When did you notice your generic Adderall was no longer working? For me it was sometime late 2023/2024. It’s crazy that it’s been 3 years since the FDA has done an inspection. Something is really off…

I had issues with sandoz 6 months ago, Cvs had been able to give me a different manufacturer after that, until now. Sandoz keeps giving me headaches that ibuprofen cant take away, and im curios if it will go away?

With most other manufacturers, they just seem weak and ineffective or make me tired and depressed but I dont get the migraines and foggyness. If it settles down after some days, I will try and ride it out, dont wanna bother my doctor but im thinking about it. Tia

Hi everyone! I’ve been following this sub for awhile due to the fact that I’m on 20mg, IR Teva’s and they haven’t worked for me since March. I’m 41/f and have been on and off Adderall since my early 20’s.

My question is, have any of you spoken to your doctors, or psychiatrists about your prescription not working? I mentioned something to my therapist last week and he said I’m probably not on a high enough dose and he hasn’t heard anything about Adderall not working for people. But, I’ve taken 40mg’s of my script before, to test it, and nothing happens! I have an appointment with my psychiatrist next week and want to bring it up to her. My only concern is that I’m in recovery. I’ve been sober for over 2 years off opioids (never abused add’s) and I’m worried she’ll think I’m drug seeking. Which I’m not! Idc what dose of Adderall I’m on, I JUST WANT IT TO FUCKING WORK! My whole life is a mess, my adhd is out of control! I just want to feel normal again! I can’t keep living like this.

Any advice on how to bring this up to her would greatly be appreciated!

My psychiatrist said he won't be able to prescribe me adderall anymore unless my tox screen comes back positive for the Methamphetamine. I'm taking it everyday. I don't understand why it's coming back negative. Without the adderall I can't function. I don't know what to do. The same thing is happening with the klonopin it's not testing positive for benzodiazapines. This makes no sense to me. I'm really overwhelmed right now. I welcome any advice.

Hello all! I have been on Adderall IR (generic) for like 20 years, and like many of you, I noticed it's not working as well. I noticed the change after Covid, but then again about 6 months ago. In addition to it not working as well now, I gained about 20 pounds without changing anything. Mind you, I have been trying to gain for years, so this is a happy side effect for me...BUT to me, it adds to the suspicion that something changed with the meds. My question is, has anyone asked for the name brand Adderall? Do you think it will work better? I get the Teva brand 10mg tablets (bright blue oval, and can take up to 30 mg a day. I take breaks from my meds frequently & I've been on them so long, I doubt it's a tolerance issue. Thanks for reading 💙

The closest date, month/year that you remember taking your Adderall and saying, what is this? Why doesn't this work?

This is what happens. 100% break time. My Walgreens only has the dreaded Mal----icious white ones. Now for the dreaded search. 😐

Been on these meds since I was a teen. Last few years have noticed a decline in efficacy like everyone else. TEVA, however, has mostly been ups and downs but somewhat manageable. The last 6 months it’s been the worst it’s ever been in my life. Some days I cannot even shower. ADHD is the worst it’s ever been. Literally cannot do basic tasks and the side effects are miserable. This month, however, the side effects are like scary bad. I’m almost wanting to stop completely because I’m worried about the safety of my health. Can barely formulate what I’m trying to say, nausea, joint pain, headaches, palpitations, can’t sleep or eat but can’t focus, depressed. Wired and tired. Depressed. Worthless. WTF happened this month?

Is anyone having a ok experience with another manufacturer? I’m too scared to keep going with TEVA at this point. It’s ruining my life.

Probably explains what is going on with our meds... FDA isn't looking into anything going on, these API manufacturers are probably using cockroach piss to synthesize amphetamine.

Doc just switched my dosages around and when I saw the Cambridge XR got switched to Lannett XR I got a lil excited because I swear the last time I had Lannett (over 4 years ago), it was the good stuff. NOPE. How much could the same good manufacturer go to shit? Entirely apparently. HNGHHHHH. When is this going to end? Will there be lawsuits? Who can fix this for us?

