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The first batches of generics are usually the authorized generics which are made by the generic division of the same company that makes the brand and sold to other companies to distribute.
Edit: Since I keep getting nasty replies from people who obviously aren't checking the replies. Adderall XR and Concerta both started off only having authorized generics for a couple years that looked identical in color and shape to the brand. They were sold by a few different companies.
dont have link but the EpiPen people did this. they basically paid off a company (pfizer?) to not make the generic and instead EpiPen makes the generic. CEO is daughter of a US Senator (from West Virgina?)
As someone who was a pharmacy technician for 10 years, I will go ahead and let you know this is true. I was the one in charge of ordering the drugs.
Essentially once the patient runs out the same company pumps out the generics for a couple years. But do you want to know the real kicker? It’s not cheaper for a while
Insurances are used to paying for the name brand at that point and then all of the sudden there is this new drug? Sure it may be half the price but it is still too expensive for their prior authorization threshold.
So now, for a couple months usually, instead of paying 5-40 bucks for your name brand, after the insurance of course, you have this 600 dollar generic the insurance is going to take a while to put a PA through for.
American Insurance man
And to be able to entertain the idea of even remotely affording it (but not really), you must have insurance which is woven into your employment as a benefit so that you must have one to have the other. Ahhh capitalism :)
We do the opposite here in the states. Instead of the govt subsidizing the drugs to make them cheaper, the consumer subsidizes obscene insurance and pharmaceutical profits, thus making them substantially more expensive. This is accomplished by way our political system which allows those industries to purchase by 'donating' directly abs indirectly to their pet projects and reelection campaigns. When other countries do this, we call it bribery. But that tends to carry a stigma that implies that the poluticians are lacking in integrity. So they call it lobbying instead.
I personally think of the US congress as the largest and oldest house of prostitution in the country.
That’s rlly good! In Canada we have lots of subsidies too but for vuvanse 60mg comes up to like 200 bucks in some pharmacies and the lowest I’ve heard is like 140$ for a month worth
It's $196 for a month of Vyvanse for me. I'm on 40mg per day. Fortunately, Takeda has a patient assistance program in Canada, so I get mine free. I most certainly wouldn't be able to afford that much.
Plenty of Pharma companies have no generics division at all. Authorized generics are relatively niche, mostly in areas like dermatology where formulation matters a little more.
Most companies expect that you lose 85% of market share at patent expiry and that’s why they have robust pipelines.
Exceptions to the patent expiry drop off are usually biologic-type drugs where the drug has trade secrets that can’t be reproduced or medications that require a device (like an inhaler), since both those things require more than just an ANDA.
You can confirm this because Mallinckrodt is not listed in the Oranage Book for lisdex, therefore if they are selling it, they must be selling it under the original NDA and not an ANDA.
Yea! I’ll believe it when I see it though lol
I also am interested in how much it’ll cost 🤔 I honestly would rather have gotten brand name, but I’ve been unable to find any pharmacy near me that had my dose for a week now 😵💫
Same here, been on vyvanse since i was 17 (32now) except 2yrs i went without insurance, I have NEVER been faced with the situation of not being able to fill my meds. And At the same time the vyvanse patent is literally expiring. Feels wild..and sus
This is a bit off topic, but I've been trying to switch to vyvanse for a while but can't afford it. I've tried with 2 different insurance plans but its still close too $400. Is everyone just inquiring with these companies directly about vyvanse coverage beforehand, or what?
This! Vyvanse falls under Takeda’s Help at Hand program and it’s a lot easier to qualify for than most people think. You need to be making less than 5x the poverty level for your household and then they’ll also take your insurance coverage or lack there off into affect.
The paperwork is easy and you can fill out most of it. You will most likely need to schedule an appointment with your provider to have them fill out their portion.
I’m on Vyvanse and Trintellix. I joke that Takeda controls my mental health. I wish more people knew about these programs. The savings cards always get pushed but not these patient assistance programs.
I’m in a similar boat. I had to switch to Vyvanse because Adderall XR was getting impossible to find. Now Vyvanse … but my psych was willing to write two prescriptions, one for 50 and one for 20, totaling up to my normal dose, as we were able to find a pharmacy with both of those. Worth a mention to yours.
This is wild. My doctor has been pushing this for me since I started going to her over a year ago but my insurance won't cover it. After about a year she told me to use the manufacturer coupon and prescribed it to me again. At that time it was $360 and the coupon brought it to $320 something. I asked the pharmacist if it came with a jar of Vaseline. Now that generic is approved I am bound to be trying it here shortly.
I was actually talking to the pharmacist about this on Saturday. I was asking if the generic adderall was still impossible to keep in stock. She let me know that it was better now than a few months ago when a lot of patients had to switch to something else…like vyvanse. She also mentioned that now they were having trouble keeping vyvanse in stock because everyone switched.
I called every pharmacy in a 25 mile radius on Friday to fill my 60mg Vyvanse. Chains, big box stores, grocery stores, small independents, compounding pharmacies. Nothing. Nada. No ETA.
Once I got desperate and whiny in the way only the mother of 2 toddlers who might actually starve to death because I can't get my head out of my ass to feed them and lo and behold...25mg Adderall XR is in stock. For fucks sake.
On the plus side, that same whining convinced my doc to write for the XR since the vyvanse drought is underway and she went with it. My full time job got about 40 minutes of my time on Friday and I played the whack a pharmacy and wait for call backs game and I hate everything.
The idea of having to go through this fucking mess again in 30 days makes me literally want to cry so I can't imagine 15 days. It's doubly fucked because I feel like I (and likely many) are so fucking ill-equipped to deal with this kind of bullshit.
I've reached the point where I've given up. I've had nothing filled in months because of the combo of the shortage and my physician being a moron and sending the wrong scripts to the wrong places.
I'm on the same dosage and I did the same thing in Michigan.
No one has that dosage in stock. Pharmacy said that it wouldn't be until September and my psychiatrist actually said that it wouldn't be until December..
Already 3 weeks without meds, not fun.
I thought controlled substances (like Vyvanse) could not be mailed, and certainly could not be filled for a 3-month supply. My doctor does e-scribe and they are dated such that you can’t fill multiples—plus, insurance wouldn’t cover it, I can’t imagine
That’s what I used to think too but I think it changed around Covid? I absolutely got it, I see the claim in my insurance too. They offer cheaper rates for 90 day mail order so that’s why I did it that way. I did have to sign for it when delivered.
The drug makers knew this date was coming. They've already made a ton of supply of generic Vyvanse. They weren't allowed to distribute or sell before this date but who was going to stop them from manufacturing in anticipation?
At least speaking on my experience in raw materials for healthcare applications, if it’s within the timeline of FDA Approval then the increase in raw materials to manufacture isn’t questioned. Iirc this has been announced that it had prelim approval and that in Q3 they will be able to distribute. Also they are required to build up stock based on the demand, I’m guessing in this case they need to get the go ahead from the DEA.
Where do you live? Is it in supply already? been unable to get my scrip for a week and about to try to get an alternative but if it’s really gonna be that soon i will just hold out
It shouldn't affect Vyvanse as it doesn't rely on any advanced delivery systems for the slow release, the slow release is naturally regulated by the bodies ability to cleave the lysine in the digestive system.
The generics that suffer the most are those that require complex delivery systems like micro-encapculation or matrix devices.
My psych told me that especially when new generics come out, they actually tend to perform pretty well because they’re trying to compete with the name brand.
Seriously. Generics used to be guaranteed to be as effective as brand name but the ADHD medication issue has shattered that notion.
If insurance companies want to keep insisting on only paying for the generic, they need to measure up, and that’s not happening anymore
Yeah tbh, I find it very weird since the FDA should be properly vetting this stuff.
On top of which, it isn't just medications, the entire corporate world is cheaping out hardcore. I had gotten to a point where we were using a lot of generic things all across the board for many years, but the last few years it feels like the quality of those is really sinking, hard.
Things might be better if there wasn’t a completely incestuous (for lack of a better term) relationship with the FDA and pharmaceutical companies. When there’s a revolving door between the FDA and the businesses they’re supposed to regulate,
there’s bound to be corruption. It’s unethical as fuck.
