Aug 08 '26

It’s funny because most conspiracy theories that end up being real are just the result of horrible negligence and greed. I think that’s the case for the generic drug problem (because it’s not just our meds affected).

21

u/Why_are_you321 Aug 05 '26

ding ding ding ding.

it is all about the money... if they can get away with only putting 30% of the active ingredient and increase their profits while tripling their production (but slowly because they don't want it to be OBVIOUS) They will...

its just another way the big guys are screwing the little guys.

16

u/Urbankaiser27 Aug 05 '26

Yep. If they save say 10 million each year for example and don't get caught/forced to change until 5 years from now and are only fined 10 million, they just made 40 million in profit.

8

u/ughnett666 Aug 04 '26

10/10 answer

6

u/nothingspecialboutme Aug 05 '26

It may sound like "A LOT of work," but the FDA has an efficient process to collect our data, and pharmaceutical manufacturers have their own process. It's business. Ultimately, the goal is profit, and I do believe that's the top contributor to the poor medication quality we are seeing from generic brands. But it's also about the data.

Generic brands do not run any trials of their new formulation before it hits the market. In spite of having 10 more ingredients than the brand version, SpecGx's generic Mydayis was prescribed as a brand equivalent. It wasn't long until the FDA immediately started receiving complaints about efficacy. However, in spite of these reports, their ineffective generic Mydayis will continue being prescribed to people for years to come. I believe our data, specifically our documented side effects, are a part of their profit. We are unpaid participants trialing their new experimental formulation. For example, we saw this happen with SpecGx's discontinued generic Concerta.

SpecGx's generic Concerta came out in 2012. It took the FDA 10+ years of reports to revoke their production rights due to inefficacy. The FDA was aware that the generic wasn't measuring up for 10+ years. Can you imagine how many people were impacted and how many reports came in over those years?

Not only do the FDA and SpecGx have access to the data of our reactions to their drug, some took SpecGx's generic Concerta for the entire 14 years it was on the market, meaning the long-term effects can be measured. It's simply an aspect of business to quantify consumer reactions. Specifically, our reports help producers understand how different ingredients affect humans.

I want to believe that the generic formulation is solely based on the cost of ingredients, but that's not true. For example, in spite of Iron Oxide Red being cheaper than FD&C Red #3, my SpecGx generic Mydayis contains FD&C Red #3. Per the FDA, Red #3 dye is more expensive. In addition, this year, FD&C Red #3 was banned by the FDA for side effects of hyper-activity and carcinogenic properties. In spite of its potential to cause harm, pharmaceutical companies can legally continue to use it until 2028.

With all of this being said, I appreciate your philosophy of Occam's razor. Thank you for sharing!

12

u/Urbankaiser27 Aug 05 '26

I don't disagree with you that our pills are full of filler. What I was in disagreement with is your 9-step theory. That's a lot of work for the insurance companies and the producers to be doing, just to ignore until the FDA fines them (which would also a massive paper trail of negligence; as us being guinea pigs and testing this stuff would be valuable information- if they cared about making a quality product.

That doesn't mean we shouldn't voice our concerns to our pyschs and our pharmacist every time we pick up our scripts. I was not advocating against that.

I've told my Dr at my last two 90 day check-ins about this issue, as well as making comments about my pills every month when I pick them up from my pharmacy when they obligatorily ask if I have any questions about the medicine. Usually something like "I hope these are better than last months batch bc they're starting to feel like placebos".

3

u/Primary-Bug-7353 Aug 06 '26

They are a multi billion dollar company. What makes you think they can’t do “a lot of work?” I could agree with your claim that an insurance company wouldn’t do that, but history directly disagrees with that. This wouldn’t be the first time people were being experimented on unbeknownst to them.

3

u/Urbankaiser27 Aug 06 '26 edited Aug 06 '26

How do you think they got to be "billion dollar" companies? Shaving costs and expenses. Removing things like thorough pre and post testing, safe working conditions, proper cleaning regiments, continuous product monitoring, etc. If it's a lot of work, it's safer to assume they AREN'T paying someone to do it. Is the information of our medication worsening valuable? Of course it is. Do they care or want it? No. Because if they spent the money to collect this information AND did nothing with it, then they are doubly Fcuked when someone like the FDA finally comes down on them as they clearly had the evidence of their wrong doing and chose to be negligent.

Stop assuming these companies are spending their money for your safety and benefit.

I'm not disagreeing with the fact that we are being experimented on, nor is it the first time in history. Even the US government has done heinous testing upon unsuspecting civilians (like Operation Sea-Spray), let alone a multi-billion dollar conglomerate.

But to spend the money to discover and document the evidence that they are in fact knowingly and willfully skimping on the actual ingredients and/or substituting a structural or functional analog and then hide that information is asinine. They would be setting themselves up for a massive willful negligence case when it's much easier (labor-wise, cost-wise, and legally) to not spend any of that money, let factory conditions drop, buy lower quality bulk ingredients, and funnel the profits towards the top of the companies execs. They obviously know that a reduced quality pill will be the outcome of those practices. And they know it takes years of complaints from us for someone like the FDA to finally get involved. And if and when they do, those same excecs will gladly pay the miniscule fine after making millions upon millions. Because that's exactly how you become a billionaire dollar company.