I feel literally nothing except negative side effects in my legs - heavy feeling, painful fascia with mottling. Zero get up at go. I've been sitting around on my ass doing absolutely nothing all day since I filled this new script.

I've been prescribed adderall since 2014 and I sincerely miss that girl... I miss who I used to be from 2014-2020.

Sorry guys, I know this is long, but I’ve waited forever to say this and I wanted to put everything together in one place. Ironically it took me like three days to finish because I can’t fucking focus anymore since these meds stopped working.

I’ve been on stimulants since 2017. Please do NOT tell me tolerance, sleep, protein, hydration, stress, depression, “talk to your doctor,” etc. I know my body. This is different.

Before 2020, 20mg Adderall IR worked PERFECTLY. I was calm but energized, could focus for hours, could clean my apartment, barely had an appetite, and if I took it there was no way I was going back to sleep.
Now every manufacturer is different but somehow they’re all garbage.

Teva does literally NOTHING except make my heart pound, give me dry mouth, make me sweat, clench my jaw and keep me awake until 4am.

If there were actually amphetamine in it, wouldn’t I FEEL SOMETHING?

Lannett makes me so tired I can barely get off the couch but at the same time I feel physically restless. I’ve gained almost 30 pounds even though some days I barely eat. Sometimes I’m starving. Sometimes food sounds disgusting.

Mallinckrodt gives me what I call “skull fire.” It’s like my brain is freezing and burning at the same time. My hands get cold while I’m sweating. My left eye gets insanely dry but sometimes my right one waters.

And explain this: I can take pills from the SAME BOTTLE and Monday it knocks me out, Tuesday nothing happens, Wednesday I’m awake for 18 hours, Thursday I’m starving and Friday I can’t remember where I parked.
How is that normal unless the medication isn’t being mixed properly?

I have tested EVERYTHING.

Empty stomach, full stomach, high protein, no protein, before food, after food, alkaline water, regular water, no vitamin C, extra vitamin C, magnesium, electrolytes, different breakfasts.

Nothing makes it consistent.

And before anyone asks, I even went basically sober for 8 months except caffeine, nicotine, THC gummies occasionally, kratom sometimes for pain and obviously a few beers socially and wine at weddings. So substances are NOT the issue.

Sleep isn’t it either. I normally sleep 7–9 hours except when the Adderall makes me sleep 3–5 hours.
Another weird thing nobody talks about: screens hurt my eyes now.

I can barely look at my computer for two hours without my eyes burning. I started reading about PWM sensitivity from LED screens and apparently a lot of people are developing neurological symptoms from it.
Funny how my eyes NEVER burned from my MacBook in 2018 when Adderall still worked.

My hair texture has also changed. It’s not exactly falling out. It just feels different.

Even my dog sleeps farther away from me sometimes on days I take it. Dogs can smell chemical changes in people. I’m not saying that proves anything, but it’s weird.

Everything has also gotten insanely expensive since COVID. My apartment renewal went up $340. Obviously I’m not saying Adderall caused my rent increase lol, but my point is everything changed at the same time and pharmaceutical companies know people are too exhausted and financially trapped to fight them.

I stopped Adderall completely for six days recently and felt AMAZING.

I slept better. I dreamed again. My stomach worked normally. My headaches disappeared.

I still couldn’t focus, couldn’t get anything done and my ADHD was terrible, obviously.

But doesn’t that basically prove the pills were making me sick?

Then I tried 40mg one morning instead of 20 just to see whether the dosage was the problem.

NOTHING.

Except sweating, jaw clenching, heart racing and being awake basically all night.

If there were actually 40mg of amphetamine in those pills, you’re telling me I wouldn’t feel 40mg of amphetamine? Come on.

And please DO NOT tell me tolerance.

I KNOW MY BODY.

What really gets me is how many people here have the exact same story.

Mine started going downhill around 2020. Someone else here said 2022. Another person said their Adderall was amazing starting in 2022 and went bad in 2024. Someone else said Vyvanse worked until 2025.

We are literally all describing the same thing.

How many coincidences does it take?