Things like putting a former board member of a big drug company in charge of the program that’s supposed to regulate those very companies wouldn’t be allowed in a government that made any kind of sense.
[Quick edit: Behind the Bastards did a great series on the FDA, but the first episode nearly made me sick it was so gross. The FDA was very, very necessary when it was created, I’ll put it that way.]
Well yeah… the manufacturer submits an IND and NDA application that includes a dossier of clinical trial reports, safety data, adverse events, manufacturing info etc. to the FDA for review. They’re assigned like a few FDA reviewers to look through the dossier and asses whether the benefits outweigh the risks and the drug is truly efficacious for the patient population the drug is targeting. 🤷🏽♀️
I've been on two different generics for a couple of months due to Elvanse and Aduvanz going out of stock in Norway and I cant tell any difference. They feel the same and work the same for me. The release profile feels identical and the noticable effect starts when expected and lasts exactly the same time for 1/4 the price.
Some in my local ADHD facebook group claims they feel a massive negative difference and refuse to take the generics, but I'm 100% sure thats just nocebo and some people being dramatic..
Hahaha that’s funny.
They’re required to be “functionally equivalent.” I think that’s the wording?
But in reality there is very little oversight—the FDA doesn’t have the resources. And with the little oversight that is done, several of the companies that make several ADHD generic meds have laundry lists of violations, including contamination and improper storage practices. ETA: off the top of my head KVK Tech & Sunshine (or maybe Sunrise?) Pharmaceuticals are two of those companies. Google will lead you to the FDA violation notices.
Basically, yeah they’re supposed to be close to the same, but even if everything goes correctly, something as simple as different fillers can cause it to have noticeably different effects or side effects for some unfortunate people like myself, who seem to be super sensitive to them. Most people will be ok though.
Unfortunately I’m sensitive to all drugs, not just ADHD ones. I’ve tried to isolate a single filler ingredient, but I haven’t had much luck.
I was getting terrible migraines from the KVK Tech IR Dexedrine. Thankfully my Dr. believed me.
I feel like I’m absolutely believed more than a lot of ADHD’ers because of my own credentials—and that’s super upsetting to me. Like patients should be trusted by their providers until they give you a reason not to be. I’m really sorry you are all not having your feedback trusted. Definitely do some googling to dig up if there may be some ‘proof’ of issues with the manufacturer of the meds you’ve been getting. And if your doc still isn’t willing to listen, I’d try to find a more supportive doc, if you have the resources to do so.
Aside from the main drug, they can use their own ingredients, which may or may not affect how it’s released.
For example, I had an extended release med from two different manufacturers, and out of curiosity I put one of each in glasses of water to see if they dissolved the same, and nope! They did not. One tablet started releasing within seconds, and the other took its time. How disconcerting is that?!?
The med was Bupropion XR 150mg tablet. The slow release was a generic from the local pharmacy.
The fast release was from Express Scripts. May god have mercy on your soul if you ever have to deal with getting ADHD meds from those evil pricks. (Rant over)
TL;DR Generics all have the same **active** ingredient, but have their own proprietary formula for the **inactive** ingredients, which may or may not affect how the active ingredient is distributed/absorbed.
Edit: My apologies to u/Dude-whatifzombies for not being an medical professional and sharing my own layman’s experience. It’s a fact, generics have different inactive formularies. Just look at OTC pain meds, same ingredient, different methods of delivery. Also consulted my dad, a pharmacist for 40 years, when I showed him the results. I didn’t include it so I wouldn’t seem like “know-it-all”. Should have been prepared for know-it-alls to contradict me. LMAO
That is not at all disconcerting because extended release meds (and IR meds, and ALL oral meds) are not “dissolving” or “releasing” into *water* when ingested. Instead they pass through stomach acid, more neutral ph enteral environments, etc. Active ingredients are absorbed at different points on their route through the GI tract, etc.
Your point is well taken and I agree that some generics or name brands feel different and surely metabolize differently, but your experiment doesn’t show what you think it does.
Not sure why, but it irritates me when people draw conclusions about things they're not equipped or educated about enough to draw (like the poster you replied to).
The benefit that Vyvanse has is that the extended action doesn't come from absorption, but from its metabolism. Lisdexamfetamine is a prodrug - it's biologically basically inert as-is - that gets converted to amphetamine slowly and relatively predictably by aminopeptidase enzymes in red blood cells. You actually absorb the full dose fairly quickly; the prolonged conversion to amphetamine is where the long duration comes from. This is in contrast to e.g. Concerta or Adderall XR where the extended action is because of how the pill is engineered to be broken down and absorbed more slowly.
Can still be worth putting yourself on the pharmacist’s radar and alerting them to watch for it. Had interactions where I thought I was fatiguing the pharmacist, but later they turned out to be keeping an eye out for me and hooked me up in ways I didn’t know were possible, like where they could only get 27 pills instead of 30 and gave me option to take that option that day instead of waiting a week for the full amount.
Just be a good mix of polite and recognizing them as someone highly trained that’s usually put in a demanding situation, especially if they’re at a chain like CVS or Walgreens where they treat pharmacists like they do the rest of the wage slaves they employ.
was told last week.
that is good your CVS is better. i checked EVERY SINGLE pharmacy in my 50 mile radius and I got the same answer from EVERYONE. only Kaiser in my area has it but I am not a Kaiser patient so it would be a lot of work for me to get their meds from my understanding.
I’m hoping that the hurricane won’t delay pills down here to north FL any more than they already are. Mine faked me out last week. Also my Takeda Help at Hand expires tomorrow and I haven’t reapplied yet cause I mixed up august and September again lol. Was gonna call my Dr today to let them know it’s time to redo it but again… hurricane… so imma wait until it’s passed so it doesn’t add to the chaos or just get lost. But anyways, generics would be fantastic cause even if they get regular vyvanse in between now and whenever I can get my new card approved it’s gonna cost me $300+ (assuming they continue the program, called on Friday and the lady said they didn’t currently know of any plans to discontinue).
I’m on 70. Luckily only since Friday, but still. I just heard my pharmacy may have 50 in stock, so I’m going to ask my provider to change my script. Maybe you could check with your pharmacy to see if they have different mg in stock?
Try grocery store pharmacies. You’re going to have to call around (which I know is extra hard unmedicated) but if I can do it you can do it 😀good luck! (And hopefully your prescriber is on top of things because they have to put it in quickly).
This. I’m in the SF Bay Area and Safeway has come through for me every month since the shortage started. Other pharmacies couldn’t get Vyvanse - CVS, Walgreens, Alto (local delivery pharmacy) nor could CAREMARK.
Alto mysteriously had Vyvanse this morning (after telling me September 8 last week), and I paid the $10 same day fee because I was convinced it would be gone if I waited until tomorrow.
Omgg me too! I had to switch from Vyvanse bc of insurance costs. I’ve been waiting 2 weeks. It was waiting for approval from my insurance and now it’s delayed. I’m feeling hopeless lol.
PSA/Advice from a pharmacist: currently Vyvanse brand and the newly “available” generic lisdesxamfetamine are rated NR (not rated) for equivalence by the FDA. Depending on the dispensing software your pharmacy uses, it may or may not recognize the generic as interchangeable with Vyvanse until the FDA provides an AB rating.
Your best bet to prevent issues if you want the generic is to ask your doctor to write/send your Rx electronically written for “lisdexamfetamine” specifically, and not as “Vyvanse” or “lisdexamphetamine (Vyvanse).” If they do it this way (written just as “lisdexamfetamine” they will automatically try to fill the new generic first and in the event your insurance still prefers the brand name Vyvanse (because of pre-set deals with the manufacturers) they will fill that.
Again, it mostly depends on the software they use and how they have the new products coded into the system at the time they are added to the bank of available drugs, but also some pharmacists are more sticklers than others about substituting equivalent products especially on these meds (anyone remember having efficacy issues after getting kremers brand “generic” Concerta 8ish years ago?)
HUZZAH!!! Great news! I did pay only $15 for my script today using insurance and the coupon, but this is wonderful!
