r/ADHDmeds

I have recently become aware of the importance of and some differences between manufacturers of meds that have the same active ingredient but differing fillers, ratios, etc. I would love to see if we as a community could use this thread to make like a master list of peoples experiences with and opinions on pharmaceutical manufacturers.

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Some ideas for things you could note in your comment:

Which med/active ingredient are you on?

Do you track/notice if your scripts are from different manufacturers?

Do you have a favorite and/or least favorite?

What kind of research have you done on these different manufacturers? (Please share links to articles, etc. when possible)

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Personally I only recently started adhd meds and only even more recently started learning about how/that different manufacturing practices can alter impact of medication. So I don’t have a whole lot of info or resources yet. But I thought it could be cool to try to put something together with and for each other.
I’m on generic Ritalin/methylphenidate and I’ll try to update later with my current manufacturer info. In terms of non-stimulant meds, I’ve been on Wellbutrin for years predominantly for other mental health conditions and I don’t really notice it having any significant impact on my adhd symptoms, but I know it can for some people. I’m on other psych meds as well, but I’m not sure if that’s relevant to this discussion.

Hi everyone, I had a trial course on methylphenidate for a few months where the results were very positive with executive function, unwanted thoughts greatly reduced etc. Ritalin LA would've been my choice if it wasn't for 2 issues that were always there since starting, heavy eyes (the want to sleep on the spot)/drowsiness and duration, lucky to get 6hr, however as I titrated up the drowsiness at least started to dissipate but still there and not manageable. Got to 54mg on Concerta and 40mg Ritalin and felt this option is exhausted. Now I've begun a course of Vyvanse 30mg and although it's early days the "heavy eyes" had reared it's head already. My question is who out there has experienced the same thing and what direction did you go in. Maybne I should've taken the methylphenidate meds to the max.Thanks

Idk I've heard about this being thing with bipolar people and their meds... I was wondering if this is a common thing with people and their ADHD meds... I take mine for a while and I think to myself: "What are these even doing for me? I still struggle with stuff" and then I don't take them for a few days and then I'm reminded of how much MORE difficult life is without them... And then I get memory loss of my experience so I do it again a few weeks later.

My life on meds: really difficult.

My life not on meds: EXTRA super duper difficult

I don't like it. Was wondering if anyone else relates. Thanks

As the title says my doctor is a god and I'm so lucky to have him. Here are some tips he's gave me that have been extremely helpful in my treatment.

• Medication holidays: Don't bother. He's been on Adderall for over 2 decades now and it still works at the right dose. He also says that taking med holidays can even set you up for anxiety and depression because of the withdrawal and recovery
• Tolerance building: There is a limit to how much tolerance you can build. It's OK to increase your dose if you need to. Eventually you will no longer need to increase it
• Waking up in the morning: If you struggle to wake up in the morning like many of us taking stimulant meds take your morning dose one hour before you actually have to wake up. Then, just go back to sleep for another hour (have 2 alarms).
  • I can personally confirm this makes mornings much easier. I can also confirm that I am perfectly capable of sleeping another 3 hours after taking my meds if I don't set an alarm lol
• Starting dosage: Your weight, height, and gender have exactly nothing to do with starting dosage. It's all about your genetics. He has very heavy patients who take almost none and tiny patients who take a lot
• Starting a new stimulant med: The side effects will be the worst the first two weeks. If it's helping your ADHD and the side effects aren't completely unbearable tough it out for at least two weeks before reducing dose or trying a different med
• You can be very smart and still have the condition: My doctor is very smart and successful despite also having high functioning autism in addition to ADHD. Many psychologists will assume you have anxiety, BPD, etc. Ask your psych to let you try meds for a limited time (at least 3 months) then reevaluate. Smart people with ADHD are very difficult to diagnose but treatment can be life changing despite already performing acceptably in work and school
• Therapy is the single best thing you can spend your money on if you need it: I have personally never needed therapy but he is very open about his own mental health and mentioned it in passing
• Everyone has a different experience with each medication: so if your friend thought that CONCERTA was absolute poison and made her feel dead inside, that doesn't mean that you will have the same response. It might be your silver bullet. The only way to find out is to try.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. This is second hand advice. My doctor is a primary care physician not a psych. These tips may not be true for all people with ADHD but they should be true for most. If any of these things don't apply to you your condition is still valid. Please see a mental health professional for further guidance

