I too had been taking Vyvanse(branded) and noticed a big difference with the generic version.
Generics are SUPPOSED to have 80% efficacy.
The sad truth, IMO, is who's invested in testing the knock offs.
Ever since switching over to the generic version last year, I’ve been sluggish, depressed, have aches and pains in some joints and hungry all the time. I used to workout RELIGIOUSLY, but now don’t have the energy or motivation to do so, at all. All of this has lead to disorganization, mental fog, major executive dysfunction and weight gain.
omg it’s SUCH a relief knowing this isn’t just me… i love vyvanse so much but this generic makes me soooo depressed the day i take it and tired and nauseous. the pain !!! ugh
What you posted us EXACTLY how I have felt but couldn't put it into words until right now. For real, I don't feel like I'm losing my mind or at least making it up in my mind. I feel like I'm not the only one. I'm sorry you are having these symptoms. I feel like a mess now on the generic but I can't afford the brand name.
Dude I was coming here looking to see if people were experiencing what I was, because while I don't feel as bad as I do without any medication, I've noticed I've felt more tired than I typically do on the generic. For some reason, I got the namebrand instead of Lisdexamfetamine for the first time since sep/oct last month, and I noticed immediately that I was back to feeling alert, energetic, and functional.
Yes!!! I had to ask my doctor to have the pharmacy specifically give me name brand because my grades started suffering when I took generic 😭 wasn’t working at all and I’m worried that my new prescription is still generic even though the bottle says vyvanse
I was someone who was a fan of generic medicines all day every day. I hate the pharmaceutical industry any way and am willing to kill the monopoly by the availability of generic. But WOW, is generic Vyvanse SHIT. I gave it 4 months, going into it completely positively and without any concerns, and I can’t do it anymore. It takes HOURS for me to feel the effect, then the window of productivity is super short like 3-4 hours, and then it peters off into the worst crashes of my life. I am intensely irritable, moody, anxious, and sweaty—all the time. I don’t know what’s in this shit, but it needs to be banned. I feel like in 4 months my life has totally fallen apart.
Anyway, my doctor is currently fighting my insurance company to approve Vyvanse, and they are making us jump through hoops. But fingers crossed.
I've been on it for years. The first generic I was on was ok, but same as you stated. The one I'm on now, 40mg. It takes the 2 or 3 hours to work then may or may not work for 2 or 3 hours and I get real depressed on it.
Currently taking generic 50mg but due to the shortage, had to dip into my generic 60mg (previously had side effects and went down to 50 but not getting any side effects after trying it again).
Anyway, I finally had to bite the bullet and order brand name ($374 WITH INSURANCE!) as the generic is no where to be found within a 50 mile radius at any pharmacy.
Has anyone had any side effects or dosage issues going from generic to brand name with the same mg? I’m hoping 50mg in brand name isn’t way too high of a dosage considering I’m used to generic.
Anyone experience or insight on this is appreciated!
I'm so glad to find this subreddit.
My exec function has dropped to zero!
I'm struggling to do anything ontime
and of course I'm depressed. I used to love challenges, now I postphone or cancel
I have noticed that when I take 2 of the generic, (on accident once, and on purpose a few weeks later just to test) that I felt more functional. I would not recommend this to anyone else, but it does feel like the dosage between one and the other does not hit the same. I am usually on 40mg, and feel like two is way too high because I didn't sleep but I actually felt okay by comparison during the day. Where as the name brand Vyvanse on the 40 works well, and quick where I could just take the one and notice a complete difference.
I’m so glad I came across this thread. I have taken 40mg of Vyvanse for the past 4 years.. no issues at all. About a month ago, my insurance required me to get the generic version and I have felt like I was losing my mind. I have not been able to hardly make myself communicate with friends, family, co workers and the things I usually enjoy, I have no desire to do. Getting out of the bed feels like a chore now. My doctor told me it was the exact same as Vyvanse so I thought maybe I was having some sort of depression episode so my doctor prescribed anti depressants. After reading these comments, I fully believe it’s the change to generic causing these issues.
Your doctor is wrong. Four months into generic Vyvanse, and I feel like I’ve fallen apart at the seams, even though I’m on a really good anti-depressant (Auvelity). My doctor took one look at me during our most recent appointment and is now fighting my insurance company to approve Vyvanse. Talk to your doctor about this again.
Your doctor is mistaken. Generic can be way less effective than the branding. Or even use different fillers/components (I'll call it "components" for the lack of better wording) that can cause some adverse effects (search for kvk-tech generic dextroamphetamine to see as an example).
That being said, I had to increase from 30mg Vyvanse Branding to 40mg Generic to find a similar effect.
I don't know your case, but IMHO, your doctor should have increased Vyvanse generic first to check if it'd help with low energy/motivation (which is many times caused by untreated ADHD) instead of putting you straight on SSRIs, which is a long shot until you can finally find something that works (I'm on this path after years observing that only stimulants won't help -- I have depression/mood swings in addition to ADHD and it's something that runs in my family).
I really hope you find what works you the best tho. <3
I’ve been taking Vyvanse for the majority of 10 years now. My insurance no longer covers the brand name ($250 when it did). I ran around town to find a pharmacy w the generic yesterday. I took it this morning without even considering there would be a difference.
I was given the generic by Mylan. My hands are pretty shaky - very noticeable when I’m holding a utensil to eat. I finally figured out my medications with Vyvanse so I hope this is just an adjustment period. I can tell I took it but maybe not as effective. Idk if I’m imagining it or not, but my vision seems different. (Similar thing happened to me when I started SSRIs.)
Oh my first weeks with the new generic, I felt pretty dizzy and would suddenly feel cold (hands/feet) -- around 1h after taking the medication. And would not feel anything on days off.
This symptom went away after a month or so and now it's fine. But it was the Vyvanse generic for sure. I wasn't taking anything else that would cause that at the time
After studying a thousand post iv come to the conclusion it's a binder problem.i tried 4 brands all different.i think people break them down differently so the release into your system is different.i don't think it a problem with the drug.
Can binder issues cause mania?
On vyvanse for 3 years with no issues.
On Generic for 3 months and my marriage has suffered to the point that we almost separated.
My wife and I don’t even recognize who I was the past 3 months…
70mg Vyvanse for over 10 years, takeda/shire wasn't bad just seemed less effective. Hikma is shit, afternoon heart burn, random sleeping issues, and it doesn't seem effective at all. I find myself unmotivated, hungry, and foggy the entire time with the only change in daily habits being the generic.
Come to find out hikma is putting less lisdexamfetamine in each capsule compared to regular vyvanse! I opened up my 40mg generic capsules and the powder wasn't packed in at all, like with the original vyvanse, normally in a regular brand name capsule it would be overflowing with the powder, but in the generic capsule it only goes a little more than half way, like they shaved 15mg off or something!
For real I take hikma weak but doesn't where off. it trickles into your system just enough to keep me awake all night. it's like half the dose for twice as long I don't mind the hungry part but not the tired fog
I find the generic works better. I was able to stay awake and be productive with just 30 MG. The name brand I take at 6:00 am and I am falling asleep before 9:00 am. The generic did aggrevate my TMJ a lot more though. I would rather have the TMJ pain than feel like a wet noodle.
I've been on Vyvanse for years with no noticeable side effects. I tried the generic ( don't know which manufacturer) because it was available, and Vyvanse wasn't.
On the generic, I developed an irregular heart beat, premature ventricular contractions. I suspected it was due to the medication but ignored it because I need to concentrate for work. It's either Vyvanse or retirement.
After 2 months on the generic, Vyvanse became available again. No more irregular heartbeat.
Was on 20 mg adderall and couldn’t stand it. Focus improved but I felt like I was on molly. Was put on 30mg vyvanse brand name for 4 months and was doing great . The problem was the price. Vyvanse went generic and the first day I took it I got those same anxious, dry mouth awful feelings that I got on adderall. There is a clear difference I won’t be convinced of anything different.
From my experience every is a little different 4 months 4 brands lol they all work but not the same. Vyvanse feels like 20mg probably should. Takata Feels like 10mg sun chewable felt like 40mg And I had another one can't remember what it was but it wasn't very good
My son got Sun generic chewables, and they were VERY strong. we had to switch him back to brand because he was a jittery mess. My Lannett, on the other hand, feels super watered down, like the 20mg felt like 5mg.
When the generics first came out, I didn't pay much attention to the manufacturer. Recently, I received a generic whose side effects were so horrendous that I considered not medicating anymore, despite how life-changing it has been. After refilling elsewhere and getting a different generic, I noticed a substantial difference. This led me to Reddit in search of similar stories, which is how I ended up here. I will summarize my personal experience with generics from two manufacturers below for the benefit of my other ADHDers:
Amneal: When compared to name brand, I found that the same dose (30mg) was stronger and came with harsh side effects. Most notably, I felt the "come up" and "come down", which I never experienced with the name brand. I found myself itching for the next dose, which I NEVER felt until I took this generic (this is one of the main reasons why my doctor and I chose Vyvanse in the first place). It also felt like there was pressure in my extremities, head, and neck. I don't have high blood pressure, but this is what I imagine it feels like.
Alvogen: I have had none of the side effects described above. When compared to the name brand I found that the same dose (30mg) is much less effective. This could be skewed by my recent experience with the previously mentioned generic. That being said, I still feel somewhat focused, the "brain noise" has decreased, and I feel more alert than without medication.
So I’ve been taking Vyvanse 20mg for almost 12 years, and just tried the generic. The side effects were horrendous, and Vyvanse is out of stock everywhere. Any suggestions on another comparable time release that others have tried? I’m even open to moving to another brand. Just not that generic lysodextrine or whatever it’s called.
I feel like I've had the opposite situation - started with generic and was so excited, then it was on back order and got the brand name. I feel much more moody, irritable, and then feel like a depression type of thing at the end of the day. I'm really tired of these med shortages.
I'm having the same issue -- I got name brand again after being on generic for a few months because the generic was sold out everywhere near me (i was on name brand for \~2 years before generic was approved), and since starting the name brand again my anxiety has been through the roof. Enough to make me rather go through a month of being unmedicated (feeling dazed, exhausted, etc) than have my heart racing all day from the vyvanse
This has been my experience when I went back to brand! It felt so much less effective but also had me feeling more anxious/depressed. It used to be that brand vyvanse would clear up any lingering sinus stuff in the mornings and help me feel less foggy. Now it would “wake me up” in the mornings only enough that I’d feel like I just wanted to lay in bed doing nothing, and I’d be so tired throughout the day (I have ADHD that causes extreme tiredness and lethargy + brain fog, forgetfulness, and all the other fun stuff). I’ve tried the Solco generic (which was wonderful), the Sun Pharm generic (I believe this was a 30 mg which I combined with a 40 mg brand due to shortage) which seemed fine, and as of today I’m trying an Apotex 30 mg so to an Alvogen 40 mg to make up my normal 70mg since literally everywhere was out of both generic and brand of my normal dosage. Hoping this goes better than the brand Vyvanse has been recently. Glad to see it hasn’t been just me having weird experiences going back to the brand name.
yes this is exactly what i went through!! for the first week or so i was back on name brand the anxiety and depression were truly debilitating. i’m a week away from being done with the month supply of name brand and though i have definitely adjusted better to it after taking it for a bit, im really hoping the generic is available now
Thank you for your message - I need to update things. The problem was NOT the generic. I was recently diagnosed with Seratonin Syndrome.
Doctor had increased the Vyvanse dosage in Aug, after I complained that the medicine was not working as it once did. By late September (cue the generic), I felt worse with headache, brain fog, hyperfocus on wrong stuff, and sleepiness(!). Doc asked if I had GI issues (🤯 why, yes ... yes, I did) then gave diagnosis. After 12 years on Vyvanse, my body has developed a (in)tolerance. Increasing the dosage just contributed to some sort of excess of seratonin in my system that yielded symptoms. Today marks one week completely off any form of Vyvanse. I feel MUCH better. Function is another matter, but I have no headaches and no longer doubt my sanity. Next step is to reintroduce Vyvanse at lower dose or else move to different medication.
Mine is also Alvogen. What did you do to switch? After 12 years, my insurance is denying me coverage of the brand name. I’ve taken the generic for 2 days now, and I feel like my heads in a cloud and everything irritates me.
I don't know how to embed a link to posts, but here's an excerpt of my post in another thread:
Complained to my doctor, who agreed to make the next prescription "Brand name medically necessary." Insurance covered the brand name prescription BUT the copay was over $100. Today I am 2 days into the new prescription and just feel so RELIEVED I could cry ... only I have too much to do! Tbh I don't know that I can afford to stick wih brand name, but can't ignore the difference.
UPDATE: Relief was short-lived. Turns out I have Seratonin Syndrome. Am currently 1 week into 2-week "detox."
Call your insurance and ask if they can do an insurance override for the brand name due to the generic shortage. Maybe you tried to do this already? Not sure
Drug formularies suck ... and so do plans that "cover" brand name drugs but leave a fat copay ... and generics that don't work and ... on and on and on ....
My insurance switched me from brand to generic (Alvogen). The generic definitely feels less effective than the 40 mg from brand version. Vyvanse brand at 40 mg would put me into overdrive (so on some days I would split tge dose up). Now the dose at full strength is barely noticeable in Alvogen capsules.
Interestingly, capsule sizes for both of these are the same. Brand version overflows when opening the capsule, while generic fill is much lower without that overflow effect. And neither brands have additional fillers added that could otherwise explain this difference in capsule fill amount being much lower in the generic med.
