I have been prescribed Adderall, then Vyvanse for my MDD. At first at worked, but now I feel tired all the time and wonder if it could be the Vyvanse. MY pdoc got mad at me and said Vyvanse couldn't cause someone to be tired.

Hi, I have wondered the same thing about switching from Adderall ER 30's (twice per day, morning and noon) to Vivance. The firs try at Vivance was, once per day at 70 mg (not enough bang for the boom, then we later tried 50 mg Vivanse twice per day (morning and noon). Vivanse is like a "sleeper" drug compared to Adderall XR, and wait I'm not done yet, Adderall XR is like a sleeper drug compared to kick in the butt action of the Adderall 30's (pill form not the capsule like the XR's.

Wait, wait, I'm still not done yet!!

It is my opinion and experience (after 10 years of taking legal, and doctor recommended dosage(but increasing over the years) levels of the "old" Shire brand of Adderall (before they sold the mixed amphetamine salts formulation to Barr Pharma, and now Teva Pharma).

Wait for it! Here it is! Blasphemy in print, you know, the "new" prescription "Adderall", the pill form?, those orange and sickly-sweet tasting scored tablets, the real stuff (or rather as real as it gets since it does not say ADD on the back of the pill anymore, but dP (hey, why not bp? for barr pharmaceutical?)

The same Adderall brand name that I paid ($$$) dearly for under the Shire branded name, had become Adderall brand name but made by Barr Pharmaceutical.

Now get this!!

As a former Shire Adderall Formula user, I offer the following conceited opinion (based on a standard deviation of plus or minus one, also with a sample population total where p = one, (namely myself) and with an estimated correlation coefficient of 99.999% accuracy (with respect to this survey), I am prepared to tell you that when the “generic formula” for Adderall was available (i.e. before Shire sold the rights to manufacture the mixed amphetamine salts pill formula) the “generic” version for that same “pill” was at that time being made by guess who)? (no brainer huh?).

I once tried the generic formula since it was sooooooo much less expensive than the “real stuff”, but it Sucked wind. The generic formula was “impotent” as compared to the real deal name brand (Shire brand) Adderall! No kick in the butt, gentlemen start your engines sort of thing. No more 40 minutes (I could count em down, T- 40 and counting, down to race-time gentlemen, when I Knew that I was back in the drivers seat, ready to think straight again).

The generic version was like ho-hum, will we ever get the green flag? Did I forget to take my noon-time pill or what? The change in forumula for me was a dramatic one but totally unexpected and unseen at the time. It was a month before I realized that the pills no longer had the ADD logo on the back of them. They looked the same, tasted the same, and they came in a bottle that read the same (except for the fine print that is!). Who looks at the fine print when ADDERALL is plastered all over the bottle, and I just spent over three hundred dollars getting this prescription filled?

Whatever I am feeling, it cannot be the drug; I had the doctor specifically state on the special Schedule II prescription form: NAME BRAND ONLY, NO SUBSTITUTIONS, ADDERALL 30 mg tablets! It must be me? Why is this happening? Why don’t I feel the way I used to feel when I took my medicine? Why has my work performance changed, and why can’t I think anymore? Why do I seem to be overwhelmed by the easiest tasks that I used to do no problem? Why don’t I get along with my supervisors anymore? Why did I get fired from my job of 27 years?

Because its not the same medication that’s why.

I know there must be at least three or four others of you out there that probably noticed the difference right away? If you are out there, will you please write me back, and let me know about your experience and what you have done to get back on track?

I am going to ask my Shrink about Ritalin (methylphenidate?) Anybody got any useful advice about this switch? I stopped taking the Adderall XR because even though it is a Shire product, it just did not work for me like the Shire brand Adderall did (or used to anyway).

The Vyvanse is a total disappointment, its not as bad as caffeine is with the tummy ache side effects but its about as good as caffeine is at getting my head on straight and allowing my neurons to talk to each other in some coordinated effort.

By the way, I have tried generic Prozac, with nothing good to report. I have tried generic Zoloft (seratiline, something like that or similar) nothing but sleepiness, lack of focus and no ambition whatsoever. Depakote was there for a long, long time, but I never figured out what good it did besides taking away the headaches that I got when I first started taking the Adderall, even at low dosages (10 mg). OCD is my game, mix in a little ADD and Asperger’s and I am pretty well compartmentalized and pigeonholed described I guess.

I want to thank all of the one or two of you who may have actually read this far. Did I tell you too much information? Should I be embarrassed now? Will you talk to a complete stranger, or have we perhaps not “chewed the fat enough” to be on such intimate terms??

Mrc109 (not my real name)

P.S. My pen name is “Connard” (parley vouse france?)