TLDR: Medication holidays are not worth it, you won't build tolerance for ever, take a dose 1 hour before you need to get out of bed, smart/successful people can have ADHD too, therapy is awesome

There are 4 other non stimulant options for ADHD, but they all are SNRIs that inhibit norepinephrine uptake. I've tried similar drugs (not ADHD) that act on norepinephrine and had a sharp blood pressure increase from 210/96 to 280(?). Somethings just really aren't great for malignant hypertensives...

I have POTS and as mentioned, malignant hypertension. Some people have a certain type of POTS called hyperadrenergic, involving adrenaline dumps and blood pressure spikes. Guanfacine and clonidine are common prescriptions for it that can be used off label for ADHD. If you're severely hypertensive or can't tolerate stimulation, ask about use of alpha 2 agonists.

Commonly, stimulants increase blood pressure by 4/2 points at the absolute highest, but chronic use >5 years guarantees an 80 percent hypertension risk according to GoodRx. For some people with certain health conditions, blood pressure could shoot significantly higher than baseline.

The risks with alpha 2 agonists like clonidine are rebound hypertension, sedation, orthostatic hypotension, or general hypotension.

Mixing ADHD meds with stimulants you take in the real world like caffeine and/or SSRI/SNRI can risk serotonin syndrome or increased heart rate/blood pressure.

Hey yall, I’m currently on Vy vanse and have been for like 5 years or so, but I feel like it doesn’t do much for me and might be worsening racing thoughts/anxiety etc.

I will be starting Quelbree (I think 200mg) soon while retaining vyvanse dose along with it. What is yalls experience with this combo (or just with Quelbree)? Idk much about non stimulant treatment so just curious

Hello, I haven't done my research on what this different type of ADHD is, but some videos are saying that there is a 3rd type. Maybe it doesn't work if they have stimulants or a drug for emotional regulation, what can they use and would there be a different medication developed for it?

Hi Looking for some advice ahead of my final titration review in a couple of weeks.

• I'll preface this by saying that cost is a major factor for me so my clinician has been working with me to navigate best options on my budget
• I was prescribed Xaggatin XL - 18mg for week 1, then 36mg for week 2. On my second day on 36mg, I went to a birthday party and drank probably way too much; I ended up fainting at home and was sore for a few days. I went back to 18mg.
  • On the 18mg, I noticed the basic side efffects: raymaud's symptoms (cold fingers and toes) but brain fog tended to kick in after about 5 or so hours.
  • With Xaggatin XL, my anxiety symptoms nearly disappeared (though I have been taking anxiety meds for years). I forgot what it was like to not be on the edge 24/7 and 'happy'.
• I mentioned the fainting spell and brain fog to the clinician. They recommended Medikinet XL 10mg for one week, then up to 20mg for the following week.
  • On 10 mg Medikinet XL, the anxiety was horrible - I felt a heaviness in my chest, and the sense of hyper focus was not as 'direct' as it was on Xaggatin XL. On 20 mg, the anxiety is slightly better but I still don't find the focus as serious.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar? I am considering a few options:

a.) Up my dose to 30 mg on the Medikinet XL ahead of my next review and see how it goes.

b.) Wait and ask for an increase or a change to another one of the generic Concerta meds.

c.) Switch back to Xaggatin XL on 18mg.

Seeking any advice around this! I would be so grateful to hear from others, especially on the anxiety piece.

this might be a very redundant/repetitive question but it's one that's been confusing me for a very long time,i got properly diagnosed with adhd about 6 ish months ago,and after my diagnosis i immediately got prescribed ritalin (methylphenidate),then after working my way up to two 10mg pills (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) the only improvement it had was just improving my alertness and reducing my afternoon slump/tiredness,but zero effect on my focus and or everything else i hoped for.

So after about 3 months of ritalin i talked to my doctor and got prescribed vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) instead, and i was told by her that vyvanse would have an extremely strong effect on appetite which i was glad about cuz I've always struggled with binging/overeating.

then after working my way up to 30mg vyvanse,i could absolutely feel the effects on my focus and alertness and productivity and just how much better i felt overall,but in the whole 2 months that I've been taking it i haven't felt a single change to my appetite AT ALL.