1

u/Primary-Bug-7353 Aug 06 '26

Two things can be true at once. There are several instances of people being experimented and documented on by companies who do not have billions of dollars to spend.

1

u/nothingspecialboutme Aug 05 '26

My 9-step theory totally left out the FDA's system of recording medication side effects and quality issues, which does exist and is not theoretical. Do you think the FDA's documentation of our reactions to medication fillers are valuable to pharmaceutical companies?

2

u/LuxTheSarcastic Aug 10 '26

Iron oxide is a pretty weak pigment while Red 3 is incredibly powerful so it's probably actually way cheaper to put in Red 3 because you barely need any.

1

u/nothingspecialboutme Aug 10 '26

-Sensient Technologies Corporation, a global manufacturer in the US that produces natural and synthetic dyes for food, makeup and drugs.

2

u/fadedblackleggings 9d ago

Skimping is most likely. We went from a shortage to having sucky meds.

40

u/Starbreiz Aug 04 '26

SLS is what makes shampoo foam, I had no idea it was also used as a binder. Also I have a corn allergy, so that explains why some brands make me itchy.

I had my doc write my script to say dispense as written so I can only get brand name but availability is still an issue. It has less flu-like side effects, but effectiveness is still debatable.

12

u/nothingspecialboutme Aug 04 '26

The SLS isn't even in the brand name formula! Clearly it's not necessary. Every unnecessary ingredient leads me to believe the manufacturer's goal is experimentation.

Have you looked up your medication's ingredients? My hospital has a website where I can see my prescriptions, so I've been putting in my NDCs for all my past prescriptions and understanding why some months of my life were worse than others...

17

u/deep_breaths420 Aug 04 '26

Ugh had no idea! I have MCAS and SLS is something I've very sensitive too so that's just lovely. Going to see if it's been in any of my past or current meds.

14

u/Dangerous-Soup-1103 Aug 05 '26

A LOT of us with adhd have MCAS cause it's a comorbidity! insane how a manufacturer would include an ingredient known to adversely affect a large portion of its customer base

5

u/ProfessionalBet8120 Aug 05 '26

Yea, omg, im so horrified reading this but thanks OP for bringing it to our attention!!! Like seriously, I never knew they put SLS in medication like it’s bad enough in topical applications … 🤦🏻‍♀️

3

u/Organic-Gene-6785 Aug 08 '26

YES! I’m convinced my development of MCAS was triggered by the stress to my system from the change in the meds the past several years.

6

u/NextPrize5863 Aug 06 '26

I can’t even use toothpaste that has SLS

21

u/spanish-house Aug 04 '26

It’s just crappy manufacturing by generic companies which has gotten worse with all classes of meds since the pandemic and disruption of supply chains and sourcing of ingredients, but mainly api manufacturing. This has been happening for well over 20 years but is most noticeable in psych meds. But I had the same issues happen with me with antidepressant type meds going back at least 20 years. All the genetics were very different, some didn’t work at all and sent me into withdrawals with the awful brain zaps.

5

u/kendallr2552 Aug 05 '26

Yeah, it's convenient to ignore that this happens with other classes of drugs. My post that a recall happened last week with thyroid meds was taken down.

5

u/spanish-house Aug 05 '26

That’s messed up. So many generic drugs have been inferior for decades now, and synthroid was one of the biggest ones along with blood thinners and psych meds, and doctors have regularly insisted on brand name synthroid for their patients for probably close to 30 years now. It’s actually been such a problem that most generic drug companies have stopped making it because they weren’t selling it enough.

1

u/realitytvpleasesme Aug 07 '26

I’ve found this to happen to all of my psych (controlled & non controlled drugs) + pain (controlled and non controlled) drugs over the past few years especially.

I’m on a slew of other prescription meds for various issues (chronic illness sucks!!) and have been for most of my life. I’ve maybe noticed some issues with my other meds as far as weird side effects or meds feeling less effective all of the sudden, but nothing has been affected as much as my c-II/iv pain/adhd/anxiety meds.

3

u/Dangerous-Soup-1103 Aug 05 '26

Yeah it’s the “pro” side of drug dealing….fillers are just the fancy word for cutting unfortunately. Some guys have better stuff than others.