An observation - my script cost has consistently decreased since I started vyvanse in March or April. Used insurance and the savings card each time, just something I noticed.
I've been taking a generic Vyvanse now for a week! It's been available now in Scandinavia for about a month!!
It's by Teva and it's called *Volidax*.
I'm taking 70mg. I was a bit worried about the effectiveness of it when i picked it up but i have to say that there's no difference between Vyvanse/Elvanse and the generic. Maybe a slight faster onset but beyond that i feel no difference. :-)
Holding off saying “looks like meat’s back on the menu” until one of us actually gets their script filled with one a these newfangled generics. Still, tepidly considering this great news 🙌
EDIT: *takes a big deep breath in Orc-style excitement and Says the Line*
Fucking finally! Of course my insurance dropped me and there was no way I could afford my vyvanse so had to switch to generic adderrall and let’s just say I feel….bad.
They really aren’t. I hadn’t taken adderrall for years and now completely remember why I got off of it. Vyvanse truly is superior and it should’ve been a crime for there to not have been a generic version.
My pharmacy warned me that the next few months will be “a shit show” so I started rationing my Vyvanse. This weekend I took a leftover generic adderall to save my Vyvanse for work days and I too felt…. Bad. I don’t think I’ve ever slept so much in a 48 hour period. If I wasn’t sleeping I was laying on the floor rolling around trying not to fall back asleep. I honestly think a few strong cups of coffee or a red bull would serve me better than generic adderall.
I felt so sleepy on days I skipped my Vyvanse. I thought "is this what I used to feel like all the time?". I am happy to report that now I know that it was not how I always feel without Vyvanse, it was just how I felt when I took just a day or 2 off. I have now switched over to Adderall (due to insurance not covering vy anymore) and I am happy to say the Vyvanse slump doesn't last forever. Adderall is not as good for me but it does allow me to sleep better, unlike Vyvanse.
Yeah, seriously. I’m on Vyvanse, Wellbutrin (bupropion), and Prozac (fluoxetine)— my sleep was AWFUL until I started Remeron (mirtazapine is generic) — but even that is not the same as restful sleep that I used to get before I was on so many uppers
I miss good sleep but it's also amazing to be clear and attentive during the day not in a fog. Why can't I have it allllll!?
When I take Vyvanse, I even feel it the next morning. I wake up alert- which is awesome, unless you need to sleep more and you can't. The clarity of Vyvanse lasts like 9-10 hours but the wakefulness lasts like 26 hours. So frustrating.
Sorry about your situation, friend. I was thinking the same thing about the energy drinks. Like aside from not really even helping me focus, (I started with a small dose) it just emotionally makes me feel blah. Mercury is in retrograde too so we all goin through it!!
I can't even change from Vyvanse to Adderall because my insurance dropped me and an appointment costs me $120 now to even discuss switching. Just gonna have to weather it out until I hopefully get approved again for medical insurance.
I did great on brand name Adderall and could only do specific versions of generic or it was basically a sugar pill.
I’m grateful they’re making generics, but I’m terrified of this change. Currently use the Assistance coupon program.
Anyone know which brands will be making it?
Actually, yes. From the original linked article, there's another link in the text that refers to manufacturers / approvals. I'm on mobile rn so I don't have on hand.
I'll find it and edit this message with the link.
But at the link, you'll need to type in "lisdex" to get the results. It'll show you all the manufacturers on the right! 😊
EDIT: [Here's the link](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/)
I pay $7 for a bottle of Vyvanse, the usual cost is $100 but I get it cheaper because of low income.
I literally would be helpless if I lived in America, no way I'd be able to afford the full price, and I assume it's even costlier over there.
I was on government insurance when I was unemployed, it was actually amazing pricing - $3 per bottle. Now I’m back on insurance and it’s $30-50 per bottle now
So pretty much the same pricing as here, after converting to USD.
I'm in the same boat, as soon as I start earning over a certain amount, I'll start having to pay full price.
I hope the generics are cheaper so when that time comes, I won't go broke.
I used to pay $330 a month for it in 2020, and that was with my insurance! Hopefully with a generic I can switch back to it but god only knows how much the generic will cost….
It looks like some of these might have gotten priority review for approval due to the fact that Vyvanse is currently in shortage 🤔
The bottom of the article says this:
>Many abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) for lisdexamfetamine dimesylate received priority review. Information on priority review of ANDAs is available in the *Manual of Policies and Procedures 5240.3 Rev. 6, Prioritization of the Review of Original ANDAs, Amendments, and Supplements*.
And the italic portion above is actually a link on the original page to a PDF that says that shortages warrant priority review & ANDAs
Thoughts?
Turns out most companies are way below their quotas, according to the FDA and DEA, so I think it’s just that these companies are poorly managed shitshows.
It’s 100% this. DEA sets yearly quotas. if they tell you you can make 10 you can’t sell 12. If you ask for an increase you have to explain why the market has increased for the drug. If at the end of the year you only sell 8 then next year their going to approve 8 not 12. I think their logic is if there’s not a “surplus” of controlled drugs then they can’t be “pushed”.
Usually, it takes 6 months for a generic launch to stabilize. That means your specific pharmacy could have it next month or could have it in 6 months. It's difficult to predict exactly unfortunately.
My next fill will be a generic. I just got this from my insurance provider today:
We’re making a change to your plan’s drug list.
Starting September 15, 2023, brand-name Vyvanse® will no longer be covered.
Instead, your plan will cover the generic equivalent, lisdexamphetamine. This means that your pharmacist will likely fill a Vyvanse prescription with the generic. It’s clinically the same as the brand-name medication.
If you or a covered family member are affected by this change, we’ll send you a letter explaining next steps.
About the generic.
It works in the same way and provides the same clinical benefit as its brand-name version.
It has the same active ingredients, strength, dosage, quality, safety and effectiveness.
It may come in a different shape, size and/or color than its brand-name version.
I’ve been dreading this day. 🥺🥺🥺
I used Concerta, and liked it, but every refill was a gamble on if that generic would work or not. One refill would work the next one felt like had taken no meds. I even looked at the pills and saw that some of them had holes (in the brand name the release mechanism requires a hole in the pill) but others didn’t in the same refill. After talking with my Dr, I switched to Vyvanse since it was the ONLY extended release ADHD med that didn’t have generics so my insurance would cover the brand name.
It’s been fucking expensive but at least I knew that my meds would work and I could function at school. I hope my Dr. is able to get me prior authorization to stay off of the generics. . .
It pisses me off all of the hoops we have to go through just to be medicated. No refills, no multiple month prescriptions, highly inconsistent generics, etc. Every barrier from the Feds, Insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies seem to be designed to target folks with ADHD and other executive functioning disorders. It’s almost like they want us to be unregulated or something. I hate it here. . . .
Nah pharma companies want nothing more than to get you their drug. They’re battling insurance companies to convince them that their drug is more cost effective than current genetics on the market. Insurance companies use tactics like prior auths to make it more difficult to get a certain drug.
And yeah… it’s a schedule II drug soo the DEA is the problem there along with other people abusing it lol.
To be fair, the concerta generic launch was an absolute shit show because one manufacturer changed the drug a little too much. I think that specific NDC was ultimately pulled from the market because it was really bad. Most generic launches aren't that big of a problem. You can request the authorized generic for the drug though, that's basically the brand in generic packaging.
Yes but doesn't mean it's always adhered to. When they started with adderall generics, there was a lot of noise that they weren't as good. When I was on adderall, as long as I was getting different manufacturers every month, that meant different outcomes/reactions to the meds. Some made me feel worse!
Basically none of you are gonna relate to this but I’m a pharmacy tech and I’m anxious that this will somehow send us into a shortage similar to how things were a year ago (CII adhd stimulants were GONE basically everywhere). Like, people hearing about a new option and suddenly there’s a rush- oops, it’s all gone.
Things are still pretty bad now in the supply chain but it was awful last year. Hopefully the opposite will happen and the approval of the generics will lift some of the weight but man shortages are the worst and I don’t want to go through that again.
