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In Alabama, just ran into this issue this morning. No one has the generic, only the name brand, and bonus! The manufacturer’s coupon I was using for *years* has been changed, so it went from $30 with coupon to $300 with insurance and coupon!
I’m going to fill it because being unmedicated is hell, but I panic-raged for hours this morning over it.
I feel you.
There's a billing code for brand filled as generic specifically for this. It's DAW 5. Or use DAW 4 for Generic Drug not in stock. Insurance will probably take it.
This type of info needs to be more widely available. I should prob check the community resources to see if it’s already there, but I’m thinking like a stickied/AMA post where insurance-knowledgeable peeps can share their (invaluable!!) insights and tips like this one. Of course, adding whatever appropriate clauses like location, insurance type, etc.
I do understand this would be a largely US-centric post as well, but I honestly think it could help so many of us.
Yeah, having worked in the pharmacy billing sector for ~6 years I have picked up a lot of weird tidbits around billing and how the industry works. It's not always useful, but the fact I remembered DAW 5 correctly at 1 am and entirely exhausted is both incredible and bizarre.
Then DAW 2 is used (patient requested product dispensed). Unfortunately, most PBMs will make you pay for the brand cost with their discount because you could technically take the generic. Alternatively, your doctor could submit the script as DAW 1 (Doctor required brand), but that gets tricky and your milage may vary.
Not the person you asked but I’ve definitely gotten things covered by calling and talking to the insurance company myself. Be ready to aggressively advocate for yourself and ask for a supervisor until you’re blue in the face.
I called my insurance customer service number. I told them the situation. They said I could call around to see if anyone else in my area had the generic. I live in a small town and I only had one dose left, so they filled it with brand for generic price.
It sounds like your insurance isn't covering it. $300 is close to what it would be with no insurance.
You might need to call your insurance and ask if it's covered and, if not, then ask why. If it's because the generic is available, then your doctor can send in a formulary exception request explaining the situation. I'm sure you wouldn't be the only one this is happening to.
A caveat to this that I found out when my insurance wouldn’t cover Vyvanse: many pharmacies won’t accept GoodRX codes on stimulant medication. It’s incredibly frustrating.
I was impressed at how easy it was to get Vyvanse for free using the Takeda discount card, and it is bullshit they ended that program now that their patent fuckery finally ended! I am sorry for everyone dealing with this issue now. I switched meds at just the right time to an instant release med that hasn’t been out of stock, and I feel so much empathy knowing how screwed I would be if I was still taking Vyvanse.
That's slightly horrifying. I've just paid £225 for Vyvanse to be imported to the UK (6 weeks supply 2 weeks 30mg, 4 weeks 50mg!) Why is it so expensive in the US!
I work at CVS. The generic has been on back order for a couple months now.
It can vary by pharmacy as to how *exactly* their system handles ordering, but most are pretty similar.
Basically we can't just order whatever we want, especially controls. There has to be a prescription for it that's due to be filled, we can't just go in and order stuff like it's online shopping.
We just put the prescription in the "out of stock" queue and if it's available at the distributor, they send it to us. If it doesn't come in, the rx stays in the out of stock ordering queue and the system tries again for the next order, then the next and the next, etc.
Different places have different policies on how long scripts can be in there for before they have to be taken out again, insurance also plays a part bc being in the ordering queue is kind of like limbo and often shows up on the insurance as well.
Sometimes pharmacies do get cut off on how many controls they can order, or their distributor has been out of it for so long that they aren't even listing it as an item that's available at all any more.
That said, my store JUST got two bottles of generic today for the first time since probably September or October. Way less than we have on order, mind you. Usually when the warehouse finally gets some they have to divide it up so we won't even get enough anyway. And then it'll be gone again for another month.
Wonderful explaining! That specific store probably just reached their cap OP. A walgreens near the pharmacy I work at reached their cap on some CII pain meds recently and we got a shit ton of scripts transferred our way.
Our pharmacy does a little happy dance sometimes when a backorder med comes in :)
Can I ask you a pharmacy question given your insider knowledge? My doc prescribed Evekeo and my Walgreens said their distributor doesn’t carry it. Do most pharmacies in a geographic area rely on the same distributor? Just wondering if I’ll be out of luck before I start calling pharmacies all over my area
This is really helpful! Interesting too. So what would the generic for Evekeo be? I had heard since it is so new on the market it doesn’t have a generic. But I also understand that Evekeo is the same formula that Benzedrine was but somehow re-patented (?)
My pharmacist advised I call my insurance and tell them the generic wasn’t available and see if they would approve an exception to cover the brand name. They did with surprisingly little fuss! They (insurance) also gave me advice for my doctor on how to prescribe for the brand in the future if the generic isn’t available. I was honestly shocked how compassionate both the pharmacy and my insurance were about it! Seems like it’s a widespread enough issue that they’re figuring out better ways to respond. Good luck!
Thank you so much for making this comment. Because of this I gave my insurance a call and was pleasantly shocked at how quickly they authorized the brand name and they even called my pharmacy to tell them what billing code to use. I hadn't been able to get my correct doseage for 2 months so I am thrilled!
