My Generic Adderall IR Brand Review - I've had Corepharma, Barr, Sandoz in past 3 mo.

[Donut]

I thought I would write this review because brands of generic adderall IR are a hot topic on this forum. I've been lurking on the forum for years but found it again when my pharmacy switched brands on me (Corepharma to Barr, see thread: http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74435).

Anyways, this happened in October and after looking up in Google "Is Barr generic adderall different" I found the forum again. I read all the threads about the differences in brands and about how everyone preferred Sandoz... I then called around and found my grocery store chain carried it so I got my Nov. rx filled with Sandoz.So in the past 3 months I've taken all 3 brands in the 10mg IR:

Sept - Corepharma, Oct - Barr, Nov - Sandoz / Eon Labs.

Also, I have taken Adderall off/on since 00' so I used to take and started with Shire, brand Adderall. I tried XR but it made me feel over medicated and like a zombie so I went back to IR so that I could control it.

My dosage is 20-40mg a day and my tolerance has been pretty much the same since I started way back when. During the week, I'll take 20mg in the AM around 7am when I get up and then another 10mg an hour or so before lunch... If I am going to work late that day I will take another 5-10mg between 3-4 pm or so in the afternoon. I'd say I take alot of weekends off but if I'm working or say play golf or doing something where my minds wanders when I need to be focused I will take my morning dose.

Here is my review or maybe I should say results with all 3.

Corepharma - Amphetamine Salt Combo 10 mg
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Feeling: Corepharma was the speediest of all 3 brands. It seemed to notice it with 20-30 minutes after I took it. After about an hour I felt a little kick that made me more talkative, wanting to call people, and I had the feeling like I could write a whole book that day. I also noticed that it made me clean and organize things during the initial kick-phase. I started to notice things like dishes and laundry that I don't notice when not taking Adderall. After the kick-phase wore off, I felt my work concentration was somewhat clam and good. It seemed to help me get a lot of things done.

What I didn't like the most about it was when it wore off... it wore off! I'd go from productive to surfing the net and feeling unmotivated within minutes.. like a light switch flipped off. Also, I found i became extremely irritable in the evenings after it wore off. Little things would bug the hell out of me. Eating was sometimes a chore with Corepharma too.

Side Effects: Speeded up sometimes at first, gave me a slight initial kick, decreased appetite, sometimes it gave me the sweats, few instances of tight muscles, wore off like instantly... I guess you could call that the crash, extremely irritable when it wore off, sleeping is normal

Overall: I like Corepharam the 2nd best. If I could not find Sandoz then it would do the job. Only thing I really didn't like about it was there was no hill with it... it was like a mesa, Straight up then straight down... making it hard to stayed medicated throughout the day but good for say short periods when you know you need to concentrate.

Rating compared to old Shire-brand formula: 3.5/5.0



Barr - Amphetamine Salt Combo 10 mg
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Feeling: Barr was the weakest of all 3 for me. I didn't really know or feel when it kicked in. Feeling that initial bump was one of the reason why I liked IR instead of XR because it gave me a sense of calmness that the medication is working and I can sit down and do what I need to do. I found myself drinking more caffeine or a Red Bull in the AM with Barr to be able to concentrate. It always seemed though that I could get a few hours of good work in after I took the afternoon dose and some days the morning dose would work just fine. It was inconsistent for me though. I usually take it the same time every morning too and usually eat the same thing after an hour I take it.

The thing I did not like about the Barr was the anxiety or anxiousness it gave me when working... I found myself stressed and always starting at the clock wishing the was more time in the day to get things done. Granted, it did help me sit down to focus and complete tasks but I found myself rushing frantically to get things done. Also, I didn't really have that organizational/cleaning feeling on Barr that I did on Corepharma... it just seemed easier to let things go. When I was taking the Corepharma brand, that type of mess would make me feel like something was wrong so I'd organize or clean it.

Just like feeling when it kicked in... I could never tell when it was wearing off. It seemed to not last as long and I'd find myself wandering off and find it impossible to get things done. When it did wear off though, I didn't seem to be irritable as I was with Corepharma but I did notice a few times I'd get impatient and have road rage when driving while taking it. At night, I tossed and turned during the month I was taking it... although, I'm not sure if it was the med or the stress of the multiple projects I was working on.