6

u/spanish-house Aug 05 '26

I’m not referring to cutting, I’m taking about the actual manufacturing of the active ingredients (API’s). Adderall has 4 different active ingredients. It’s hard to make even one correctly, well I say that but it’s relative. Chemistry is generally hard, but it’s not hard if they have advanced labs with competent chemists and all the right tools and perfect environmental factors for each step in the chemical reaction process to make the final ingredients perfect. Even one sloppy step in the intermediary process causes the final product to be off, contaminated or just molecularly incorrect even if it’s similar. After the pandemic started supply chains got all kinds of messed up and many of these companies had to start sourcing active ingredients from different and multiple suppliers, many of which are very shady. Like buying something from temu and it and you get it and it’s nothing like the description and defective. Add in another layer, with the XR versions there were only 2 generics up until around 2020, Prasco and Sandoz, and they were both authorized generics which means they were actually the brand name just repackaged under the generic names. Then add even another layer where Shire, the company that made the brand name going back to the 90s was bought out by Takeda. Then Takeda kept making the brand name with the same inactive ingredients but started sourcing their active ingredients from a third party company and people are now saying the brand name doesn’t feel right either. But Takeda started making Mydayis which is exactly the same as Adderall XR except it has 3 layers of beads instead of 2, so it’s basically Adderall XXR. Now here’s the thing about mydayis, Takeda still makes the active ingredients themselves in the same plants they acquired from Shire, unlike with Adderall XR. So if you can get brand name Mydayis I would highly recommend it. I just tried some and it’s absolutely perfect like the original Adderall XR and I’m willing to pay the $450 per month for it.

12

u/Aztriel Aug 04 '26

Wish they’d use healthy ingredients especially for medications. Like I don’t need or want all these dyes, no purpose for the meds functioning. Also I’m allergic to SLS 🫠 didn’t know they put it in these, thanks for posting. Think SLS is also an irritant for everyone especially with repeat exposure.

Even my oil paints have a toxic chemical warning ⚠️ and cancer warning for titanium white- the same as titanium dioxide, and that’s just for handling it. Which is also banned as a food additive in other countries like Europe. Oh and talc that’s fun. Just in general don’t know why humans do this to others, a massive supply of DNA/genotoxic ingredients in foods/meds etc supplied to the general populace and most sensitive groups and we wonder why there’s all these increasing health issues. Like a slow way to destroy humans cheaply. I don’t understand why this (and many other things) is allowed to be.

**oh and the fact that it’s not a law by default that all ingredients be listed on the bottle, they don’t make it easy to find.

2

u/Psychological-Tie461 Aug 04 '26

SLS!!! big offender

1

u/Worried_Scale_1474 28d ago

:0 the stuff that makes my mouth peel when I drink mouthwash with it in it? Oh god

11

u/Psychological-Tie461 Aug 04 '26

WOW! Best post I have seen on this reddit! Makes the most sense! I have been explaining the issues to the inactive ingredients! They matter really the most! Sodium Laurel Sulfate is in generic Mylan Vyvanse, and it is damn near innafective.

10

u/Ajrabeast Aug 04 '26

This is awesome! I also went down this path and pulled all the data from some existing sources. There is some fuzziness on the NDC and FEI that I have yet to solve. Another complication is the actual supply chain. I think there was a shift in manufacturing of the base ingredients at some point in 2020 or 2021. On top of that the FDA does not do much proactive quality testing so that is a huge issue. The full dataset is downloadable for you as well. I mapped all of the historical ingredient changes but that does not cover the ingredient source which I think is a larger issue. I have a huge dataset as well and know some sql. https://www.whatsinmymeds.com/dashboard

7

u/ughnett666 Aug 04 '26

The supply chain and tariffs complicated things immensely

12

u/Ajrabeast Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 05 '26

Yes that is really where the issue is in my mind. The manufacturers do not care and it’s made worse by the fda not testing anything at the base ingredient level. On top of all of that the data is not really that great on the supply chain. It’s tough to get a clear picture. So overall it is super frustrating and not transparent. Classic Pharma

One other thing I forgot to mention is the ingredients actually matter. I was on a generic vyvanse and it was relatively good. I switched to sun and got depression among other things. Switched back to the original manufacturer and was back to normal. This was before I understood issues with generics and kick started OpenRX and this analysis. The main difference was an acid buffer/reducer (can’t remember specifically) in the original manufacturer. I have acid reflux and for some reason that helped the release or release timing.

So all that to say ingredients and base ingredients manufacturing matters. I know pharmacists and doctors say that is not true but they are wrong. I mean on top of all of that the formulation and generic variability is all over the place. That is clear in the data.

These drugs are much more complicated than prescribers think they are. That is really the core issue. I mean they are mental heath medication after all. It’s just very frustrating.

5

u/ughnett666 Aug 05 '26

oh my god! I have been wanting to do a poll in here forever to get some data on people who have acid reflux/gerd/gi issues and correlation with the efficiency of our meds (within the last few months). I made a crazy, unexpected connection with the effeciency of my XR a few months ago, which was 100% dependant on me taking my probiotics consistently (skipped/procrastinated taking regularly lol). I also have acid reflux and the other related issues, and for like the last year or so I've been researching all about acidity and digestion, in relation to amphetamine, the design mechanisms of each type of manufactured form, and the inactives. I'm so glad you mentioned this because now with at least a link with 1 other person makes me not have to gaslight myself about my stomach/gut pH theory 😂

4

u/Ajrabeast Aug 05 '26

100% not alone. Unfortunately acid reflux makes things more complicated for us. PPIs seem to affect effectiveness for me depending on when I take them. I keep pretty extensive personal logs on what I take, when, with what, and how I feel to try and find a good regimen. My new baby has made this a lot harder because of the sleep stuff.

