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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by methinks on June 4, 2003, at 13:47:48
Was prescribed Dextrostat (5mg twice daily) for ADD and my symptoms improved dramatically. In the third week however, I began having GERD (gastro esophageal reflux disease) symptoms which had previously been controlled by Prevacid (30mg once daily). When I stop taking the Dextrostat the GERD goes away completely. Now, when I take just one 5mg Dextrostat, the GERD symptoms return within an hour and last for 36-48 hours. Anyone have a similar experience with Dextrostat? Any advice?
Posted by blondegirl47 on June 18, 2003, at 11:43:47
In reply to GERD as a side effect of Dextrostat?, posted by methinks on June 4, 2003, at 13:47:48
I already have acid reflux and yes Dextrostat made it worse. I would have to eat a tiny bit with it and take prilosec.
Blondegirl
Posted by methinks on June 19, 2003, at 9:08:45
In reply to Re: GERD as a side effect of Dextrostat?, posted by blondegirl47 on June 18, 2003, at 11:43:47
> I already have acid reflux and yes Dextrostat made it worse. I would have to eat a tiny bit with it and take prilosec.
>
> BlondegirlTried taking the Dextrostat with breakfast on several occasions, but that didn't help. Switched to Dexedrine Spansules (10mg) about a week ago and have not had a problem with acid reflux since. Anyone know why that is? Could it be that Dextrostat (generic for Dexedrine) caused the reflux whereas brand Dexedrine does not or is it the time release Spansules that made the difference?
Posted by fachad on June 20, 2003, at 12:44:10
In reply to Re: GERD as a side effect of Dextrostat? » blondegirl47, posted by methinks on June 19, 2003, at 9:08:45
How do Dexedrine Spansules compare to regular Dexedrine or Dextrostat?
> > I already have acid reflux and yes Dextrostat made it worse. I would have to eat a tiny bit with it and take prilosec.
> >
> > Blondegirl
>
> Tried taking the Dextrostat with breakfast on several occasions, but that didn't help. Switched to Dexedrine Spansules (10mg) about a week ago and have not had a problem with acid reflux since. Anyone know why that is? Could it be that Dextrostat (generic for Dexedrine) caused the reflux whereas brand Dexedrine does not or is it the time release Spansules that made the difference?
Posted by blondegirl47 on June 23, 2003, at 12:49:42
In reply to Dextrostat vs. Dexedrine Spansules, posted by fachad on June 20, 2003, at 12:44:10
Could it be that Dextrostat (generic for Dexedrine)
Just an fyi...Dextrostat is brand name. dextroamphetamine is generic form of dextrostat.
:) Blondegirl
Posted by methinks on June 23, 2003, at 14:10:37
In reply to Re: Dextrostat vs. Dexedrine Spansules » fachad, posted by blondegirl47 on June 23, 2003, at 12:49:42
> Could it be that Dextrostat (generic for Dexedrine)
>
> Just an fyi...Dextrostat is brand name. dextroamphetamine is generic form of dextrostat.
>
> :) Blondegirl
Was prescribed Dexedrine but Dextrostat was dispensed so thought Dextrostat was a generic.
However, apparently Dexedrine and Dextrostat are exactly the same drug manufactured by Glaxo and Shire respectively, with the generic for both being dextroamphetamine. How can two different companies manufacture the exact same drug without patent infringement?
Posted by blondegirl47 on June 23, 2003, at 14:31:56
In reply to Dextrostat and Dexedrine--same thing?, posted by methinks on June 23, 2003, at 14:10:37
Thanks for the info. Now I'm really confused. Dextrostat used to work great for me. I tried generic dexedrine and it made me feel terrible.
Blondegirl
Posted by fachad on June 24, 2003, at 0:00:20
In reply to Re: Dextrostat and Dexedrine--same thing? » methinks, posted by blondegirl47 on June 23, 2003, at 14:31:56
OK, let me clear things up here. Even many pharmacists are confused by this one.
DEXEDRINE - The Original Brand of dextroamphetamine is Dexedrine. It is made by Glaxo Smith Klein, formerly Smith Klein Beecham.
DEXTROSTAT - A formulation of dextroamphetamine made by Shire Richwood (the makers of Adderall). It is considered by many to be a "generic" for Dexedrine, but only Shire Richwood makes the "real" Dextrostat. Dextostat was discontinued by Shire Richwood earlier this year and is no longer available.
Many pharmacists took to calling all generic dextroamphetamine "Dextrostat", or saying that Dextrostat was just generic Dexedrine, but it was really another brand of dextroamphetamine, with it's own name, all along.
GENRIC DEXTROAMPHETAMINE - I think there are several generic manufacturers making these tablets. The only ones my pharmacy can get are made by BARR, and they are really inferior. They made me feel awful.
I am currently taking the SKG Dexedrine tablets, and they seem equivalent to Dextrostat.
(Equivalent in efficacy, any way, not equivalent in cost - they cost over 5 times more than Dextrostat did!)
If it was BARR dextroamphetamine or nothing, I'd probably take nothing.
> Thanks for the info. Now I'm really confused. Dextrostat used to work great for me. I tried generic Dexedrine and it made me feel terrible.
