I usually get my ritalin prescription filled at the same pharmacy every month. I've always been given methylphenidate as the generic substitute. This month, I went to a different drug store closer to my school. This time, I was given Methylin instead and had a very negative reaction. The pharmacist insists that Methylin is an appropriate generic substitute, however, my doctor strongly disagrees. She was so upset that she thinks I should file a complaint with the pharmacy board. The pharmacist sticks by his claim, and my doctor does as well. Im confused! Since I don't have insurance I paid over $60 for this medication that I can't take. If I prove that the pharmacy is the one that's wrong, can I ask for a refund? Anyone know the answer? Is it possible that this situation can vary from state to state?

Methylin is a brand of generic methylphenidate. I'm 99% certain that it's FDA approved as a substitute for Ritalin. However, even though it's supposed to be equivalent, it's very common for different brands of medications to affect people differently. As I'm sure you know!

I doubt you'd have any luck filing a complaint, since it's considered to be an equivalent substitute. You can certainly ask for a refund and you may well get one, but I don't think they're under any obligation to give you your money back.

I'd suggest going back to the other pharmacy, or else having your doctor specify "dispense as written" on the next prescription. That obligates the pharmacy to give you EXACTLY what is prescribed, with no substitutions of any kind.

I believe that some types of Methylin are extended release-type pills, such as Methylin ER. If the pharmacy gave you an extended release version of methylphenidate when your doctor specified the regular, instant release version, then the pharmacy is clearly wrong. For starters, the difference between instant release and extended release means dispensing pills with a different dosage level, or possibly dispensing a different number of pills, which is actually illegal given that this is a C-II drug.

However, even leaving aside the dosage and quantity issues, the matter still remains that an extended release version is not the appropriate generic equivalent to an instant release version. It certainly would be worth filing a complaint, as the worst that can happen is that it might simply be ignored. It certainly wouldn't be considered a frivolous complaint, though, as your doctor advised you to do so.

I know when I took my daughter's prescription for Ritalin to our pharmacy which is in the hospital where my husband works - they gave us Methylin too.


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Pay attention to some of the inactive ingredients in the generic substitutes because from what I perceived from any report I have read on the subject (had same situation with the dexedrine and a generic brand that Barr makes)... I looked in the PDR to prove it when they argued with me although they do not show the Barr profile they do have 2 Brands for dex (the other is dextrostat) and they state that there are healthy adults in a study who take about 10 or 20 mg of the drugs and each subject per dose seemed to have a higher percentage of peak level with the original dexedrine and they quieted really quickly and I am inclined to believe that the inactive ingredients not only effect the side effects but the metabolism of the med also... speaking from personal experience