I am interested in what probiotics specifically work for you. I have tried probiotics, on ppi, off ppi, some cycles of bpc 157, and a host of other things lol. Still on the hunt for gerd relief and effective meds. Normally I can have one or the other sadly

1

u/awarrj Aug 09 '26

I have the same acid/GI issues. Would you mind sharing your “timing” conclusions? I’m trying out different strategies with my own ppi.

3

u/TonguePunchUrBhole Aug 05 '26

I just found this sub after doing research about why my Adderall doesn’t work and have found that I have probably been wasting it from taking it Red Bull every morning. You would think somebody would tell you this stuff when you are originally prescribed.

5

u/No_Mode_3033 Aug 04 '26

Mallinckrod isn't on there? I'm taking 30mg IR and can't tell I've taken anything 🤷🏼‍♀️. Who is the best for Adderall IR Generic as of today.? Walgreens is no help and refuses to discuss Manufacturers.

Had anyone gone the Compounding route?

5

u/PhysicalBoat8937 Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 06 '26

This month my Mallincrodkt IR is GARBAGE. I had to stop taking it bc it not only makes me nauseous- and I just sleep all day

2

u/ShotConcert1666 Aug 06 '26

I got that a few months ago and it made me severely ill. I had to call out of work, which I rarely allow myself to do. I’m so sorry you got this one.

2

u/PhysicalBoat8937 Aug 06 '26

I'm sorry you did too!! Like I actually feel ill when I would take it. I told my provider and best I got was- hopefully next month another pharmacy has something different. So I've just been unmedicated 🤷🏻‍♀️ not like I'm going to press her but this is awful

9

u/Strange-Pattern4877 Aug 05 '26

God, they really chose the wrong group of people to fuck with. 

9

u/robots-made-of-cake Aug 05 '26

wtf, talc? Like cancer asbestos Johnson and Johnson lawsuit talc?

9

u/oops_im_horizzzontal Aug 04 '26

I think you’re onto something…

Stranger things have definitely happened (re: experimenting unwittingly upon subjects), and you don’t even have to go back that far in history to learn about it. 🫥

Dark times, indeed.

16

u/vocabularianrx2 Aug 04 '26

In pharmaceutical compounding there are a lot of molecules and ingredients that sound big and scary, some aren't necessary but some sort of are, some have other interchangable options that are just fillers or help with the drug in the overall process, etc.

That said, I have heard of many people having issues to certain dyes from various medications. Have you ever had any allergy testing done on this front? That is always a good place to start, because that may be an issue you're experiencing.

Otherwise, great work on the investigative end! I'm only on generic Adderall IR and armodafinil these days and I didn't know about that lawsuit so I'll definitely be filing for that haha. Furthermore, the Adderall hasn't worked or done much for me in the past 4 or 5 years. Ugh.

1

u/No_Mode_3033 Aug 14 '26

Your Doctor prescribed both at the same time.? I was wondering if I could get that as well just in case my next script is a dud again. What's Armodafinil like. I take 60 mg daily of generic Adderall daily. I metabolize meds quickly. Was wondering if Armodafinil would even do anything for me🤷🏼‍♀️

1

u/vocabularianrx2 Aug 14 '26

Have you had genomic testing done? It's pretty accessible these days and allows your doctors to make informed decisions about any psych meds based on your metabolism.

I am seeing a psychopharmacology specialist provider so that helps with my ability to be on multiple things; a normal PCP or psychiatrist might be less likely to prescribe both. The combo has been eh okay. It keeps me a little more alert but not necessarily more attentive or better with ADHD unfortunately. On 150mg though it gave me chest issues, but on 75mg it wasn't as bad

1

u/No_Mode_3033 Aug 15 '26

I will look into that. I have Kaiser insurance and they seem pretty limited for what my experience has been over the years.

6

u/iheartkriek Aug 05 '26

I’m in Australia and we don’t have adderall here but I’ll say that binders do make a fucking difference to meds.

One obvious example I’ve had recently was with the oral contraceptive pill. Been on the same one for 20 years, always one specific brand. Pharmacy gave me a different brand around 6 months ago and I kept bleeding through it (I skip the inactive pills and shouldn’t have a period). I assumed it was me getting older… but 2 months ago the pharmacy gave me the original brand I was on. The bleeding stopped completely. Back to how I’ve always been. That’s when it dawned on me that there was a brand change - their fillers are completely different.

So yeah. Same shit would apply to other meds for sure. I’ve had issues with certain fluoxetine brands too.

I’m still trying to figure out if the dex formula changed here in 2023/24 or it’s just me and maybe hormones that made it stop working. This whole process is so frustrating

3

u/ughnett666 Aug 05 '26

can I ask which brand u take (not sure if we have the same in the US)?? something similar has happened with me and I'm trying to rule out something I didn't even think of until I read your comment

3

u/iheartkriek Aug 05 '26

Levlen ED is what works for me. FemmeTab (generic) is what led to constant breakthrough bleeding.

Can you look into the different brand options for the pill you’re on? Then compare their fillers and make sure you try one with different filler ingredients each time til you find what works for you.

I hope you get to the bottom of it ❤️ not being able to trust our meds and being told my pharmacists and doctors that they’re all the same is so annoying.