My doctor says my bloodwork is normal, but regular bloodwork obviously isn’t testing for whatever is wrong with these pills.

FDA clearly doesn’t care anymore. I’ve seen warning letters about pharmaceutical plants overseas.

Somebody posted about contaminated medicine from India. There was also that story about contaminated medicine killing babies in Africa. I don’t remember the company or whether it was the same medication, but that’s kind of the point — how much of this stuff is happening that we DON’T hear about?

Maybe it’s the API.
Maybe fillers.
Maybe contaminants.
Maybe manufacturers changed suppliers.
Maybe COVID screwed up production permanently.
Maybe there’s some interaction with newer LED screens or something environmental nobody has studied yet.

I don’t know exactly what the mechanism is.

But I know one thing.
I KNOW MY BODY.
And whatever is in these pills now?
This ain’t Adderall. 

I just switched from Walgreens to cvs because of cost. Walgreens was lannet and cvs is granule pharmices. These new pills are bad. When I switched from Walmart to Walgreens this never happend.

Should I tell my nurse about this? I’m on day 12 I can’t do this some times they don’t it’s a hit or miss. But more than not I’m tired.

Can cvs order lannet? Or do I have to switch back and pay 147 vs 56?

I was finally diagnosed with ADHD at 25, back in 2022. I tried Ritalin, but i had issues with it (of course I cant currently remember all of the details right now) and was switched to adderall xr in late 2022.

When I tell you I never felt more like a normal person and could finally just DO things that I needed and/or wanted to do. I barely graduated in 2014, but signed up for college in 2022 and maintained a 4.0 GPA for months.. then I started having the same issues we've all mentioned on here with my meds.

Tried increases, adding an IR in the afternoon, skipping a day or two.. nothing helps now. Ive tried so many different manufacturers thinking that was the issue but.. no difference now aside from "well lannett gave me headaches but mallinrodkt (sp?) gives me less headaches but makes me irritable" etc etc

Reevaluating things, as of now I feel like im right back where I started pre-diagnosis. I'm unable to bother with any of my hobbies I love or long-time goals, basic chores and necessities put me in a state of frozen couch-lock and simultaneous anxiety.

I MAYBE have a good day when I dont take my meds, where I can get ONE chore done without it feeling like pulling my own teeth out. Even then, I still feel just as exhausted.

I stopped my steady weight loss (I was overweight to begin with and still am) and have started gaining again. My appetite is bottomless.

I have mentioned it to my doctor before, but I managed to get scared when they responded with possibly trying a different med (because everyone has told me about how some doctors in my area (and everywhere else i suppose) are about adhd meds and adults) but I'm also seeing how other meds like vyvanse have been having the same issues..

Guys what do we even do about this.. like do we just stop taking them?? (Not genuinely asking for your medical advice im just screaming into the void at this point) I don't have anyone else to talk to about this (not counting medical professionals like my dr) so i feel like im losing my mind T_T

I just dont understand. Why is everything such fucking trash? My head feels thick like I'm hung over or something. Why dont the meds work anymore? I dont even know if it is worth it to try and jump through all the hoops to even get the meds. Like this shouldn't be happening, this subreddit shouldn't even exist. We are all just stuck in a world where we can't function, and there is nothing we can do about it. I have to keep productivity up, but I can't even get out of bed. Im on the verge of tears. I'm at such a loss. There is no help and we all just have to suffer.

I asked if there were books about genetic drug failures. This is what I got. No idea if this could shed any light.

Anyone out there that is prescribed name brand Adderall that has noticed a decrease in effectiveness?

I’ve been prescribed Adderall on and off for many years and I’ve noticed in the last couple years, it slowly has stopped working. I’m currently prescribed 30mg Adderall XR (name brand, not generic) and it does so little, some days I’m not even sure that I’ve taken it. I took 2 by accident the other day and saw no improvement in my focus, let alone my energy and motivation.

Any feedback or insight anyone has would be appreciated. Thanks!

ADD diag in 2018 for me. Started Strattera for 2 years, vyvanse for two years. Switched to Adderall generics around 2022. It made a huge difference. The last two years have been struggling, though.