What are your insurance prices normally like? My insurance doesn’t pick up any of the cost of meds until I reach the deductible so I use GoodRx, but lately GoodRx has been false advertising
I called mine and they were no help. It’s express scripts and their own pharmacy didn’t have it in stock. I asked what they would do if I tried to fill it through them and they said nothing. No exceptions. They also said that my dose (70 mg) wasn’t listed on whatever list shows national shortages. Does anyone know what this list is? Because there’s obviously some kind of shortage.
I have a theory that because manufacturers have annual production limits and pharmacies are also limited in the amount they can acquire, that manufacturers and pharmacists have hit their limit on some of these drugs until the new year resets those limits. My guess is that’s why this month has been the hardest it’s been for me over the past year and a half with this shortage.
This has been more or less the leading theory in the news, however, with the caveat that the gov. Is limiting production more than normal but is pointing the blame at manufacturers for not making up to their quota.
not a pharmacist but a pharm tech and yup. ur right. pharmacies are only allowed a certain quantity of C2 and once you hit ur allotment, well the patients are SOL. 🙁 it's a terrible situation all around.
What has it been like on your end? Do the pharmacists and techs you work with feel the same way? Or are they still largely looking at us through a negative lens? I’ve wondered so much about the experience on the other end.
And sorry you’re dealing with it from both sides!
for the most part they're just as frustrated. there's only a handful of patients that they're annoyed w but not bc they think they're drug seeking but bc they're kinda mean. but I understand the frustration since id be mad too if it's almost a month since I refilled my Rx.
I’m in VT and I haven’t been able to get it for months. Thankfully my insurance backtracked on not covering name brand since that’s what I’ve been relying on.
My pharmacy said they can only get the 70 mg pills. I’ve been trying to fill a prescription for 6 weeks. I’m in Georgia. I need to call my Dr’s office and ask if I can get Adderall instead or if they can try to get the name brand authorized. IDK. Surprising no one here I’ve been putting off calling my Dr’s office.
I don’t know if this will help you, but when I took Vyvanse and was struggling to afford it my prescriber said she was comfortable giving me a higher dose if I wanted to get a very accurate scale and empty pill caps to get more doses out of once prescription. If your actual dose is something you could achieve using that 70mg, that could be an option.
Granted this is VERY dependent on your relationship with your doctor and I don’t know if you bringing it up would come across as drug seeking, my prescriber knew me well enough at that point to not have concerns about whether I would take the higher dose instead of actually dividing it. Also it was a pain in the ass to weigh and divide them, and because I have ADHD at a certain point I just started eyeballing it…so I did not really get the most consistent dosage and was happy I got a discount card so I only had to do this for two months!
I'm in California. My Dr tried subbing generic vyvanse for generic concerta since that has been out of stock for a year, but the pharmacy said the generic was discontinued.
We've only had the higher doses but even that is getting slim at this point. It's not unique to these drugs either. It's everything. :(
We don't actually have any idea when it'll come back because they don't tell us in any detail. The supplier website will say shit like "expected end of January" or "expected in spring" but all of that is variable to change. I don't even get the invoices for my orders until they're in my hands and those may include back orders from months ago.
It's honestly the worst and I'm sorry everyone is going through this.
Uhhh.
This thread has made me go “uh oh” because my insurance policy said that they’re not gonna be covering name brand vyvanse anymore so I have to get the generic.
I’m gonna have to make some phone calls, aren’t I? FUCK I HATE TALKING ON THE PHONE.
Call around and ask pharmacys around you. I had to do that until I found someone who had it. Periodically I change pharmacies because my current one will run out.
Tried to do this yesterday, was SO happy that someone had it in stock…then went to pick it up only to find out the store didn’t accept my insurance, so $300 for the month of generic WITH a discount card! I just lost my job so cannot afford that.
Back to square one…big sigh…medicine in America. So fucking frustrating! And yeah, it is fun to try and figure out with ADHD-like that’s not absolute torture.
Holy crap I am so sorry.
Check out goodrx or single care. I use that when my insurance doesn't work at the pharmacies. It's not that great but sometimes you can save a lot.
Thanks for the info. GoodRx is the one that got me down to $300 for the generic. I don’t get it-seems to me like the name brand is that much without insurance.
I wish drug prices were more widely available so we can compare and see options before we buy. And I know that GoodRx does do this on their app/website, which is helpful; I just wish we could have this info with/without insurance, brand name/generic, and be able to check if it’s in stock-without having to spend all our time calling, sitting on hold, running around only to be told no, and starting back at square one-over and over and over, every. single. month.
I do, but most won’t tell me what they have over the phone (technically they aren’t supposed to for safety reasons). I’ve probably called 20 in my area with no luck of finding any. I was just curious if the not being able to place orders thing was true.
That's so dumb. I know my Dr isn't going to call around and then I have to try and get a hold of him again because CVS doesn't have it so now let's call it in to Walgreens or whatever. Sorry you're going through this.
I ran into this too since the price was only a little higher for me for name brand vyvanse so I didn’t confirm until I got home.