>
> Blondegirl
Posted by blondegirl47 on June 24, 2003, at 9:32:46
In reply to The Story on Dextrostat, Dexedrine, dextroamphetam, posted by fachad on June 24, 2003, at 0:00:20
Thanks alot for clearing that up. Wow, I can't believe they quit make dextrostat. It worked really well for a while. Maybe I had the barr dexedrine...it really messed me up.
later, Blondegirl
Posted by methinks on June 25, 2003, at 9:56:30
In reply to The Story on Dextrostat, Dexedrine, dextroamphetam, posted by fachad on June 24, 2003, at 0:00:20
Fachad--thanks for the info on Dexedrine/Dextrostat. Was wondering in what ways did the Barr generic make you feel awful? Also, any idea why SKG generic cost 5 times more than Dextrostat and why Shire quit making Dextrostat? Could the government be artificially inflating the price?
BTW--I am tolerating the Dexedrine Spansules 10 mg much better than the Dextrostat 5 mg tablets in terms of few if any GERD symptoms. Unfortunately, the Spansules don't seem to work as well as the tablets and I will need to ask the pdoc to increase the dose.
Posted by blondegirl47 on June 25, 2003, at 10:07:53
In reply to Re: The Story on Dextrostat, Dexedrine, dextroamphetam » fachad, posted by methinks on June 25, 2003, at 9:56:30
The tablet dexedrine made me feel spacy and tired. I don't think the dose was strong enough at the time. It also made me quite bitchy, my SO wanted to call my pdoc to tell him I needed some other kind of medication.
My adderall xr doesn't kick in like the short acting, so I take a quarter of my 20 mg short acting adderall with it.
Also if I eat anything within an hour of taking adderall it hardly kicks in at all or it will delay it a couple hours.
I am seeing my pdoc next week I will ask him about
dextrostat.thanks for your input!
Blondegirl
Posted by fachad on June 25, 2003, at 15:40:18
In reply to Re: The Story on Dextrostat, Dexedrine, dextroamphetam » fachad, posted by methinks on June 25, 2003, at 9:56:30
>Was wondering in what ways did the Barr generic make you feel awful?
That's a bit hard to describe; some of these ideas are purely subjective impressions, but this is how the Barr dextroamphetamine seemed to me:
First, it did not seem to "work" very much at all. It also felt very "dirty" or unrefined or low quality. And the worst thing was that it wore off much faster than Dextrostat, and the wear off produced a harsh, sour, dysphoric feeling. The wear-off misery would start a few hours after the first dose, and subsequent doses would not alleviate it - they just made it worse.
I had that same harsh disphoria wear-off with generic methylphenidate but not Concerta. Of course Dextrostat wore off too, but there was no disphoria - just a very gradual decline in therapeutic effect.
>Also, any idea why SKG generic cost 5 times more than Dextrostat...?
SKG Dexedrine is not generic - it is THE proprietary dextroamphetamine formulation. The patent has expired, so others (like BARR) can make generic dextroamphetamine, but only GSK can call it "DEXEDRINE".
As to why it costs more, brand name meds always cost more than generics, but more importantly my health insurance has different co-pays for brand or generic. I pay $7 for a month's supply of generic; for brands it is $40.
The odd thing was that my insurance considered Dextrostat to be a generic for Dexedrine, so it cost $7.
>and why Shire quit making Dextrostat?
It was probably a business decision. I'm guessing that they showed much greater profitability for patent protected brands like Adderall XR; also Barr and others may have driven down the price of dextroamphetamine so much that it was not attractive to Shire or their investors.
> BTW--I am tolerating the Dexedrine Spansules 10 mg much better than the Dextrostat 5 mg tablets in terms of few if any GERD symptoms. Unfortunately, the Spansules don't seem to work as well as the tablets and I will need to ask the pdoc to increase the dose.
I'm very interested in how the dose relates (Dexedrine tablets to Dexedrine Spansules). Please post here as you find the right dose.
I'm thinking my pdoc may want to switch me to Spansules so he does not have to write for 240 tablets per month. That seems like alot of tablets to me. It’s unfortunate that GSK only makes 5mg tablets.
Posted by fachad on June 25, 2003, at 15:49:08
In reply to Re: The Story on Dextrostat, Dexedrine, dextroamphetam » methinks, posted by blondegirl47 on June 25, 2003, at 10:07:53
> I am seeing my pdoc next week I will ask him about dextrostat
Blondegirl,
Dextrostat is gone; the only options you have left are generic dextroamphetamine or GSK brand Dexedrine.
If you want GSK brand, you have to do a few things:
First, make sure your pdoc writes the RX for "Dexedrine", and signs it "dispense as written".
Also, it only comes in 5mg tablets, and as it is CII, so if he writes for 10mg tablets the pharmacy cannot fill it and you will have to go back and get a new written RX.
Second, be sure to tell the pharmacist that you want the GSK brand. If the doc signed "dispense as written" they should automatically fill it with brand, but many pharmacies are strongly conditioned to always substitute generics whenever available.
Finally, be sure to check with you health insurance and pharmacy to see how much it will cost to fill beforehand - depending on your insurance it may be cost prohibitive.
> The tablet dexedrine made me feel spacy and tired. I don't think the dose was strong enough at the time. It also made me quite bitchy, my SO wanted to call my pdoc to tell him I needed some other kind of medication.
>
> My adderall xr doesn't kick in like the short acting, so I take a quarter of my 20 mg short acting adderall with it.
>
> Also if I eat anything within an hour of taking adderall it hardly kicks in at all or it will delay it a couple hours.
>
> I am seeing my pdoc next week I will ask him about
> dextrostat.
>
> thanks for your input!
> Blondegirl
This is the end of the thread.
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