So after feeling frustrated at my non results,i did some research on the internet and on social media to see others' experiences with it,and i was absolutely shocked to see that people have to literally force themselves to eat throughout the day on vyvanse and how everyone describes vyvanse making eating seem like the last thing they'd ever wanna do, and even people without adhd taking it just for weightloss.

I know there's probably other factors that could be involved but it's just shocking to me that everyone seems to be absolutely repulsed by food and eating with vyvanse while i am still binging like my life depends on it

Hey guys just like the tittle states. I ended up having this conversation with my provider and he said he wouldn’t have an issue on his end prescribing me this. That it’s just like any other stimulant all it is it’s a medication to treat ADHD in his eyes. Can anyone guide me in the right direction with potential pharmacy complications and coverage? I see that brand desoxyn has a copay card active for 10mg daily so 5mgx2. I wanna know

1. How hard is it to get brand vs generic
2. Where is the easiest place to get and what generic has the least side effects.
3. What I can expect from this vs Dexedrine.
4. How likely insurance is to cover this with a PA or formulary exemption?
5. Any healthcare professionals within this group that have this prescribed to you. Do you find it harder or like you have a stigma over your shoulders for having this med filled at the hospital or in general if you work in direct patient care?

Edit: thank you all for the replies and messages didn’t think anyone would be this thorough so I really appreciate everyone who commented. Update: I looked on my pharmacy benefits manager which is optumrx. From what I understand insurance won’t cover it either brand or generic. Any suggestion how to go about this?

This is what it shows on brand:

Prior authorization

No

Step therapy

Yes

Any one of the following generics: amphetamine-dextroamphetamine IR/ER; dexmethylphenidate IR/ER; dextroamphetamine SR/IR; methylphenidate IR/ER; lisdexamfetamine.

Quantity limit

Yes

Yes. Maximum quantity of 5 per 1 day(s).

Hello. Didn’t take my adderall for a week due to pharmacy shortages and finally got my rx yesterday at 9am. Took my dose and could not sleep at all and was up all night. Worked (from home) all day and did some gardening and was sure I would fall asleep this evening. I went to bed at 830 and didn’t fall asleep but did have my eyes shut and was in bed for four hours. I started to get anxiety so I came downstairs and I’m not sleepy. I am starting to stress over it and I’m sure it makes it worse. Anyone have this issue?

I just started my medication like a week ago . I’m on 18mg of addefine or something like that . I can’t daydream … like I usually come up with scenarios in my head while in the car or before sleeping . Or just when I want to imagine stuff while bored and I realised I can’t … I just can’t get into it , I can only think about the stuff infront of me . Is this normal ? Is this a good thing ? I used to have a very vivid imagination. I guess I used to depend on daydreaming to escape from my actual life and the responsibilities and tasks I had stacking up

Hello, I have very bad anxiety, depression, and ADD. I was put on Adderall 2 years ago during my junior year of high school, so I went most of my life without it. I never remembered to take it, and I went two years with only taking like one pill. My life has been a mess, so i decided I NEED to start taking all my meds and I can’t just sit in bed all day everyday. I took my 15mg of Adderall, 20mg of Lexapro, and Bupropion. Which I haven’t taken all these meds in a long time. I then decided to look up symptoms of taking Lexapro and Adderall together and discovered what serotonin syndrome was. Ever since then I’ve been an anxious mess. I’ve convinced myself I am gonna get it even though it is rare. I then 8 hours later took a zofran because I was nauseous, which I found out mixed with Adderall ALSO can cause serotonin syndrome. I just want to hear some experiences on both of them, and some stories so maybe I can see it’ll be ok. I’m definitely not taking them together again, and can’t believe today is my first time hearing about it. I know it’s silly to worry this much, and I wish I could stop.