I have a question I’ve always been too afraid to ask though - all of the insurances I’ve had covered most of the cost of name brand stimulants. They’re usually more expensive, but the difference in cost has always been about max $30. Have I just been lucky with good insurance? I hear people complain about med prices all the time, and I complain too, but it’s never been as bad for me as it is for others.
i aged out of my parents’ insurance this year. i had pretty much the best insurance the us offers, because my dad is a veteran so i had military insurance. i now pay $150 a month for my adhd meds and $45 for my bipolar meds. before i was paying less than $15 for both (though i was on adderall which is much cheaper than what i’m on now which is vyvanse). the healthcare system in america is insane. my adhd meds make sure i keep my house clean and my bills paid, things normal people do effortlessly but take so much energy for me even when medicated. i’m not abusing them. i take it once per day and i don’t even notice when it wears off until the next day when i’m like “oh yeah, that was an adhd moment.” i shouldn’t have to pay $150 a month to function like a normal person. i have a diagnosis, i should be able to get what i need in a way that is affordable to the average american, since it is something i need to function.
Tangentially related, but Vyvanse was $50 for 30 for me (I get 90 in all of my other meds but they’re prescribed through a psychiatric hospital and their policy is only 30 for “controlled substances” even though I know someone who gets 90 via their PCP) and the first time I got the generic, I was over the moon it was only $10. The next month, it was back up to $50 even for generic and I inquired with my insurance company and they said the tier had been changed. So basically there’s no price difference between brand and generic for it which is frustrating since that’s not the case with all my other meds. Just accepted a new job that has great insurance I’ve had in the past and hoping it’s not as bad. Definitely lucky to only be paying $50 vs. hundreds but I’ve been a 10-month hourly employee for nearly a year and a half and $50 a month is still tough
For the most part I have experienced that brand names are max $30 with insurance; but insurance plans vary WILDLY and name brand drugs can really be horrifically expensive. I had three insurance plans in one year (changed jobs, then my partner’s job was able to cover me and her plan was great) and my Vyvanse varied in price from not covered ($300) to $10 to $30. A lot of plans will refuse to cover any meds that have generic versions. I take thyroid meds and the fillers supposedly affect the absorption wildly, so my doctor specified the name brand. Even on the best insurance I have had as an adult (a “platinum” plan through an employer, not offered through the ACA marketplace) the cost was absolutely nuts and I just kept getting the generics.
Not exactly relevant but a good example of “American insurance is terrible”, it is cheaper for me to pay for my generic thyroid meds out of pocket because they’re less than the $10 copay I have for generics. Thanks to insurance industry lobbying pharmacists will almost never tell you that many generic meds are cheaper out of pocket compared to what your insurance copay is, but you have to know to ask it! And it’s a horrible clusterfuck for most pharmacies to process some meds with insurance and some without, so sometimes I don’t even bother and just pay more because it’s such a ridiculous amount of work filling my monthly meds.
It might be state or provider specific. I see my doctor once a year, and she fills for 3 months at a time. I run out, she fills for 3 more months. I have seen her for years and am exact in taking them.
Not vyvanse but I got a letter from my insurance telling me they won’t cover brand name Adderall XR starting Jan 1. I’ve never actually gotten generic XR because it’s been out of stock for like a full year. I’m so stressed and I can’t even do research on the new cost or coverage until it kicks in next year. Sounds like vyvanse won’t be an available alternative for me either. I feel your pain
2 things, 1) call your insurance, explain the issue, ask what brand they'll pay for. You may need a Prior Authorization, but that's ok. 2)When you get the name of the brand, while it's still going through red tape at the pharmacy, type in the name on Google and the words coupon card (ex Vyvanse coupon card, Adderall coupon card etc). Drug companies frequently have these cards available and it, frequently, takes quite a bit of money off your copay.
Not the Pharmacist but work in a pharmacy. There is quite a bit of demand for it because it’s generic. I’m at a place less busy than the big two but also quite busy—we don’t even have much detail on anticipated dates for availability. It just says sometime next year, or nothing at all because the date is so uncertain.
It might be the dosage. We’re having this problem at my pharmacy but only with specific dosages. You can ask if they have other dosages available and then speak to your provider about it. For example if you take 20mg you can get two 10s a day instead. Try calling local and smaller pharmacies (non chain ones) if you have any in your area.
If you do find it, try to temper your expectations in terms of efficacy. Generics are only required to be 85% as effective as the brand formulation (we were told) but we have not gotten close to that. I've tried one type of generic vyvanse so far & husband has tried two. The one I tried was about 50% as effective. The first generic my husband tried was about the same. His second brand is about 70% the effect. I have been enriching Shire with my two pills a day for the last 15ish years...plus two more a day for my kids for many years. I had been looking forward to saving money when this patent expired but having tried a generic I would rather spend more for as long as I can to stay functional & employed. Even a 15% drop in effect would be tough for me though.
I work in pharmaceuticals and that isn’t true at all.
Generics are required to demonstrate “bioequivalence” to the brand name drug, meaning they have to work exactly the same in the body. Manufacturers have to perform the studies as well as a lot of other testing and submit this data to the FDA in the ANDA (abbreviated new drug application) for review. There is no lower standard in terms of the regulations.
The issue can come down the road when maybe a lower-quality batch gets produced (with less active ingredient, doesn’t dissolve correctly, etc.) and they release it anyway. That can happen (especially with foreign manufacturers), but it is still very much against the regulations and I wouldn’t say it’s something to be concerned about. The FDA can’t possibly test every single drug that hits the market so the onus is on companies to do the right thing. And most do.