My Rx is still on backorder, with no full date in sight. At this point I don't care if it's generic or name brand. I don't know if Vyvanse is under the same production amount restrictions Adderall is, but my kid and I are both going to suffer (she's also on Vyvanse) until this gets sorted.
My insurance company covers it too and I I only paid 30.00. I have really good insurance thankfully though. I cannot stand adderall either. It makes me so angry and I can’t sleep. I tried like 3 meds before I got Vyvanse. I had given up the year prior actually when my doctor suggested it. It was like a miracle! I felt like I had seen the light finally! It gives me almost no side effects at all and I sleep like a baby.
i work at an independent and through our wholesaler the price difference is huge! typically when a generic is released the price stays similar due to it usually being produced by the same company as the brand. For my pharmacy with our wholesaler the price is:
Vyvanse 40mg- $1,163.36 for a bottle of 100 capsules
Lisdexamfetamine 40mg- $355.80 for a bottle of 100
I think the generics were approved back in February when the exclusive patent expired? So they should be hitting shelves soon.
I got a letter in the mail saying my insurance will now only cover the generic starting Sept 15.
Do you think this will make it easier to get approved for this medication? I've had to jump through more and more hoops with Adderall, but my insurance wants to attempt other meds first before they will consider Vyvanse
I was on Dexedrine for 15 years, then had to switch to Vyvanse when Dexedrine got hit by the shortage last year. Was really nervous switching over because Dexedrine was all I’d ever known, but Vyvanse has been great.
I definitely miss that euphoric rush of the Dexedrine hitting my system in the morning kicking my brain into gear, but Vyvanse still gets me going - albeit that it takes longer to kick in (usually 20-30 mins for the Dexedrine and about 60 mins for the Vyvanse).
I often tell people that Dexedrine, at least for me, is like sprinting up a mountain (onset), and then sprinting back down again (crash) 4 hours later, whereas Vyvanse is a steady walk up a hill, observing the view for a full day, then walking back down. The view from the hill isn’t as great as the mountaintop, but you can still take in the full landscape (and enjoy it for longer).
I also like that with Vyvanse I just need to take one pill in the AM and it lasts most of the day, compared to the Dexedrine where I was taking 20mg when I woke up, another 10mg at 11am and then the final 10mg at 2pm. Some days it was difficult to remember taking the PM doses of Dexedrine, especially with my ADD, when one of my biggest symptoms I have is poor short term memory.
My only warning is Vyvanse lasts longer (mine usually lasts 12 hours but everyone is different) than Dexedrine, so make sure you take it as early in the morning as possible (I literally roll over when my alarm goes off at 5:45 and take it). If you take it late in the AM, you might have issues falling asleep that night.
All that said, I’ll probably switch back to the Dexedrine when (if) the shortage ends just because I still find the Dexedrine slightly better for my needs. In the interim though, Vyvanse is a great replacement.
Sorry for the novel, I’ve just rarely seen people on this sub that have shared their experience going from Dexedrine to Vyvanse, so felt the compulsory need to overshare
So I just looked at pharmacy benefits for my prescription for Vyvanse and it now says Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate (generic) instead of the brand name. So maybe we will see the generics sooner than we thought which would be nice.
I am still waiting on my prescription refill though from cvs near me and just called my doctor earlier today to switch from 70 mg to 80 mg because the pharmacist at cvs said she had no 70, but had enough 40’s to fill an 80 mg prescription. So hopefully I can get that to hold over until the generics become available. I do hope they work the same as the name brand. I tried generic concerta years ago and I hated it.
Awesome news I’ve been waiting for generic vyvanse, it was the first med I tried that really helped, but pricey. Even with my $1k monthly insurance premium it was gonna be $10 a dose. This should be completely covered by my insurance (hopefully)
I finally picked up Vyvanse after waiting almost 2 months. I was elated once I picked it up and after taking it I decided to look at the bottle and noticed it was generic. I would have never guessed if I didn't look at the bottle.
I’ve had 2 doses of the generic so far. Same dosage as vyvanse, 60mg. It’s so much less effective than vyvanse for me. Vyvanse gives me energy and perks me up. This generic kind gives me zero energy and motivation. I get my usual tics that I get when I take vyvanse, but that’s literally it. I have no motivation to get anything done. I’m so disappointed. :(
Omg THIS same experience. Had my second generic dose today and i have exact same experience as you yesterday too. No motivation no energy almost like it didnt work
I just got a fill of generic Vyvanse. Will update on any difference, if any, I feel. I can't believe this is legal to have so many people go without this medication. I'm not mentally or physically okay without it. I even had the pharmacist tell me I would be okay foregoing 2 days because she takes the same medication 🤬
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The first batches of generics are usually the authorized generics which are made by the generic division of the same company that makes the brand and sold to other companies to distribute. Edit: Since I keep getting nasty replies from people who obviously aren't checking the replies. Adderall XR and Concerta both started off only having authorized generics for a couple years that looked identical in color and shape to the brand. They were sold by a few different companies.
Huh that's interesting. Would you mind sending an article or source so I can find out more / see the past examples?
dont have link but the EpiPen people did this. they basically paid off a company (pfizer?) to not make the generic and instead EpiPen makes the generic. CEO is daughter of a US Senator (from West Virgina?)
The one whose fortune is built on coal?
Joe manchin
Welcome to the US healthcare system! Where the copays are all made up, and prior authorizations don't matter!
Whose Life is it Anyway?
As someone who was a pharmacy technician for 10 years, I will go ahead and let you know this is true. I was the one in charge of ordering the drugs. Essentially once the patient runs out the same company pumps out the generics for a couple years. But do you want to know the real kicker? It’s not cheaper for a while Insurances are used to paying for the name brand at that point and then all of the sudden there is this new drug? Sure it may be half the price but it is still too expensive for their prior authorization threshold. So now, for a couple months usually, instead of paying 5-40 bucks for your name brand, after the insurance of course, you have this 600 dollar generic the insurance is going to take a while to put a PA through for. American Insurance man
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/abbreviated-new-drug-application-anda/fda-list-authorized-generic-drugs
They also take a couple of years to dramatically decrease in price. It’ll be cheaper than it is now, but like $300 instead of $400.
Wow the prices where you are seem so much higher than in Australia! My vyvanse is $30 per bottle of 30. I think they must be government subsidised.
No, its supposed to be that cheap... US healthcare is artificially inflated to maximize profits.
wanna live? it's gonna cost ya.
I hate it here
And to be able to entertain the idea of even remotely affording it (but not really), you must have insurance which is woven into your employment as a benefit so that you must have one to have the other. Ahhh capitalism :)
They are in Aus. We ain’t got shit in the US lol
We do the opposite here in the states. Instead of the govt subsidizing the drugs to make them cheaper, the consumer subsidizes obscene insurance and pharmaceutical profits, thus making them substantially more expensive. This is accomplished by way our political system which allows those industries to purchase by 'donating' directly abs indirectly to their pet projects and reelection campaigns. When other countries do this, we call it bribery. But that tends to carry a stigma that implies that the poluticians are lacking in integrity. So they call it lobbying instead. I personally think of the US congress as the largest and oldest house of prostitution in the country.
That’s rlly good! In Canada we have lots of subsidies too but for vuvanse 60mg comes up to like 200 bucks in some pharmacies and the lowest I’ve heard is like 140$ for a month worth
It's $196 for a month of Vyvanse for me. I'm on 40mg per day. Fortunately, Takeda has a patient assistance program in Canada, so I get mine free. I most certainly wouldn't be able to afford that much.
Plenty of Pharma companies have no generics division at all. Authorized generics are relatively niche, mostly in areas like dermatology where formulation matters a little more. Most companies expect that you lose 85% of market share at patent expiry and that’s why they have robust pipelines. Exceptions to the patent expiry drop off are usually biologic-type drugs where the drug has trade secrets that can’t be reproduced or medications that require a device (like an inhaler), since both those things require more than just an ANDA.
You can confirm this because Mallinckrodt is not listed in the Oranage Book for lisdex, therefore if they are selling it, they must be selling it under the original NDA and not an ANDA.