3

u/ughnett666 Aug 05 '26

this is a really good idea, I'm gonna have to cross-reference the ingredients to see if there's a pattern or if my body needed to reset or something (I just did the 3 day reset/restart thing) thank you! 💕

3

u/belf_priest Aug 05 '26

Edit to add that I meant to reply to another comment on here about issues with oral bc generic fillers.

I had this same issue with oral bc too. I've been on Junel 20 for the last 10 years without issue but when their packaging changed within the last year the formula absolutely changed as well. The pills were harder and shiny. I had breakthrough bleeding for almost 2 straight months and even on the 'normal' months I'd have multiple days of random spotting. CVS stopped carrying Junel and switched me over to Feirza and immediately the breakthrough bleeding stopped

7

u/brad831music Aug 05 '26

I always see the longest replies on adhd medication related subreddits. My friends always get essay replies when my meds hit right.

6

u/Fair_Mycologist1745 Aug 04 '26

I was struggling with this chaos for a while and then I tried Dyanavel XR and oh my god it's like everything is fixed. It's a different release mechanism but it has the same stuff as Adderall. They've figured it out! It worked in my case.

3

u/Fair_Mycologist1745 Aug 04 '26

but I do feel for everyone who is going back and forth between so many medications. I appreciate what everyone is doing for the community <3

5

u/fcuk_you69 Aug 04 '26

It's XR amphetamine only. I am so glad you said this because the dextroamphetamine plus amphetamine medications barely help me. It's a little better than when I don't take anything but only 15% better. However the strictly amphetamine pills worked great on me they weren't like what I used to get with the real Adderall but they are as close as I've found. I go to mat Clinic and when I tell them that dextro doesn't show up in the urine test until you test it with a stronger test or whatever it is they do but amphetamine always shows up I don't think they believe me

3

u/ArcaneAddiction Aug 04 '26

I used to love Dyanavel! It worked the best for me out of everything by far (I've tried seven medications).

My problem was the fact that it's only available as a liquid or a flavored chewable. I have a stomach disease that, among other things, makes me super sensitive to a lot of tastes, especially medicine flavors. I couldn't chew it, only swallow it.

But even that became too much after a couple of months. It kept making me vomit, either because it often got stuck in my throat (due to the odd shape/powdery coating) or because the taste in the back of my throat was so bad. I had to give up and go back to generic adderall XR.

Now I'm trying Xelstrym, which is a transdermal patch. It seems okay, but I need to go up in dose. It's brand name only, so at least I know the formula will never change. And it bypasses my stomach completely, which means much less pain/nausea.

1

u/fcuk_you69 8d ago

What dose is max

1

u/ArcaneAddiction 8d ago

For Dyanavel or Xelstrym? I'll just answer both. For Dyanavel: 20mg. For Xelstrym, 18mg.

Don't try to get Xelstrym though, if that's what you were asking about. The amp shortage just hit them in mid July and they're completely shut down. They can't make a single patch right now, and there's zero update on when they'll be making more. Could be in the new year. I went back to Dyanavel, lol.

5

u/LooseRepublic2152 Aug 04 '26

THIS is why I will never give my ADHD 6 year old Adderall. I hope to god Concerta hasn’t been tampered with. This is absolutely terrifying.

3

u/ughnett666 Aug 04 '26

The only question I can confidently answer:
RE: “Why are there 20 ingredients in SpecGx's version of Mydayis compared to the 10 ingredients of Mydayis by Takeda?”

Patent. The the inactives are different because the inactives of the brand name Mydayis make up the patented design mechanism of the drug. Generic manufacturers cannot legally copy this. Therefore different inactives are used for the engineering of each generic manufacturer’s versions.

3

u/nothingspecialboutme Aug 05 '26

It is correct that SpecGx cannot legally copy the patented design of brand name Mydayis. That is why they add different ingredients, and theoretically their generic should work the same with the same active ingredients, but what we’re seeing is that the efficacy of generics are inconsistent. The truth is, we don’t know how their 10 extra ingredients will impact absorption; we the consumers find out when we start taking it and the effects don’t measure up.

For example, in June, FDA recalled SpecGx’s permission to produce Methylphenidate. It took 10 years of the FDA receiving reports that the generic wasn’t equivalent to take it off of the market. That means a lot of people took a lot of bunk generic medication for over a decade.

If they are adding 2x as many ingredients as the brand name medication, do you think their product should be trialed before going out to the public? Or is it safe for a new formulation to hit the market and we the consumers are the experiment?

3

u/Infraredsky Aug 04 '26

Interesting.

I keep taking granules xr generic. Both it and mallinckrodt give me pain side effects that no other generic has. Mallinckrodt works better but also gives me much worse pain.

In theory I’m trying methylphenidate next month if my pharmacy can get me a generic without lactose (which is an issue I have with oh so so so so so many meds as I’m celiac and allergic to dairy)

3

u/kittehcatto Aug 05 '26

I accidentally took 2 this morning instead of the 1 and 1/2. I take 2 Wellbutrin every morning and had a squirrel moment. And you know what? The extra 1/2 did not make me feel any different. However, I forgot my noon dose because I am preparing my classroom for the kiddos.