Side Effects: anxious, hard to tell when it kick in, always worrying about time, felt weak, impatient while driving

Overall: I like Barr the least out of the 3. It seemed really weak and inconsistent... hard to tell when it started working, when it was working, and when it stopped working. I do think it worked and helped me concentrate some but not as much as the other brands I've tried. It didn't make me irritable when it wore off and it seemed I tossed and turned some at night.

Rating compared to old Shire-brand formula: 2.5/5.0



Sandoz / Eon - Amphetamine Salt Combo 10 mg
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Feeling: I like the Sandoz brand the best out of the 3. About an hour after I take it, it could feel a slow calmness come over me... not like a euphoric high... but a calm feeling I got knowing that everything is slowed down and I can focus. It seemed to help me focus as much as the other brands but I'd say a little less than Corepharma. Corepharma kind of gave me tunnel vision which was nice but lasted like a short period of time. I liked that it did not make me rush or anxious like the Barr either. I can focus and follow steps slowly until I get a task complete which really feels good. Also, I did have the organization/cleaning feeling with Sandoz like I did with Corepharma but its more like the calm work feeling. Corepharma almost made me obsessed with getting things organized but I'm in a calmer mood with the Sandoz.

I noticed a few side effects but not too many. It seems I'm always going to the bathroom and drinking water on Sandoz though. Not that its a bad thing. Felt like I've been grinding my teeth and clenching my jaw a little too.

All in all, seemed a lot smoother kicking in and wearing off... not really a speedy feeling but a calmer feeling. It did seem to keep me up and awake way past I wanted to at night though if I took a later afternoon dose. I tossed and turned some at night but didn't seem tired the next day.

Side Effects: Felt i had to drink alot of water, some jaw clenching, on the first day I noticed tightness of my chest, sometimes when I took the PM dose I caught myself staying up late and not being tired

Overall: After reading about Sandoz on the forum, I thought I'd try it. It was raved up by people to be night and day to say Barr and I think its better than both the other 2 but if you are looking for something to blow your socks off I'm sorry I don't think you'll find that. But with that said, I think it's the closet I am gonna find. It is smooth, calmness for me with very few side effects and it seems to stay true to dosage with little to no crash. Another huge plus, was that it didn't make me irritable at night and I wouldn't jump out of my skin at little things. I seem to be in a decent mood and the wife likes this too.

Rating compared to old Shire-brand formula: 4.4/5.0 - No perfect but as close as I think I'm gonna get.




When Shire kicked it for me it was like everything was gonna be alright and it seemed when it wore off it came to a slow rolling stop. Since you can't get the old Shire-brand formula anymore... I like Sandoz/Eon the best then Corepharma and Barr the least.

Hope this helps anyone looking to know the differences. Keep in mind everyone is different and I'm not a doctor. One last thing... this is my honest review/experience with the 3 but some of it could have been placebo effect too because of reading all the discussion on this forum.

PS - Please excuse the grammar and the spelling I flew thru this like I was talking to a friend.

Donut

[Laney29]

Thanks for this... I have been doing a whole lot of research on it. I've only taken barr so far and it can give me a nasty feeling somedays. Anyways thanks a whole lot. Your post was a lot of help.

[Josh_kelly]

Excellent review Donut

Thats exactly how I felt about the three generics and old shire formula too.

What sucks that when dura med pharma (a division of Barr) bought the brand adderall IR from Shire in 2006, they did not change the formula.

But when Teva bought Barr in 2008. They made them change the formula for both the brand and generic.

I called Teva and informed me that she received many complaints and legally she has to report it to the FDA.

But So far no action from the FDA. She told me that they have no plans to change the formula because it still meets the regulations and they are focusing more on the XR "market".

[crashbang]

Great post!

I found it striking that how you described Barr is exactly what it feels like for me.
Even down to the driving. I am going to push my pharmacy to carry another brand.
I am still undecided if there reeeeally is any difference between the brands besides the binders. However I cannot say for certain unless I have tried what you have.