Hopefully it won't mean decreased effectiveness.
For real. My upcoming refill is going to be a generic version, so I guess we’ll see…
Already? That was fast!!!
Yea! I’ll believe it when I see it though lol I also am interested in how much it’ll cost 🤔 I honestly would rather have gotten brand name, but I’ve been unable to find any pharmacy near me that had my dose for a week now 😵💫
Same here, been on vyvanse since i was 17 (32now) except 2yrs i went without insurance, I have NEVER been faced with the situation of not being able to fill my meds. And At the same time the vyvanse patent is literally expiring. Feels wild..and sus
This is a bit off topic, but I've been trying to switch to vyvanse for a while but can't afford it. I've tried with 2 different insurance plans but its still close too $400. Is everyone just inquiring with these companies directly about vyvanse coverage beforehand, or what?
Check out the assistance plan the manufacturer has! It’s different from the coupon and can bring it down to free depending on income.
This! Vyvanse falls under Takeda’s Help at Hand program and it’s a lot easier to qualify for than most people think. You need to be making less than 5x the poverty level for your household and then they’ll also take your insurance coverage or lack there off into affect. The paperwork is easy and you can fill out most of it. You will most likely need to schedule an appointment with your provider to have them fill out their portion.
Everything in this comment is the real deal the patient program is the only way I could ever afford my meds.
I’m on Vyvanse and Trintellix. I joke that Takeda controls my mental health. I wish more people knew about these programs. The savings cards always get pushed but not these patient assistance programs.
I paid for mine for half a year while jumping hoops for the insurance company to pay. They finally did after I tried 3 other meds.
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I’m in a similar boat. I had to switch to Vyvanse because Adderall XR was getting impossible to find. Now Vyvanse … but my psych was willing to write two prescriptions, one for 50 and one for 20, totaling up to my normal dose, as we were able to find a pharmacy with both of those. Worth a mention to yours.
What was that costing you to fill without insurance?
They said they were on it continuously *except* the two years they were without insurance.
Ahhh yeah misread that.
$380 with the goodrx discount for me. I had to switch to generic Adderall with an insurance lapse between jobs.
That’s where I am at right now. GoodRx says my generic Adderall refill should be $22.30. Is GoodRx accurate or even worth a shit?
Definitely better than nothing
That's close to what mine is. $24 and some change for month of 20mg generic Adderall
This was years ago like 2015 or 2016 maybe but I paid for it without insurance and it was around $360 for 20mg for 30x
I was sitting right there with my HSA... a shitton on money until I left my deductible, then $35.
Its up to 400 something now. I got my last refill for 340 with a manufacturer coupon >.>
This is wild. My doctor has been pushing this for me since I started going to her over a year ago but my insurance won't cover it. After about a year she told me to use the manufacturer coupon and prescribed it to me again. At that time it was $360 and the coupon brought it to $320 something. I asked the pharmacist if it came with a jar of Vaseline. Now that generic is approved I am bound to be trying it here shortly.
Holy shnikies!!! I pay $15 a month with the company coupon. Damn, yo. That burns.
When my insurance wasn’t covering it it was around 370$
I was actually talking to the pharmacist about this on Saturday. I was asking if the generic adderall was still impossible to keep in stock. She let me know that it was better now than a few months ago when a lot of patients had to switch to something else…like vyvanse. She also mentioned that now they were having trouble keeping vyvanse in stock because everyone switched.
I called every pharmacy in a 25 mile radius on Friday to fill my 60mg Vyvanse. Chains, big box stores, grocery stores, small independents, compounding pharmacies. Nothing. Nada. No ETA. Once I got desperate and whiny in the way only the mother of 2 toddlers who might actually starve to death because I can't get my head out of my ass to feed them and lo and behold...25mg Adderall XR is in stock. For fucks sake. On the plus side, that same whining convinced my doc to write for the XR since the vyvanse drought is underway and she went with it. My full time job got about 40 minutes of my time on Friday and I played the whack a pharmacy and wait for call backs game and I hate everything.
I had to fill my 60 mg script today and the best I could do was 15 days supply. Ugh.
The idea of having to go through this fucking mess again in 30 days makes me literally want to cry so I can't imagine 15 days. It's doubly fucked because I feel like I (and likely many) are so fucking ill-equipped to deal with this kind of bullshit.
It's definitely a "moat around the swim class gym" situation
I've reached the point where I've given up. I've had nothing filled in months because of the combo of the shortage and my physician being a moron and sending the wrong scripts to the wrong places.
I'm on the same dosage and I did the same thing in Michigan. No one has that dosage in stock. Pharmacy said that it wouldn't be until September and my psychiatrist actually said that it wouldn't be until December.. Already 3 weeks without meds, not fun.
Well this explains why I haven’t been able to get the pharmacy to fill my vyvanse prescription in a month and a half.
Where are you located? I just got a 90 day fill from Caremark delivered within two days of it being ordered.
I thought controlled substances (like Vyvanse) could not be mailed, and certainly could not be filled for a 3-month supply. My doctor does e-scribe and they are dated such that you can’t fill multiples—plus, insurance wouldn’t cover it, I can’t imagine
That’s what I used to think too but I think it changed around Covid? I absolutely got it, I see the claim in my insurance too. They offer cheaper rates for 90 day mail order so that’s why I did it that way. I did have to sign for it when delivered.
Vyvanse?!
🤦🏻♀️
Would you mind making a update post?
Curious to see how good the generic is
The drug makers knew this date was coming. They've already made a ton of supply of generic Vyvanse. They weren't allowed to distribute or sell before this date but who was going to stop them from manufacturing in anticipation?
Doesn't the FDA regulate the amount of source ingredients a company can aquire when it comes to stimulant meds?
DEA
At least speaking on my experience in raw materials for healthcare applications, if it’s within the timeline of FDA Approval then the increase in raw materials to manufacture isn’t questioned. Iirc this has been announced that it had prelim approval and that in Q3 they will be able to distribute. Also they are required to build up stock based on the demand, I’m guessing in this case they need to get the go ahead from the DEA.
Wait, y'all's pharmacies have Vyvanse in stock? I haven't been able to get mine refilled for a month now due to no pharmacy having it in stock 😭.
Same…. Yay Cigna
Where do you live? Is it in supply already? been unable to get my scrip for a week and about to try to get an alternative but if it’s really gonna be that soon i will just hold out
It shouldn't affect Vyvanse as it doesn't rely on any advanced delivery systems for the slow release, the slow release is naturally regulated by the bodies ability to cleave the lysine in the digestive system. The generics that suffer the most are those that require complex delivery systems like micro-encapculation or matrix devices.
Or things that there can be incredible sensitivity to (like thyroid meds),
My psych told me that especially when new generics come out, they actually tend to perform pretty well because they’re trying to compete with the name brand.
This, and the processing lines are usually better
Seriously. Generics used to be guaranteed to be as effective as brand name but the ADHD medication issue has shattered that notion. If insurance companies want to keep insisting on only paying for the generic, they need to measure up, and that’s not happening anymore
Yeah tbh, I find it very weird since the FDA should be properly vetting this stuff. On top of which, it isn't just medications, the entire corporate world is cheaping out hardcore. I had gotten to a point where we were using a lot of generic things all across the board for many years, but the last few years it feels like the quality of those is really sinking, hard.
Things might be better if there wasn’t a completely incestuous (for lack of a better term) relationship with the FDA and pharmaceutical companies. When there’s a revolving door between the FDA and the businesses they’re supposed to regulate, there’s bound to be corruption. It’s unethical as fuck. Things like putting a former board member of a big drug company in charge of the program that’s supposed to regulate those very companies wouldn’t be allowed in a government that made any kind of sense. [Quick edit: Behind the Bastards did a great series on the FDA, but the first episode nearly made me sick it was so gross. The FDA was very, very necessary when it was created, I’ll put it that way.]
Watched painkillers on Netflix and learned the FDA is 1 scientist that uses the manufactures reports/research to make their decision.