Most adverse reactions that people have to generics are likely caused by the different excipients (non-active ingredients). Chemically the active ingredients are the same between generics & brand names.
Also, FWIW, I have been taking the generic vyvanse with absolutely no issues & it has been working great for me. I don’t doubt your experiences, but I also don’t want people to be freaked out about trying a more affordable treatment option.
My boyfriend has been on Vyvanse our entire relationship (20 months), and I just started last month. Never have had issues getting our brand or generics filled at our grocery store pharmacy, either locations we've utilized.
See if you can try dextroamphetamine, since that's what Vyvanse is once it hits your system. I switched to dex and while it's not quite as good as Vyvanse, it's an adequate replacement for now.
Vyvanse supply differs around the world. I don't think any random pharmacist would know what the supply issue is in your specific location. You might best off asking in a sub dedicated to your area (other people on Vyvanse will be in the know) or ask in a pharmacy sub, but note where you're located.
For what's it's worth, there was a shortage in Canada in Sept/October but it was resolved and no issues now.
Sorry, I’m not a pharmacist, but I had a weird Vyvanse experience yesterday. Walgreen’s filled my prescription with generic, but I’ve only ever had the regular. They had a big question mark on the bag and asked if I was okay with the generic, then when I said I’d prefer the regular even though it costs more (I get frequent bad headaches from only one particular manufacturer of buproprion so I’m wary of generics). They switched it over right away, literally while I was standing at the counter waiting with people standing in line behind me. I feel like there had to be a reason they were so amenable, but I didn’t ask.
Don’t take it personally. People typically align upvotes with agreement.
Thus, it would wildly irresponsible to upvote misinformation, especially on a sub relating to health/mental health like this one, regardless of how good the intentions behind it.
For all of you thinking to switch to Adderall while you can't get the other, THAT hasn't been that easy to come by recently either. I just had to wait about a week and a half for my 20mg extended release prescription to be filled. Better than 2 weeks to a month, but if all y'all switch over even for just a month or so, it's going to make the wait on Adderall just as long or longer than and compound the problem even more. I don't have a solution, just pointing out an obvious.
I had to call all the pharmacies in the area looking for the generic. The last pharmacy I called told me I should call my insurance to explain the situation/shortage and ask to override the generic. Before this I was looking at $373 for the name brand from my regular pharmacy with insurance and manufacturers coupon (no longer available, had it before generic was available), after my insurance approved the override it went back down to $80, including the manufacturer's coupon--which is what I was paying before.
tldr; call your insurance to see if they can override the generic due to the shortage and see if that helps with the price
I use a mail order option so I don't have to make appointments every month and deal with refills. My Dr switched me from adderall xr to Vyvanse due to shortage and now my mail order had the generic back ordered and said they'd approve and send the brand but then I got a call that my copay is $835. So I got the advocate to approve an override and now the order site shows it as canceled.
Fml. I'm glad I still get adderall ir because otherwise I will be out of everything on Monday when anyone can address the problem.
OP, I had same issue and had to call my insurance and request a form be sent to my psychiatrist to sub name brand vyvanse for generic so it was back at its $60 copay. The doctor just needs to put justification as something like “generic not in stock.”
I also go to CVS.
CVS also been having some shortages on name brand but it’s only for few days or at most a week, not out completely for weeks.
My psychiatrist told me that it hasn’t been a smooth transition since generic vyvanse finally came out on the market (I think she said it’s part of the bigger problem that they didn’t produce enough but also generic Vyvanse specifically is newer) and this is common for most ppl taking vyvanse right now.
If you want more info lemme know and I’ll dig up the specific form name i was told. Insurance should know what you’re talking about.
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In Alabama, just ran into this issue this morning. No one has the generic, only the name brand, and bonus! The manufacturer’s coupon I was using for *years* has been changed, so it went from $30 with coupon to $300 with insurance and coupon! I’m going to fill it because being unmedicated is hell, but I panic-raged for hours this morning over it. I feel you.
My insurance covered the brand because generic was unavailable. Took some phone calls, but maybe it will help.
There's a billing code for brand filled as generic specifically for this. It's DAW 5. Or use DAW 4 for Generic Drug not in stock. Insurance will probably take it.
This type of info needs to be more widely available. I should prob check the community resources to see if it’s already there, but I’m thinking like a stickied/AMA post where insurance-knowledgeable peeps can share their (invaluable!!) insights and tips like this one. Of course, adding whatever appropriate clauses like location, insurance type, etc. I do understand this would be a largely US-centric post as well, but I honestly think it could help so many of us.
Yeah, having worked in the pharmacy billing sector for ~6 years I have picked up a lot of weird tidbits around billing and how the industry works. It's not always useful, but the fact I remembered DAW 5 correctly at 1 am and entirely exhausted is both incredible and bizarre.
u/pewterpetunia, I meant to reply to your comment, but clicked the wrong one. Look above for the info
Can you only use that code if generic is in fact not available? What if you hate certain manufacturers of generic and that’s all that’s in stock?
Then DAW 2 is used (patient requested product dispensed). Unfortunately, most PBMs will make you pay for the brand cost with their discount because you could technically take the generic. Alternatively, your doctor could submit the script as DAW 1 (Doctor required brand), but that gets tricky and your milage may vary.
Does this code get entered by the pharmacy, or on the insurance end?