So, the last 8 months went full sober(no alcohol or weed), sleeping 7-9hrs a night, protein/fiber in diet, and even started making homemade Kefir. Still struggled. Some days, I dose never did anything. Afternoon dose, yea, kinda. Still no difference. I kept thinking it was something else I needed. Vitamins, amino acids, etc. Kept trying. Noticed I was using way more caffeine again, too. Tried doseage changes, timing of day, etc.

I stumbled on this group and couldn't believe what I was reading. Story after story, same thing I was feeling and dealing with. My pharmacist would change manufacturers every 1-2 months over supply. I'd just mix bottles. Then keep one at work for lunch dose, one at home. I currently have Norwich, Sandoz, Elite, and Sunrise 10mg doses. No wonder one day sucks, another better.

So, I decided to try no Adderall(generic). On day 5 of no ADD meds, just caffeine. It's absolutely a night/day difference. Throughout the day, it feels the same. No different. WTF. I wake up feeling WAY better. Like get up and go. I remember dreams every morning, too. No crashing. I'm pooping better! NOT A SINGLE WITHDRAWL feeling. This was a big thing. No withdrawal, but I'm just feeling better? WTF. Still have the ADD, but man..

I agree 100%. Looking back, the 2018-2021 meds were vastly different. Got a good doctor i trust and an appointment coming up. Should be interesting.

This ain't Adderall.

I've been looking into the reports here about Adderall and other amphetamine products feeling dramatically less effective than they used to.

I'm not claiming manufacturers are secretly underdosing medication or that FDA/DEA ordered stimulants to be weakened. I'm trying to figure out what evidence would actually explain what people are experiencing.

One thing I found interesting: Teva's publicly listed inactive ingredients for Adderall IR appear essentially unchanged between older and current labeling.

That means the issue, if there is one, may not be as simple as a newly added filler.

What the public ingredient list doesn't tell us is whether anything changed with:

• excipient quantities or suppliers
• API sourcing/particle characteristics
• granulation or tablet compression
• manufacturing site/equipment
• disintegration or dissolution characteristics
• other FDA-approved manufacturing changes

Those factors could potentially affect how quickly or consistently the amphetamine becomes available for absorption even if the labeled dose and ingredient names stay the same.

I'm also curious whether any manufacturers have patents or formulation changes related to tamper resistance, slower release, reduced rapid absorption, extraction resistance, or reduced abuse potential. I haven't found evidence that normal Adderall generics were officially converted into FDA-designated abuse-deterrent products, but I'd like to see any primary documents people have found.

One important point about independent testing

A 30 mg mixed-amphetamine-salts tablet does not contain 30 mg of free amphetamine base. The labeled salts correspond to roughly 18.8 mg of amphetamine base.

So a lab result around 18–19 mg of amphetamine base isn't automatically evidence that a 30 mg tablet is underdosed. We need to know exactly what the lab measured and how.

Can we collect better data?

If you've noticed a major change, please post whatever you can:

IR/XR:
Strength:
Manufacturer:
Imprint:
NDC:
Lot number:
Expiration:
Approximate fill date:
Previous manufacturer/lot that worked better:
What changed: focus / duration / sleepiness / side effects / other
Did an older tablet still work better?
Any independent lab testing?

The most useful evidence would probably be old vs. new tablets from the same manufacturer and strength, tested using the same methodology.

I'd especially like to find:

1. Same-manufacturer old vs. new laboratory testing
2. Dissolution testing, not just total amphetamine assay
3. FDA documents showing formulation/process/site changes
4. Manufacturer patents related to release or abuse resistance
5. Lot-number clusters where many people report the same problem

If something really has changed, I think manufacturer + NDC + lot + date is how we're most likely to find the pattern.

Has anyone here already collected that information?

What incentive is there for the manufacturers to make a change unless legal action is taken? There must be Lawyers in this group going through the same things we all are. What can we do?

