Generic Meds

[Miss K]

Has anyone had problems with generic meds being screwed up? With what I am experiencing right now, there is NO WAY that the generic I just started taking is the same as the last one. There's just literally no way. Then I started reading online about how the FDA has pretty liberal definitions about what they consider "identical" to be.

Well I'm really sensitive to medication...and it's great to find out about their liberal definition AFTER starting to take this new batch of pills and have my brain screwed up...grrr.

[DANA]

Hello Miss K! I am very curious which generic medication you are taking? I have always wondered about the generic brand because I have experienced times in which I had good months and other times when the 30 days of my prescription just seem to be missing something. Very odd!

[tere]

In my experience, generic Prozac made me very nauseous and Prozac never did, so there had to be something different about them. I also took generic Celexa and responded terribly to it. Although I had never taken Celexa, I had taken Lexapro, which is an enhanced, refined version of Celexa, and did very well on that. My response to the generic Celexa was so unsettling that I quit taking it. I didn't sleep for three weeks!!!! Good luck getting on track with the right meds. When they work well, it can be a miracle.

[Bryan Hutchinson]

Interesting, because this is something I recently asked Dr. Parker to write about. I will let you all know if/when he does. I was taking a generic SSRI when I had my bad reaction and withdrawal syndrome... I wonder if there is a connection.... good question!

[NerdyMommy]

When I first started taking ADHD meds, I was taking generic Ritalin... started out with methylphenidate, but then had to go to a specific generic, Methlyn. My doctor actually indicated on the prescription that it had to be Methlyn, and not any of the other generics. Maybe if you can find out the manufacturer of the one that works for you, you can ask your doctor to specify that you need to have that particular generic?

[Miss K]

Dammit people! I really wanted someone to tell me I was imagining this and over-reacting because it really freaks me out that this can happen.

I take Vyvanse, generic Celexa and generic Buspar.

The combo was GREAT, I was feeling fantastic, when I switched my generic Celexa (citalopram). So it's actually a switch from one generic to another...the pills weren't even the same size (although they are both stamped "20") or the same color...and get this...I have a family member who had the same problem...with the same pharmacy, with the same drug. So, I'm thinking the generic they are stocking is bunk.

I am very med sensitive...and I'm telling you, within 24 hours I felt like crap again, no joke. After 5 days now, by last night, I didn't want to leave the couch. I feel just like I did when I first started taking it, anxious and crappy...and the jaw clenching is back...all of this had gone away, and now it's back, so I'm thinking this one might be stronger than the last one???

I'm calling my prescriber right now...thanks for weighing in, seriously.

[NerdyMommy]

Good luck, Miss K... I know it's incredibly frustrating - not to mention physically and mentally unpleasant. Keep us posted...

[DANA]

Miss K, it is much better to check it out and get the facts to determine if your generic meds are the problem. There is never a dull moment in the life of an ADDer and I truly understand how frustrating it is!

Hopefully, this is very temporary and your doctor will prescribe you the original meds that were working successfully! Hang in there!

[Miss K]

Oh lordy gee...so I called my prescriber and he wasn't coming in until 5pm. I actually felt better today than yesterday so I figured I would just wait for him to call me when he came in. Unfortunately when he called back I was in a meeting...ack! So I called him when I was done and...he had left the office and won't be back until next Tuesday.......aaaaaah! Man, does this guy get paid to work, or just drive me nuts? Haha...

So I left a message for any of the other "prescribers" in the office to look at my chart and please call me back. Anxiety-wise, I feel better today but the tight jaw is about to drive me nuts ;P

My mom suggested a good idea too...I'm going to go to the pharmacy and just ask them about the one they're stocking and if they know anything about differences between the manufacturers. Can't hurt to get a little more info. (She also said that both she and my dad have had similar problems with other drugs where the generic simply did not work.)

So tomorrow morning I should be able to get some more info. Hurrah! Thank you all again for your feedback, I'll let you know what I find out. It is a RELIEF to have people to bounce these things off of, especially when having to wait for my "team" to be available for me. I think they're a little understaffed at the mental health center, and the guy that I see is the "new guy" in the office that they got because they were already overloaded. Within 6 months his schedule has gone from open every couple weeks to being booked out 6 weeks in advance and they send him to two different offices now. Wow!