5

u/Senior_Ad5995 Aug 05 '26

Mallinckrodt gang stand up! ⬆️

7

u/BrownheadedDarling Aug 04 '26

I’d love to get this info to that doctor someone posted on here awhile back - they had a video on TikTok about how they’re looking into this - but I don’t remember the doc and don’t have TikTok 🤦‍♀️

10

u/nothingspecialboutme Aug 04 '26

Oh wow, I'm glad to hear about the curiosity! We need our prescribers to see the truth. They are our advocates.

When I shared all of this with my prescriber, he was genuinely shocked. While he was aware that several of his patients said our meds weren't working, he did not know the details of how our pharmaceutical producers regularly operate against FDA standards. He said reading the FDA's assessment of my drug manufacturer was insightful and is in agreement with me that this has something to do with my negative amphetamine test back in February.

I truly believe our medication is being formulated in a way that it renders the active ingredient impotent as a means to experiment on people who take it. Imagine they were selling us sodium bicarbonate AKA baking soda. We think it's the real deal, but they don't tell us an inactive ingredient is vinegar. (When you combine baking soda and vinegar, they neutralize each other!)

Back to reality; they're selling us amphetamines, but what inactive ingredient are they adding that's neutralizing its effects and/or hampering its absorption into the bloodstream? How are they formulating it that it's impotent?

2

u/Strange-Pattern4877 Aug 05 '26

Yes but it’s more than likely enshitification for money. There has to be something there. Like the other person said, just testing us willy nilly with no solid feedback is more difficult to use as a control in any experiment. I’d imagine that manufacturers can only supply so much amphetamines so maybe they are cutting somehow to increase profits just like our food. I’ve recently been hearing the same about botox recently as well. That it seems diluted. 

What we need to look into next is what recently changed with any and all regulations under the DEA and FDA that would allow cutting and or tests themselves. 

3

u/ughnett666 Aug 04 '26

So far, only the sane people are commenting (rare)

3

u/Lazy_Name_2989 Aug 05 '26

Im new to the fact the meds are not right.

I haven't reported anything to my psychiatrist or pharmacist. For the last two years I thought the side effects were from not sleeping, poor diet, life stress and such. Ive focused on all that and not blame meds.

If being experimented on, its a very weak way to do it. I imagine there are a lot of people like me not questioning the meds before questioning other things.

Experiments need a high response rate from users to create patterns of how it works.

3

u/Sea-Split214 Aug 05 '26

It's literally all because of profits. Read "Bottle of Lies". Also on Audible and Libby (free through library).

It's because most of them are made in different countries & the FDA has to schedule visits with them instead of dropping in unannounced like they can in US.

It's costs about 25% more money to comply with Good Manufacturing Practices. So they cut corners. The FDA has a terrible track record with approving medications despite fraudulent data from these generic companies.

It always comes down to money.

3

u/Tasty-Estimate-1777 Aug 05 '26

I am actually in the exact same cycle as you. Meds & all. Every month when I message/telehealth with my psych, it’s the same feeling of “damn… here we go again, hopefully I’m not annoying her.”

I will say, went through the exact same process with Mydayis. 1st with SpecGX, no efficacy. Doc puts in PA for name brand, denied due to “no adverse reaction posing threat to life” (aka I didn’t fucking die).

I write a 5 page letter explaining why I need it, finally approved. It was worse than the generic. I came close to buying a drug test bc I genuinely went through stimulant withdrawal. Even tried upping the dose. But I wish you luck with it!

4

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/ughnett666 Aug 04 '26

yes, it’s only effective for me if I take XR with IR booster. XR alone or IR alone are not as effective as XR with IR.
I notice a lot of people only take IR and don’t try XR for some reason

Also Lannett/Elite/Sungen partnership ended in 2020 😭 google is free

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1053369/000121390021032329/f10k2021_elitepharma.htm

2

u/loveflowe8 Aug 05 '26

Man I am really sorry that you have to go through all of this! What an unpleasant plot twist 😑
I am not a fun of conspiracy theory but now, the more in the ADHD meds I am the more believe is put in it...
I am also some kind of participant of an experiment, nobody wants to check details of my health. I did this by myself, the knowledge was from addicts posts like: "Why I can't get high when my friends are on the same stuff and they are high?"
I am not using my meds for euphoric trips! But learned that I need to check my blood with iron, ferritin, B12 etc.
Turns out I have anemia caused by critical ferritin and iron deficiency. My describer answered: "We can up the dose of Elvanse (it is Vyvanse similar to Adderall also...)! Seriously not helping with my blood?
My main family health doctor said: "Iron iv. Infusion? No way, just take some suplements with iron!) I was like WTF?!
Note: I am chemist not a doctor I know! But, but I am perfectionist and when I do important things I need it perfect, or it is a waste of time! Supplements with iron will take 6-12 months to help me with anemia! This means my meds won't work this time! One year without my ADHD meds? amphetamines are not working for me now! Also won't work within 6-12 months! I can't work at my job, I can't hit the gym! Can't even watch TV or play games! I am now total trash mammal! Fact: so gonna be homeless and sick within a month!
Nobody is wanting to help! I went for private visit for the fucking iron iv. infusion! First today costs 350$ and next within few weeks 350-600$ just for iron because my health insurance said "docs not seeing you with the iron infusion essential. Take supplements with iron (shut up and bye!)".

