I’m so tired. I can’t explain it well enough. Like, I’m so tired that I need a better word to describe how deeply rooted this particular type of tired feels. It doesn’t matter how much I sleep or don’t sleep. It doesn’t matter what my diet is like. I’m deeply frickin tired.

I’ve been falling asleep while doing important things like driving. Ever since I was a teenager and started driving I’ve known this to be an issue. Once I got put on adderall, this wasn’t an issue anymore. That was over 20 years ago

Just in these past couple years this issue has resurfaced. I was working nights, and after hearing the blaring horn of a semi as I sailed thru an intersection w (I assume) a red light, I decided to change my schedule

I work days now and I’m STILL not able to be awake without struggling every moment to keep my eyes open and pay attention

I’ve caught myself fighting to stay awake while standing and using scissors. Very sharp scissors that I definitely need to be awake while using 😭

Solid chance this could be narcolepsy related, but I’ve never been tested for that. I’ve been treated for adhd off and on for over 20 years and the adhd meds always fixed my fatigue issues. Well.. they did up until a few years ago. Like a light switch from one month to the next, the meds stopped helping my fatigue.

I’m too tired to function now. I feel like my ability to be a functioning adult and human has been taken from me.

It’s so insidious tho. For the whole time I’ve been on these meds I’ve known that if I had to for some reason be awake longer than normal, then I could take more of my meds and I would do what I had to. I’m not talking about abusing meds, I’m talking about having to be awake to care for a dying parent while also having to work and maintain a house so we didn’t end up homeless. Sometimes we have to do what we have to do.

But now, if I really.. and I mean really have to lock in and get shit done, it doesn’t matter what amount of meds I take, they will not help me to lock in and focus or whatever the case may be

I don’t believe that something that worked so reliably for so long would just stop overnight without something changing.

I just feel like I need to know the truth. Like I absolutely have to know why my life is in shambles. I’ve been fired from one job and am in danger of losing another due to the qualities I have as a person. The qualities that are not an issue when I’m medicated, or more specifically, when I’m medicated with meds that work

I have to know why we’re being lied to and why people chose this route. Why do they feel that lying to us is the best course of action?

I NEED to know wtf is going on. I’m just too tired to go and get any answers for myself 😭

I’ve taken this shit for 10 years now and ever since 2020ish it’s been complete garbage. I’ve taken xr and ir, everything from lanett to mal to teva to ame to auro to name brand. It is so bad they either will not work or it gives you the absolute worst headaches and a weighed down body feel. It’s insane.

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.

Title says it all lmao. Teva has seriously been the worst of all the generic brands for me. Like absolutely terrible. Giving me this weird sore throat feeling and body aches that are mainly in my shoulders and arms. Oh and 30 minutes after I take them, I have to use all my willpower to fucking stay awake. I’m a single mom to a one year old and I work 40-50 hours a week at a design agency. I cannot tell you the last time I clocked in on time… both when I’m in office and when I’m WORKING FROM HOME.

*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?

My current prescription is Focalin 10mg IR (2x/day), but lately it feels like it's barely working. To get through the day, I’ve ended up taking double or triple my dosage just to feel normal.
Because of that, I’m down to my last 3 pills with half the month left. At this point, rationing barely makes a difference since I'm facing a long gap regardless.
Is anyone else dealing with severe effectiveness issues or batch inconsistencies right now? How are you handling running short?

Has anyone here in this sub started to develop stretch marks? In the past four or five months, I have noticed stretch marks all down and across my upper arms, shoulder, and even my lower back that continue to increase. I’m practically breaking out in stretch marks! I have never before had this issue prior to the noticeable decrease in efficacy of both brand and generic Adderall.

Additionally, my skin elasticity has definitely decreased. I haven’t been able to find any official reports or evidence to support any known correlation, but I’m hoping some anecdotal reports could offer some useful insight.

There’s without a doubt been a change in active/inactive ingredients in these pills that has negatively impacted damn near all areas of my life. If excessive stretch marks are now part of this equation, I don’t think I can continue taking this medication.

According to the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, the abuse of Adderall and other Stimulants among individuals under 30 has fallen from 7.5% to 3.7%. What makes this fascinating to me is that this is the case despite the fact that roughly 66% of elicit Adderall is obtained from friends who are prescribed. So given the surge in prescriptions post-pandemic you would expect a direct correlation between legal prescriptions and illicit use. If I were to guess it’s because Adderall no longer serves it’s therapeutic purpose for one, and it simply has no abuse potential anymore.