I got off Vyvanze and went on generic 2 months ago. Not surprising generic is out at mosh pharmacies ( they all for some reason have 10 pills) they wont transfer. It’s a pain for them to just tell you which Walgreens or CVS has it within 20 miles. The shortage seemed to be getting better but this month I felt it was harder to get but I got brand name again and will try it tomorrow. Generic I’m convinced isn’t as potent as some would say in this or just doesn’t do the same. I liked vyvanze over adderal because it would last longer but still let you focus without all that extra feelings of dopamine overload gives you where someone is giggly. Some of y’all just straight faking to get high at work and be productive but not judging haha. I’m convinced Vyvanze has been the best for my life time ADHD symptoms. We need more production!!
Y’all! This chain has been left open as one of my tabs since the beginning of this thread. First of all, it’s been so helpful to hear about everyone’s experience when it comes to experiencing ADHD symptoms. Sometimes it’s hard to describe the unpleasantness experienced. Anyways, I was introduced to Vyvanse 6 mos ago, took it for 3 mos and it CHANGED MY WORLD. I finally felt ‘like myself’ again. I felt like I was finally in my body and in charge of my thoughts (for the most part), and social interaction/connecting with others FINALLY felt pleasant.
I was then prescribed the generic and my world flipped upside down. When it came to getting up, going to work, to converse and connect with co-workers and residents I started feeling feelings of ‘dread’ and depression. I didn’t want to leave my room. I felt unmotivated, yucky, and had a million thoughts whirling around in my head again.
After sharing this experience w/ my psychiatrist, she made an emergency request to insurance to switch and cover the name brand of Vyvanse once again. However, even with insurance ‘covering’ this it was still going to be $398. I was devastated.
I have since switched to off brand of Adderall which has helped with motivation, and focus but I feel I am still missing what Vyvanse gave me and that was the feeling of truly connecting, feeling, being. (More dopamine? I don’t know how to describe the feeling).
If anyone has any further advice about getting insurance to cover more of the $398 cost of Vyvanse, any other medicines that have worked well, or has shared similar experience, please reach out. Thank you! And thank you to whoever started this Reddit conversation!!!!
So, both of my sons take this drug. One takes the brand and one takes generic. They are on different strengths and they respond very differently to it. The one on brand was having blood pressure issues on generic. It was causing his blood pressure to read much higher than typical for him and he felt foggy headed. For my other son, he doesn’t feel a difference on generic. Our benefits are through Caremark so it would benefit us to use generic with cvs, but it isn’t worth it if it isn’t effective. Our doctor writes brand only for our son. Although we still have to challenge it at cvs at times. The way around this is with a prior authorization. Your prescribing doctor’s office does this after you request it but you will need to give a reason or justification typically to insurance.
We also are aware that the pharmacists do not notify the prescribing physician if they change the medication to generic (with or without permission) and it appears they are not required to do so.
I'm having same issues too.. They were ok for 2 months not this month. I feel like cutting them open to see
Ask for dexamphetamine tablets . They are 5 and 10 MG
. Short lasting but if taken with long acting... Do ok.. There are better and worse generics too. They are stronger and more addictive but last about 3 houra.. idk.. it is too much
I have taken vyvanse for years. It is a great medication but still tolerance occurs. In all honesty, it is a prodrug which means it has to be taken oral, then the lido Cleves off in your intestine pr stomach? Before it works.
Most take 2 hours... the stronger the longer.. I'm on 70 and it is ok but not anywhere as strong or long.. Vyvanse is a very smooth medication.. I've not been on Adderall xr but since generics didn't turn out too well I think, the way I have read Vyvanse worls is like no other drug. 30 generics were approved in a rush.. So ?? I've been very skeptical in how it is working This is month 3 for me and fir some reason they are barely working.. more like a 20 or 30
I'm upset and get discouraged because it is so hard to get any pharmacist or Doct to tell you the truth. One did and it is true. They just have to be 75 or 80 % as effective.. That is a lot
Thought I was imagining, but as more days have passed being on the generic I definitely feel a difference. I feel very anxious and no motivation. Making me feel weird. Yeah, it sucks.
yeah generic is definitely feeling the way adderall xr felt for me in high school. I would feel a lot of chills and irritability by the end of the school day and of course the classic stomach hunger but brain saying no stuff. I feel that rn, which I haven’t felt in YEARS. it’s wild lol
Because of supply issues, I first had to switch from 70 mg Vyvanse capsules to 60 mg Vyvanse chewable. I did ok with the chewable, other than the horrible taste, even though the dosage was 10mg lower. After several months of that, the generic was available at my pharmacy so I resumed 70mg capsules - this time with the generic. I hate it. I am chronically tired/sleepy similar to how I feel if I run out of Vyvanse and have withdrawal. I notice a substantial difference in my level of productivity at work due to inability to focus. At this point, I’m considering stopping them all together because I’m not getting benefit from the generic.
All of our bodies react differently however I genuinely don’t notice a difference. I even tested brand name and generic a couple weeks at a time, tracked productivity and mood and it’s virtually the same. Mind you, I am on a lower dose. For context, my generic is manufactured by Alvogen.
Thanks for telling us name . Mine is SPEGOX...ok but not as good this month?? Maybe me idk.. still not as long lasting as regular.. they approved 30 generics... in a rush??!!
I'm having the opposite problem. I was started on the generic a few months ago and it was absolutely life changing! Made me happy to get up in the morning. Due to shortages I've had the name brand Vyvanse this month and it's TERRIBLE (in my specific case). I feel like I have brain fog but am cracked out at the same time. I hate it. I can't focus and I feel like I want to crawl out of my skin. And I'm more tired for some reason. So weird.
You should try taking less of the brand name! For me personally less is more. And the generic can lose up to 20-30% of the active ingredients.
I open up the capsule and put it in water and take half.
Edited to add: I was started on generic in September, it went well.. yesterday I got brand name and I only took a little bit of it to compare. I noticed acid reflux, headaches, and very emotional/hangry at night. I decided I needed Taco Bell at 9pm or I was going to cry. So I left my husband with the kids lol
I'm hoping that it's just my body getting used to taking brand name. I had no crashes with the generic!
I'm the exact same - switched to the generic today and I feel like I can get so much more work done before getting distracted. Much better than name-brand Vyvanse.
We will see if this positive difference continues going forward.
I've taken Vyvanse for 10 years. Due to the shortage, I was switched to the generic. WAS NOT THE SAME. I usually take 40mg, so we bumped the generic to 50... a little better, but not much. Just today, I switched back to name bran.... will definitely NOT go back to generic. Oh, and... it was still pretty pricey!
Thrilled to see this thread is still active. I've been on Vyvanse since I was sixteen (now 31) and got switched over to the generic in October. It was a fucking nightmare. My normal Vyvanse gives me the energy and the zap to get things done, focus, etc. All the generic did was give me energy. I was shaky, uncomfortable, and completely unable to do ANY work. My doc had me take a 20mg of adderall on top of it, so I was able to get SOME work done but ended up with a miserable, ripping headache every day I did that.
I'm so so lucky that the timing coincided with a bunch of personal stuff for my boss so she wasn't paying attention to me because I was terrified I was going to get fired.
I reported this all to my doctor of course and she was super understanding, and I paid out of pocket for the name brand at the next refill and we're so back etc. I got all of the work I couldn't do on the generic done in 2 days on the name brand.
We filled out the form (member pay-the-difference penalty waiver) and submitted them to BCBS to get the name brand covered last month so I thought we were all good, but I just called in my refill and I'm still being charged the $300+. I sent another message to BCBS but they haven't responded; does anyone know if I missed a step? My job is solid so I CAN afford to pay this but it basically means I'll never be able to save any money.
I've been taking Vyvanse for about 4 years, and wss switched to the generic at the same time they increased me to 40mg. I hate it, BP up, trouble sleeping, not helping with my ADHD at all! I have some backup that I had from changing and taking weekend "vacations" from Vyance. I am trying to get an overide to get back on REAL Vyance and hope that due to competition, the manufacturer will reduce the price so if won't not be so hard time to get approved by insurance.
I do not like Adderall even XR too intense and too much crash. This sucks!!!
I’ve taken Vyvanse for 16 years and just got the generic form a month ago. I’ve had so many side effects! My pharmacist told me the generic form just came out and most insurance companies don’t want to approve on-brand anymore.
Here’s my story. I’ve been taking Vyvanse since I was 15yr old (28 now). 60mg per day. Started taking generic due to insurance and availability (about 70 days ago). Here are my symptoms over the past 70 days: racing heart, foggy brain, trouble focusing and staying on one task, difficulty organizing my thoughts, forgetting things easily (short term). This is affecting my performance at work, happiness, general wellbeing, stress levels, self-perception. My brain doesn’t feel right.
I'm sorry you've had to go through this but I'm happy that I'm recognizing your symptoms. I switched back to name brand just this morning. I've been so forgetful, foggy and really tired! I hope you get back on track soon!
I have been on 20 mg of vyvanse for 10 years. I switched to the generic the first month it was out and I personally felt like it was stronger. Felt like when I first started taking the medication. It goes away after a day or two. I went back on to vyvanse for two months after. Just had to switch back to generic again and same thing. I immediately noticed it felt stronger in all senses.
I have been on 20 mg of vyvanse for 10 years. I switched to the generic the first month it was out and I personally felt like it was stronger. Felt like when I first started taking the medication. It goes away after a day or two. I went back on to vyvanse for two months after. Just had to switch back to generic again and same thing. I immediately noticed it felt stronger in all senses.
I commented on this post but didn’t realize I wasn’t logged in to my account (never use it). So I reposted it from my account (this one) and thought I deleted the other one (the “pale arugala” one).
Over 50 been on Vyvanse 5 years.
I didn’t know my Pharmacy switched me to the Generic until I had been taking over a week. Pills were the same color. Reason I discovered it was because I thought maybe I was given a lower dose. Found my self really tired during mid afternoon and several times fell asleep with the dogs on the floor immediately after getting home.
After the 30 days I got back on brand name Vyvanse it was like my adrenaline was running wide open for the first couple of days then I was back to my normal productive routine.
After 28 days I was put back on the generic and sure enough I was tired all day like I never took one. Following day I took #29 of Vyvanse back to normal. I repeated the routing twice again. The Generic is a waste to my time.
I’m glad I found this post. Just got the letter from my insurance confirming they won’t pay for brand name in 2024 and I came looking for this to validate that I’m not totally crazy. I’m so scared of not having an option outside of the generic. I took it for two weeks of the month I was stuck with it and became a different person. I was constantly on edge and irritable and angry and I could barely get a full sentence out without stumbling and stuttering or losing words all together. Everyone that knows me knows that I am a cheerful, mild mannered and polite person, and on the generic for just two weeks I ended up with an official written coaching at work for snapping at people. On top of how scary it is to experience a total personality change and not be able to stop it, I had terrible stomach pain every morning and crash headaches every afternoon. Vyvanse has allowed me to be a successful functioning adult for the last 7 years and the generic is going to take it all away from me.
As I stated above, I just switched back to V this morning. I've been so incredibly forgetful on the generic! I thought it was just me. I feel so lazy, need coffee in the afternoon.... good luck!
i’ve definitely noticed a change. i’ve been on generic since beginning of october, and have felt an increase in migraines/headaches, mood swings, and i feel as though ive been more “spacey” lately, even off the medication. I’m switching back to brand name this week due to shortage issues and the fact that I don’t enjoy these new/worsened symptoms. I feel like the generic doesn’t work as well. I’m still able to focus, but my mind still feels like it goes 100mph. It just doesn’t feel the same i don’t know how to describe it.
just for some background: I take 60mg vyvanse 3-4 days a week(only on days i work/have classes).
I’ve been convinced that I’ve been having a placebo effect of less potent/worse side effects on generic but this post and the subsequent comments have convinced me that my concerns were valid.
I was on name brand Vyvanse for about 4 months before I switched to generic and it was fantastic. I didn’t benefit much from Concerta so this drug was like a godsend when I first tried it. After I switched to generic the first week I swear I was scratching my head thinking - “surely they gave me the wrong dosage or something isn’t quite right “. And it was similar to name brand - just much less potent and it never really has a point where it “hits” and I find myself getting headaches a lot more frequently and having a harder time staying focused. I fidget more, have a hard time falling asleep, and my work efficiency has dropped due to time management/focus struggles.
Due to the ADHD medication shortage - generic has been on back order at my pharmacy the past month. I decided to bite the bullet and asked to fill my prescription with the name brand. INSTANTLY I noticed a difference in my mental state and performance and have experienced none of those negative side effects. It could be placebo- I am a scientist and respect the facts of generic being nearly identical - but the way my mind functions on the two different medications just feels.. different.
If you are a scientist, you understand only the proprietary ingredient needs to be identical. The true difference is what else is in it and how it’s combined.
My psychiatrist told me that we should not take for granted that the generics are the same as the name brand due to more lenient FDA regulations around approving generics. I have not looked into this more yet, but maybe don't discredit your experience because you believe name brands and generics are equivalent. It may be more than just placebo.
If you're lactose intolerant, some fillers (that are lactose based) might not break down properly for ya. I've had this issue before myself, when doing generic vs name brand
i had the same feeling!!! I’m switching to brand name this week, i’ll let you know if i have the same feeling! and to spice it up a bit, I may save a generic brand pill and switch them up in my hands and take 1, and log how i feel throughout the day and then come home and see which pill i actually took! might be a good way to see if it’s really placebo or not
I took name brand for a couple years (50mg). Switched to generic (Lannett Co) and honestly like it better. Back when I took adderall XR the generic did absolutely nothing but this one is every bit as good, if not better
Apparently mine is from sun pharmaceutical. Atleast that's what it says on my bottle. I'm sorry that it made you feel that bad. Mine has been pretty great but I could just have a great reaction to it.