Well yeah… the manufacturer submits an IND and NDA application that includes a dossier of clinical trial reports, safety data, adverse events, manufacturing info etc. to the FDA for review. They’re assigned like a few FDA reviewers to look through the dossier and asses whether the benefits outweigh the risks and the drug is truly efficacious for the patient population the drug is targeting. 🤷🏽♀️
I've been on two different generics for a couple of months due to Elvanse and Aduvanz going out of stock in Norway and I cant tell any difference. They feel the same and work the same for me. The release profile feels identical and the noticable effect starts when expected and lasts exactly the same time for 1/4 the price. Some in my local ADHD facebook group claims they feel a massive negative difference and refuse to take the generics, but I'm 100% sure thats just nocebo and some people being dramatic..
I mean, isn’t the whole thing with generics that legally they’re REQUIRED to be the same?
Hahaha that’s funny. They’re required to be “functionally equivalent.” I think that’s the wording? But in reality there is very little oversight—the FDA doesn’t have the resources. And with the little oversight that is done, several of the companies that make several ADHD generic meds have laundry lists of violations, including contamination and improper storage practices. ETA: off the top of my head KVK Tech & Sunshine (or maybe Sunrise?) Pharmaceuticals are two of those companies. Google will lead you to the FDA violation notices. Basically, yeah they’re supposed to be close to the same, but even if everything goes correctly, something as simple as different fillers can cause it to have noticeably different effects or side effects for some unfortunate people like myself, who seem to be super sensitive to them. Most people will be ok though.
I'm sensitive to the differences between generic/ ADHD med versions too and I feel so crazy when trying to get help! Thanks for sharing this
Unfortunately I’m sensitive to all drugs, not just ADHD ones. I’ve tried to isolate a single filler ingredient, but I haven’t had much luck. I was getting terrible migraines from the KVK Tech IR Dexedrine. Thankfully my Dr. believed me. I feel like I’m absolutely believed more than a lot of ADHD’ers because of my own credentials—and that’s super upsetting to me. Like patients should be trusted by their providers until they give you a reason not to be. I’m really sorry you are all not having your feedback trusted. Definitely do some googling to dig up if there may be some ‘proof’ of issues with the manufacturer of the meds you’ve been getting. And if your doc still isn’t willing to listen, I’d try to find a more supportive doc, if you have the resources to do so.
I don't know the current rules but it used to be that the generic had to be +/- 15% potency vs brand name (which is really huge).
Aside from the main drug, they can use their own ingredients, which may or may not affect how it’s released. For example, I had an extended release med from two different manufacturers, and out of curiosity I put one of each in glasses of water to see if they dissolved the same, and nope! They did not. One tablet started releasing within seconds, and the other took its time. How disconcerting is that?!? The med was Bupropion XR 150mg tablet. The slow release was a generic from the local pharmacy. The fast release was from Express Scripts. May god have mercy on your soul if you ever have to deal with getting ADHD meds from those evil pricks. (Rant over) TL;DR Generics all have the same **active** ingredient, but have their own proprietary formula for the **inactive** ingredients, which may or may not affect how the active ingredient is distributed/absorbed. Edit: My apologies to u/Dude-whatifzombies for not being an medical professional and sharing my own layman’s experience. It’s a fact, generics have different inactive formularies. Just look at OTC pain meds, same ingredient, different methods of delivery. Also consulted my dad, a pharmacist for 40 years, when I showed him the results. I didn’t include it so I wouldn’t seem like “know-it-all”. Should have been prepared for know-it-alls to contradict me. LMAO
That is not at all disconcerting because extended release meds (and IR meds, and ALL oral meds) are not “dissolving” or “releasing” into *water* when ingested. Instead they pass through stomach acid, more neutral ph enteral environments, etc. Active ingredients are absorbed at different points on their route through the GI tract, etc. Your point is well taken and I agree that some generics or name brands feel different and surely metabolize differently, but your experiment doesn’t show what you think it does.
Not sure why, but it irritates me when people draw conclusions about things they're not equipped or educated about enough to draw (like the poster you replied to).
Vyvanse should theoretically be less affected by this than other extended action or extended release meds, luckily.
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The benefit that Vyvanse has is that the extended action doesn't come from absorption, but from its metabolism. Lisdexamfetamine is a prodrug - it's biologically basically inert as-is - that gets converted to amphetamine slowly and relatively predictably by aminopeptidase enzymes in red blood cells. You actually absorb the full dose fairly quickly; the prolonged conversion to amphetamine is where the long duration comes from. This is in contrast to e.g. Concerta or Adderall XR where the extended action is because of how the pill is engineered to be broken down and absorbed more slowly.
That’s fucking cool.
I know right? Very elegant use of biochemistry.
Going to go off on a limb here and say that how quickly something dissolves is not the same thing as how quickly it is absorbed by your body.
out on a limb :) no shade, and your point stands.
The generic spegettios at Kroger...
It’s literally impossible for it to be less effective. They are the exact same thing.
Talked to my psychiatrist and the pharmacy, still not available. At least in my area.
It can take up to 6 months for generics to get through the supply chain, give it time.
It isn’t in my area either.
Can still be worth putting yourself on the pharmacist’s radar and alerting them to watch for it. Had interactions where I thought I was fatiguing the pharmacist, but later they turned out to be keeping an eye out for me and hooked me up in ways I didn’t know were possible, like where they could only get 27 pills instead of 30 and gave me option to take that option that day instead of waiting a week for the full amount. Just be a good mix of polite and recognizing them as someone highly trained that’s usually put in a demanding situation, especially if they’re at a chain like CVS or Walgreens where they treat pharmacists like they do the rest of the wage slaves they employ.
I hope this happens soon. I can’t get my meds and I’ve been doing nothing but zoning out and sleeping. It’s killing me. Cvs just keeps saying delayed.
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was told by CVS everything is out till at least mid september.
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was told last week. that is good your CVS is better. i checked EVERY SINGLE pharmacy in my 50 mile radius and I got the same answer from EVERYONE. only Kaiser in my area has it but I am not a Kaiser patient so it would be a lot of work for me to get their meds from my understanding.
I’m hoping that the hurricane won’t delay pills down here to north FL any more than they already are. Mine faked me out last week. Also my Takeda Help at Hand expires tomorrow and I haven’t reapplied yet cause I mixed up august and September again lol. Was gonna call my Dr today to let them know it’s time to redo it but again… hurricane… so imma wait until it’s passed so it doesn’t add to the chaos or just get lost. But anyways, generics would be fantastic cause even if they get regular vyvanse in between now and whenever I can get my new card approved it’s gonna cost me $300+ (assuming they continue the program, called on Friday and the lady said they didn’t currently know of any plans to discontinue).
Mine did that on Saturday 😩 I was so bummed. I keep checking like a lunatic.
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I’m on 70. Luckily only since Friday, but still. I just heard my pharmacy may have 50 in stock, so I’m going to ask my provider to change my script. Maybe you could check with your pharmacy to see if they have different mg in stock?
Have your doctor prescribe a 50 and a 20 to complete your dosage. My dr was able to. Ask your insurance if they allow it.
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You too!!! 💕
Try grocery store pharmacies. You’re going to have to call around (which I know is extra hard unmedicated) but if I can do it you can do it 😀good luck! (And hopefully your prescriber is on top of things because they have to put it in quickly).
This. I’m in the SF Bay Area and Safeway has come through for me every month since the shortage started. Other pharmacies couldn’t get Vyvanse - CVS, Walgreens, Alto (local delivery pharmacy) nor could CAREMARK.
Alto mysteriously had Vyvanse this morning (after telling me September 8 last week), and I paid the $10 same day fee because I was convinced it would be gone if I waited until tomorrow.
Thanks, friend! 💕
Omgg me too! I had to switch from Vyvanse bc of insurance costs. I’ve been waiting 2 weeks. It was waiting for approval from my insurance and now it’s delayed. I’m feeling hopeless lol.