[Miss K]

Okey doke peeps...I talked to one of the other prescribers at the mental health center.

She agreed that it sounded like the new generic citalopram was screwing with my poor brain, and that it sounds like the new one is more potent than the last one. She said the difference between manufacturers can be up to 20%...yikes! She told me to do split doses every other day...so full dose one day, half dose the next, so that I am lowering the levels a little bit in my body, just a smidge. She said do that for a week and if the side effects clear up, then we'll definitely know that this was the problem. Because I had had these sides before, and then they went away, she thinks they'll go away if I try that. Because I'm so danged med sensitive, I agreed to try it because it's not like I'll have to wait weeks to find out, lol, I'll know within a couple days. That will get me through to when my regular guy is in and then we can check in about it. Whew.

Just to be clear, I am not offering this information as any kind of medical advice to anyone else, this is why MY medical people told me to do. If YOUR meds aren't working, talk to your own med team before doing anything because you could screw up yer brain!

But wow...what an education, and interesting to know that so many others have this problem. We rely on the FDA to regulate these drugs...now I'm questioning what that even means, AND why my tax dollars are being spent on it, lol...

[Andrew]

I switched to a generic form of adderral because the name brand was costing me $100 more a month. I told my Doctor that I didn't think it worked as well and he said that there can be a difference. He upped my dosage and it about evened out for me. The pharmacist didn't think that I could tell but I had been on it for 6 years by that point and I definatly knew.

[DANA]

Thank you for sharing Andrew!

I am taking the generic form of Adderall, I have been on it for three months and it is my very first time. I have NEVER tried the original form so all I know is the generic form of this medication.

Keeping that in mind, I have been taking 20 mg Adderall one time daily for three months. Just a few days ago, I went for my appointment with my psychiatrist. My psychiatrist decided that I should be taking Adderall twice a day, instead of only once.

I am fine with that, but what I disagreed with my psychiatrist is that she wants me to take ONLY 10 mg in the morning and 10 mg in the early afternoon. My body is used to taking the dose 20 mg so I personally believe that I need to stay on this dose and that I should NOT decrease my dosage.

I explained how I felt about the decrease in dosage, but my psychiatrist refused to increase the dose for my prescription. This is so frustrating for me. I understand that she is very conservative with medication, but it makes no common sense to decrease the dosage of Adderall that I have already gotten used to at 20 mg.

I try to keep an open mind and cooperate with my psychiatrist. I did attempt to try the Adderall by taking 10 mg in the morning and taking 10 mg in the early afternoon. However, in all reality, this dosage is TOO LOW. My body is not responding as well to the decreased dosage and I personally feel that this change in my medication is not advantageous or beneficial for me.

My psychiatrist wants me to follow this new change in dosage for one solid month, but I am very disappointed and I do not want to waste one entire month or risk getting messed up with the wrong dosage.

Any suggestions? Should I go with the flow for one month or should I contact my psychiatrist after one week and explain that this dosage is too low and that I need an increase?

[Miss K]

Dana - "Any suggestions? Should I go with the flow for one month or should I contact my psychiatrist after one week and explain that this dosage is too low and that I need an increase?" Here's what I'd do Dana...again, not medical advice, just what I would do just being myself...and being someone who gets annoyed when docs tell me stuff that I don't think makes sense...

I'd wait a week and if you feel it's not working, call them and be really specific about why you think it's not working, and ask what your options are. I would also ask her (maybe you already did, but if not) why she's asking you to do this...sometimes they're not so great about explaining why they want us to do these things unless we figure out the right questions to ask. And it's our right to know!

When I took Strattera I know I took a split dose like that and it actually helped me, BUT, Strattera and Adderall are totally different drugs, and totally different TYPES of drugs...so I wouldn't even consider that a parallel situation...just mentioning it because I was thinking that maybe there's a reason she wants you to do this but she wasn't clear about it or something...good luck :)