My daughter is almost 16 and was recently diagnosed with ADD. The doctor put her on Vyvance - but gave us a 30 day free trial of the drug but when it came time to fill a new prescription - the insurance company wouldn't cover it; I called and they said they would only cover a generic amphetamine. I told this to the doctor and instead he prescribed Adderall XR - which, again, they refused to cover;

The doctor refuses to prescribe a generic amphetamine as he says it's highly marketable and kids can snort it so morally he's opposed to making it available to teens in his practice. This is all well and good but the vyvance cost us $125 for a one month supply which we filled and paid for since we were out of meds and had to do something.

I'm wondering if anyone has been in this situation and what you did -- OR if you give your child generic meds and is it OK or did you find some other medication that your insurance WOULD cover that works as well?

Thanks for your feedback!

I can understand his moral standpoint, but kids can abuse brand name just as easily. Did you explain the insurance situation to him? If so, can you go to a different doctor?

He's your daughter's doctor first, not a community standards enforcement officer. His job is to treat his patient. If he can't do that, then it's time to find another doctor. :(

It's not just a community standards issue though. It can also be seen as a safety/liability issue. Let's say the daughter snorts it or sells it to a pal. Someone could get hurt if the drug is being abused. And then a parent might try to sue him for that. Plus if the doctor is a decent person, he might actually feel bad if someone got hurt abusing a drug that he prescribed.

That's not to say the daughter would sell the drugs. But the doctor is not a mind reader. He has no way of predicting which kid will follow the rules and which kid will abuse or sell the pills. It's not fair to the kids who follow the rules, but I can understand why the doctor wants to be cautious.

I hate to seem contrary, but this just doesn't fly with me. If the doctor is following the law in dispensing the medication then there isn't any liability. With very few exceptions (bartenders responsible for letting drunks get into cars), we don't hold people accountable for the actions of others. Thank goodness for that!

Dispensing prescriptions after making a diagnosis is part of the job description of a doctor. Frankly, the whole story the doctor is feeding these folks is very fishy. I can't imagine working with a doctor who believed such a strange (and untrue) myth.

And of course, there's the bottom line. If he's writing prescriptions for any stimulants, then that's that. Premium or Generic, they're all stimulants and they all have the same street value. It just doesn't make sense to write one but not the other. He's not being cautious, or protecting himself from liability if he's honest with himself. That's like claiming you won't sell people Scottish dirks because you don't want them to get hurt, but you will sell them bowie knives. They're the same thing and they both cut just as deep.

I'm wondering if anyone has been in this situation and what you did -- OR if you give your child generic meds and is it OK or did you find some other medication that your insurance WOULD cover that works as well?

I believe that Dexedrine is available generically in sustained release form. Dexedrine is chemically almost identical to Adderall; consider giving it a shot.

That being said, ditch the doc. Unless he feels that there is some reason to be concerned about your daughter potentially abusing Adderall (or other drugs), his blanket policy is to protect him, not his patients. Adderall XR is also easy to turn into the immediate release form. In the past I've done this (with my doctor's blessing) when I wanted an occasional short acting dose.

From a convenience standpoint I can see why the doc wouldn't recommend generic adderall. Generically it's only available in the instant release formula which requires dosing two (sometimes three) times a day. From my experience the instant release was effective for 3-4hrs max. So I had to carry my pills with me everywhere I went. When I remembered. And I was constantly worried about loosing them.:o And mind you, I'm a grown adult.

So I can understand why the doc wouldn't want your teenager carrying around the pills throughout the school day. And perhaps the schools have regulations on students carrying controlled substances even when they are prescribed.

If you can't switch to a long lasting medication that has a generic equivalent here's a link for drug assistance on Shire pharmaceuticals (Vyvanase and Adderall).

http://www.rxassist.org/pap-info/company_detail.cfm?CmpId=84

thank you for the link on the patient programs with Shire -

I've checked their website and they require a maximum income of 42K for a family of four ... In NYC that's poverty level - I pay half that in rent alone!

Needless to say, I wouldn't qualify and I called them too - they offer no program in between - free for those who make less than that - and full price for those whose insurance doesn't cover it ...

Rachel