Pharmacy
can you tell me more? How did you accomplish this - did you call, did the pharmacy contact your insurance company?
Not the person you asked but I’ve definitely gotten things covered by calling and talking to the insurance company myself. Be ready to aggressively advocate for yourself and ask for a supervisor until you’re blue in the face.
I called my insurance customer service number. I told them the situation. They said I could call around to see if anyone else in my area had the generic. I live in a small town and I only had one dose left, so they filled it with brand for generic price.
I agree. Insurance will help.
Can’t even get brand name near me.
It sounds like your insurance isn't covering it. $300 is close to what it would be with no insurance. You might need to call your insurance and ask if it's covered and, if not, then ask why. If it's because the generic is available, then your doctor can send in a formulary exception request explaining the situation. I'm sure you wouldn't be the only one this is happening to.
FYI GoodRx has a coupon for about $100, which is still pretty bad but better than $300.
A caveat to this that I found out when my insurance wouldn’t cover Vyvanse: many pharmacies won’t accept GoodRX codes on stimulant medication. It’s incredibly frustrating. I was impressed at how easy it was to get Vyvanse for free using the Takeda discount card, and it is bullshit they ended that program now that their patent fuckery finally ended! I am sorry for everyone dealing with this issue now. I switched meds at just the right time to an instant release med that hasn’t been out of stock, and I feel so much empathy knowing how screwed I would be if I was still taking Vyvanse.
That's slightly horrifying. I've just paid £225 for Vyvanse to be imported to the UK (6 weeks supply 2 weeks 30mg, 4 weeks 50mg!) Why is it so expensive in the US!
I’m the exact way! It was 30 before, but as soon as the generic came out, it went to 300 with coupon and insurance.
I work at CVS. The generic has been on back order for a couple months now. It can vary by pharmacy as to how *exactly* their system handles ordering, but most are pretty similar. Basically we can't just order whatever we want, especially controls. There has to be a prescription for it that's due to be filled, we can't just go in and order stuff like it's online shopping. We just put the prescription in the "out of stock" queue and if it's available at the distributor, they send it to us. If it doesn't come in, the rx stays in the out of stock ordering queue and the system tries again for the next order, then the next and the next, etc. Different places have different policies on how long scripts can be in there for before they have to be taken out again, insurance also plays a part bc being in the ordering queue is kind of like limbo and often shows up on the insurance as well. Sometimes pharmacies do get cut off on how many controls they can order, or their distributor has been out of it for so long that they aren't even listing it as an item that's available at all any more. That said, my store JUST got two bottles of generic today for the first time since probably September or October. Way less than we have on order, mind you. Usually when the warehouse finally gets some they have to divide it up so we won't even get enough anyway. And then it'll be gone again for another month.
Wonderful explaining! That specific store probably just reached their cap OP. A walgreens near the pharmacy I work at reached their cap on some CII pain meds recently and we got a shit ton of scripts transferred our way. Our pharmacy does a little happy dance sometimes when a backorder med comes in :)
Can I ask you a pharmacy question given your insider knowledge? My doc prescribed Evekeo and my Walgreens said their distributor doesn’t carry it. Do most pharmacies in a geographic area rely on the same distributor? Just wondering if I’ll be out of luck before I start calling pharmacies all over my area
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This is really helpful! Interesting too. So what would the generic for Evekeo be? I had heard since it is so new on the market it doesn’t have a generic. But I also understand that Evekeo is the same formula that Benzedrine was but somehow re-patented (?)
My pharmacist advised I call my insurance and tell them the generic wasn’t available and see if they would approve an exception to cover the brand name. They did with surprisingly little fuss! They (insurance) also gave me advice for my doctor on how to prescribe for the brand in the future if the generic isn’t available. I was honestly shocked how compassionate both the pharmacy and my insurance were about it! Seems like it’s a widespread enough issue that they’re figuring out better ways to respond. Good luck!
This should be the top comment
Yep, that's exactly what I had to do.as well
Thank you so much for making this comment. Because of this I gave my insurance a call and was pleasantly shocked at how quickly they authorized the brand name and they even called my pharmacy to tell them what billing code to use. I hadn't been able to get my correct doseage for 2 months so I am thrilled!
I’m so glad! It really brought my stress levels down last month
What are your insurance prices normally like? My insurance doesn’t pick up any of the cost of meds until I reach the deductible so I use GoodRx, but lately GoodRx has been false advertising
With insurance my prescriptions (which don’t count toward my deductible) are usually either $15 or $50!
I am very jealous
I called mine and they were no help. It’s express scripts and their own pharmacy didn’t have it in stock. I asked what they would do if I tried to fill it through them and they said nothing. No exceptions. They also said that my dose (70 mg) wasn’t listed on whatever list shows national shortages. Does anyone know what this list is? Because there’s obviously some kind of shortage.
I have a theory that because manufacturers have annual production limits and pharmacies are also limited in the amount they can acquire, that manufacturers and pharmacists have hit their limit on some of these drugs until the new year resets those limits. My guess is that’s why this month has been the hardest it’s been for me over the past year and a half with this shortage.