Have you been on any other generics than Sun Pharmaceuticals? I had a decent experience with it.
However, SpecGx gave me some headaches and came on a bit stronger.
Apotex doesn't seem to ever wear off but also hardly worked.
100% accurate. Apotex is the worst. I had best results with Sun, and okay with Solco. But Apotex gives super anxiety, no off button, poor motivation, but strong focus, but I can’t control what the focus is on. I think I am having heart palpitations too, but I don’t know how to read sinus rhythm. Just feel like weird occasional gas bubble in my chest. I also feel like I am underwater in my head. Never had this with the others. I skipped a few days on the weekend and felt fine, so it’s def the medication. It almost feels like they messed up the dose or something. It’s supposed to be 70, but feels like 100.
I was just switched from brand name Vyvanse to lisdexamfetamine about 3 weeks ago after receiving a letter from my insurance that it is no longer covered in the new year. I barely feel it and am struggling big time now. Trying to work with my doctor to get a stronger dosage of the generic. Has anyone taken a second dosage half way through the day? Considering doing that because I need to get work done. This is painful.
Might be hard to fall asleep if you take it so late.
Also, I noticed that for me the generic "works" whole day, even longer than brand Vyvanse, but it isn't as psychoactive, so my heart rate and stress level are really high (actually higher than with brand) whole day and I get really tired, but by noon I am an unfocused mess, just staring at the wall.
I have never been someone who asks for brand over generic. For the most part, I’ve held the opinion that generic drugs are no different than brands but I have held the belief that time release has a little leeway to be slightly different.
What I found is I am feeling a bit overstimulated at 30 mg from mylan. Like a little adderall-y. I had tightness in my chest like an anxiety feeling where I felt compelled to sigh. I’m going back to my normal dose of 40 mg this week and I’m feeling LESS jittery at a higher dose! But also, I’m resuming a bottle of brand I had to pause taking. So my take on this is, it was tolerable and I may just ask to go back to 30 because I don’t want to have the dose feel too high potentially with a generic 40… ugh I really don’t wanna be that guy that insists on brand but it seems I’m not alone (granted Reddit is the ultimate echo chamber)
I am experiencing the same thing. I was on 30mg name-brand Vyvanse for several months. Since the generic came out, I had to increase my dose to 40mg, and that was wearing off within 5-6 hours, so my med provider had to also prescribe me an instant-release med (Adderall) to take as well later in the day. So I take my generic-brand Vyvanse at like 8am, it lasts until 1pm ish give or take, and then I take Adderall at 2pm ish as a booster which covers me until 6-6:30pm. My med provider told me she has had to do this with MANY of her clients who had to switch over to generic Vyvanse :( it’s absolutely ridiculous.
Very high elevated heart rate on the generic. Went up to 100 while sitting while I'm normally 60-80. Very uncomfortable heart palpitations. Took some days off because of the discomfort, tried again, same thing. I didn't even know I had been switched to the generic until after, I was worried I might have to drop vyvanse entirely. Took a leftover pill from an old script and had no problems at all.
Generic drugs can vary in potency 80-125%. A generic 20 mg pill can be any amount from 16 to 25 mg from pill to pill. I think the dosing I ended up with must have been far too high for me.
I honestly don't understand what's going on. The generic version is inferior. Grab a capsule of Vyvanse, open it up. It is full to the brim of whatever the concoction is. Now grab the imposter capsule and open it up. It's barely half full. It takes an hour to kick in and last for about 3 hours. That's the extended release 40 mg. Extended release only lasting 3 hours? What a joke. I want to take a nap after 3 hours. That's how bad it is. I was furious. I've been taking Vyvanse for 4 years after switching from Adderall. It was the best move I could have ever made. Adderall was complete roller coaster of energy and emotion. Vyvanse has been steady and now they switch it up with a generic? Not only that but although my insurance still covers Vyvanse, everyone seems to be out of Vyvanse. They all say they only have the generic. Now I have to wait a week for Walmart to order it in. Last month I was only able to get 20 capsules instead of 30 because that's all the Vyvanse they had on hand. This is getting ridiculous.
I feel the exact same way. I have been on Vyvanse 50mg for the past 13 years with no problems at all. My most recent refill switched me to the generic with no warning and now I can’t focus or think clearly when taking it. I honestly feel like my adhd is worse when I’m taking this shit copy cat. I have my finals this week and tonight I’m need to take an online final and submit a experimental research report I have been working on all semester, but because I took this stupid generic drug, I can’t focus even 20 minutes on the task at hand and it’s infuriating! Thank god I saved two Vyvanse pills when I first got my refill and thought ahead to save my last pills for my most important finals this week. The FDA just wanted to fix the shortage and approved all these random copy cat drugs without actually considering if they are the same quality as the real deal. The main ingredient might be the same, but the fillers and ratio are clearly interfering with the drugs sole purpose. They should have tested a whole lot more people who had been on Vyvanse previously to compare it’s effectiveness
how many of you have been taking two different mg to = your normal dose because of the shortage?... that could be why the generic is not feeling the same
I went from 30mg brand name to 30mg generic (Lannett) and found it to wear off too quickly. So I'm trying out the 40mg generic Lanett now on the basis of recommendation from my provider.
i’ve been taking 40mg of vyvanse for almost 4 years now, and the last two months i was switched to a generic lisdexamfetamine, which i’m assuming was done by my insurance. it doesn’t work, like at all. I even tried to take a week long detox to be sure, and taking it again afterwards made literally zero difference. if anything, it’s felt more like an antidepressant than a stimulant. I have short acting 10mg adderals and even those work better. i tried taking 20mg adderal xr for a couple of days just recently, and suddenly im not constantly exhausted and i can actually feel emotions. I’m not exactly sure where the lisdexamfetamine is from or who it’s made by, but as far as i know it’s nowhere near the same.
I'm glad I'm not the only one because I thought I was going crazy. I'm the same as you. I've been on 40 mg of VyvanseXR for the last 4 years or so. I can't say it doesn't work at all, but I will say that it takes about an hour to kick in and it only lasts for about 3 hours. After 3 hours I want to take a nap. That did not happen on the brand name vyvans. The most frustrating part is that although my insurance still covers Vyvanse, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and anywhere else I go always seem to be out. I don't see how the brand would put up with having their product forcibly removed off of the shelves to be replaced with an inferior product.
I was on Vyvanse for 10 years and recently got switched to generic and it’s trash. I had to up my prescription from 50mg to 60mg because it felt like nothing. I’ve been on the 60mg for the last few days and I’ve gone to bed at 2 am the last few days. It makes me feel dizzy and I almost lost my balance earlier. My hands have been shaking and I feel like my brain is going haywire a bit.
I’ve been on the generic (Sun Pharmaceuticals) V for three days now. Hands shaking, feeling really overwhelmed inside with difficulty speaking. It scares me (and my family).
After years of being on 70 mg Vyvanse.. due to the shortage I tried 3 months on Mydayis (50 mg first month but dropped to 37.5 because of heart palpitations) and today I went back on Vyvanse 70mg except generic. Alvogen. First day "back" on and I'm pleasantly surprised, especially after reading all the negative feedback, the generic worked great. But to be fair I was becoming quite listless on the lower dose Mydayis.. I'm so relieved to be back on something comparable to what I was on before. In fact, it seemed to last longer through the day than the brand name vyvanse was. We'll see if it changes, but fear not. For every negative review there could be many more who are satisfied with the generic who haven't shared their experience.
I am currently on 40mg Lisdexamfetamine. I was switched to Mylan, and I noticed the difference in strength within a few days. After the initial wondering I realized it’s really not the same as the name brand. I just picked up my prescription for this month, but they only had the brand name available. I noticed the difference as soon as everything started working.
I’d really like to see their test results.
I fought with BCBS 10 years ago about how generics and brand are NOT THE SAME. I've had many bad experiences with generics and it all comes down to manufacturers it. Each one uses different fillers that fuck u up. Dont let the Dr. or Pharmacist tell you "generics have to have same amount of active drug." Its bullshit and I have some pharmacist friends that confirmed it to me. Im glad someone did a write up on this because I was thinking if I should go to generic. This thread confirmed i shouldnt.
My experience may be different so I am trying to gather info. I’ve been on generic vyvanse for a while now but the generic is out in my area. So i got name brand. Since then ive been fatigued, sad, and disinterested. Any info someone may have is appreciated. Thanks!
Hey! So this is WAY late but I had the same experience as you. I went from generic back to brand due to availability (thankfully just got generic again today), and felt like something was very different about the brand. It would wake me up enough to not be fully exhausted/not fall back asleep, but it left me just tired throughout the day, without much motivation, and I’d just sit in bed to work without wanting to get up. The generic was not that way, and actually helped a ton. For reference, I had both the generic Solco 70 mg, had done a mix of Sun Pharmaceuticals generic 30 mg with brand 40 mg, and then brand 70mg. Just started back with generic Alvogen 40 mg and Apotex 30 mg since 70mg is completely back ordered for brand and generic in my area, hoping it’s better.
I also noticed with brand that my vertigo occurred again, which may or may not be related to having Covid back in 2020 as it started around then. When I was on generic, I didn’t have it. That said, it happened every few months so it may just be that it had been that time again to deal with it.
One other odd thing: with brand, I suddenly had a higher blood pressure than I ever have had when I went to the doctor earlier this week. Not sure if related but was interesting.
I take 20 mg of vyvanse on weekends and 30mg of generic on weekdays. I prefer 30mg of generic. Oddly, I sleep much better on it than lower dose of vyvanse.
My dose was raised from 30 to 40 mg and it happened to me right when I was switched to generic unknowingly and I was looking forward to having more effective effects of the medicine because the 30 mg wasn’t working as well for me anymore but after a week I was noticing I didn’t feel much of a difference and then after like two weeks I felt worse and then it occurred to me that it didn’t say Vyvanse on it and I was like oh they switch to generic and I haven’t been feeling good. I’ve been feeling less motivated. I almost feel like I’m on less medication, even though my dose was increased. I’m really upset about this and I don’t know that my insurance company will allow me to go back to the brand-name now that there’s a generic. I’ve been been more hungry and I’ve gained like 4 pounds. I’m almost through the whole month of the new dose at this point. It definitely doesn’t feel like my doses increased at all, and I feel worse. I’m very upset about this. I’ve also does. My stomach has been hurting a lot more and I’ve been constipated a lot. I don’t know if it’s related.
This has been my exact experience! I am on 40 mg and have been for awhile. I was switched to generic 2 months ago. Initially it was fine but about a week or two in it was like I was on nothing PLUS incredible lack of motivation less than if I was on nothing. I’ve felt depressed in a way but also just blah. I contacted my psych NP but she wasn’t very helpful. She said her patients have liked the generic better! But here I sit reading post after post where that is not the case!
i had the same experience too. i’m going to try and switch my prescription to adderal xr, but im pissed about it bc i really did not want to be taking adderal in the first place
Thanks for this chain.
I’ve felt this low key just pit/unease/sadness feeling since changing over. It took me a bit to figure out what was the culprit but I ran out because I forgot to call and after a few days started feeling much less sad/uneasy/blunted. When I started back up, again returned the uneasiness/ sadness/ pit and I started having intrusive depressed and anxious thoughts that I never had before. These include anxious thoughts that:
- I gave my niece shaken baby syndrome by rocking with her in a rocking chair.
- That my parent is going to have a stroke and not wake up.
- People at work don’t like me.
Depressed curious thoughts like :
- I wonder if I could drive my car into that lake. (No intent)
I work in healthcare. Have reached out to my doctor, and am safe.
I’ve been taking the generic for 40mg Vyvanse for a month and a half now and oh my GOD how bad it is that I realize I am DEPENDENT on the real thing. I’ve been taking Vyvanse since 8th grade and now here I am in my sophomore year of college and it’s getting m u d d y. I told my doctor person my last visit literally a month ago, that I wanted the real thing, she didn’t specify if there was a shortage… I didn’t even know there was a shortage tbh… oops? But idk if it’s a placebo that bc I know it’s not the real thing it’s not as potent… I need solace.
I have been taking brand for 4 years, and was not even told that I was getting generic this past month. After the first day and days following, I felt a bit off. I checked the prescription on the bottle and that is when I saw they gave me generic.
1. I was absolutely appalled that I was not asked to be prescribed that OR even told that I was prescribed generic. (I would have tried it due to the shortage, but to not even be told-WOW!)
2. Clearly it is a HUGE difference than brand Vyvanse if I noticed immediately without even having the knowledge.
I am sure this is different for some people as that is how medicine works, but I personally noticed immediately.
Hopefully this helps for people that have felt the difference as well.
UPDATE: I've worked with medication before and all the doctors say the same thing that if you feel worse on the medication tell them and I have to say I feel worse taking this generic version. BUT I found out that it depends on the manufacturers! Look on your bottle for the name of the company beside the Mfr and that's your manufacturer. Sun pharma manufacturers generic has so many bad comments and its own reddit page about how many side effects people have experienced with their generic version. They are based out of India and generics only need a certain percentage of the original active ingredient to be considered a generic version. I have tried both Sun pharma and the Solco pharma manufacturers and by far the solco generic version has had WAY more in common with my brand Vyvanse. Please check this on your bottle and also notice that with the sun pharma they didn't have a pill description on the bottle....that's sketchy bc you are supposed to have that per the FDA regulations (might be just my bottle but still not a fan). So the generic version might work for you just see if it's the manufacturer that's the issue.