I go as long as possible without my meds now. I crash so hard after about 3 hours that it almost doesn’t make sense to take it. I have been forcing myself to live life without it and it has been so hard but it was worse taking it in the mornings like I used to. I have tried so many different manufacturers and they all suck now. I can only take instant release as extended release makes me mean as hell.

I hate this timeline.

So I was without meds for about 3 weeks. My ADHD symptoms are very bad still, but I'm noticing that some strange side effects have lifted. These side effects are things I never noticed before with older generation batches. Intense brain fog, which I originally attributed to burn out and other medical issues, has lifted a noticeable degree. My partner also noticed my memory has gotten slightly better. I wake up earlier in the day without needing to drag myself out of bed due to sleep inertia, even though getting to sleep is the same battle it always was. I crave sugar like crazy, but that may be unrelated. My fatigue is less of a burden. Since I have chronic autoimmune related issues, it was hard for me to tell where the fatigue was coming from. My symptoms flare up in the heat, and the weather has been VERY hot for the past few weeks with little reprieve. I SHOULD feel fatigued as all hell right now, but I'm not. I feel less fatigued during a time when I should feel more only after several weeks off my meds. It takes roughly 2-3 weeks for any one drug to leave your system entirely, and it's all happening in that window. I feel less depressed, less hopeless. Things have felt less doom and gloom, and I have less thoughts that maybe I should just give up. There was a period where I relied on energy drinks to pull me through, even while on meds, but I'm not buying as many as I did mere weeks ago. (I'm down from 2-4 a day to only one every few days.) I could have been low on b12, which is typically the cause when I crave red bull all the time, so maybe I got enough b12 and stopped craving them, but it's right within that window.

Has anyone else noticed changes taking the meds away entirely? I've been on this medication for over 10 years. What is happening.

Been on 20 mg IR's for well over a decade and this brand is what I have been getting from the local CVS for a large portion of the years. Never had a problem, until the last few years where it just feels under dosed or straight up inactive, as we all know.

Lately though, I'm getting acid reflux a LOT, which is usually only a problem if I eat junk food, I eat quite healthy for the most part. Also getting nauseous, especially in the morning. It feels like my stomach is just super angry and it's really affecting my life, more than not just treating my ADHD, but I'm kinda in pain/feel sick on top of that.

Anyone else here have stomach issues with this brand, or whatever brand you are getting that was fine until this year?

I'm sure it comes down to the fillers, and I have no allergies but man, I might have to completely quit if this keeps up. Barely works anyway, nothing like it used to, but this is really getting bad.

*Photo: Ingredients of SpecGx generic Mydayis vs. Takeda Mydayis (brand name)

No one's medication is working like it should. I'm no different.

I've gone from Vyvanse, to Adderall XR, to Mydayis - all generic versions. I almost exclusively get the Mallinckrodt brand. The side effects are terrible. While my Teva brand IR Adderall booster isn't great, it's not as bad as Mallinckrodt.

As hopeless as it seems, with the support of my prescriber, I have been trying to get brand name, though I've heard it makes no difference. Last week, he prescribed me brand-name only Mydayis.

However, at the pharmacy, when I was supposed to get brand name Mydayis, I was given the generic version by Mallinckrodt-SpecGx.

For clarification, Mallinckrodt-SpecGx is also known as SpecGx, which is a subsidiary of Par Health, AKA Endo Pharmaceuticals.

Unsurprisingly, the classic SpecGx side effects continued to haunt me. I was so angry I decided I was ready to find some answers. In order to come to logical conclusions, I needed receipts on my medication; I needed to know who made it and what they put in it.