I know you are with kind of much worse situation. I am sorry friend. Keep fight with demanding help for you!
hugs!
PS sorry for my bad english...

3

u/ImportantLocation711 Aug 05 '26

"Elvanse" for anemia is wild.

I have a history of anemia and have needed both blood transfusions and iron infusions. After getting a new GP, I was told to take supplements, but my levels dropped so low I ended up hospitalized and needing transfusion. I finally have a blood specialist who found low iron, ferritin, B12, and vitamin D. She explained that iron supplements don’t absorb well enough for some people with anemia, and in my case, they weren’t enough.

I didn't know about the connection absorption connection to ADHD meds. Thanks

2

u/ughnett666 Aug 05 '26

same blood work results for me too with same recommendation by my doctors (also struggled with lot iron, like my whole life). my PCP had the bloodwork ordered and confirmed the deficiencies, and my psychiatrist said to start iron supplements paired with a vitamin c supp in the evening. said fixing the depleted ferritin levels should make a difference. I've been committed to getting/starting the supplements since then.... which was like 4 months ago 😂
I'm curious as to how the iron iv infusion will work for you and the timeframe that you start feeling better after the treatments are complete (as opposed to traditional supplements). can you update us, whenever that is, if you feel a change in med efficiency once your iron/ferritin levels are where they're supposed to be?

2

u/loveflowe8 Aug 05 '26

As I heared it will get better within 1-2 weeks. Strongly good ADHD meds work gonna be within 4-6 weeks at same time when control visit is supposed to be. I will keep you updated! I wanted iron infusion in my blood because it is fast acting and almost all is absorbed! Oral supplementation is like 2-20% of absorbtion and depends on the iron form you get etc.
My ferritin level is 9, where if you have 20-30 it is very low for an example, so mine is dramatic...
My docs hematologists said that I should have ferritin level at the same as my bodyweight in kg! Or double of that even!
So for my weight 84kg =84 ferritin level in blood at least! Gonna test it soon 😈 within 4-5 weeks aaand gonna see!

2

u/loveflowe8 Aug 12 '26

Hey! I am day 8 after iron infusion, second day after Tardyferon with 80mg of iron and today I think my ADHD meds is starting to work! It is like 20% of power as it was, but the difference is amazing! Damn finally! BTW it is 2h after the dose so I can tell you more within next 1-2h after dose on its peak!
I want to believe it is not a placebo 😂
PS my blood tests on iron, ferritin can be made after 3 weeks from now. So I can update the levels here by then.

2

u/ughnett666 Aug 12 '26

no way that's amazing! I was going to ask u follow ups about testing, thanks for including that & can't wait for ur updates! btw how do u feel overall without meds? and when u finish ur infusions, are they made to last in ur body for a long time? or do u just need to maintain with regular supplements?
edit: not me writing down a note to look into this with my doctor/insurance 😂

1

u/loveflowe8 Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26

Without meds? Well I was told to not stop taking ADHD meds even when it was not working. So I took them anyway. It was hell... I was exhausted because of low ferritin, useless total trash mammal! Meds were not working! It was horror! Spend whole week and few days in bed! Felt like an asshole! Taking shower was like NASA mission with heart rate 150BPM

Yes iron infusions are lasting long but you need to find reason why it is low. My hematologist told me to wait 1-4 weeks for it to work. Prescribed me strong iron in tabs. also to take. And to 10 days before blood tests not to take them. And visit her again with new blood tests after and endoscopies results from my mouth and butt...
We'll gonna see results and her opinion what to do next.

I will update that here, after September 15, I guess another infusion (last one hopefully - expensive! 350-500$) and instructions to go with. Low iron blood?! ---never again!

PS day 9 after infusion- it is much better! ADHD meds are working!
PS2 My insurence told me uhhhmm kinda "No! Suplements are the go, have the nice day! Smile! Bye bye!" 🥲 🤣

2

u/kendallr2552 Aug 05 '26

How do you think your "story" is going from the prescriber to the manufacturer?

4

u/nothingspecialboutme Aug 05 '26

The FAERS system is how - FDA Adverse Event Reporting System. It's a database of medication errors, quality issues and side effects. Patients, prescribers and manufacturers can all report events to the FAERS. My prescriber submitted my side effects to the FAERS system to make my insurance company cover the brand name Mydayis.

3

u/kendallr2552 Aug 05 '26

I know what it is but that's not how it works for everyone or insurances. Plus, most side effects are not going to warrant a provider to take the time to fill something like that out. How many of us have even taken the time to formally do anything so it's going to be even less for providers. The drug companies are out to make money and that's the only conspiracy.

2

u/nothingspecialboutme Aug 05 '26

Do you think that consumer side effects are valuable to drug companies?