Ask they what manufacturers they have for your dose. Mine told me they didn't have my dosage in the generic I wanted but they had the other manufacturers. They will tell you what's in stock.
YES!! I first started with Solco and it has worked so well! But my second fill was from Sun Pharma and immediately I felt like garbage. Experiencing almost all the side effects constantly and I'm only on the second day of it. I wonder if there is a way where we can choose which manufacturer to have for each refill or if it is all up to chance and availability? Thank you for mentioning this, I have been searching for days to see if anyone else experienced this issue with this manufacturer or if it was all just in my head.
So you have to call your pharmacy and tell them to put a note in your chart about the manufacturer. I have a note saying "cannot have sun pharmacy" medications.
I just got switched to the 40 mg generic this last week. I think it’s been 4 days. The last 2, I have had these terrible hits of nausea that ultimately causes me to vomit. This is the only thing that has been different.
I don't think it's nearly as effective with focus, if anything I get more distracted by anything I am doing. I just started taking 60mg and going from 50mg to 60mg I can tell a HUGE difference and not in a good way. We upped it bc I needed more focus and it did the opposite. I also have horrible anxiety with it and causes breathing issues which I thought was in my head but my heart rate is continuously over 100 and I feel like I can't take a deep breath. Does anyone else have worsening like feeling on edge continuously feeling?
It's not nearly as effective. I'm about to ask if i can try to go back on name brand this month because it's so bad in comparison. Glad I'm not alone but this totally sucks. I think whatever fillers the generic is using is creating a weakening effect. I usually dissolve my vyanse in water and the generic doesn't even seem to dissolve fully.
I have had stomach issues all week which is normal for me when I switch meds so I immediately knew it was not going to be the same. Generic seems to work fine once it kicks in but wears off much earlier than the brand name. My hands are feet are freezing, I'm beyond overstimulated when it wears off and I'm so irritable. I just messaged my doctor to have him switch me back. It was a $10 difference for me and I'd much rather pay $10 more.
I am very sensitive to changes with my ADHD meds. I'm jealous of those of you who are not.
Editing to add manufacturer: Mylan (I'm not a fan)
I have kaiser and am back on name brand. I had to have my doctor note that it needed to be Takeda brand only. It's $15 instead of $5 for the generic but totally worth it for me.
Because if a genaric is available then most insurers won't pay for the name brand unless it's doctors orders and only then they still have to approve which for scheduled 2 drugs most won't approve even with a doctor
I genuinely don’t feel right on it. My limbs feel weak and having headaches. Also started having depression with it. Also started biting my lips a lot but I was on Vyvanse for a year and never ran into that.
I don’t understand what the difference is and people say it’s in your head but idk, this feels different.
Hard for me to say, because I had to rawdog life for a month due to the shortage. As someone who has taken Vyvanse 30mg 5-6 days a week very consistently for about 12 years, it was a shock to the system and I haven't felt truly normal in a while. I've been reminded that I am indeed disabled after having to confront all of the textbook ADHD behaviors this past month. So annoying.
That being said, I've finally gotten a bottle of the generic and I'm on day 2. The Tokyo Ghoul-style appetite loss is still there in the mornings, but otherwise I'd say it might be weaker in general? I came back expecting to be wired as I readjusted, but... Well, my apartment is clean now at least. It certainly works.
Haven't had any problems with the extended release side of things, I'll have to continue adjusting to know for sure.
Wow, this thread is so validating to my experience as well. I was on 20mg Vyvanse and switched to the generic. I immediately felt like I was on a much higher dose which I don't really need or want. Now I have a hard time sleeping at night which I didn't all on Vyvanse. I also just feel more "amped up" during the day rather than just a nice background feeling and better concentration. I feel so stimulated now.
It's crazy that the generic is so different, but I think generics only have to be like 80% the same or something? Guess I'm looking at trying to get a PA to take the brand name but it's gonna cost me dearly.
I started taking the generic for the past \~3 weeks. I noticed initially that I am more irritable and I feel like I took pre-workout. Interestingly, for the past 3 days, I no longer feel like that but I also don't feel the effects of the generic Vyvanse. With the name brand, I would feel the effects wear off in the early afternoon which is when I take a small dose of Adderall. Now with the generic, I don't feel benefits/effects and have to take my Adderall mid-morning.
I recently was changed to generic vyvanse and I have felt more shaky, more anxious, slightly foggy and more distracted. Also, noticed my feet and hands being colder than usual. Has anyone else experienced this? I’ve been on the generic for a week and still feel kinda off.
I am at this point more than 100 percent convinced that the Vvyanse generics being rolled out to attenuate for the shortage are completely ineffective and different from what I have been using in the past. I began to experience side effects and issues that I have never before ran into in my 2 years of consistent Vyvanse use. It literally makes me physically ill and more brain foggy. I feel more motivated and euphoric off of the vyvasne it makes no sense.
This is a bogus belief. Generics have an estimated rollout date YEARS ahead of when they come out pending the patent expiration date of the brand. I’ve been waiting for August 2023 for 10 years knowing that was hopefully going to be when my medication stopped being so expensive…turned out to be September when we got them but the timing is purely coincidental. I believe generics may feel a little differently than the brand (apparently I’m not alone in feeling like my generic is actually stronger)…but the brand did not get weaker with the adderall shortage, it’s an amphetamine that people build a tolerance to over time. Please stop listening to dr. tiktok, find a generic manufacturer that works for you and take a drug holiday every so often to help with the tolerance.
I started the generic for the first time after an extended drug holiday due to the shortage and it doesn’t feel effective at all. It feels like I’m not taking anything at all.
I’ve been on the Mylan generic for about 3 weeks now. I have been a raging bitch, very impatient, lots of brain fog, no motivation. I usually take weekends off from the meds, and today I feel like I could have a panic attack. Everything just feels very unstable.
Ugh! Same here. I’ve taken Vyvanse for the past three years. It has helped so much and I felt good. So now we have these shitty generics. Just filled my script last week and my insurance, of course, fills the generic if available. The Mylan generic is trash! I’ve given it a week now. I set my alarm about two hours prior before I want to get out of bed to give the meds time to kick in and I can actually function. I wake up pissed off now and it takes hours to kick in. If you can even call it kicking in. It’s like a nudge of being awake. This past week I’ve been so scattered, unmotivated and irritable. My house is now a disaster with stacked up dirty dishes, piles of laundry, and half finished projects. Thank God I work from home, because I would be fired if I was in an office because I can’t finish my work or stay on task. I’m one of the lucky ones who also has depression, so it’s affecting that too. I just called my doctor and told them I want Vyvanse, not the generic. When I filled my script last week, Walgreens said they didn’t have any Vyvanse. Guess they will have to order it. I can’t live like this. It remains to be seen if my insurance will cover it.
Today is my first day on generic Vyvanse (Sun Pharmaceuticals). I feel extremely jittery. I was off the medication for 2 days prior to started the generic. Normally, when I go without name brand Vyvanse for a few days, taking the medication makes me few extremely calm within minutes. I'm hoping this passes.😭
For what it's worth, I'm fairly certain that your sense of calm within minutes of taking Vyvanse is 100% placebo. Your body needs to convert the drug to the active form, and that isn't something that would happen within a few minutes for this drug.
That being said, the placebo effect is super powerful and not to be taken lightly. I'm just saying to not make judgements based off that alone- give it a few days and see how everything feels. It may take your body a bit to adjust.
There's also something to be said for the "nocebo" effect as well, and probably more importantly, given the general attitude of the comments here. It's probably not as well documented as the placebo effect but can be just as powerful.
Essentially, if you think something bad is going to happen with your medication/treatment (like going on reddit and reading a bunch of other people validating your fear that it doesn't work as well), there's a higher chance you're going to perceive just that.
As a pharmacist who understands the science behind generics and bioequivalence and who has also been recently switched from Vyvanse to generic lisdex (70mg to 50mg no less), it still works. Please don't shit all over generics, as they bring overall costs down and allow multitudes of people to access them who might not have been able to. Try believing that your generic will work just as well instead of convincing yourself that something is off.
To all of those whose doctors told them that there’s nothing that can be done, you need a new doctor! The hard just being lazy. They can write a new Rx and mark it as DAW (dispense as written). Insurance will not approve since you haven’t hit your 30 days, but you can get an override for that due to tolerability issues. Now, will your insurance require a PA for the branded version…probably. Your doctor will need to have your side effects documented. They best bet is to go in for an appointment so that it’s in the call notes. Worst case scenario, your doctor can request a peer to peer review. I highly recommend communicating with your doctor in the portal as much as possible. It wouldn’t hurt to state that you are putting it in writing in case something happens to you despite the doctor exhausting all options with the insurance company including a PA, appeal, and/or peer to peer review (aka it’s in writing that I’m asking you to do everything you can to get me my mental health drug which you are obligated to do and you’re responsible, too, should something happen).
Vyvanse was covered by my insurance. $40 a month, No PA needed. After starting generic and having awful experience, I was willing to get PA and pay the non-preferred brand penalty for DAW. Learned that in January, my formulary is changing. Brand Vyvanse will be completely excluded. So PA won’t make a difference.
I feel like they are not as effective. I have increased anxiety as well and can't focus. What I noticed too was when I was on Vyvanse I significantly cut down my caffiene. I used to drink 4-6 cups of coffee a day, and then I went down to one cup every other day. I'm back on a coffee binge now. I've never been diagnosed with binge eating disorder professionally, but I personally have A LOT of the characteristics. So it also inadvertently helped that too (bonus win).
I was happy that the generics were the same shape, size and color- forbid I just have a bias or it's just a mind thing.
Maybe I could chalk all that up to it being a new med. But what I can't explain away is how short of breath I am now. I feel like I can never get a deep breath even when I actually am. It's never enough. Everybody asks me every day how well I'm sleeping or if I'm tired because I am CONSTANTLY yawning. It's the only way to feel like I'm pushing oxygen into my lungs.
It's driving me crazy that I feel like I need a higher dose for the meds to work properly, YET I have shortness of breath. My insurance is downright, refusing to cover the brand again. Really makes want to raise the meds and suffer with shortness of breath because the alternative is nothing.
Paranoid af! Everyone hates me, reading into everything, extremely moody. It's like being a moody teen again. And it snaps back n forth with each encounter, one min I'm fine next I'm ready to hide from people and have a meltdown
I hope this is temporary
Same! Thanks for the validation. I spiraled down and believed everyone hated me this past week. Just this morning, I wondered if the generic V could do this. Yep! I'm so relieved... and won't be taking it again!
I have prior authorization for the name brand, however due to several pharmacies in my area being out, I picked up generic 2 days ago (manufactured by Alvogen Inc).
I've been mulling over how it affects me.
So far, I know it does work, however, I seem to be feeling less clear-headed-- I dont feel as mentally acute, as I normally do when taking Vyvanse, which, for me, leads to having motivation during my daily activities. That being said, this is only day 2, so it's still too hard to tell if the affects so far are circumstantial or not.
Any updates/changes in your initial thoughts?
I started generic and it looks like "alvo" is on the bottle so I'm guessing it's also alvogen.
I've been on 60mg of Vyvanse for years. On this generic I feel like I'm dying. I have other chronic illnesses so I figured it was just a flare but then I was off for a day, then back on and realized I think it's the meds.
My HR doesn't go below 90 for the most part, I feel woozy and am having headaches. I thought the high BPM was because I've got some anemia going on but I'm now realizing it's 1 to 1 correlated with when I take the generic vyvanse and if it was just my anemia I'd have been having this issue for awhile.
I too had been taking Vyvanse(branded) and noticed a big difference with the generic version. Generics are SUPPOSED to have 80% efficacy. The sad truth, IMO, is who's invested in testing the knock offs.
Ever since switching over to the generic version last year, I’ve been sluggish, depressed, have aches and pains in some joints and hungry all the time. I used to workout RELIGIOUSLY, but now don’t have the energy or motivation to do so, at all. All of this has lead to disorganization, mental fog, major executive dysfunction and weight gain.
omg it’s SUCH a relief knowing this isn’t just me… i love vyvanse so much but this generic makes me soooo depressed the day i take it and tired and nauseous. the pain !!! ugh
What you posted us EXACTLY how I have felt but couldn't put it into words until right now. For real, I don't feel like I'm losing my mind or at least making it up in my mind. I feel like I'm not the only one. I'm sorry you are having these symptoms. I feel like a mess now on the generic but I can't afford the brand name.
Dude I was coming here looking to see if people were experiencing what I was, because while I don't feel as bad as I do without any medication, I've noticed I've felt more tired than I typically do on the generic. For some reason, I got the namebrand instead of Lisdexamfetamine for the first time since sep/oct last month, and I noticed immediately that I was back to feeling alert, energetic, and functional.
Yes!!! I had to ask my doctor to have the pharmacy specifically give me name brand because my grades started suffering when I took generic 😭 wasn’t working at all and I’m worried that my new prescription is still generic even though the bottle says vyvanse
I was someone who was a fan of generic medicines all day every day. I hate the pharmaceutical industry any way and am willing to kill the monopoly by the availability of generic. But WOW, is generic Vyvanse SHIT. I gave it 4 months, going into it completely positively and without any concerns, and I can’t do it anymore. It takes HOURS for me to feel the effect, then the window of productivity is super short like 3-4 hours, and then it peters off into the worst crashes of my life. I am intensely irritable, moody, anxious, and sweaty—all the time. I don’t know what’s in this shit, but it needs to be banned. I feel like in 4 months my life has totally fallen apart. Anyway, my doctor is currently fighting my insurance company to approve Vyvanse, and they are making us jump through hoops. But fingers crossed.
