People’s Pharmacy: Generic Adderall disappoints people with ADHD
Q. I need to take Adderall for attention deficit disorder. My prescription has been filled with generics that are ineffective and causing me serious health issues. Of course, everyone thinks I am crazy!
It is affecting my mood, my memory, my intestines, my body and especially my head. Because Adderall is a controlled substance, I am stuck with this disgusting generic for three months, and I am livid. I am angry, sick, aching, and generally feeling terrible. Why can’t we just get the brand-name drug? It’s what we are prescribed.
A. You are not the only one who is struggling with generic amphetamines. The Food and Drug Administration has been reporting shortages of this medication for months.
Adderall and its generic formulations (mixed amphetamine salts) are prescribed for people with attention difficulties. When the drug is not available, people who rely on it may suffer. Some complain of withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, depression and irritability.
When brand name Adderall is available, it may cost as much as $300 a month. While there are some generics, we have heard from others that they don’t always work like the brand. Another reader shared this:
“Comparing brand name Adderall to generics is like comparing mountain stream water to swamp water in Florida. There is a wild difference in effectiveness.”
Please let the FDA know about your experience via MedWatch. Perhaps the agency will investigate if enough people complain.
Q. I am perplexed, as are my doctors. Because I take a statin, I have low total cholesterol and LDL levels. My Lp(a) level is also good, yet my arterial calcium score keeps climbing. What’s going on?
A. The statin you have been taking might be responsible for your increasing coronary artery calcification score (Journal of the American College of Cardiology, April 7, 2015). (This is sometimes referred to as an Agatston score.)
The CAC has traditionally been used as a risk factor for predicting heart disease. But since statins can increase the CAC, cardiologists have been looking for other explanations (Clinical Cardiology, June ). Some have suggested that calcified plaque is more stable and therefore less likely to lead to a heart attack.
You can learn more about the pros and cons of statins and nondrug approaches to reducing the risk of heart disease in our “eGuide to Cholesterol Control and Heart Health.” This online resource may be found under the Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
Q. I took Paxlovid, and I am glad I did. I am 63, and I have diabetes and high blood pressure, perhaps because I am overweight.
The day that I tested positive for COVID-19, I started taking medication. My fever was gone, and I felt better in two days. However, I was still fatigued for the rest of the month. I cannot imagine what my bout with COVID-19 would have been like without Paxlovid.
A. A recent study looked at COVID-19 outcomes for people like you with one or more risk factors such as overweight or diabetes (JAMA Internal Medicine, March 23).
Those who took Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir + ritonavir) were about 25% less likely to develop long COVID-19. Even more impressive, they were only about half as likely to die from COVID-19.
The ingredients in Paxlovid have the potential to interact badly with a number of other drugs. People offered a prescription for this antiviral medicine should ask the prescriber and the pharmacist to check on other medications with an eye to avoiding interactions.
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, Fla., 32803, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.”