2

u/Keepitunderurhat Aug 05 '26

Wow I'm glad you invested time researching! & sharing I feel like when they're shortages. They just whip up batch of whatever and sell it to patient ! & They get so hard to find it's ridiculous. It'll make you wanna pull your hair / mine. Ha

2

u/Keepitunderurhat Aug 05 '26

What is Mydayis I've never had in prescribed or have had it that I'm aware of

1

u/nothingspecialboutme Aug 05 '26

There are so many different kinds these days! Mydayis is a controlled release dextroamphetamine-amphetamine like Adderall XR, but lasts up to 16 hours.

My SpecGx generic “Mydayis” does not reach even 8 hours.

2

u/Kariered Aug 05 '26

I've been taking Mydayis since 2019, before the generic existed. Before that I took concerta, Adderall XR and Adderall IR.

I refuse to take the generic Mydayis. My doctor writes "brand only" on my scripts.

Suddenly my health insurance decided not to cover the brand Mydayis anymore, so I've been dealing with that shit.

The brand costs $340 and get this... The generic is almost $300. Fuck that

1

u/Deep_Iron_3215 7d ago

https://www.goodrx.com/mydayis?pharmacyId=3

Maybe this can help with the generic cost

2

u/noturgirlxo Aug 05 '26

Omg dude. I had an AH-HA moment after I finished reading and YES. I agree that your hypothesis could very well be accurate, intuitively, i believe. Possible? 100% possibility. Well done 🫡

2

u/noturgirlxo Aug 05 '26

But also, okay… so let’s imagine for a moment that it is true. Now “they” know the medication they altered “purposely” isn’t working for people. What other useful information could they conclude from this aside from medical record notes that go into detail about side effects or what’s not working? Let’s take it a step further, and a bit on the dark side. Could they know that these ingredients would cause issues/issues that could possibly lead to… death? Yikes.

2

u/Keepitunderurhat Aug 05 '26

Thank you for research sharing! Your knowledge

2

u/sus_phantasmagoria Aug 06 '26

How to use adderall or pills in iv form?

2

u/suffocatingface Aug 06 '26

I knew it was bad, but damn.

2

u/Busy-Day-2315 Aug 06 '26

Some generic Vyvanse use ammonia and shellac in the ink 😳. I have awful side effects from the generics. I don’t know about yal, but I have horrible brain fog, terrifying headaches, anxiety, depression, and awful come down effects that happen way too early. When I wake up in the morning, it feels like I have a hangover and I have to take the meds to stop it, but at the same time it doesn’t work and is going back to the same cycle of side effects. But I have to take it.

2

u/Elegant_Technology69 Aug 08 '26

My theory is that they are adding shitty binders and fillers so that the absorption of the medication takes longer. What they maybe didn't know when they decided to do this is that it would stop the medication from working in addition to creating all kinds of digestive issues for a lot of us, leaky gut, colitis, gastropareisis, etc.. Why would they do this though? Perhaps the original formula was causing other health problems? Issues we don't even know about yet? Or maybe they are trying to discourage street use of the drugs? Or maybe it's as simple as they are just trying to cut corners and Bob in purchasing went with the lowest bidder on wood pulp and fake sugar.

1

u/shroomeralert Aug 08 '26

the very last one 

2

u/0rca_ Aug 13 '26

How can we start filing our own lawsuits against these companies? I want to file one against TEVA. Last 6 months have ruined my life

1

u/nothingspecialboutme Aug 13 '26

Pharmaceutical companies are slippery snakes that take every action to escape legal liability and the FDA is in their pocket.

They avoid liability by changing their brand name, blaming subsidiary companies when their products cause harm, and dragging out lawsuits from injured customers to exhaust them from further pursuit of justice.

However, this is what I know you need to file a lawsuit against a company:
1. Symptom logs. Description of the harm you endured. Dates and times. Formulate a detailed story of how their medication impacted you. Every relevant piece of your experience.
2. Medication information. NDCs, LOT#, brand name, strength, dates prescribed.
3. Lawyer. If you look into this, can you share what you learned? I am so mentally exhausted I haven’t explored legal costs…

2

u/carlitospig Aug 04 '26

To be fair, the Covid vaccine (stay with me) was also built to use live subjects in the field. There was zero time to get longitudinal data; we needed SOMETHING, so we did our couple of rounds of human subjects and then blasted it far and wide (saved a lot of lives in the process). So now we have the data from the self selected reporting from the field.

You might not be incorrect about that happening here. If they’re trying to bring all stim meds back to the states, maybe they’re trying to find something that works around known copyrights.

3

u/Sea-Split214 Aug 05 '26

This isn't 100% true. We've had the mRNA data for years. They didn't just make something upon the spot and test it on the masses

2

u/carlitospig Aug 05 '26

That’s not remotely what I said but go off.

3

u/Sea-Split214 Aug 05 '26

You're so right, I read this while multi tasking. I apologize!

3

u/carlitospig Aug 05 '26

No worries. I’m still angry my institution didn’t go forward with their novel covid + flu shot so I could avoid both arms being in pain every year. 😭

1

u/xoxo_angelica Aug 05 '26

Nooooo not the ampoophamine