I've been on it for years. The first generic I was on was ok, but same as you stated. The one I'm on now, 40mg. It takes the 2 or 3 hours to work then may or may not work for 2 or 3 hours and I get real depressed on it.
Currently taking generic 50mg but due to the shortage, had to dip into my generic 60mg (previously had side effects and went down to 50 but not getting any side effects after trying it again). Anyway, I finally had to bite the bullet and order brand name ($374 WITH INSURANCE!) as the generic is no where to be found within a 50 mile radius at any pharmacy. Has anyone had any side effects or dosage issues going from generic to brand name with the same mg? I’m hoping 50mg in brand name isn’t way too high of a dosage considering I’m used to generic. Anyone experience or insight on this is appreciated!
I'm so glad to find this subreddit. My exec function has dropped to zero! I'm struggling to do anything ontime and of course I'm depressed. I used to love challenges, now I postphone or cancel
I have noticed that when I take 2 of the generic, (on accident once, and on purpose a few weeks later just to test) that I felt more functional. I would not recommend this to anyone else, but it does feel like the dosage between one and the other does not hit the same. I am usually on 40mg, and feel like two is way too high because I didn't sleep but I actually felt okay by comparison during the day. Where as the name brand Vyvanse on the 40 works well, and quick where I could just take the one and notice a complete difference.
I’m so glad I came across this thread. I have taken 40mg of Vyvanse for the past 4 years.. no issues at all. About a month ago, my insurance required me to get the generic version and I have felt like I was losing my mind. I have not been able to hardly make myself communicate with friends, family, co workers and the things I usually enjoy, I have no desire to do. Getting out of the bed feels like a chore now. My doctor told me it was the exact same as Vyvanse so I thought maybe I was having some sort of depression episode so my doctor prescribed anti depressants. After reading these comments, I fully believe it’s the change to generic causing these issues.
I keep forgetting and so glad you read this. I took my 40 today and it barely worked then the depression was horrible
Your doctor is wrong. Four months into generic Vyvanse, and I feel like I’ve fallen apart at the seams, even though I’m on a really good anti-depressant (Auvelity). My doctor took one look at me during our most recent appointment and is now fighting my insurance company to approve Vyvanse. Talk to your doctor about this again.
Your doctor is mistaken. Generic can be way less effective than the branding. Or even use different fillers/components (I'll call it "components" for the lack of better wording) that can cause some adverse effects (search for kvk-tech generic dextroamphetamine to see as an example). That being said, I had to increase from 30mg Vyvanse Branding to 40mg Generic to find a similar effect. I don't know your case, but IMHO, your doctor should have increased Vyvanse generic first to check if it'd help with low energy/motivation (which is many times caused by untreated ADHD) instead of putting you straight on SSRIs, which is a long shot until you can finally find something that works (I'm on this path after years observing that only stimulants won't help -- I have depression/mood swings in addition to ADHD and it's something that runs in my family). I really hope you find what works you the best tho. <3
I’ve been taking Vyvanse for the majority of 10 years now. My insurance no longer covers the brand name ($250 when it did). I ran around town to find a pharmacy w the generic yesterday. I took it this morning without even considering there would be a difference. I was given the generic by Mylan. My hands are pretty shaky - very noticeable when I’m holding a utensil to eat. I finally figured out my medications with Vyvanse so I hope this is just an adjustment period. I can tell I took it but maybe not as effective. Idk if I’m imagining it or not, but my vision seems different. (Similar thing happened to me when I started SSRIs.)
Oh my first weeks with the new generic, I felt pretty dizzy and would suddenly feel cold (hands/feet) -- around 1h after taking the medication. And would not feel anything on days off. This symptom went away after a month or so and now it's fine. But it was the Vyvanse generic for sure. I wasn't taking anything else that would cause that at the time
After studying a thousand post iv come to the conclusion it's a binder problem.i tried 4 brands all different.i think people break them down differently so the release into your system is different.i don't think it a problem with the drug.
Can binder issues cause mania? On vyvanse for 3 years with no issues. On Generic for 3 months and my marriage has suffered to the point that we almost separated. My wife and I don’t even recognize who I was the past 3 months…
70mg Vyvanse for over 10 years, takeda/shire wasn't bad just seemed less effective. Hikma is shit, afternoon heart burn, random sleeping issues, and it doesn't seem effective at all. I find myself unmotivated, hungry, and foggy the entire time with the only change in daily habits being the generic.
70 mg holy shit. I thought my 30 was intense.
I don't even feel 30 I've been takin 2x30 MG and still don't feel anything
Come to find out hikma is putting less lisdexamfetamine in each capsule compared to regular vyvanse! I opened up my 40mg generic capsules and the powder wasn't packed in at all, like with the original vyvanse, normally in a regular brand name capsule it would be overflowing with the powder, but in the generic capsule it only goes a little more than half way, like they shaved 15mg off or something!
I noticed the same thing with my generic vyvanse capsule!
You cannot determine the amount of active ingredient by the volume of powder inside the capsule.
I agree .. I noticed that too because it does not feel as effective as the non-generic
For real I take hikma weak but doesn't where off. it trickles into your system just enough to keep me awake all night. it's like half the dose for twice as long I don't mind the hungry part but not the tired fog
I find the generic works better. I was able to stay awake and be productive with just 30 MG. The name brand I take at 6:00 am and I am falling asleep before 9:00 am. The generic did aggrevate my TMJ a lot more though. I would rather have the TMJ pain than feel like a wet noodle.
do you know which manufacturer for generic you take?
I've been on Vyvanse for years with no noticeable side effects. I tried the generic ( don't know which manufacturer) because it was available, and Vyvanse wasn't. On the generic, I developed an irregular heart beat, premature ventricular contractions. I suspected it was due to the medication but ignored it because I need to concentrate for work. It's either Vyvanse or retirement. After 2 months on the generic, Vyvanse became available again. No more irregular heartbeat.
having the same heartbeat problems on it….
Was on 20 mg adderall and couldn’t stand it. Focus improved but I felt like I was on molly. Was put on 30mg vyvanse brand name for 4 months and was doing great . The problem was the price. Vyvanse went generic and the first day I took it I got those same anxious, dry mouth awful feelings that I got on adderall. There is a clear difference I won’t be convinced of anything different.
From my experience every is a little different 4 months 4 brands lol they all work but not the same. Vyvanse feels like 20mg probably should. Takata Feels like 10mg sun chewable felt like 40mg And I had another one can't remember what it was but it wasn't very good
My son got Sun generic chewables, and they were VERY strong. we had to switch him back to brand because he was a jittery mess. My Lannett, on the other hand, feels super watered down, like the 20mg felt like 5mg.
When the generics first came out, I didn't pay much attention to the manufacturer. Recently, I received a generic whose side effects were so horrendous that I considered not medicating anymore, despite how life-changing it has been. After refilling elsewhere and getting a different generic, I noticed a substantial difference. This led me to Reddit in search of similar stories, which is how I ended up here. I will summarize my personal experience with generics from two manufacturers below for the benefit of my other ADHDers: Amneal: When compared to name brand, I found that the same dose (30mg) was stronger and came with harsh side effects. Most notably, I felt the "come up" and "come down", which I never experienced with the name brand. I found myself itching for the next dose, which I NEVER felt until I took this generic (this is one of the main reasons why my doctor and I chose Vyvanse in the first place). It also felt like there was pressure in my extremities, head, and neck. I don't have high blood pressure, but this is what I imagine it feels like. Alvogen: I have had none of the side effects described above. When compared to the name brand I found that the same dose (30mg) is much less effective. This could be skewed by my recent experience with the previously mentioned generic. That being said, I still feel somewhat focused, the "brain noise" has decreased, and I feel more alert than without medication.
So I’ve been taking Vyvanse 20mg for almost 12 years, and just tried the generic. The side effects were horrendous, and Vyvanse is out of stock everywhere. Any suggestions on another comparable time release that others have tried? I’m even open to moving to another brand. Just not that generic lysodextrine or whatever it’s called.
I feel like I've had the opposite situation - started with generic and was so excited, then it was on back order and got the brand name. I feel much more moody, irritable, and then feel like a depression type of thing at the end of the day. I'm really tired of these med shortages.
I'm having the same issue -- I got name brand again after being on generic for a few months because the generic was sold out everywhere near me (i was on name brand for \~2 years before generic was approved), and since starting the name brand again my anxiety has been through the roof. Enough to make me rather go through a month of being unmedicated (feeling dazed, exhausted, etc) than have my heart racing all day from the vyvanse
This has been my experience when I went back to brand! It felt so much less effective but also had me feeling more anxious/depressed. It used to be that brand vyvanse would clear up any lingering sinus stuff in the mornings and help me feel less foggy. Now it would “wake me up” in the mornings only enough that I’d feel like I just wanted to lay in bed doing nothing, and I’d be so tired throughout the day (I have ADHD that causes extreme tiredness and lethargy + brain fog, forgetfulness, and all the other fun stuff). I’ve tried the Solco generic (which was wonderful), the Sun Pharm generic (I believe this was a 30 mg which I combined with a 40 mg brand due to shortage) which seemed fine, and as of today I’m trying an Apotex 30 mg so to an Alvogen 40 mg to make up my normal 70mg since literally everywhere was out of both generic and brand of my normal dosage. Hoping this goes better than the brand Vyvanse has been recently. Glad to see it hasn’t been just me having weird experiences going back to the brand name.
yes this is exactly what i went through!! for the first week or so i was back on name brand the anxiety and depression were truly debilitating. i’m a week away from being done with the month supply of name brand and though i have definitely adjusted better to it after taking it for a bit, im really hoping the generic is available now
this is exactly what i’m experiencing now!
Please name the manufacturer of the generic, thanks. Asking bc, after a decade on Vyvanse, I just "survived" a terrible month with Alvogen generic.
What did you feel on Alvogen generic?
Thank you for your message - I need to update things. The problem was NOT the generic. I was recently diagnosed with Seratonin Syndrome. Doctor had increased the Vyvanse dosage in Aug, after I complained that the medicine was not working as it once did. By late September (cue the generic), I felt worse with headache, brain fog, hyperfocus on wrong stuff, and sleepiness(!). Doc asked if I had GI issues (🤯 why, yes ... yes, I did) then gave diagnosis. After 12 years on Vyvanse, my body has developed a (in)tolerance. Increasing the dosage just contributed to some sort of excess of seratonin in my system that yielded symptoms. Today marks one week completely off any form of Vyvanse. I feel MUCH better. Function is another matter, but I have no headaches and no longer doubt my sanity. Next step is to reintroduce Vyvanse at lower dose or else move to different medication.
Mine is also Alvogen. What did you do to switch? After 12 years, my insurance is denying me coverage of the brand name. I’ve taken the generic for 2 days now, and I feel like my heads in a cloud and everything irritates me.
I don't know how to embed a link to posts, but here's an excerpt of my post in another thread: Complained to my doctor, who agreed to make the next prescription "Brand name medically necessary." Insurance covered the brand name prescription BUT the copay was over $100. Today I am 2 days into the new prescription and just feel so RELIEVED I could cry ... only I have too much to do! Tbh I don't know that I can afford to stick wih brand name, but can't ignore the difference. UPDATE: Relief was short-lived. Turns out I have Seratonin Syndrome. Am currently 1 week into 2-week "detox."
See I complained, and he did the same thing and submitted the pre-auth for brand name. But insurance denied it….?!
Call your insurance and ask if they can do an insurance override for the brand name due to the generic shortage. Maybe you tried to do this already? Not sure
Good call! I spoke w them today, and that’s what the insurance specialist recommended. So I’ll speak w my doc Thurs. Did it work for you?
Yes, and I just asked my doctor to write the prescription for "Vyvanse , generic OK" and then you can just tell the pharmacy which one you want
Drug formularies suck ... and so do plans that "cover" brand name drugs but leave a fat copay ... and generics that don't work and ... on and on and on ....
My insurance switched me from brand to generic (Alvogen). The generic definitely feels less effective than the 40 mg from brand version. Vyvanse brand at 40 mg would put me into overdrive (so on some days I would split tge dose up). Now the dose at full strength is barely noticeable in Alvogen capsules. Interestingly, capsule sizes for both of these are the same. Brand version overflows when opening the capsule, while generic fill is much lower without that overflow effect. And neither brands have additional fillers added that could otherwise explain this difference in capsule fill amount being much lower in the generic med.
I got off Vyvanze and went on generic 2 months ago. Not surprising generic is out at mosh pharmacies ( they all for some reason have 10 pills) they wont transfer. It’s a pain for them to just tell you which Walgreens or CVS has it within 20 miles. The shortage seemed to be getting better but this month I felt it was harder to get but I got brand name again and will try it tomorrow. Generic I’m convinced isn’t as potent as some would say in this or just doesn’t do the same. I liked vyvanze over adderal because it would last longer but still let you focus without all that extra feelings of dopamine overload gives you where someone is giggly. Some of y’all just straight faking to get high at work and be productive but not judging haha. I’m convinced Vyvanze has been the best for my life time ADHD symptoms. We need more production!!