One question..did you notice any difference in how cold your body (or certain parts) felt on each of these?
I am from the Northeast..I can handle cold..but I am completely freezing all the time now. It is very noticable about 30mins after taking adderall.
I did drop 40pds this year, so cannot tell if it's that..or the adderall..or both.

*update* didn't see Josh's post about the formula change..Interesting..good to know

thoughts on cold factor between the three?

[StoicNate]

Awesome, this should be how reviews should look like.
Can't wait to ditch my Teva/Barr generics.

[Donut]

Originally Posted by crashbang

Great post!

I found it striking that how you described Barr is exactly what it feels like for me.
Even down to the driving. I am going to push my pharmacy to carry another brand.
I am still undecided if there reeeeally is any difference between the brands besides the binders. However I cannot say for certain unless I have tried what you have.

One question..did you notice any difference in how cold your body (or certain parts) felt on each of these?
I am from the Northeast..I can handle cold..but I am completely freezing all the time now. It is very noticeable about 30mins after taking adderall.
I did drop 40pds this year, so cannot tell if it's that..or the adderall..or both.

*update* didn't see Josh's post about the formula change..Interesting..good to know

thoughts on cold factor between the three?

Ha. Yeah I felt Barr was the most different. Corepharma I think would be just as good as Sandoz but its just too much up then too much down. Barr sometimes felt like a total different medication and sometimes felt like adderall. I think another thing with Barr is those of us who have had the old Shire pills are used to the round ones and when I got the oval shaped I immediately thought something was different... like I said on my first post the placebo effect could taint it too. The human mind works in mysterious subconscious ways.

As for the coldness, now that you mention that I look back and sometimes I do notice tempature changes on adderall in general but I really didn't pay attention to it between the brands. Usually, I'll get the sweats a little like when I take a week off or so or when say I have a Red Bull with breakfast... But I have noticed sometimes I feel cold and have to wear a sweatshirt... just wasn't that really noticeable of a difference to me so I didn't associate it with the med. I live in the midwest now so its usually really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter. I'm about 6'4" 215 lbs, very active, workout, and play sports plus I'm always sweating when I'm not taking adderall so in general my body is usually hot. I could break out in a sweat in the middle of winter so the coldness is probably good for me.

I used to take E/C/A stack for workouts and to stay trim back in college before I was diagnosed and taking adderall... and man did that **** heat me up and make me sweat. That was really my first experience with stimulants and I always felt calm and focused on it when others I knew taking it felt amped up. Didn't realize I even had ADHD or it was helping my symptoms.

Best way to find or believe there is a difference is to just try them all and have a non-biased open mind. I read in another thread you had trouble finding Sandoz... try calling a local grocery store chain's pharmacy, thats where I found it.

Donut

[CptNemo]

This was an excellent review.
I'd like to throw in my two cents,which only supports it,imho.

Before having tried any of them,I researched this forum for just this info.

Probably 8-10 hrs total,and I can read pretty fast.

These results are amazingly consistent with the *overall* opinion of this forum.

IMHO,a review like this would still be helpful regardless,but could have still ended up with different results. We all know different meds affect people differently.

This was not only a clear personal review,but is extremely consistent with the research I did here.
I tried to get a poll going one time,as this subject is always being discussed. I don't think one person replied.

I wish there was some way to make this a sticky,but I doubt the mods would agree,as there really isn't any proof that this is the universal consensus for this forum,to date.

I know it is,though.

I have no opinion,personally.

Edit: For finding Sandoz,small pharmacies are the only way to find them,per this forum and my experience.
Not chain stores. Donut,I'd love to be wrong...what chain do you find Sandoz at?

[PedroDaGr8]

There have been some reports of some Costco's carrying Sandoz, same thing with the occasional Target and other chain store. In general though, they carry Barr or Corepharma. Much much much higher chance of finding Sandoz at independent stores though.

[crashbang]

Donut thanks for the reply.

I definitely plan to call around and have already emailed and called a few smaller chains in my area.