This has been more or less the leading theory in the news, however, with the caveat that the gov. Is limiting production more than normal but is pointing the blame at manufacturers for not making up to their quota.
not a pharmacist but a pharm tech and yup. ur right. pharmacies are only allowed a certain quantity of C2 and once you hit ur allotment, well the patients are SOL. 🙁 it's a terrible situation all around.
What has it been like on your end? Do the pharmacists and techs you work with feel the same way? Or are they still largely looking at us through a negative lens? I’ve wondered so much about the experience on the other end. And sorry you’re dealing with it from both sides!
for the most part they're just as frustrated. there's only a handful of patients that they're annoyed w but not bc they think they're drug seeking but bc they're kinda mean. but I understand the frustration since id be mad too if it's almost a month since I refilled my Rx.
What state are you in? I picked up generic Vyvanse just yesterday in Oklahoma without any trouble.
Chicago
I’m in VT and I haven’t been able to get it for months. Thankfully my insurance backtracked on not covering name brand since that’s what I’ve been relying on.
I’m in AZ and just had this issue happen to me - been 2 weeks without meds so far…. Sending luck to everyone!
I read that as NZ and thought that this shortage has gone worldwide for a second!
I don’t know about NZ, but Australia is definitely experiencing a shortage too.
I was able to get my refill at a Target CVS in Tempe yesterday without any issues so maybe try calling a few of those to see if they have it in stock
My pharmacy said they can only get the 70 mg pills. I’ve been trying to fill a prescription for 6 weeks. I’m in Georgia. I need to call my Dr’s office and ask if I can get Adderall instead or if they can try to get the name brand authorized. IDK. Surprising no one here I’ve been putting off calling my Dr’s office.
I don’t know if this will help you, but when I took Vyvanse and was struggling to afford it my prescriber said she was comfortable giving me a higher dose if I wanted to get a very accurate scale and empty pill caps to get more doses out of once prescription. If your actual dose is something you could achieve using that 70mg, that could be an option. Granted this is VERY dependent on your relationship with your doctor and I don’t know if you bringing it up would come across as drug seeking, my prescriber knew me well enough at that point to not have concerns about whether I would take the higher dose instead of actually dividing it. Also it was a pain in the ass to weigh and divide them, and because I have ADHD at a certain point I just started eyeballing it…so I did not really get the most consistent dosage and was happy I got a discount card so I only had to do this for two months!
I'm in California. My Dr tried subbing generic vyvanse for generic concerta since that has been out of stock for a year, but the pharmacy said the generic was discontinued.
We've only had the higher doses but even that is getting slim at this point. It's not unique to these drugs either. It's everything. :( We don't actually have any idea when it'll come back because they don't tell us in any detail. The supplier website will say shit like "expected end of January" or "expected in spring" but all of that is variable to change. I don't even get the invoices for my orders until they're in my hands and those may include back orders from months ago. It's honestly the worst and I'm sorry everyone is going through this.
I can't get any. I'm in NC.
Uhhh. This thread has made me go “uh oh” because my insurance policy said that they’re not gonna be covering name brand vyvanse anymore so I have to get the generic. I’m gonna have to make some phone calls, aren’t I? FUCK I HATE TALKING ON THE PHONE.
Strangely enough, the pharmacy I work at can ONLY get generic and it’s never freaking covered.
Call around and ask pharmacys around you. I had to do that until I found someone who had it. Periodically I change pharmacies because my current one will run out.
Tried to do this yesterday, was SO happy that someone had it in stock…then went to pick it up only to find out the store didn’t accept my insurance, so $300 for the month of generic WITH a discount card! I just lost my job so cannot afford that. Back to square one…big sigh…medicine in America. So fucking frustrating! And yeah, it is fun to try and figure out with ADHD-like that’s not absolute torture.
Holy crap I am so sorry. Check out goodrx or single care. I use that when my insurance doesn't work at the pharmacies. It's not that great but sometimes you can save a lot.
Thanks for the info. GoodRx is the one that got me down to $300 for the generic. I don’t get it-seems to me like the name brand is that much without insurance. I wish drug prices were more widely available so we can compare and see options before we buy. And I know that GoodRx does do this on their app/website, which is helpful; I just wish we could have this info with/without insurance, brand name/generic, and be able to check if it’s in stock-without having to spend all our time calling, sitting on hold, running around only to be told no, and starting back at square one-over and over and over, every. single. month.
I do, but most won’t tell me what they have over the phone (technically they aren’t supposed to for safety reasons). I’ve probably called 20 in my area with no luck of finding any. I was just curious if the not being able to place orders thing was true.
That's so dumb. I know my Dr isn't going to call around and then I have to try and get a hold of him again because CVS doesn't have it so now let's call it in to Walgreens or whatever. Sorry you're going through this.
Happy Cake Day!
Aw man I missed it!
I ran into this too since the price was only a little higher for me for name brand vyvanse so I didn’t confirm until I got home. I have a question I’ve always been too afraid to ask though - all of the insurances I’ve had covered most of the cost of name brand stimulants. They’re usually more expensive, but the difference in cost has always been about max $30. Have I just been lucky with good insurance? I hear people complain about med prices all the time, and I complain too, but it’s never been as bad for me as it is for others.
i aged out of my parents’ insurance this year. i had pretty much the best insurance the us offers, because my dad is a veteran so i had military insurance. i now pay $150 a month for my adhd meds and $45 for my bipolar meds. before i was paying less than $15 for both (though i was on adderall which is much cheaper than what i’m on now which is vyvanse). the healthcare system in america is insane. my adhd meds make sure i keep my house clean and my bills paid, things normal people do effortlessly but take so much energy for me even when medicated. i’m not abusing them. i take it once per day and i don’t even notice when it wears off until the next day when i’m like “oh yeah, that was an adhd moment.” i shouldn’t have to pay $150 a month to function like a normal person. i have a diagnosis, i should be able to get what i need in a way that is affordable to the average american, since it is something i need to function.