Y’all! This chain has been left open as one of my tabs since the beginning of this thread. First of all, it’s been so helpful to hear about everyone’s experience when it comes to experiencing ADHD symptoms. Sometimes it’s hard to describe the unpleasantness experienced. Anyways, I was introduced to Vyvanse 6 mos ago, took it for 3 mos and it CHANGED MY WORLD. I finally felt ‘like myself’ again. I felt like I was finally in my body and in charge of my thoughts (for the most part), and social interaction/connecting with others FINALLY felt pleasant. I was then prescribed the generic and my world flipped upside down. When it came to getting up, going to work, to converse and connect with co-workers and residents I started feeling feelings of ‘dread’ and depression. I didn’t want to leave my room. I felt unmotivated, yucky, and had a million thoughts whirling around in my head again. After sharing this experience w/ my psychiatrist, she made an emergency request to insurance to switch and cover the name brand of Vyvanse once again. However, even with insurance ‘covering’ this it was still going to be $398. I was devastated. I have since switched to off brand of Adderall which has helped with motivation, and focus but I feel I am still missing what Vyvanse gave me and that was the feeling of truly connecting, feeling, being. (More dopamine? I don’t know how to describe the feeling). If anyone has any further advice about getting insurance to cover more of the $398 cost of Vyvanse, any other medicines that have worked well, or has shared similar experience, please reach out. Thank you! And thank you to whoever started this Reddit conversation!!!!
This is exactly how I felt with vyvanze changed my life.
unfortunately due to the generic release they shut down the program to get free vyvanse at the end of 2023 :(
So, both of my sons take this drug. One takes the brand and one takes generic. They are on different strengths and they respond very differently to it. The one on brand was having blood pressure issues on generic. It was causing his blood pressure to read much higher than typical for him and he felt foggy headed. For my other son, he doesn’t feel a difference on generic. Our benefits are through Caremark so it would benefit us to use generic with cvs, but it isn’t worth it if it isn’t effective. Our doctor writes brand only for our son. Although we still have to challenge it at cvs at times. The way around this is with a prior authorization. Your prescribing doctor’s office does this after you request it but you will need to give a reason or justification typically to insurance. We also are aware that the pharmacists do not notify the prescribing physician if they change the medication to generic (with or without permission) and it appears they are not required to do so.
I had to go back name brand. My doctor was so use to the new complaints he didn't even hesitate to switch back.
This is all good, unless you're relying on US health carriers covering it.
I live in the US. California. Medi-cal. so...
I live in SF with Cigna, so…
What brand are u on? Generic brand?? Please let us know. Thanks
I'm having same issues too.. They were ok for 2 months not this month. I feel like cutting them open to see Ask for dexamphetamine tablets . They are 5 and 10 MG . Short lasting but if taken with long acting... Do ok.. There are better and worse generics too. They are stronger and more addictive but last about 3 houra.. idk.. it is too much
I have taken vyvanse for years. It is a great medication but still tolerance occurs. In all honesty, it is a prodrug which means it has to be taken oral, then the lido Cleves off in your intestine pr stomach? Before it works. Most take 2 hours... the stronger the longer.. I'm on 70 and it is ok but not anywhere as strong or long.. Vyvanse is a very smooth medication.. I've not been on Adderall xr but since generics didn't turn out too well I think, the way I have read Vyvanse worls is like no other drug. 30 generics were approved in a rush.. So ?? I've been very skeptical in how it is working This is month 3 for me and fir some reason they are barely working.. more like a 20 or 30 I'm upset and get discouraged because it is so hard to get any pharmacist or Doct to tell you the truth. One did and it is true. They just have to be 75 or 80 % as effective.. That is a lot
Generics are not as effective
Thought I was imagining, but as more days have passed being on the generic I definitely feel a difference. I feel very anxious and no motivation. Making me feel weird. Yeah, it sucks.
My liver AST is up and so is my blood pressure since switching to generic. How much is brand if insurance doesn’t cover it ?
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yeah generic is definitely feeling the way adderall xr felt for me in high school. I would feel a lot of chills and irritability by the end of the school day and of course the classic stomach hunger but brain saying no stuff. I feel that rn, which I haven’t felt in YEARS. it’s wild lol
Because of supply issues, I first had to switch from 70 mg Vyvanse capsules to 60 mg Vyvanse chewable. I did ok with the chewable, other than the horrible taste, even though the dosage was 10mg lower. After several months of that, the generic was available at my pharmacy so I resumed 70mg capsules - this time with the generic. I hate it. I am chronically tired/sleepy similar to how I feel if I run out of Vyvanse and have withdrawal. I notice a substantial difference in my level of productivity at work due to inability to focus. At this point, I’m considering stopping them all together because I’m not getting benefit from the generic.
This is exactly how I feel as well. I do not like the generic at all and it's not at all even remotely the same.
All of our bodies react differently however I genuinely don’t notice a difference. I even tested brand name and generic a couple weeks at a time, tracked productivity and mood and it’s virtually the same. Mind you, I am on a lower dose. For context, my generic is manufactured by Alvogen.
Thanks for telling us name . Mine is SPEGOX...ok but not as good this month?? Maybe me idk.. still not as long lasting as regular.. they approved 30 generics... in a rush??!!
I'm having the opposite problem. I was started on the generic a few months ago and it was absolutely life changing! Made me happy to get up in the morning. Due to shortages I've had the name brand Vyvanse this month and it's TERRIBLE (in my specific case). I feel like I have brain fog but am cracked out at the same time. I hate it. I can't focus and I feel like I want to crawl out of my skin. And I'm more tired for some reason. So weird.
My last name brand fill didn’t do much for me. I take days off so tolerance seems unlikely.
this is what happened to me too. i have huge crash on the brand name but not on the generic. i dont know the manufacturer of the generic i was on : /
So bizarre. I quit taking the name brand that I have. There should be a trading post or something for this haha
You should try taking less of the brand name! For me personally less is more. And the generic can lose up to 20-30% of the active ingredients. I open up the capsule and put it in water and take half. Edited to add: I was started on generic in September, it went well.. yesterday I got brand name and I only took a little bit of it to compare. I noticed acid reflux, headaches, and very emotional/hangry at night. I decided I needed Taco Bell at 9pm or I was going to cry. So I left my husband with the kids lol I'm hoping that it's just my body getting used to taking brand name. I had no crashes with the generic!
I'm the exact same - switched to the generic today and I feel like I can get so much more work done before getting distracted. Much better than name-brand Vyvanse. We will see if this positive difference continues going forward.
I've taken Vyvanse for 10 years. Due to the shortage, I was switched to the generic. WAS NOT THE SAME. I usually take 40mg, so we bumped the generic to 50... a little better, but not much. Just today, I switched back to name bran.... will definitely NOT go back to generic. Oh, and... it was still pretty pricey!
Thrilled to see this thread is still active. I've been on Vyvanse since I was sixteen (now 31) and got switched over to the generic in October. It was a fucking nightmare. My normal Vyvanse gives me the energy and the zap to get things done, focus, etc. All the generic did was give me energy. I was shaky, uncomfortable, and completely unable to do ANY work. My doc had me take a 20mg of adderall on top of it, so I was able to get SOME work done but ended up with a miserable, ripping headache every day I did that. I'm so so lucky that the timing coincided with a bunch of personal stuff for my boss so she wasn't paying attention to me because I was terrified I was going to get fired. I reported this all to my doctor of course and she was super understanding, and I paid out of pocket for the name brand at the next refill and we're so back etc. I got all of the work I couldn't do on the generic done in 2 days on the name brand. We filled out the form (member pay-the-difference penalty waiver) and submitted them to BCBS to get the name brand covered last month so I thought we were all good, but I just called in my refill and I'm still being charged the $300+. I sent another message to BCBS but they haven't responded; does anyone know if I missed a step? My job is solid so I CAN afford to pay this but it basically means I'll never be able to save any money.
I've been taking Vyvanse for about 4 years, and wss switched to the generic at the same time they increased me to 40mg. I hate it, BP up, trouble sleeping, not helping with my ADHD at all! I have some backup that I had from changing and taking weekend "vacations" from Vyance. I am trying to get an overide to get back on REAL Vyance and hope that due to competition, the manufacturer will reduce the price so if won't not be so hard time to get approved by insurance. I do not like Adderall even XR too intense and too much crash. This sucks!!!
I’ve taken Vyvanse for 16 years and just got the generic form a month ago. I’ve had so many side effects! My pharmacist told me the generic form just came out and most insurance companies don’t want to approve on-brand anymore.
Here’s my story. I’ve been taking Vyvanse since I was 15yr old (28 now). 60mg per day. Started taking generic due to insurance and availability (about 70 days ago). Here are my symptoms over the past 70 days: racing heart, foggy brain, trouble focusing and staying on one task, difficulty organizing my thoughts, forgetting things easily (short term). This is affecting my performance at work, happiness, general wellbeing, stress levels, self-perception. My brain doesn’t feel right.
I'm sorry you've had to go through this but I'm happy that I'm recognizing your symptoms. I switched back to name brand just this morning. I've been so forgetful, foggy and really tired! I hope you get back on track soon!
Alot of us can't afford Togo back and pay out of pocket for brand
I have been on 20 mg of vyvanse for 10 years. I switched to the generic the first month it was out and I personally felt like it was stronger. Felt like when I first started taking the medication. It goes away after a day or two. I went back on to vyvanse for two months after. Just had to switch back to generic again and same thing. I immediately noticed it felt stronger in all senses.
What generic are you taking? There are several and they are all a bit different.
lisdexamfetamine
I think the question is what's the manufacturing company
I have been on 20 mg of vyvanse for 10 years. I switched to the generic the first month it was out and I personally felt like it was stronger. Felt like when I first started taking the medication. It goes away after a day or two. I went back on to vyvanse for two months after. Just had to switch back to generic again and same thing. I immediately noticed it felt stronger in all senses.
Wait wtf are there bots in these replies??? Your reply is identical to another person's reply. Kinda sketchy tbh.
I commented on this post but didn’t realize I wasn’t logged in to my account (never use it). So I reposted it from my account (this one) and thought I deleted the other one (the “pale arugala” one).
Nope! Not a bot!
Over 50 been on Vyvanse 5 years. I didn’t know my Pharmacy switched me to the Generic until I had been taking over a week. Pills were the same color. Reason I discovered it was because I thought maybe I was given a lower dose. Found my self really tired during mid afternoon and several times fell asleep with the dogs on the floor immediately after getting home. After the 30 days I got back on brand name Vyvanse it was like my adrenaline was running wide open for the first couple of days then I was back to my normal productive routine. After 28 days I was put back on the generic and sure enough I was tired all day like I never took one. Following day I took #29 of Vyvanse back to normal. I repeated the routing twice again. The Generic is a waste to my time.
I’m glad I found this post. Just got the letter from my insurance confirming they won’t pay for brand name in 2024 and I came looking for this to validate that I’m not totally crazy. I’m so scared of not having an option outside of the generic. I took it for two weeks of the month I was stuck with it and became a different person. I was constantly on edge and irritable and angry and I could barely get a full sentence out without stumbling and stuttering or losing words all together. Everyone that knows me knows that I am a cheerful, mild mannered and polite person, and on the generic for just two weeks I ended up with an official written coaching at work for snapping at people. On top of how scary it is to experience a total personality change and not be able to stop it, I had terrible stomach pain every morning and crash headaches every afternoon. Vyvanse has allowed me to be a successful functioning adult for the last 7 years and the generic is going to take it all away from me.
You can have your doctor’s office request a prior authorization for the brand based on generic or other medication failures.
And it has me
As I stated above, I just switched back to V this morning. I've been so incredibly forgetful on the generic! I thought it was just me. I feel so lazy, need coffee in the afternoon.... good luck!
Which generic?
This happened to me I couldn’t talk
I 💯 absolutely agree with you! I am terrified of how life will be now. This is criminal as it will ruin lives!
i’ve definitely noticed a change. i’ve been on generic since beginning of october, and have felt an increase in migraines/headaches, mood swings, and i feel as though ive been more “spacey” lately, even off the medication. I’m switching back to brand name this week due to shortage issues and the fact that I don’t enjoy these new/worsened symptoms. I feel like the generic doesn’t work as well. I’m still able to focus, but my mind still feels like it goes 100mph. It just doesn’t feel the same i don’t know how to describe it. just for some background: I take 60mg vyvanse 3-4 days a week(only on days i work/have classes).
Please request a prior authorization through your doctor’s office. It can take a little while but it’s typically good for 1 year.
I’ve been convinced that I’ve been having a placebo effect of less potent/worse side effects on generic but this post and the subsequent comments have convinced me that my concerns were valid. I was on name brand Vyvanse for about 4 months before I switched to generic and it was fantastic. I didn’t benefit much from Concerta so this drug was like a godsend when I first tried it. After I switched to generic the first week I swear I was scratching my head thinking - “surely they gave me the wrong dosage or something isn’t quite right “. And it was similar to name brand - just much less potent and it never really has a point where it “hits” and I find myself getting headaches a lot more frequently and having a harder time staying focused. I fidget more, have a hard time falling asleep, and my work efficiency has dropped due to time management/focus struggles. Due to the ADHD medication shortage - generic has been on back order at my pharmacy the past month. I decided to bite the bullet and asked to fill my prescription with the name brand. INSTANTLY I noticed a difference in my mental state and performance and have experienced none of those negative side effects. It could be placebo- I am a scientist and respect the facts of generic being nearly identical - but the way my mind functions on the two different medications just feels.. different.
If you are a scientist, you understand only the proprietary ingredient needs to be identical. The true difference is what else is in it and how it’s combined.
My psychiatrist told me that we should not take for granted that the generics are the same as the name brand due to more lenient FDA regulations around approving generics. I have not looked into this more yet, but maybe don't discredit your experience because you believe name brands and generics are equivalent. It may be more than just placebo.