This is a mod post, it is a repost from our partner subreddit r/ADHDerTips, we run that subreddit for people for whom medicine is not accessible or medicine is not solving ALL their problems, kindly check out our partner subreddit and its wiki, it may be useful for some of you, everything is free except 1:1 coaching 😊

# 1. Get medicated

Stimulants for ADHD are first-line in the guidelines of most countries, if one med doesn't work for you, don't give up, ask your doctor about the viability of other meds for your specific case, I only gave up on ADHD meds after trying out 24 meds in around 3 years, not kidding here, I have tried first-line ADHD meds, second-line meds, and off-label meds for ADHD

I have no idea about how it works in your country but if diagnosis cost is a big concern or it is taking years to get diagnosed, in some countries, GPs and psychiatrists are licenced to prescribe ADHD meds based on their provisional diagnosis, so you may save money depending on your country, full diagnosis by a clinical psychologist is the recommended method but sometimes it is out of reach for many

# 2. Correcting deficiencies

life changing, get a blood test, test for Vitamin D, B12, Serum Folate (B9), RBC Magnesium,Serum Zinc, and Ferritin especially

optimal B12 range: 500-800 pg/ml in blood

ideal ferritin range: 70-100 ng/ml in blood

Ideal vitamin D range: 40-60 ng/ml

optimal magnesium range: 5.5–6.5 mg/dL

optimal zinc range: 80–120 mcg/dL

optimal folate range: 13–15 ng/mL

The normal range in lab tests miss sub-clinical deficiency you can be feeling shit yet technically not be deficient, most women especially are low in iron.

# 3. Light therapy

morning, after waking up, look at the blue sky for 10-15 mins, basically 10k lux+ light, fo not look at the sun PLEASE IT'S DANGEROUS!

# 4. CBT (skills-based ADHD management)

Basically get an ADHD-aware therapist, or better, get an ADHD coach, they are usually cheaper and a more practical solution.

# 5. Wake up and sleep at the same time every day

wake and sleep time within 1-hour variation daily check out my post on sleep for how to fix your sleep

# 6. Exercise

even 5 mins a day is enough! I started with 5 minutes a day, now I am at 30 minutes a day.

# 7. Meditation

mindfulness, basically close your eyes, sit still, and count your thoughts, each count of thought is one mental push-up rep, do it for 5 minutes a day, add 2-3 minutes every week.

# 8. Use Serial Diverse Imagining to sleep (SDI)

basically imagine random objects like dog, cat, pencil, ball, objects that aren't emotionally charged, only imagine one object for 1-3 seconds, the goal is to think about random objects while lying down on the bed so your brain cannot get the fuel it needs to overthink and keep you awake for hours. Do this 20-30 minutes before designated sleep time.

# 9. Join a library or go to a café to work and study

when you see other people being quiet and hustling, you feel bad for being the one scrolling and you start working/studying, also others can see the stuff you are watching...

# 10. use an app to lock your entire phone AUTOMATICALLY

for 1 hour after you wake up, apps like StayFocused, Keep Me Out, and Lock My Phone (Zen Mode) have this feature

# 11. Remove distractions

uninstsall youtube, use youtube revanced you can disable reels and recommendations and ads and whatever you want.

Use distraction-free instagram, you can remove reels and posts unless you click on a link your friend sent to you.

Disable all ads and recommendations and notifications on reddit, go to settings, then account settings, and scroll down and disable everything related to 'alllow ads' 'personalise ads' and ' show recommendations', if you are still seeing subreddits, go and mute 3-4 of those subreddits, reddit will never show you any recommendations ever again.

disable Google News, it is garbage meant to make you angry and make your ADHD worse. Best advice: do not read news at all, become apolitical and believe only in ADHD-improvement

# 12. Blue Light Filter Automated

Use a blue light filter and set a schedule like it starts automatically at 6PM at 50% and becomes more red like 70% at 9PM, use the colour 'red' for the best effect! most blue light filter apps allow scheduling daily like this, don't do it manually because you will forget after one day and using a blue-light filter all day is counter-productive.

# 13. make cooking simpler!

cook for the entire week in batches on the weekends, cooking daily is very hard for ADHD people, just cook once on the weekends and eat all week, and cook a lot of quantity, keep only like 3-4 dishes for the entire week! and make dishes in which you don't have to cut tomatoes/onions, just pureé them, it's easier, if possible, get a crock-pot, it helps a lot.