As to the cold hands..and general body cold.. I too am active and in relatively good shape (not currently lifting weights kind of shape) ha..but decent. The cold could be hypoglycemia or I could have become a little anemic because of the mad weight loss in one year. But I noticed on three to four day breaks of adderall i am not cold. So that is what leads me to think it is the pills. Plus when I take adderall my right hand index finger gets extremely cold. It's something I keep an eye on.
*shrug* So when I get a chance to try a different brand I will be very curious to see if the cold feeling goes away.

Thanks again. : )

[ADD_gal]

Great review Donut!

[ChinchX]

thanks for the good info. personally, i can't recall if i've ever taken the corepharma before, but I know I haven't taken the Sandoz.

My biggest problem with the 'new' Barr is the PNS side effects. Especially as it wears off, I get a really screwed up heartbeat, either really light and fast, or pauses/skips (premature ventricular contractions).. paired with chest tightness/breathing tightness.... like someone had wrapped a rubber band around my chest. also, as others have mentioned.... and it's funny... me and my girlfriend call it me getting 'dopesick' because i start to sweat really bad (while at the same time, feeling very cold, esp in the extremeties)... I get really irritable and the major word here is AGITATED.

and i think that sums up how Barr adderall IR makes me feel ... agitated. when it wears off I can get super agitated and really snappy at people unfortunately.

it's funny that Donut mentioned this odd side effect, which I also get with the Barr IR ---> the feeling that I don't have enough time.... that there are not enough hours in the day... or that I could never get everything done that I wanted to... which caused me to stay up later than i wanted/needed to, cause i felt pressured constantly that i could never get enough TIME. odd!!

oh, hey: for those of you who have tried the different ones... what are the price differences? personally, it was about $100 a month for me for ninety 30mg Barr Adderall IR's at Walmart. For 100 Dextroamphetamine generic's (10mg) it was $40 dollars by comparison. So what is the general price diff between these brands?


Btw, here is a good link (not sure how up to date it is, though) -- but you all should be interested in it:

http://www.medscape.com/druginfo/pri...ricebrandimage

if you can't get to it from there, like if it asks you to login or other error, you can get to it by this method:

go to google, type in "Amphetamine-Dextroamphetamine Oral: Brands, Prices and Images"

and click the first link. (that one above *might* take you to it directly, the blue one). it shows images and strengths of each of the pills.

Generics (all 30mg pills):

BARR EON LABS RANBAXY COREPHARMA LLC Approx. Price: $137.16 per 100Each

Brand (all 30mg):

BARR
Approx. Price: $346.07 per 100Each
PHYSICIANS TC.
Approx. Price: $81.14 per 30Each


Sorry stupid HTML formatting is giving me some problems but it appears all the generics are basically the same price? Also... the "Brand" Adderall prices are at the bottom. Notice that the last one is price for 30 each, not 100.

This is just for those of you who may have trouble seeing the page.

I keep seeing this "PHYSICIANS TC." reference in there.... with the same look/identification markings as others (for instance, picture of Eon Labs, but listed as PHYSICIANS TC. -- same for a lot of the others. I don't get it... does anyone know who/what PHYSICIANS TC. is?

also -- the same trick above works for Adderall XR, Dextrostat, Dexedrine, etc... just plug those words into the google search instead of Adderall. Very interesting info.

[ChinchX]

argh. sorry, it wouldn't let me edit my post, but basically, try these in Google:

Amphetamine-Dextroamphetamine Oral: Brands, Prices and Images:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&r...&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

Dextroamphetamine Oral: Brands, Prices and Images:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&r...&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

Dexedrine Spansule Oral: Brands, Prices and Images:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&r...&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

Adderall XR Oral: Brands, Prices and Images:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&r...&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

Adderall Oral: Brands, Prices and Images:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&r...&aq=f&oq=&aqi=


And I wanted to make a comment on how I thought it was funny that the original (gone) SHIRE Dextrostat was $48 per 100, but Barr's generic version is $64 per 100.