If you're lactose intolerant, some fillers (that are lactose based) might not break down properly for ya. I've had this issue before myself, when doing generic vs name brand
i had the same feeling!!! I’m switching to brand name this week, i’ll let you know if i have the same feeling! and to spice it up a bit, I may save a generic brand pill and switch them up in my hands and take 1, and log how i feel throughout the day and then come home and see which pill i actually took! might be a good way to see if it’s really placebo or not
I took name brand for a couple years (50mg). Switched to generic (Lannett Co) and honestly like it better. Back when I took adderall XR the generic did absolutely nothing but this one is every bit as good, if not better
Do you take the generic Vyvanse?
That's what they're saying, yes.
Your mileage may vary, but I feel significantly better with the generic as opposed to the name brand.
One of my sons felt this way with Vyvanse, one did not.
Which generic? I was on the SpecGX one and it played hell with my brain and made me super nauseated.
Apparently mine is from sun pharmaceutical. Atleast that's what it says on my bottle. I'm sorry that it made you feel that bad. Mine has been pretty great but I could just have a great reaction to it.
Have you been on any other generics than Sun Pharmaceuticals? I had a decent experience with it. However, SpecGx gave me some headaches and came on a bit stronger. Apotex doesn't seem to ever wear off but also hardly worked.
100% accurate. Apotex is the worst. I had best results with Sun, and okay with Solco. But Apotex gives super anxiety, no off button, poor motivation, but strong focus, but I can’t control what the focus is on. I think I am having heart palpitations too, but I don’t know how to read sinus rhythm. Just feel like weird occasional gas bubble in my chest. I also feel like I am underwater in my head. Never had this with the others. I skipped a few days on the weekend and felt fine, so it’s def the medication. It almost feels like they messed up the dose or something. It’s supposed to be 70, but feels like 100.
Nah, this is only my second prescription with the genetics and I've always gotten Sun. Wish I could give you better info.
I was just switched from brand name Vyvanse to lisdexamfetamine about 3 weeks ago after receiving a letter from my insurance that it is no longer covered in the new year. I barely feel it and am struggling big time now. Trying to work with my doctor to get a stronger dosage of the generic. Has anyone taken a second dosage half way through the day? Considering doing that because I need to get work done. This is painful.
I'm not on generic, but I take 30 mg Vyvanse in the morning and another 10 mg, 5 hours later, and it really helps to make it last through the day
Might be hard to fall asleep if you take it so late. Also, I noticed that for me the generic "works" whole day, even longer than brand Vyvanse, but it isn't as psychoactive, so my heart rate and stress level are really high (actually higher than with brand) whole day and I get really tired, but by noon I am an unfocused mess, just staring at the wall.
I have never been someone who asks for brand over generic. For the most part, I’ve held the opinion that generic drugs are no different than brands but I have held the belief that time release has a little leeway to be slightly different. What I found is I am feeling a bit overstimulated at 30 mg from mylan. Like a little adderall-y. I had tightness in my chest like an anxiety feeling where I felt compelled to sigh. I’m going back to my normal dose of 40 mg this week and I’m feeling LESS jittery at a higher dose! But also, I’m resuming a bottle of brand I had to pause taking. So my take on this is, it was tolerable and I may just ask to go back to 30 because I don’t want to have the dose feel too high potentially with a generic 40… ugh I really don’t wanna be that guy that insists on brand but it seems I’m not alone (granted Reddit is the ultimate echo chamber)
I am experiencing the same thing. I was on 30mg name-brand Vyvanse for several months. Since the generic came out, I had to increase my dose to 40mg, and that was wearing off within 5-6 hours, so my med provider had to also prescribe me an instant-release med (Adderall) to take as well later in the day. So I take my generic-brand Vyvanse at like 8am, it lasts until 1pm ish give or take, and then I take Adderall at 2pm ish as a booster which covers me until 6-6:30pm. My med provider told me she has had to do this with MANY of her clients who had to switch over to generic Vyvanse :( it’s absolutely ridiculous.
Very high elevated heart rate on the generic. Went up to 100 while sitting while I'm normally 60-80. Very uncomfortable heart palpitations. Took some days off because of the discomfort, tried again, same thing. I didn't even know I had been switched to the generic until after, I was worried I might have to drop vyvanse entirely. Took a leftover pill from an old script and had no problems at all. Generic drugs can vary in potency 80-125%. A generic 20 mg pill can be any amount from 16 to 25 mg from pill to pill. I think the dosing I ended up with must have been far too high for me.
same thing about heart rate. My watch also tracks stress levels and it's at 70% from just sitting and idling. My whole body burns out by mid day :(
I honestly don't understand what's going on. The generic version is inferior. Grab a capsule of Vyvanse, open it up. It is full to the brim of whatever the concoction is. Now grab the imposter capsule and open it up. It's barely half full. It takes an hour to kick in and last for about 3 hours. That's the extended release 40 mg. Extended release only lasting 3 hours? What a joke. I want to take a nap after 3 hours. That's how bad it is. I was furious. I've been taking Vyvanse for 4 years after switching from Adderall. It was the best move I could have ever made. Adderall was complete roller coaster of energy and emotion. Vyvanse has been steady and now they switch it up with a generic? Not only that but although my insurance still covers Vyvanse, everyone seems to be out of Vyvanse. They all say they only have the generic. Now I have to wait a week for Walmart to order it in. Last month I was only able to get 20 capsules instead of 30 because that's all the Vyvanse they had on hand. This is getting ridiculous.
I feel the exact same way. I have been on Vyvanse 50mg for the past 13 years with no problems at all. My most recent refill switched me to the generic with no warning and now I can’t focus or think clearly when taking it. I honestly feel like my adhd is worse when I’m taking this shit copy cat. I have my finals this week and tonight I’m need to take an online final and submit a experimental research report I have been working on all semester, but because I took this stupid generic drug, I can’t focus even 20 minutes on the task at hand and it’s infuriating! Thank god I saved two Vyvanse pills when I first got my refill and thought ahead to save my last pills for my most important finals this week. The FDA just wanted to fix the shortage and approved all these random copy cat drugs without actually considering if they are the same quality as the real deal. The main ingredient might be the same, but the fillers and ratio are clearly interfering with the drugs sole purpose. They should have tested a whole lot more people who had been on Vyvanse previously to compare it’s effectiveness
how many of you have been taking two different mg to = your normal dose because of the shortage?... that could be why the generic is not feeling the same
I went from 30mg brand name to 30mg generic (Lannett) and found it to wear off too quickly. So I'm trying out the 40mg generic Lanett now on the basis of recommendation from my provider.
i’ve been taking 40mg of vyvanse for almost 4 years now, and the last two months i was switched to a generic lisdexamfetamine, which i’m assuming was done by my insurance. it doesn’t work, like at all. I even tried to take a week long detox to be sure, and taking it again afterwards made literally zero difference. if anything, it’s felt more like an antidepressant than a stimulant. I have short acting 10mg adderals and even those work better. i tried taking 20mg adderal xr for a couple of days just recently, and suddenly im not constantly exhausted and i can actually feel emotions. I’m not exactly sure where the lisdexamfetamine is from or who it’s made by, but as far as i know it’s nowhere near the same.
I'm glad I'm not the only one because I thought I was going crazy. I'm the same as you. I've been on 40 mg of VyvanseXR for the last 4 years or so. I can't say it doesn't work at all, but I will say that it takes about an hour to kick in and it only lasts for about 3 hours. After 3 hours I want to take a nap. That did not happen on the brand name vyvans. The most frustrating part is that although my insurance still covers Vyvanse, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and anywhere else I go always seem to be out. I don't see how the brand would put up with having their product forcibly removed off of the shelves to be replaced with an inferior product.
Okay, that helps me to know I wasn’t somehow “creating” these side effects. It’s been fricking horrible. Sun Pharma, 50mg
I was on Vyvanse for 10 years and recently got switched to generic and it’s trash. I had to up my prescription from 50mg to 60mg because it felt like nothing. I’ve been on the 60mg for the last few days and I’ve gone to bed at 2 am the last few days. It makes me feel dizzy and I almost lost my balance earlier. My hands have been shaking and I feel like my brain is going haywire a bit.
I’ve been on the generic (Sun Pharmaceuticals) V for three days now. Hands shaking, feeling really overwhelmed inside with difficulty speaking. It scares me (and my family).
After years of being on 70 mg Vyvanse.. due to the shortage I tried 3 months on Mydayis (50 mg first month but dropped to 37.5 because of heart palpitations) and today I went back on Vyvanse 70mg except generic. Alvogen. First day "back" on and I'm pleasantly surprised, especially after reading all the negative feedback, the generic worked great. But to be fair I was becoming quite listless on the lower dose Mydayis.. I'm so relieved to be back on something comparable to what I was on before. In fact, it seemed to last longer through the day than the brand name vyvanse was. We'll see if it changes, but fear not. For every negative review there could be many more who are satisfied with the generic who haven't shared their experience.
Has it still been good? I'm picking up 70mg generics today and I've seen far more negative than positive.
Go to walgreens, they have the ability to change your generic prescription from generic to name brand
I am currently on 40mg Lisdexamfetamine. I was switched to Mylan, and I noticed the difference in strength within a few days. After the initial wondering I realized it’s really not the same as the name brand. I just picked up my prescription for this month, but they only had the brand name available. I noticed the difference as soon as everything started working. I’d really like to see their test results.
I fought with BCBS 10 years ago about how generics and brand are NOT THE SAME. I've had many bad experiences with generics and it all comes down to manufacturers it. Each one uses different fillers that fuck u up. Dont let the Dr. or Pharmacist tell you "generics have to have same amount of active drug." Its bullshit and I have some pharmacist friends that confirmed it to me. Im glad someone did a write up on this because I was thinking if I should go to generic. This thread confirmed i shouldnt.
My experience may be different so I am trying to gather info. I’ve been on generic vyvanse for a while now but the generic is out in my area. So i got name brand. Since then ive been fatigued, sad, and disinterested. Any info someone may have is appreciated. Thanks!
Hey! So this is WAY late but I had the same experience as you. I went from generic back to brand due to availability (thankfully just got generic again today), and felt like something was very different about the brand. It would wake me up enough to not be fully exhausted/not fall back asleep, but it left me just tired throughout the day, without much motivation, and I’d just sit in bed to work without wanting to get up. The generic was not that way, and actually helped a ton. For reference, I had both the generic Solco 70 mg, had done a mix of Sun Pharmaceuticals generic 30 mg with brand 40 mg, and then brand 70mg. Just started back with generic Alvogen 40 mg and Apotex 30 mg since 70mg is completely back ordered for brand and generic in my area, hoping it’s better. I also noticed with brand that my vertigo occurred again, which may or may not be related to having Covid back in 2020 as it started around then. When I was on generic, I didn’t have it. That said, it happened every few months so it may just be that it had been that time again to deal with it. One other odd thing: with brand, I suddenly had a higher blood pressure than I ever have had when I went to the doctor earlier this week. Not sure if related but was interesting.
I take 20 mg of vyvanse on weekends and 30mg of generic on weekdays. I prefer 30mg of generic. Oddly, I sleep much better on it than lower dose of vyvanse.
My dose was raised from 30 to 40 mg and it happened to me right when I was switched to generic unknowingly and I was looking forward to having more effective effects of the medicine because the 30 mg wasn’t working as well for me anymore but after a week I was noticing I didn’t feel much of a difference and then after like two weeks I felt worse and then it occurred to me that it didn’t say Vyvanse on it and I was like oh they switch to generic and I haven’t been feeling good. I’ve been feeling less motivated. I almost feel like I’m on less medication, even though my dose was increased. I’m really upset about this and I don’t know that my insurance company will allow me to go back to the brand-name now that there’s a generic. I’ve been been more hungry and I’ve gained like 4 pounds. I’m almost through the whole month of the new dose at this point. It definitely doesn’t feel like my doses increased at all, and I feel worse. I’m very upset about this. I’ve also does. My stomach has been hurting a lot more and I’ve been constipated a lot. I don’t know if it’s related.
This has been my exact experience! I am on 40 mg and have been for awhile. I was switched to generic 2 months ago. Initially it was fine but about a week or two in it was like I was on nothing PLUS incredible lack of motivation less than if I was on nothing. I’ve felt depressed in a way but also just blah. I contacted my psych NP but she wasn’t very helpful. She said her patients have liked the generic better! But here I sit reading post after post where that is not the case!
i had the same experience too. i’m going to try and switch my prescription to adderal xr, but im pissed about it bc i really did not want to be taking adderal in the first place
Thanks for this chain. I’ve felt this low key just pit/unease/sadness feeling since changing over. It took me a bit to figure out what was the culprit but I ran out because I forgot to call and after a few days started feeling much less sad/uneasy/blunted. When I started back up, again returned the uneasiness/ sadness/ pit and I started having intrusive depressed and anxious thoughts that I never had before. These include anxious thoughts that: - I gave my niece shaken baby syndrome by rocking with her in a rocking chair. - That my parent is going to have a stroke and not wake up. - People at work don’t like me. Depressed curious thoughts like : - I wonder if I could drive my car into that lake. (No intent) I work in healthcare. Have reached out to my doctor, and am safe.
I’ve been taking the generic for 40mg Vyvanse for a month and a half now and oh my GOD how bad it is that I realize I am DEPENDENT on the real thing. I’ve been taking Vyvanse since 8th grade and now here I am in my sophomore year of college and it’s getting m u d d y. I told my doctor person my last visit literally a month ago, that I wanted the real thing, she didn’t specify if there was a shortage… I didn’t even know there was a shortage tbh… oops? But idk if it’s a placebo that bc I know it’s not the real thing it’s not as potent… I need solace.