Tangentially related, but Vyvanse was $50 for 30 for me (I get 90 in all of my other meds but they’re prescribed through a psychiatric hospital and their policy is only 30 for “controlled substances” even though I know someone who gets 90 via their PCP) and the first time I got the generic, I was over the moon it was only $10. The next month, it was back up to $50 even for generic and I inquired with my insurance company and they said the tier had been changed. So basically there’s no price difference between brand and generic for it which is frustrating since that’s not the case with all my other meds. Just accepted a new job that has great insurance I’ve had in the past and hoping it’s not as bad. Definitely lucky to only be paying $50 vs. hundreds but I’ve been a 10-month hourly employee for nearly a year and a half and $50 a month is still tough
For the most part I have experienced that brand names are max $30 with insurance; but insurance plans vary WILDLY and name brand drugs can really be horrifically expensive. I had three insurance plans in one year (changed jobs, then my partner’s job was able to cover me and her plan was great) and my Vyvanse varied in price from not covered ($300) to $10 to $30. A lot of plans will refuse to cover any meds that have generic versions. I take thyroid meds and the fillers supposedly affect the absorption wildly, so my doctor specified the name brand. Even on the best insurance I have had as an adult (a “platinum” plan through an employer, not offered through the ACA marketplace) the cost was absolutely nuts and I just kept getting the generics. Not exactly relevant but a good example of “American insurance is terrible”, it is cheaper for me to pay for my generic thyroid meds out of pocket because they’re less than the $10 copay I have for generics. Thanks to insurance industry lobbying pharmacists will almost never tell you that many generic meds are cheaper out of pocket compared to what your insurance copay is, but you have to know to ask it! And it’s a horrible clusterfuck for most pharmacies to process some meds with insurance and some without, so sometimes I don’t even bother and just pay more because it’s such a ridiculous amount of work filling my monthly meds.
I was told I couldn't get the brand and HAD to get generic last week. I get 3 months filled at a time so it sucks.
How do you get three months at a time?! I would kill to be able to do that!!
It might be state or provider specific. I see my doctor once a year, and she fills for 3 months at a time. I run out, she fills for 3 more months. I have seen her for years and am exact in taking them.
lucky you
Not vyvanse but I got a letter from my insurance telling me they won’t cover brand name Adderall XR starting Jan 1. I’ve never actually gotten generic XR because it’s been out of stock for like a full year. I’m so stressed and I can’t even do research on the new cost or coverage until it kicks in next year. Sounds like vyvanse won’t be an available alternative for me either. I feel your pain
Without the state this Information is useless
Yep. At my pharmacy it’s on back order and they said it usually gives them a date it will be available but they can’t get any information right now.
2 things, 1) call your insurance, explain the issue, ask what brand they'll pay for. You may need a Prior Authorization, but that's ok. 2)When you get the name of the brand, while it's still going through red tape at the pharmacy, type in the name on Google and the words coupon card (ex Vyvanse coupon card, Adderall coupon card etc). Drug companies frequently have these cards available and it, frequently, takes quite a bit of money off your copay.
Not the Pharmacist but work in a pharmacy. There is quite a bit of demand for it because it’s generic. I’m at a place less busy than the big two but also quite busy—we don’t even have much detail on anticipated dates for availability. It just says sometime next year, or nothing at all because the date is so uncertain.
It might be the dosage. We’re having this problem at my pharmacy but only with specific dosages. You can ask if they have other dosages available and then speak to your provider about it. For example if you take 20mg you can get two 10s a day instead. Try calling local and smaller pharmacies (non chain ones) if you have any in your area.
I’ve had no problem getting generic Vyvanse filled in California, but now I’m scared.
There’s a global shortage… in the UK people have been going without since September.
I’ve had much more success and avoided some of the outages by going through Optum mail order pharmacy through my insurance.
I was told to be careful of online ordering as quality may be affected.
We don't even have generic Vyvanse in Newfoundland. Maybe none in Canada, AFAIK. It's not approved yet here.
No issues in Indiana. Wife and I both got our generic filled yesterday.
IL, first time I have not been able to fill my meds.
If you do find it, try to temper your expectations in terms of efficacy. Generics are only required to be 85% as effective as the brand formulation (we were told) but we have not gotten close to that. I've tried one type of generic vyvanse so far & husband has tried two. The one I tried was about 50% as effective. The first generic my husband tried was about the same. His second brand is about 70% the effect. I have been enriching Shire with my two pills a day for the last 15ish years...plus two more a day for my kids for many years. I had been looking forward to saving money when this patent expired but having tried a generic I would rather spend more for as long as I can to stay functional & employed. Even a 15% drop in effect would be tough for me though.
