generic vs. brand name Adderall XR | ADHD Information

Very interesting... Anthem covers our prescriptions, too. I was wondering if there would be more than one generic manufacturer... looks like I have some phone calls to make. Thank you for the info!

I think you are right to suspect that the difference is due to switching to the generic. The last script for XR that my doc wrote specified the generic  (previously it's always been name brand), but when I went to pick it up, the pharmacist handed me not generic but name-brand pills.  "What's up?" I asked.  The pharmacist explained that my insurance company (Anthem BC/BS) prefers use of the name-brand over the generic Adderall XR.  Needless to say, I was delighted! 

I suspect that the Insurance Co. made some sweet deal with the manufacturer...but I've also seen some stuff on the internet indicating that some of the early-run generic XR is not up-to-snuff and there have been complaints...so maybe Anthem got tired of hearing from patients and pharmacists and decided to chill out on generic XR for now.... 

It's possible, with your doctor's and pharmacist's agreement, to "trade-in" your remaining generic XR for the brand-name stuff, minus those pills that you've used up.  I did that once when I got a three-month supply of the generic regular-release Adderall which, unfortunately, had no effect--I swapped for pills made by a different generic manufacturer.  Pharmacists (the good ones, at least) seem to know that these psychoactive drugs can be highly variable, depending on the manufacturer, in their efficacy with a particular patient.

I was so relieved when Adderall XR went generic last year, as my co-pays
have been doubling or more every year. We have been using generic since
October. In mid-November, the old familiar problems started up again,
and by December it was obvious an increase was needed. My son is 9,
and he was taking 30 mg in the morning and 10 mg (still XR) at noon. His
psychiatrist wasn't comfortable increasing it, so he suggested we try
Concerta. 54 mg did very little good. I tried 40 mg Adderall on my own
and his teacher raved- his last week before break he was focused,
productive, and best of all, proud and happy. His doctor agreed to
prescribe 40mg (two 20mg- they don't make them that big). This week I
sent him to school, still using combinations of old prescriptions while I
wait for the mail order one. This week has been very rocky for him. I am
now using generics, the week before break it was brand-name. There are
tons of other factors of course, but has anyone else switched to generic
and noticed a difference?