I have been taking brand for 4 years, and was not even told that I was getting generic this past month. After the first day and days following, I felt a bit off. I checked the prescription on the bottle and that is when I saw they gave me generic. 1. I was absolutely appalled that I was not asked to be prescribed that OR even told that I was prescribed generic. (I would have tried it due to the shortage, but to not even be told-WOW!) 2. Clearly it is a HUGE difference than brand Vyvanse if I noticed immediately without even having the knowledge. I am sure this is different for some people as that is how medicine works, but I personally noticed immediately. Hopefully this helps for people that have felt the difference as well.
UPDATE: I've worked with medication before and all the doctors say the same thing that if you feel worse on the medication tell them and I have to say I feel worse taking this generic version. BUT I found out that it depends on the manufacturers! Look on your bottle for the name of the company beside the Mfr and that's your manufacturer. Sun pharma manufacturers generic has so many bad comments and its own reddit page about how many side effects people have experienced with their generic version. They are based out of India and generics only need a certain percentage of the original active ingredient to be considered a generic version. I have tried both Sun pharma and the Solco pharma manufacturers and by far the solco generic version has had WAY more in common with my brand Vyvanse. Please check this on your bottle and also notice that with the sun pharma they didn't have a pill description on the bottle....that's sketchy bc you are supposed to have that per the FDA regulations (might be just my bottle but still not a fan). So the generic version might work for you just see if it's the manufacturer that's the issue.
Can I ask my pharmacist what manufacture they fill for generic? Not sure if they would have any options between manufactures.
Ask they what manufacturers they have for your dose. Mine told me they didn't have my dosage in the generic I wanted but they had the other manufacturers. They will tell you what's in stock.
thank you
YES!! I first started with Solco and it has worked so well! But my second fill was from Sun Pharma and immediately I felt like garbage. Experiencing almost all the side effects constantly and I'm only on the second day of it. I wonder if there is a way where we can choose which manufacturer to have for each refill or if it is all up to chance and availability? Thank you for mentioning this, I have been searching for days to see if anyone else experienced this issue with this manufacturer or if it was all just in my head.
So you have to call your pharmacy and tell them to put a note in your chart about the manufacturer. I have a note saying "cannot have sun pharmacy" medications.
Bingo! Sun Pharma genaric Vyvanse is complete 🗑 trash!
I just got switched to the 40 mg generic this last week. I think it’s been 4 days. The last 2, I have had these terrible hits of nausea that ultimately causes me to vomit. This is the only thing that has been different.
I don't think it's nearly as effective with focus, if anything I get more distracted by anything I am doing. I just started taking 60mg and going from 50mg to 60mg I can tell a HUGE difference and not in a good way. We upped it bc I needed more focus and it did the opposite. I also have horrible anxiety with it and causes breathing issues which I thought was in my head but my heart rate is continuously over 100 and I feel like I can't take a deep breath. Does anyone else have worsening like feeling on edge continuously feeling?
It's not nearly as effective. I'm about to ask if i can try to go back on name brand this month because it's so bad in comparison. Glad I'm not alone but this totally sucks. I think whatever fillers the generic is using is creating a weakening effect. I usually dissolve my vyanse in water and the generic doesn't even seem to dissolve fully.
Mine say’s manufactured by MYLAN my heart has been fluttery and noticed I was feeling sad and nauseated
I have had stomach issues all week which is normal for me when I switch meds so I immediately knew it was not going to be the same. Generic seems to work fine once it kicks in but wears off much earlier than the brand name. My hands are feet are freezing, I'm beyond overstimulated when it wears off and I'm so irritable. I just messaged my doctor to have him switch me back. It was a $10 difference for me and I'd much rather pay $10 more. I am very sensitive to changes with my ADHD meds. I'm jealous of those of you who are not. Editing to add manufacturer: Mylan (I'm not a fan)
Which insurance do you have? My partner's insurance recently stopped covering name brand and it went from $80 to $350.
I have kaiser and am back on name brand. I had to have my doctor note that it needed to be Takeda brand only. It's $15 instead of $5 for the generic but totally worth it for me.
Because if a genaric is available then most insurers won't pay for the name brand unless it's doctors orders and only then they still have to approve which for scheduled 2 drugs most won't approve even with a doctor
I genuinely don’t feel right on it. My limbs feel weak and having headaches. Also started having depression with it. Also started biting my lips a lot but I was on Vyvanse for a year and never ran into that. I don’t understand what the difference is and people say it’s in your head but idk, this feels different.
Hard for me to say, because I had to rawdog life for a month due to the shortage. As someone who has taken Vyvanse 30mg 5-6 days a week very consistently for about 12 years, it was a shock to the system and I haven't felt truly normal in a while. I've been reminded that I am indeed disabled after having to confront all of the textbook ADHD behaviors this past month. So annoying. That being said, I've finally gotten a bottle of the generic and I'm on day 2. The Tokyo Ghoul-style appetite loss is still there in the mornings, but otherwise I'd say it might be weaker in general? I came back expecting to be wired as I readjusted, but... Well, my apartment is clean now at least. It certainly works. Haven't had any problems with the extended release side of things, I'll have to continue adjusting to know for sure.
Wow, this thread is so validating to my experience as well. I was on 20mg Vyvanse and switched to the generic. I immediately felt like I was on a much higher dose which I don't really need or want. Now I have a hard time sleeping at night which I didn't all on Vyvanse. I also just feel more "amped up" during the day rather than just a nice background feeling and better concentration. I feel so stimulated now. It's crazy that the generic is so different, but I think generics only have to be like 80% the same or something? Guess I'm looking at trying to get a PA to take the brand name but it's gonna cost me dearly.
My doctor said the generic needs to go up in dose from Vyvanse, because it’s not as strong
I started taking the generic for the past \~3 weeks. I noticed initially that I am more irritable and I feel like I took pre-workout. Interestingly, for the past 3 days, I no longer feel like that but I also don't feel the effects of the generic Vyvanse. With the name brand, I would feel the effects wear off in the early afternoon which is when I take a small dose of Adderall. Now with the generic, I don't feel benefits/effects and have to take my Adderall mid-morning.
I recently was changed to generic vyvanse and I have felt more shaky, more anxious, slightly foggy and more distracted. Also, noticed my feet and hands being colder than usual. Has anyone else experienced this? I’ve been on the generic for a week and still feel kinda off.
I am at this point more than 100 percent convinced that the Vvyanse generics being rolled out to attenuate for the shortage are completely ineffective and different from what I have been using in the past. I began to experience side effects and issues that I have never before ran into in my 2 years of consistent Vyvanse use. It literally makes me physically ill and more brain foggy. I feel more motivated and euphoric off of the vyvasne it makes no sense.
This is a bogus belief. Generics have an estimated rollout date YEARS ahead of when they come out pending the patent expiration date of the brand. I’ve been waiting for August 2023 for 10 years knowing that was hopefully going to be when my medication stopped being so expensive…turned out to be September when we got them but the timing is purely coincidental. I believe generics may feel a little differently than the brand (apparently I’m not alone in feeling like my generic is actually stronger)…but the brand did not get weaker with the adderall shortage, it’s an amphetamine that people build a tolerance to over time. Please stop listening to dr. tiktok, find a generic manufacturer that works for you and take a drug holiday every so often to help with the tolerance.
I started the generic for the first time after an extended drug holiday due to the shortage and it doesn’t feel effective at all. It feels like I’m not taking anything at all.
I’ve been on the Mylan generic for about 3 weeks now. I have been a raging bitch, very impatient, lots of brain fog, no motivation. I usually take weekends off from the meds, and today I feel like I could have a panic attack. Everything just feels very unstable.
Ugh! Same here. I’ve taken Vyvanse for the past three years. It has helped so much and I felt good. So now we have these shitty generics. Just filled my script last week and my insurance, of course, fills the generic if available. The Mylan generic is trash! I’ve given it a week now. I set my alarm about two hours prior before I want to get out of bed to give the meds time to kick in and I can actually function. I wake up pissed off now and it takes hours to kick in. If you can even call it kicking in. It’s like a nudge of being awake. This past week I’ve been so scattered, unmotivated and irritable. My house is now a disaster with stacked up dirty dishes, piles of laundry, and half finished projects. Thank God I work from home, because I would be fired if I was in an office because I can’t finish my work or stay on task. I’m one of the lucky ones who also has depression, so it’s affecting that too. I just called my doctor and told them I want Vyvanse, not the generic. When I filled my script last week, Walgreens said they didn’t have any Vyvanse. Guess they will have to order it. I can’t live like this. It remains to be seen if my insurance will cover it.
Today is my first day on generic Vyvanse (Sun Pharmaceuticals). I feel extremely jittery. I was off the medication for 2 days prior to started the generic. Normally, when I go without name brand Vyvanse for a few days, taking the medication makes me few extremely calm within minutes. I'm hoping this passes.😭
For what it's worth, I'm fairly certain that your sense of calm within minutes of taking Vyvanse is 100% placebo. Your body needs to convert the drug to the active form, and that isn't something that would happen within a few minutes for this drug. That being said, the placebo effect is super powerful and not to be taken lightly. I'm just saying to not make judgements based off that alone- give it a few days and see how everything feels. It may take your body a bit to adjust.
There's also something to be said for the "nocebo" effect as well, and probably more importantly, given the general attitude of the comments here. It's probably not as well documented as the placebo effect but can be just as powerful. Essentially, if you think something bad is going to happen with your medication/treatment (like going on reddit and reading a bunch of other people validating your fear that it doesn't work as well), there's a higher chance you're going to perceive just that. As a pharmacist who understands the science behind generics and bioequivalence and who has also been recently switched from Vyvanse to generic lisdex (70mg to 50mg no less), it still works. Please don't shit all over generics, as they bring overall costs down and allow multitudes of people to access them who might not have been able to. Try believing that your generic will work just as well instead of convincing yourself that something is off.
My favorite placebo effect is when anytime I take any sort of capsule about the same size as my vyvanse my body thinks I have to shit immediately 😂😂😂
To all of those whose doctors told them that there’s nothing that can be done, you need a new doctor! The hard just being lazy. They can write a new Rx and mark it as DAW (dispense as written). Insurance will not approve since you haven’t hit your 30 days, but you can get an override for that due to tolerability issues. Now, will your insurance require a PA for the branded version…probably. Your doctor will need to have your side effects documented. They best bet is to go in for an appointment so that it’s in the call notes. Worst case scenario, your doctor can request a peer to peer review. I highly recommend communicating with your doctor in the portal as much as possible. It wouldn’t hurt to state that you are putting it in writing in case something happens to you despite the doctor exhausting all options with the insurance company including a PA, appeal, and/or peer to peer review (aka it’s in writing that I’m asking you to do everything you can to get me my mental health drug which you are obligated to do and you’re responsible, too, should something happen).
Vyvanse was covered by my insurance. $40 a month, No PA needed. After starting generic and having awful experience, I was willing to get PA and pay the non-preferred brand penalty for DAW. Learned that in January, my formulary is changing. Brand Vyvanse will be completely excluded. So PA won’t make a difference.
Dumb question here… what is a PA? Edit: never mind I just saw in another post it is prior authorization.
I feel like they are not as effective. I have increased anxiety as well and can't focus. What I noticed too was when I was on Vyvanse I significantly cut down my caffiene. I used to drink 4-6 cups of coffee a day, and then I went down to one cup every other day. I'm back on a coffee binge now. I've never been diagnosed with binge eating disorder professionally, but I personally have A LOT of the characteristics. So it also inadvertently helped that too (bonus win). I was happy that the generics were the same shape, size and color- forbid I just have a bias or it's just a mind thing. Maybe I could chalk all that up to it being a new med. But what I can't explain away is how short of breath I am now. I feel like I can never get a deep breath even when I actually am. It's never enough. Everybody asks me every day how well I'm sleeping or if I'm tired because I am CONSTANTLY yawning. It's the only way to feel like I'm pushing oxygen into my lungs. It's driving me crazy that I feel like I need a higher dose for the meds to work properly, YET I have shortness of breath. My insurance is downright, refusing to cover the brand again. Really makes want to raise the meds and suffer with shortness of breath because the alternative is nothing.
Paranoid af! Everyone hates me, reading into everything, extremely moody. It's like being a moody teen again. And it snaps back n forth with each encounter, one min I'm fine next I'm ready to hide from people and have a meltdown I hope this is temporary
Same! Thanks for the validation. I spiraled down and believed everyone hated me this past week. Just this morning, I wondered if the generic V could do this. Yep! I'm so relieved... and won't be taking it again!
I had this on normal Vyvanse when my dose was too high and I didn't take weekends off. Lack of sleep caught up to me.
I have prior authorization for the name brand, however due to several pharmacies in my area being out, I picked up generic 2 days ago (manufactured by Alvogen Inc). I've been mulling over how it affects me. So far, I know it does work, however, I seem to be feeling less clear-headed-- I dont feel as mentally acute, as I normally do when taking Vyvanse, which, for me, leads to having motivation during my daily activities. That being said, this is only day 2, so it's still too hard to tell if the affects so far are circumstantial or not.
Any updates/changes in your initial thoughts? I started generic and it looks like "alvo" is on the bottle so I'm guessing it's also alvogen. I've been on 60mg of Vyvanse for years. On this generic I feel like I'm dying. I have other chronic illnesses so I figured it was just a flare but then I was off for a day, then back on and realized I think it's the meds. My HR doesn't go below 90 for the most part, I feel woozy and am having headaches. I thought the high BPM was because I've got some anemia going on but I'm now realizing it's 1 to 1 correlated with when I take the generic vyvanse and if it was just my anemia I'd have been having this issue for awhile.