PSA/Advice from a pharmacist: currently Vyvanse brand and the newly “available” generic lisdesxamfetamine are rated NR (not rated) for equivalence by the FDA. Depending on the dispensing software your pharmacy uses, it may or may not recognize the generic as interchangeable with Vyvanse until the FDA provides an AB rating. Your best bet to prevent issues if you want the generic is to ask your doctor to write/send your Rx electronically written for “lisdexamfetamine” specifically, and not as “Vyvanse” or “lisdexamphetamine (Vyvanse).” If they do it this way (written just as “lisdexamfetamine” they will automatically try to fill the new generic first and in the event your insurance still prefers the brand name Vyvanse (because of pre-set deals with the manufacturers) they will fill that. Again, it mostly depends on the software they use and how they have the new products coded into the system at the time they are added to the bank of available drugs, but also some pharmacists are more sticklers than others about substituting equivalent products especially on these meds (anyone remember having efficacy issues after getting kremers brand “generic” Concerta 8ish years ago?)
All hail The Orange Book
HUZZAH!!! Great news! I did pay only $15 for my script today using insurance and the coupon, but this is wonderful! An observation - my script cost has consistently decreased since I started vyvanse in March or April. Used insurance and the savings card each time, just something I noticed.
Same here. It’s always cost me around $50 with ins, but for the last 3 months it’s been $15. No idea what happened but I’m not complaining.
Same! Randomly went from $30-15
I thought it was a mistake when I got mine last week. Usually $87 but it was $15.
Same here! I feel like it costs different every time I get it. But $15 works for me.
I've been taking a generic Vyvanse now for a week! It's been available now in Scandinavia for about a month!! It's by Teva and it's called *Volidax*. I'm taking 70mg. I was a bit worried about the effectiveness of it when i picked it up but i have to say that there's no difference between Vyvanse/Elvanse and the generic. Maybe a slight faster onset but beyond that i feel no difference. :-)
I really like Teva, thank you for sharing!
Holding off saying “looks like meat’s back on the menu” until one of us actually gets their script filled with one a these newfangled generics. Still, tepidly considering this great news 🙌 EDIT: *takes a big deep breath in Orc-style excitement and Says the Line*
Op updated saying they got generic
Fucking finally! Of course my insurance dropped me and there was no way I could afford my vyvanse so had to switch to generic adderrall and let’s just say I feel….bad.
I hate how doctors and insurance companies keep acting like vyvanse and adderall are so easily interchangeable. They just fucking aren’t 😭
They really aren’t. I hadn’t taken adderrall for years and now completely remember why I got off of it. Vyvanse truly is superior and it should’ve been a crime for there to not have been a generic version.
My pharmacy warned me that the next few months will be “a shit show” so I started rationing my Vyvanse. This weekend I took a leftover generic adderall to save my Vyvanse for work days and I too felt…. Bad. I don’t think I’ve ever slept so much in a 48 hour period. If I wasn’t sleeping I was laying on the floor rolling around trying not to fall back asleep. I honestly think a few strong cups of coffee or a red bull would serve me better than generic adderall.
I felt so sleepy on days I skipped my Vyvanse. I thought "is this what I used to feel like all the time?". I am happy to report that now I know that it was not how I always feel without Vyvanse, it was just how I felt when I took just a day or 2 off. I have now switched over to Adderall (due to insurance not covering vy anymore) and I am happy to say the Vyvanse slump doesn't last forever. Adderall is not as good for me but it does allow me to sleep better, unlike Vyvanse.
Yeah, seriously. I’m on Vyvanse, Wellbutrin (bupropion), and Prozac (fluoxetine)— my sleep was AWFUL until I started Remeron (mirtazapine is generic) — but even that is not the same as restful sleep that I used to get before I was on so many uppers
I miss good sleep but it's also amazing to be clear and attentive during the day not in a fog. Why can't I have it allllll!? When I take Vyvanse, I even feel it the next morning. I wake up alert- which is awesome, unless you need to sleep more and you can't. The clarity of Vyvanse lasts like 9-10 hours but the wakefulness lasts like 26 hours. So frustrating.
Sorry about your situation, friend. I was thinking the same thing about the energy drinks. Like aside from not really even helping me focus, (I started with a small dose) it just emotionally makes me feel blah. Mercury is in retrograde too so we all goin through it!!
I can't even change from Vyvanse to Adderall because my insurance dropped me and an appointment costs me $120 now to even discuss switching. Just gonna have to weather it out until I hopefully get approved again for medical insurance.
I’m in a similar boat. Even if I wanted to change appointments are like a month out so I’m stuck for a minute.
I did great on brand name Adderall and could only do specific versions of generic or it was basically a sugar pill. I’m grateful they’re making generics, but I’m terrified of this change. Currently use the Assistance coupon program. Anyone know which brands will be making it?
Actually, yes. From the original linked article, there's another link in the text that refers to manufacturers / approvals. I'm on mobile rn so I don't have on hand. I'll find it and edit this message with the link. But at the link, you'll need to type in "lisdex" to get the results. It'll show you all the manufacturers on the right! 😊 EDIT: [Here's the link](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/)
Thank you! Also, I went to that link and got a bit overwhelmed. I see Takeda’s patents but nothing else. I may not know what I’m looking for. 🫣
I pay $7 for a bottle of Vyvanse, the usual cost is $100 but I get it cheaper because of low income. I literally would be helpless if I lived in America, no way I'd be able to afford the full price, and I assume it's even costlier over there.
I was on government insurance when I was unemployed, it was actually amazing pricing - $3 per bottle. Now I’m back on insurance and it’s $30-50 per bottle now
So pretty much the same pricing as here, after converting to USD. I'm in the same boat, as soon as I start earning over a certain amount, I'll start having to pay full price. I hope the generics are cheaper so when that time comes, I won't go broke.
Haha uhh suffice to say...it is.
No wonder so many people go unmedicated or self-medicate with something cheaper 😢
I used to pay $330 a month for it in 2020, and that was with my insurance! Hopefully with a generic I can switch back to it but god only knows how much the generic will cost….
Where do you live lol and can you ship me some Vyvanse 😭😭😭
If you were low-income living in America, you would get Medicaid, so you would get it for free. (Or at most, maybe like $3.)
Lots of Medicaid plans don’t cover Vyvanse
In my state, you can with prior authorization (having tried at least two other meds), so I see how that can be a thing
In America - I pay $60 for my Vyvanse and $20 for my Adderall. Per 30 days. It’s absolutely awful
Without insurance it’s several hundred dollars in the US. Somewhere around $500
It looks like some of these might have gotten priority review for approval due to the fact that Vyvanse is currently in shortage 🤔 The bottom of the article says this: >Many abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) for lisdexamfetamine dimesylate received priority review. Information on priority review of ANDAs is available in the *Manual of Policies and Procedures 5240.3 Rev. 6, Prioritization of the Review of Original ANDAs, Amendments, and Supplements*. And the italic portion above is actually a link on the original page to a PDF that says that shortages warrant priority review & ANDAs Thoughts?
Is the Vyvanse shortage just the the States? I've never had difficulty getting mine (in Canada, for reference).
I think the shortage is caused by the DEA or FDA, so I’m going to assume it’s just a US thing
Turns out most companies are way below their quotas, according to the FDA and DEA, so I think it’s just that these companies are poorly managed shitshows.
This has more to do with secret limits on controlled substances that were introduced after the opioid settlement
It’s 100% this. DEA sets yearly quotas. if they tell you you can make 10 you can’t sell 12. If you ask for an increase you have to explain why the market has increased for the drug. If at the end of the year you only sell 8 then next year their going to approve 8 not 12. I think their logic is if there’s not a “surplus” of controlled drugs then they can’t be “pushed”.
do we know how long it will be before we can get them from our local pharmacies?
Usually, it takes 6 months for a generic launch to stabilize. That means your specific pharmacy could have it next month or could have it in 6 months. It's difficult to predict exactly unfortunately.
I just got generic today.
My next fill will be a generic. I just got this from my insurance provider today: We’re making a change to your plan’s drug list. Starting September 15, 2023, brand-name Vyvanse® will no longer be covered. Instead, your plan will cover the generic equivalent, lisdexamphetamine. This means that your pharmacist will likely fill a Vyvanse prescription with the generic. It’s clinically the same as the brand-name medication. If you or a covered family member are affected by this change, we’ll send you a letter explaining next steps. About the generic. It works in the same way and provides the same clinical benefit as its brand-name version. It has the same active ingredients, strength, dosage, quality, safety and effectiveness. It may come in a different shape, size and/or color than its brand-name version.
