Generic Adderall?

The meds can only do so much. If your son is thinking about something else while he is going through the motions of reading something he isn’t interested in he will not comprehend what he is reading. My ds is also ADD-Inattentive with distractibility and he has to be in a quiet place when reading a book for english. He can spend hours reading a book he wants to read but if he has to read Animal Farm or some other book for English it is like pulling teeth…LOL

My son was on Adderall for about 6 months and it didn’t work as well as Dexadrine has. His problem was that it wore off as soon as school was over and he couldn’t pull it together to do his homework. What time of day is your son reading and having this problem with comprehension? Usually kids with ADD do better in the morning when they are fresh and their meds are at the optimum. He can be taught skills to help him to create comprehension. How are his decoding skills? Does he have any residual speech and language issues that could be interferring with his comprehension?

Meds sometimes work and sometimes don’t. It might be worth comparing “brand-name” with “generic” to see if there is a difference, because sometimes people react differently to the inert ingredients. I know some people who need Ritalin — but others who do just fine on whatever methylphenidate comes down the pike.
But hte bottom line is that any one med doesn’t work for everybody — it’s worth trying different things. And, also, there are behaviors that have to be learned even if the meds have changed the brain chemistry enough to make it possible.

I had wondered the same thing about the generic Adderall. My son has had success with the name brand, so when the pharmacist offered the generic I refused it. I didn’t want to tamper with success. I thought I’d discuss it with his doctor, and if he thinks it’s ok then I’d have my son try the generic once school is out. I hope to get a prescription for just a few pills so my son could try it. I’d be interested to hear of your son’s experience with the generic version.

Pharmacy just refilled with the generic for us, and i haven’t noticed any difference. 30 mg/daily (STILL crushed up in cherry juice for the 11.5 year old who won’t take pills). We would really like to move her onto pills and try the new adderalrx (time release) and see if that helps with later afternoon focus.

Have you tried putting the pill in a spoonful of applesauce or pudding, etc.? Those sustained release pills usually can’t be crushed!

Have you talked with a speech pathologist to help her with swallowing the pills? Some SLP’s have training in swallowing disorders and can give you some tips to help her overcome this. The sustained release pills are great…and they can’t be crushed..

My daughter just started on the generic Adderall this month, after taking the name brand. Seems to have the same effect, though with her, it seems to wear off after 4 hours. The big problem is she doesn’t eat and that effect lasts all day.

yea I know, but this is a kid with lots of refusal to change in her, so we’re really working on it in therapy! thanks.

thanks for this tip; she’s worked with a slp for years on pragmatics, reading comprehension etc. and has a very strong relationship with the therapist. So the slp might be able to make some progress here, I”ll check about her experience with the swallowing piece.

My doctor just prescribed my son the new Adderall XR. The new Adderall is a capsule that can be opened and you can pour the granules onto a spoon mixed with apple sauce or pudding. My doctor recommeneded this option because my son refuses to swallow pills, but needed an extended release pill to last into the evening. So far this has been working well. He even can sustain himself after school long enough to do his homework. You should definately give it a try.