[StoicNate]

ChinchX, yeah I get the same exact heart feeling that you get when the Barr/Teva adderall or dexedrine wears off. Thought I was the only person that this happens to.
I kind of wonder if I switch to Sandoz adderall if it will also happen.
Will see when I get my next script..cuz I finally found a pharmacy that carries Sandoz adderall!! (11 miles away)

[Josh_kelly]

Chinchx

I think that the price list that you have is old. Because TC was discontinued long time ago.

here is a list with November 2009 prices

Look at the price difference between the ER (extended release)capsules and the Tabs!!!

XRs are so luxurious

25-Nov-09	00115-1329-01	AMPHETA MIXED 10 MG ER CAP 100	Global	$536.82
25-Nov-09	00115-1330-01	AMPHETA MIXED 15 MG ER CAP 100	Global	$536.82
25-Nov-09	00115-1331-01	AMPHETA MIXED 20 MG ER CAP 100	Global	$536.82
25-Nov-09	00115-1332-01	AMPHETA MIXED 25 MG ER CAP 100	Global	$536.82
25-Nov-09	00115-1333-01	AMPHETA MIXED 30 MG ER CAP 100	Global	$536.82
25-Nov-09	00115-1328-01	AMPHETA MIXED 5 MG ER CAP 100	Global	$536.82
25-Nov-09	00555-0790-02	AMPHETA MIXED 5 MG ER CAP 100	Barr	$555.61
25-Nov-09	00555-0972-02	AMPHETAM SALT COMBO 10 MG TAB 100	Barr	$26.02
25-Nov-09	00185-0111-01	AMPHETAM SALT COMBO 10MG TAB 100	Eon	$26.02
25-Nov-09	63304-0909-01	AMPHETAM SALT COMBO 10MG TAB 100	Ranbaxy	$50.73
25-Nov-09	00555-0776-02	AMPHETAM SALT COMBO 12.5 MG TAB 100	Barr	$39.33
25-Nov-09	00555-0777-02	AMPHETAM SALT COMBO 15 MG TAB 100	Barr	$39.33
25-Nov-09	00555-0973-02	AMPHETAM SALT COMBO 20 MG TAB 100	Barr	$26.02
25-Nov-09	00185-0401-01	AMPHETAM SALT COMBO 20MG TAB 100	Eon	$26.02
25-Nov-09	63304-0910-01	AMPHETAM SALT COMBO 20MG TAB 100	Ranbaxy	$50.73
25-Nov-09	00555-0974-02	AMPHETAM SALT COMBO 30 MG TAB 100	Barr	$26.02
25-Nov-09	00185-0404-01	AMPHETAM SALT COMBO 30MG TAB 100	Eon	$26.02
25-Nov-09	00555-0971-02	AMPHETAM SALT COMBO 5 MG TAB 100	Barr	$26.02
25-Nov-09	00185-0084-01	AMPHETAM SALT COMBO 5MG TAB 100	Eon	$26.02
25-Nov-09	63304-0908-01	AMPHETAM SALT COMBO 5MG TAB 100	Ranbaxy	$50.73
25-Nov-09	00555-0775-02	AMPHETAM SALT COMBO 7.5 MG TAB 100	Barr	$39.33
25-Nov-09	64720-0132-10	AMPHETAMINE SALT 10MG TAB 100	Corepharma	$52.35
25-Nov-09	64720-0135-10	AMPHETAMINE SALT 20MG TAB 100	Corepharma	$52.35
25-Nov-09	64720-0130-10	AMPHETAMINE SALT 5MG TAB 100	Corepharma	$52.35

http://www.mohawkmedical.com/mohawkm...ipricelist.xls

[Amberw22]

This was very helpful... and this whole time I thought my Teva brand from Target wasn't the Barr everyone dislikes.

Maybe you all can help me...

I was first put on 20mg IR. It made me feel wonderful. It gave me that initial kick donut discribed. I told my doc that I loved it but my focus was only at about 60% (which was a huge improvement). He said we should push for 100% and increased my dossage to 30mg. I felt like I was overly stimulated and didn't like it. He gave me the script for 25XR (which was super $$$) but now I'm wondering if i can go back to my cheap IR and just try Sandoz 30mg.