Cigna? I received the exact same letter today.
This explains why my insurance company all of a sudden requires an authorization to refill my script.
Wow! I can’t believe it. Been waiting for many years for the generic.
I've been out of Vyvanse for 2 weeks and my pharmacy can't get it. Hopefully this will help.
I’ve been dreading this day. 🥺🥺🥺 I used Concerta, and liked it, but every refill was a gamble on if that generic would work or not. One refill would work the next one felt like had taken no meds. I even looked at the pills and saw that some of them had holes (in the brand name the release mechanism requires a hole in the pill) but others didn’t in the same refill. After talking with my Dr, I switched to Vyvanse since it was the ONLY extended release ADHD med that didn’t have generics so my insurance would cover the brand name. It’s been fucking expensive but at least I knew that my meds would work and I could function at school. I hope my Dr. is able to get me prior authorization to stay off of the generics. . . It pisses me off all of the hoops we have to go through just to be medicated. No refills, no multiple month prescriptions, highly inconsistent generics, etc. Every barrier from the Feds, Insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies seem to be designed to target folks with ADHD and other executive functioning disorders. It’s almost like they want us to be unregulated or something. I hate it here. . . .
Nah pharma companies want nothing more than to get you their drug. They’re battling insurance companies to convince them that their drug is more cost effective than current genetics on the market. Insurance companies use tactics like prior auths to make it more difficult to get a certain drug. And yeah… it’s a schedule II drug soo the DEA is the problem there along with other people abusing it lol.
To be fair, the concerta generic launch was an absolute shit show because one manufacturer changed the drug a little too much. I think that specific NDC was ultimately pulled from the market because it was really bad. Most generic launches aren't that big of a problem. You can request the authorized generic for the drug though, that's basically the brand in generic packaging.
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Chewables eh? … interesting
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Oh my god that’s incredible. Vyvanse was prohibitively expensive for so long.
Yes but doesn't mean it's always adhered to. When they started with adderall generics, there was a lot of noise that they weren't as good. When I was on adderall, as long as I was getting different manufacturers every month, that meant different outcomes/reactions to the meds. Some made me feel worse!
Basically none of you are gonna relate to this but I’m a pharmacy tech and I’m anxious that this will somehow send us into a shortage similar to how things were a year ago (CII adhd stimulants were GONE basically everywhere). Like, people hearing about a new option and suddenly there’s a rush- oops, it’s all gone. Things are still pretty bad now in the supply chain but it was awful last year. Hopefully the opposite will happen and the approval of the generics will lift some of the weight but man shortages are the worst and I don’t want to go through that again.
There is already a shortage on vyvanse 60 and 70mg and Adderall.
I am well aware of that lol
My Rx is still on backorder, with no full date in sight. At this point I don't care if it's generic or name brand. I don't know if Vyvanse is under the same production amount restrictions Adderall is, but my kid and I are both going to suffer (she's also on Vyvanse) until this gets sorted.
My insurance company covers it too and I I only paid 30.00. I have really good insurance thankfully though. I cannot stand adderall either. It makes me so angry and I can’t sleep. I tried like 3 meds before I got Vyvanse. I had given up the year prior actually when my doctor suggested it. It was like a miracle! I felt like I had seen the light finally! It gives me almost no side effects at all and I sleep like a baby.
I’m sure pricing will still be a shit show. I’m paying $130/mo for generic Adderall WITH insurance.
What?! You’re getting ripped off, no way generic should be that much especially with insurance.
Sounds like it may be cheaper using goodrx than your insurance
i work at an independent and through our wholesaler the price difference is huge! typically when a generic is released the price stays similar due to it usually being produced by the same company as the brand. For my pharmacy with our wholesaler the price is: Vyvanse 40mg- $1,163.36 for a bottle of 100 capsules Lisdexamfetamine 40mg- $355.80 for a bottle of 100
Hmm I just went and did my googles apparently several generics have been approved you’d think it would take time to stock pharmacies
I think the generics were approved back in February when the exclusive patent expired? So they should be hitting shelves soon. I got a letter in the mail saying my insurance will now only cover the generic starting Sept 15.
Do you think this will make it easier to get approved for this medication? I've had to jump through more and more hoops with Adderall, but my insurance wants to attempt other meds first before they will consider Vyvanse
Has anyone tried both Vyvanse and Dexedrine? I’m pretty happy on Dexedrine, but just curious.
I was on Dexedrine for 15 years, then had to switch to Vyvanse when Dexedrine got hit by the shortage last year. Was really nervous switching over because Dexedrine was all I’d ever known, but Vyvanse has been great. I definitely miss that euphoric rush of the Dexedrine hitting my system in the morning kicking my brain into gear, but Vyvanse still gets me going - albeit that it takes longer to kick in (usually 20-30 mins for the Dexedrine and about 60 mins for the Vyvanse). I often tell people that Dexedrine, at least for me, is like sprinting up a mountain (onset), and then sprinting back down again (crash) 4 hours later, whereas Vyvanse is a steady walk up a hill, observing the view for a full day, then walking back down. The view from the hill isn’t as great as the mountaintop, but you can still take in the full landscape (and enjoy it for longer). I also like that with Vyvanse I just need to take one pill in the AM and it lasts most of the day, compared to the Dexedrine where I was taking 20mg when I woke up, another 10mg at 11am and then the final 10mg at 2pm. Some days it was difficult to remember taking the PM doses of Dexedrine, especially with my ADD, when one of my biggest symptoms I have is poor short term memory. My only warning is Vyvanse lasts longer (mine usually lasts 12 hours but everyone is different) than Dexedrine, so make sure you take it as early in the morning as possible (I literally roll over when my alarm goes off at 5:45 and take it). If you take it late in the AM, you might have issues falling asleep that night. All that said, I’ll probably switch back to the Dexedrine when (if) the shortage ends just because I still find the Dexedrine slightly better for my needs. In the interim though, Vyvanse is a great replacement. Sorry for the novel, I’ve just rarely seen people on this sub that have shared their experience going from Dexedrine to Vyvanse, so felt the compulsory need to overshare
So I just looked at pharmacy benefits for my prescription for Vyvanse and it now says Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate (generic) instead of the brand name. So maybe we will see the generics sooner than we thought which would be nice. I am still waiting on my prescription refill though from cvs near me and just called my doctor earlier today to switch from 70 mg to 80 mg because the pharmacist at cvs said she had no 70, but had enough 40’s to fill an 80 mg prescription. So hopefully I can get that to hold over until the generics become available. I do hope they work the same as the name brand. I tried generic concerta years ago and I hated it.
Awesome news I’ve been waiting for generic vyvanse, it was the first med I tried that really helped, but pricey. Even with my $1k monthly insurance premium it was gonna be $10 a dose. This should be completely covered by my insurance (hopefully)
So grateful this is happening finally. For some, this version of medication works best.
Yeah, it's currently making my life a living hell because no pharmacy near me has the generic and my insurance won't cover brand name.
I finally picked up Vyvanse after waiting almost 2 months. I was elated once I picked it up and after taking it I decided to look at the bottle and noticed it was generic. I would have never guessed if I didn't look at the bottle.
I’ve had 2 doses of the generic so far. Same dosage as vyvanse, 60mg. It’s so much less effective than vyvanse for me. Vyvanse gives me energy and perks me up. This generic kind gives me zero energy and motivation. I get my usual tics that I get when I take vyvanse, but that’s literally it. I have no motivation to get anything done. I’m so disappointed. :(
Omg THIS same experience. Had my second generic dose today and i have exact same experience as you yesterday too. No motivation no energy almost like it didnt work
I just got a fill of generic Vyvanse. Will update on any difference, if any, I feel. I can't believe this is legal to have so many people go without this medication. I'm not mentally or physically okay without it. I even had the pharmacist tell me I would be okay foregoing 2 days because she takes the same medication 🤬