Posted by laima on January 19, 2007, at 13:35:05
In reply to Re: dexedrine and adderall, posted by psychobot5000 on January 19, 2007, at 12:31:11
Thank you for your explanation. I did actually read the articles I could find on wikipedia, but I still had questions. And of course, wondered if there were other knowledgeable opinions. I tried dexedrine briefly last year for wakefulness/ADD, and it had a POTENT ant-depressent effect for me, but alas, after a few days I was intensely anxious. Right now I can't help but wonder if that's not thanks to using it at same time as welllbutrin. But in any case, I never got anything close to that boost from generic adderall, though I did get a decent enough mood boost from both generic and regular ritalin. But ritalin also had a way of making me hyper-focus, getting caught up obsessing with trivial details sometimes. However, the dexedrine mood boost was dramatic and like no other- also much a smoother drug than either version of ritalin, in my experience. So that's why I couldn't quite figure out why the generic adderall feels so inferior to the dexedrine moodwise, if there is a helping of the same chemical in it.You seem to be saying also that the brand name dexedrine is not quite the same chemically as generic dextroamphetamine. I also wonder how the saccharate and sulphate versions vary- just rate of absorption supposedly? Curious that I've seen some reports of people noticing that the brand adderall is salty, while a generic version is sweet. I wonder then if that particular generic has its proportions skewed? I can't fathom anyone thinking it would be a good idea to deliberately put sugar into a pill that is given to children, after all. In any case, it sounds like a lot of chemical variables by the time one is looking at adderall and its generic versions. I'm coming to the conclusion that brand vs regular does matter. Hmm. Lots to think about here.
> I had a slightly different reaction between adderall and dexedrine--chemically they are very, very similar. I suggest reading the wikipedia article on adderall for details...
>
> (See my experience below this bit)
> Adderall XR is comprised of
>
> * 1/4 Dextroamphetamine Saccharate
> * 1/4 Dextroamphetamine Sulfate
> * 1/4 dl-amphetamine Aspartate (racemic amphetamine)
> * 1/4 dl-amphetamine Sulfate (racemic amphetamine)
>
> The four component salts are claimed to be metabolised at different rates.
>
> The average elimination half-life for dextroamphetamine is 10 hours in adults, and for levoamphetamine, 13 hours.
>
> ...So, in terms of amphetamine, Adderall is 3/4 dextroamphetamine (dexedrine is all dextroamphetamine), mixed with 1/4 levoamphetamine, which has slightly different properties, but which is theorized to make it act more broadly, by varying the mechanism of action a bit. Levoamphetamine has the reputation of giving less psychological effect, with more physical (cardiac and respiratory) stimulation. But because it's a slightly different drug, it could enhance the effect of dexedrine. ...The dexamphetamine in adderall is also bonded to various other chemicals, so that (theoretically), it digests and hits the bloodstream more gradually, as the various molecules are digested at different rates. This is supposed to make it a smoother, and also longer acting drug--though it probably only extends the action by a little.
>
> Some people seem to find that it is, indeed, a little better than dexedrine. My experience was that it acted the same as dexedrine, but caused more anxiety, and elevated my heart-rate more than dexedrine. Many people seem to have this response, and my impression is that, on the average, it is inferior for those reasons.
>
> Also, adderall 10mg actually is not equivalent to dexedrine 10mg. Because of the extra weight of the bonded molecules in adderall, there is only about 6.75mg (or maybe it's 6.25?) amphetamine in 10mg adderall. So you need about 15mg adderall to get an equivalent dose to 10mg dexedrine.
poster:laima
thread:721931
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070119/msgs/724063.html