Amphetamine Salts

I took this drug's generic for three months. It was actually produced by Barr, after Shire struck an agreement with them. Before it, I had taken the XR version by Shire, actual Ritalin as well as Shire's Vyvanse. This drug is no better than street dope!

It had virtually no positive affect on my symptoms, and in some cases, increased my symptoms. I had every single side effect listed for the drug, as well as some that were not (I know because they went away after the drug ran it's course).

My suggestion is that you consider the Vyvanse, as it is a different sort of stimulant drug and so is more effective, long lasting, and (for me) had far fewer side effects. It is expensive though, and currently no generic exists in the U.S. (although Canada has one).

My other suggestion would be that you use the actual drug, or really just anything else.

If you are taking it and you disagree, be sure to speak up. But if you feel the same, I think you should too.

I think too many people are told, as I was by my pharmacist, that generics are "identical", but they clearly are not. Of course, before this I, as do most people believed that they were and that the FDA would not allow them to give me something that had not been tested. After experiencing these symptoms, I did research and found that apparently generics can contain between 80-120% of any active ingredient. This drug has 4 active ingredients, so it is possible that in the different proportions it actually is a completely different drug.

It wasn't until I stumbled onto an article that cited this page that I found out that it might actually be true.

I've been taking Adderall, & variations of it, now for probably 11 years or so, and have had some variation of experiences, but mostly it's been positive. The extended release I didn't like very much, maybe just because of that, I think I need the effects to hit soon, not gradual, over time. I've also found that not all generics are alike, nor exactly like the name brand. One generic just didn't do the job, I've been currently taking another, and it's been working well, so far.

Since I'm not hyperactive, maybe I don't feel any symptoms worsening, even when I self-medicated (unknowingly, & intuitively) myself with amphetamines in college, they never made me hyper, or really kept me from sleeping, only kept my brain from getting foggy...

My 16 year old grandson who weighs 150 lbs has just been prescribed Vyvanse. He has not been diagnosed with ADHD through any formal testing, but he, and the rest of the family, realize he probably has ADHD traits. His pediatrician said that he should take Vyvanse and if it worked, we'd shortcut the diagnosis procedure. Is this a good idea? Is this a good drug? Just the fact that it is amphetamine scares me!

PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: THIS SOUNDS LIKE AN UNORTHODOX APPROACH TO DIAGNOSING ADHD. YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK OUR SHOW WITH DR. NED HALLOWELL, OR READ HIS BOOK, DELIVERED FROM DISTRACTION.
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2008/10/20/663-dealing-wit-2/

I was the first person in Milwaukee County to be prescribed Adderall.
When I first got Adderall it was marked OB which stood for Obetrol. The company that was making Adderall (Shire) had obtained the patent from another company that marketed the formula for weight control (hence obese control or Obetrol). Interestingly enough I continued to take Adderall as an investigational drug for about a year because the FDC had lost the application paperwork.

This drug worked like a dream.
The only problem is that it killed my creativity, made me like a machine. But boy could I concentrate.

Hi Mark: Don't know if you will be able to reply to my question about Adderall, but here goes... I am wondering if you lost any weight while on Aderall. I am taking this drug for wakefullness; I have severe Sleep Apnea. I have also put on about 15 extra pounds I would like to get rid of. Could you also tell me how many milligrams you were taking....Thanks.

Dee,
I took 40 mg of adderall (or any variation of the drug) as a "diet pill" every day from my 16th birthday to my 17th birthday. I lost forty pounds but since the drug wasn't actually prescribed to me, I was buying it from friends, I literally could not eat without feeling sick and trying to sleep on the pill was a nightmare. I once went 8 days without food and 4 nights without sleep, obviously at this point I started hallucinating. After about 6 months of taking the pill I got pneumonia because my immune system was so weak. Immediately after the pneumonia I got mono. I know what you're thinking, I probably should have stopped taking the drug because it gave me basically every severe side effect listed but since it's basically legal speed I got addicted almost instantly.

I finally had to quit because I lost my job and couldn't support the habit anymore but the withdrawal from it is unbearable. So I guess the moral of my story is if you want to use it to lose weight it's not worth it, sure I got thin but it wasn't attractive now that I think about it I actually looked scary. I hope this helps with your decision!