# 14. Supplements for ADHD

best supplements with strong evidence: 1-2g EPA per day, caffeine + l-theanine pills. I use these personally, Vyvanse and Concerta feel like sugar pills to me, EPA is actually my only 'medicine'

best brands: Naturaltein, MyProtein, Sun Pharma, NowFoods, Nutricost, Nordic Naturals

Weak evidence but may be useful: Saffron extract, Panax Ginseng, Bacopa Monnieri, Panax Ginseng, L-tyrosine. I have heard of some people seeing improvement on these but I haven't tried any of them, so take it with a big grain of salt

# 15. JUST STAND

literally, that's the entire tip, just stand, sit down = ADHD, task paralysis, executive dysfunction, All I do is, i tell myself to stand up, I stand up and walk around = in 30 seconds I am automatically doing the task I had been dreading for 5 hours

# 16. break everything down into small chunks

don't make a goal like 'bath', make a goal like 'remove clothes'

do not make a goal like 'brush', make a goal like, 'touch the brush'

every goal must be as small and simple as possible, you will end up doing more than the simple task you planned most of the time, and it is better than nothing

# 17. Five-Second Rule

Spot the moment you have an impulse to act on a goal or task before your brain starts making excuses.

Count backward specifically from 5-4-3-2-1 to interrupt your habit of overthinking and focus your mind.

Physically move the second you reach "1" to kickstart your momentum and break through task paralysis.

first time posting so hopefully I put enough info in here

I was diagnosed this year with inattentive ADHD, my son is still nursing so I’m starting with non stimulants. Straterra didn’t do much at all so I started qelbree . It feels really difficult so far and it’s only been 6 days. I’m not sure if I should hold on and hope the adjustment is worth it or if I should just stop.

I feel as though I didn’t have adhd before and now with qelbree I do. Ive Been all over the place like I have a squirrels brain or something. Emotions anger and sadness have been through the roof. Can’t concentrate well. Dishes and laundry mess are at an all time high.Forgot to order groceries yesterday. Sometimes I get lightheaded and sometimes randomly drowzy.

Before this point I coped with just doing my best and drinking cold brew for brain power and focus.

did anyone have a difficult adjustment But qelbree still worked out for them?

https://openrx.app/

this is actually a repost from another subreddit, I didn't make this app, but I thought it would be a useful resource to share here :)

Hi guys, I have been taking vyvanse for about 8 months, and I loved it. It suddenly stopped working (40mg) and the 50mg was too high. I decided to try Concerta, partly to take a break from vyvanse but also to zee how I would react to it. I think I have been taking it for about 11 days now. I tried Concerta 27mg first for a few days, didn’t do ahything so I switxhed to 36mg. Day two: depersonalization + dissociation. And almost had a panic attack. It wasn’t great at all. So I went back to 27mg and today is my 5th day on that dose again. But I hate how it feels. I’m too on, but I do nothing. I have brain fog and feel really stuck in my head+ tunnelvision. But i’m so unmotivated I don’t wanna do anything. Even more then when i’m off meds. I feel wired and even my dad told me he thought I wasn’t really present and really “stiff”. I also have a realky intense stare and my pupils are big.. Is it just that Concerta isn’t right for me or could the dose be too high? Let me know if anyone has advice.

I was wondering if anyone was on metoprolol with IR dextroamphetamine or any stimulant that causes their blood pressure to be high. i’ve been on metoprolol XR with my IR stimulant but i’m still having blood pressure spikes. nothing dangerous but enough to where I feel like crap. maybe my timing is wrong or dosage, maybe a different beta blocker? idk what to do. i’ve tried every stimulant there is and the 20mg IR dextroamphetamine is the only one that’s worked best but the blood pressure symptoms is making it hard to stay on it. any advice would be greatly appreciated 🙏🏻

Hello, I’m about to get started on Methylphenidate. I told my psychiatrist that I don’t smoke much THC but I fear this to be untrue and that I have understimated my usage of it. I smoke a lot lately, and I intend to take shrooms with friends for the first time in my life. I didn’t expand on this because the psychiatrist didn’t really talk to me about what should I say or not say, and I was really confused for some parts. Is it safe to tell? can I ask for a medication that doesn’t interfere much with these substances? does it exist?