Difference Between Adderall And Amphetamine Salts (Page 35)
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I was recently diagnosed with Adult ADD and have been prescribed Amphetamine Salts (Generic for Adderall) for a few months now. The initial dosage was one 10mg tablet/ three times a day and recently my Doctor upped the dosage to one 30mg tablet/ twice a day. I know that overall this has been very beneficial for me but I cant help but wonder if the generic brand (IR Amphetamine Salts) has less of the active ingredient, and more unnecessary side effects(irritability, fatigue). I know that while the active ingredients are likely to be the same, the "fillers" usually are not and even the active ingredients can vary up to 10%. I also know that everybody reacts differently depending on their bodies' make-up as well as the drugs and I have always reacted sensitively to any kind of drug. The more I "google" the more I want to stay away from the generic form. Also- almost every pharmacy around has little to no Adderall Brand IR tablets in stock, they only have the generic brands and possibly Adderall brand but only the Extended-Release. My Doctor seems to firmly believe that there is no difference between Adderall XR and Adderall IR, and because she prescribed me the generic form (Amphetamine Salts), she probably doesn't see a difference there either. I don't have the time to ask 10 doctors what they think so if anyone has any information or experiences please share! Thank you!

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Woah Margarita,,!! I do not appreciate the way you used the label "stupid" while referring to the affects of someone with ADD. Do you know anything at all about ADHD to be giving any advise about medicating or controlling it? Do you know that ADD is at times VERY detrimental and doesn't make people "stupid" as you suggest. You are on the addictions bandwagon and need to get off while it isn't appropriate here at this time.

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Hi Lisa,

I tried Vyvance first because low income people with no insurance can get it free of charge through Shire (have you checked into this) Shire makes both Vyvance and Adderall but you cant get the Adderall. Makes no sense. I wasnt it on it a week and it was awful. Not only did it help none of my symptoms but it made them 10 times worst. I am going back to the brand adderall xr and will try only taking one a day (235.00/mo) instead of 2 (470.00/mo) and somehow figure out how to pay for it. I'm glad the Vyvance worked for you.

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Celeste- thank you for the advice! I switched to brand name adderall for a month then decided to try Vyvanse for a few reasons- The lack of side effects complaints and the difference between the active ingredients. I have found that Vyvanse, because it is absorbed differently than Adderall, helps me to concentrate and feel normally alert (I still get to drink my coffee in the morning without having a heart attack). With adderall and the generic form I felt more jittery and aware of the drug as opposed to Vyvanse where I now feel like myself, only better able to battle my ADD. Knowing we are all very different and our bodies respond differently to these drugs I would still suggest looking into Vyvanse. Finding the right treatment plan is definitely a process and you will most certainly become frustrated and perhaps want to give up. Don't! Also- don't feel like you need to "suck it up" and deal with the negative side effects because your Doctor prescribes you a certain dosage of a certain drug. The process of finding the perfect treatment plan can be difficult, but usually worth it in the end.

Margarita- Adderall contains a mixture of amphetamine salts and dextroamphetamine salts. Amphetamine aspartate and amphetamine sulfate are DERIVATIVES of amphetamine and are designed to slowly release as your body digests the drug (hence the "EXTENDED RELEASE"). "Speed" is slang. It is casually used to describe the drug category of "uppers", which include anything from ritalin to cocaine, to meth. My point is- this slang term you're so easily throwing around can include both legal and illegal substances. If you would like to use the term "speed" to describe Adderall and/or Vyvanse then that is absolutely accurate but there is no need for attaching negative connotation. This is a place where people go for advice and help.

Also- xanax in the lowest dosage is very helpful for people who have anxiety. Taking a drug because of experienced uncontrollable and unpleasant feelings that are affecting your daily life cannot and should not be compared to an abuser, buying whatever from whoever illegally, and shoving them up their nose. We are all responsible for our actions and we are also responsible for sharing our stories and experiences in order to help others. For those of us that are trying to better ourselves, whether it be through drug therapy or any other therapy, cheers and good luck to us all:-)

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Yes there is a huge difference. I was taking the brand name adderall XR and was perfectly happy. I could focus and I felt great. Then I lost my insurance and now i'm on generic IR and I'm miserable. I'm depressed, cant focus and have no energy or desire to do anything. also gained 15lbs in one month to boot. My advice, get some insurance. Margarite, people need this drug to function. "If you are stupid, its because god made you that way" Are you kidding me? First off there is no god! and second of all who are you to play doctor?

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there is no difference, adderall is aphetamine; also known as speed. it is a highly addictive and powerful psychoactive drug that for most people causes more problems than it solves, like all illegal and controlled substances. trust me, adderall is no joke and should never be used by minors. the only real medical use it has is for narcoleptics who fall asleep while standing at the bus stop, otherwise it should only be prescribed under the most severe of circumstrances, like xanax. we all the know that age old story. at first people use drugs for harmless fun, or to solve some issue they are having in their life, soon they need the drug, and after awhile, they need more and more until they realize the drug has caused them more problems and all they wish is to be off the drug. they stop taking the drug and they are never the same again, and they realize they wasted years of their life on the drug. and no, this is not hyperbolie and im not being pretentious. i'm not exaggerating, adderall is in league with cocaine and methamphetamine, stop taking it. i know what im talking about kido

Editor's note: this post has been demoted due to multiple complaints.

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Hi Lissa,

Your thoughts are on the right track here!

I find it to be true that certain "inactive" ingredients which may or may not be present in each brand, are actually detrimental to how the drug is metabolized and used by your body. Because everyone is different, your body may respond favorably with one medication and not the other, due to how you feel or based on whatever side effects present themselves.

When you switch brand names or manufacturers, the drug itself doesn't change, but rather the binders or fillers that they put with it. This is where the primary difference lies.

In this case, we know that Adderall contains the salt combo (Amphetamine + Dextroamphetamine). And to my understanding, Adderall is just the proprietary brand name and Mixed Amphetamine Salts is the active ingredient and thus, the generic name.

Here is an article that may also have some reassuring information on this topic:
differencebetween.net/science/health/difference-between-amphetamine-and-dextroamphetamine/

I know my thoughts are scattered a bit in this reply, but I hope it helps to answer your question!

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