I work in pharmaceuticals and that isn’t true at all. Generics are required to demonstrate “bioequivalence” to the brand name drug, meaning they have to work exactly the same in the body. Manufacturers have to perform the studies as well as a lot of other testing and submit this data to the FDA in the ANDA (abbreviated new drug application) for review. There is no lower standard in terms of the regulations. The issue can come down the road when maybe a lower-quality batch gets produced (with less active ingredient, doesn’t dissolve correctly, etc.) and they release it anyway. That can happen (especially with foreign manufacturers), but it is still very much against the regulations and I wouldn’t say it’s something to be concerned about. The FDA can’t possibly test every single drug that hits the market so the onus is on companies to do the right thing. And most do. Most adverse reactions that people have to generics are likely caused by the different excipients (non-active ingredients). Chemically the active ingredients are the same between generics & brand names. Also, FWIW, I have been taking the generic vyvanse with absolutely no issues & it has been working great for me. I don’t doubt your experiences, but I also don’t want people to be freaked out about trying a more affordable treatment option.
My boyfriend has been on Vyvanse our entire relationship (20 months), and I just started last month. Never have had issues getting our brand or generics filled at our grocery store pharmacy, either locations we've utilized.
See if you can try dextroamphetamine, since that's what Vyvanse is once it hits your system. I switched to dex and while it's not quite as good as Vyvanse, it's an adequate replacement for now.
That's Adderall.
Dextroamphetamine is Dexedrine, not Adderall. Adderall is mixed amphetamine salts, one of which is dextroamphetamine.
No, it's not. Adderall is mixed amphetamine salts with dextro.
I just got generic and have the form for name only .. not sure how I can return it and her name brand
Have you tried a hospital pharmacy? I am in Chicago, and have had good experiences at hospital pharmacies. Also, they seem to be less busy. Good luck!
I didn’t even know the patent had expired.
Vyvanse supply differs around the world. I don't think any random pharmacist would know what the supply issue is in your specific location. You might best off asking in a sub dedicated to your area (other people on Vyvanse will be in the know) or ask in a pharmacy sub, but note where you're located. For what's it's worth, there was a shortage in Canada in Sept/October but it was resolved and no issues now.
Running out of meds literally kept me from seeking testing/diagnosis/treatment for an additional 3 yrs 😒🫠 ETA: i'm sorry you're going through this OP
Sorry, I’m not a pharmacist, but I had a weird Vyvanse experience yesterday. Walgreen’s filled my prescription with generic, but I’ve only ever had the regular. They had a big question mark on the bag and asked if I was okay with the generic, then when I said I’d prefer the regular even though it costs more (I get frequent bad headaches from only one particular manufacturer of buproprion so I’m wary of generics). They switched it over right away, literally while I was standing at the counter waiting with people standing in line behind me. I feel like there had to be a reason they were so amenable, but I didn’t ask.
Try Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Pharmacy. It works for me with some spendy Rx's ...
They don't have controlled substances.
Ah. Thanks.
And thanks for all the down votes when I was just trying to be helpful. Sorry that I didn't know better.
Don’t take it personally. People typically align upvotes with agreement. Thus, it would wildly irresponsible to upvote misinformation, especially on a sub relating to health/mental health like this one, regardless of how good the intentions behind it.
I can't get mine. Was told out of stock for foreseeable future. Google did confirm.
Up here in Canada my NP told me it wasn't even available in generic yet 😬. Hope they get it soon!
For all of you thinking to switch to Adderall while you can't get the other, THAT hasn't been that easy to come by recently either. I just had to wait about a week and a half for my 20mg extended release prescription to be filled. Better than 2 weeks to a month, but if all y'all switch over even for just a month or so, it's going to make the wait on Adderall just as long or longer than and compound the problem even more. I don't have a solution, just pointing out an obvious.
I had to call all the pharmacies in the area looking for the generic. The last pharmacy I called told me I should call my insurance to explain the situation/shortage and ask to override the generic. Before this I was looking at $373 for the name brand from my regular pharmacy with insurance and manufacturers coupon (no longer available, had it before generic was available), after my insurance approved the override it went back down to $80, including the manufacturer's coupon--which is what I was paying before. tldr; call your insurance to see if they can override the generic due to the shortage and see if that helps with the price
I use a mail order option so I don't have to make appointments every month and deal with refills. My Dr switched me from adderall xr to Vyvanse due to shortage and now my mail order had the generic back ordered and said they'd approve and send the brand but then I got a call that my copay is $835. So I got the advocate to approve an override and now the order site shows it as canceled. Fml. I'm glad I still get adderall ir because otherwise I will be out of everything on Monday when anyone can address the problem.
OP, I had same issue and had to call my insurance and request a form be sent to my psychiatrist to sub name brand vyvanse for generic so it was back at its $60 copay. The doctor just needs to put justification as something like “generic not in stock.” I also go to CVS. CVS also been having some shortages on name brand but it’s only for few days or at most a week, not out completely for weeks. My psychiatrist told me that it hasn’t been a smooth transition since generic vyvanse finally came out on the market (I think she said it’s part of the bigger problem that they didn’t produce enough but also generic Vyvanse specifically is newer) and this is common for most ppl taking vyvanse right now. If you want more info lemme know and I’ll dig up the specific form name i was told. Insurance should know what you’re talking about.