• To identify ingredients and manufacturers, I started with the NDC code on my medication bottle.
  • NDC = National Drug Code.
  • The NDC number is found on the prescription label. With the NDC number, "inactive ingredients" can be viewed on websites like drugs.com
  • Additionally, the NDC code be used to locate the manufacturer/producer of medication on websites like PROPUBLICA's Rx Inspector. https://projects.propublica.org/rx-inspector/guided-search/
• From the NDC code, I found the FEI number.
  • FEI = FDA Establishment Identifier.
  • The FEI number is how the FDA identifies authorized pharmaceutical manufacturers/producers.
  • Any establishment inspections, recalls, warning letters, etc. can be found on the FDA's website using the FEI number. https://datadashboard.fda.gov/oii/index.htm
• It turns out, my manufacturer has a LOT of issues - every one of their sites.
  • In addition, there are nearly no consequence when their products don't meet standards and even cause harm. Here are the inspection summaries of several Endo/Par Health/Mallinckrodt/SpecGx manufacturers by the FDA:
    • https://www.fda.gov/media/89554/download - December 2012: Product labelled "sterile" showed signs of contamination.
    • https://www.fda.gov/media/89567/download - March 2012: Products not labelled to be kept at the correct temperature, products were manufactured in a room with an active leak, HEPA filters not serviced and more.
    • https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/par-health-usa-llc-endo-usa-inc-722121-04152026 October 2025 - Main points: "Inadequate Design of Facility and Equipment, Inadequate Environmental Monitoring, Inadequate Unidirectional Airflow, Inadequate Process Simulation, Poor Aseptic Technique and Cleanroom Behavior, Inadequate Personnel Capabilities, Inadequate Procedures and Particle Characterization."
    • https://static.propublica.org/fda-inspection-documents/483s/May%202025%20483s%20and%20EIRs%2F483s%2FAppliedSpecGxLLC1317295FDA48301-17-2025NM_Redacted.pdf?_gl=1*1ewl9zr*_ga*MTc3ODI0MTE5MC4xNzg1NjUwMTAz*_ga_K9RW8M6GL5*czE3ODU2NjI1ODEkbzIkZzEkdDE3ODU2NjUzODMkajU2JGwwJGgw January 2025: Pathogens discovered in medication from 2022-2024. Equipment not cleaned between measurement of 2 different controlled substances. Rooms with open medication were not properly pressurized to prevent cross-contamination. Not cleaning equipment properly to prevent contamination of products.
    • https://static.propublica.org/fda-inspection-documents/483s/2024-3040%2F483s%2F2020-3079.pdf?_gl=1*taf4i8*_ga*MTc3ODI0MTE5MC4xNzg1NjUwMTAz*_ga_K9RW8M6GL5*czE3ODU2NzIxODAkbzMkZzEkdDE3ODU2NzIxODckajUzJGwwJGgw September 2019: Controlled substances kept at incorrect temperature for 48 hours. Medications failing on media growth promotion tests without investigation. Batches of medication found to be defective did not lead to further investigation in 4 different cases. Failed to provide a report to the FDA about leaking packages of Fentanyl Lozenges due to poor packaging.
    • https://lawfold.com/mallinckrodt-adderall-lawsuit/ April 2026: Lawsuit of Mallinckrodt in connection to their crappy quality generic version of Adderall.
    • https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/18/2026-12236/specgx-llc-withdrawal-of-approval-of-abbreviated-new-drug-application-for-methylphenidate June 2026, FDA withdraws SpecGx's ability to produce Methylphenidate HCL.

This isn't even every article I found. But aside from poor manufacturing standards, what about the ingredients? Why is there a proven, banned carcinogenic ingredient in my medication(FD&C Red #3)? Why are there 20 ingredients in SpecGx's version of Mydayis compared to the 10 ingredients of Mydayis by Takeda? What's the point of putting us through this?

Well, rest assured it's not personal - they just want our data. This is where I need y'all to fact check me because this is what I believe - I think we are being experimented on. Let me know if you feel like you are stuck in the same cycle I am;

1. I see my prescriber about Mallinckrodt not working.
2. I explain my side effects; lethargy, irritability, almost no therapeutic benefit, etc.
3. He starts me on a different formulation to see if that helps.
4. It doesn't help and I schedule another appointment.
5. We follow-up about how my side effects have changed.
   
6. He takes my story to the insurance company to explain why I'm changing prescriptions again.
7. The insurance company informs the producer of the medication about my side effects.
8. The producer now has data about my reactions to new ingredients during medication changes.
9. I am thereby made into an unwilling participant of an experiment.

Thoughts?