Difference b/w Brand Name and Generic ADHD medications

[Riss]

I have a 6 yr old ADHD son. We're in the process of trying to figure out which medication will work best for him. He's been on Ritalin (10mg) and Metadate ER (20 mg). Neither medication seems to work very well. We've noticed that he is unresponsive (e.g., won't participate in school) on metadate. His behavior on regular Ritalin has been very inconsistent; i.e., sometimes it seems to works, sometimes it doesn't work at all, and sometimes it seems that the dosage is too strong where he's unresponsive or depressed. His psychiatrist is guessing that perhaps his rate of absorption of the meds may be the cause for the inconsistent behavior.

However, I'm wondering whether it may be a matter of whether the drugs are generic or brand name. My son's kindergarten teacher, who coincidentally enough has adult ADD, told me that she can tell the difference in effectiveness between her generic and brand meds. Has anyone ever come across this issue before? We've got an appt with my son's doctor this week, and I'm trying to decide whether I should request that the prescription be written so that no generic drugs should be used.

[clawless]

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8232

have a look at the above thread, it might have some answers you are looking for

[Trooper Keith]

I am currently testing differences between brand and generic Ritalin. I have only taken it once, but it seems to me that the brand kicked in faster, but didn't last quite as long...though there was a major variable there, because I don't think any amount of Ritalin was going to defeat the 25 pixie sticks I ate...so I'll get back to you.

[Riss]

Thanks for the replies. After reviewing the thread mentioned, I decided that we would go the brand route this time around and see if it makes a difference. I'm hoping that this may resolve the absorption issues that we had previously. Anyways, my son's psychiatrist just prescribed him adderall; I made sure that the prescription was dispensed only as prescribed (i.e., no generics). Wish us luck. I'll post an update ... hopefully it'll be a good one