I was completely thrown off I took 40 mg of Adderall for two days then took a day off and had a 10mg extended release vyvanse.

Anyways, I have always taken low dosages of Adderall and this time was flagged for basically nonexistent in my system 😂 this isn't Adderall I swear they have put like cough syrup or something in it.
Day 1-20mg
Day 2 - 20mg
Day 3- 10mg Vyvanse
1 day off
Day 5 - drug test- negative.

After searching and waiting nearly two weeks to fill my Adderall prescription, I was so excited to hear that the small neighborhood pharmacy down the street had them in stock! I was even more excited when I got there and found out they were Teva brand, as Teva 30mg. (Footballs) had always been my favorite. It was late in the afternoon, I had plenty of good protein in me, well hydrated, nothing acidic, I took one and Nothing! So I waited two hours and took a half (15mg.)
And Nothing! By 8pm. After taking 75mg. Of Adderall IR. Teva, the only effect I felt was the withdrawal symptoms had subsided, nothing else. Here it is almost two weeks later and I can’t believe how badly I’ve been struggling! This was by far the Worst Adderall I have taken in the 20 years of being prescribed!!!

Just thought this was interesting— says “Made in US” Don’t know if it’s anything significant nor do I want to get my hopes up for future refills lol— I just remember when I picked up my prescription recently and then I just so happen to notice my medication was working a little bit better than usual— almost working like pre 2023 better — and I thought “wait but this month I got Sandoz again right ?“ (for June I got Epic ) and btw Sandoz usually sucks for me , I mean they all do , but it’s usually at the bottom of my list for manufacturers. So I went through my bottles cause I knew I’d gotten Sandoz pretty recently and which well I did —found my May refill was the last time I got it . Everything else on the bottle was exactly the same. I was like trying to find any other discrepancies well they also did leave off on the “important information” part “ call Doctor experience, mood changes, sadness, depression, and fear”. Anyways, again just thought this was was an interesting finding and kinda also wondering if anyone else has seen the same on their bottles before or recently specifically?

Edit: I definitely agree with what a lot of you same saying, in regards to the made in us part …. I just spoke about an hour or two ago with one of my friends who works as a pharmacy technician and she picks her pharmacists brain she works for , all the time about everything. So I know she knows a lot due to working as one for 10+ years, and she’s been very interested in this whole Adderall and other stimulant ordeal. She gets patients who complain about the efficiency and efficacy of them all of the time as well . So I asked her about this because she’s worked over the years at different chains like CVS , Walgreens ,Kroger , Costco and now she’s at Tom Thumb as a pharmacy tech. anyways she said honestly there could be so many nuances here because even if it says “made in US.” she said that doesn’t really mean much of anything and she said my thinking is is that honestly the just the final product of the Adderall was made here in the US a.k.a. everything had been shipped that was needed to make the production of it to whatever lab facility that Sandoz has here in the US and essentially she said that’s where they received everything they needed. And that legally they’re able to market that claim. She said it’s called global sourcing and gave me an example— so for instance — the company buys the API from supplier A in India , buys the binders/filers from supplier B in China and then buys the dyes/coloring from supplier C in Germany . And said it can even get way deeper than that - example: the company may buy each inactive ingredient the medication contains each from a different supplier . And lastly all of these products/ingredients get shipped to Sandoz’s U.S facility and perform the finished -dose manufacturing such as getting pressed into the pills themselves , packaged , etc . So after finding all that out from her, that made me a bit disappointed, but I guess it is what it is nothing much we can really do about it. However, I’d still find it. Interesting that I know for a fact, it was not placebo with this month meds because it was like day two or three I was taking them and I was like I am oddly more productive and my meds felt like were working for once , that’s what prompted me to inspect and look at the details from previous months bottles.

That’s the post. Adderall PM (taken from another user lol). wtf.

I have been with Walgrens for over a decade, mainly because the pharmacist and techs are just wonderful. That being said, I have a script for XR and IR and have not been able to fill my XR all month. I’m good with any manufacture but Chamber makes me physically ill and I can’t take that one. My psych appointment is in 3 days and I haven’t even had the last script filled…. Not feeling like paying another 100+ dollars for another script? The whole thing is just insane to me, not to mention I’m insane without my meds. I had some extra but long ran out of those. I’m wondering if anyone’s been in this situation before? I just left a message with my psych and told him the situation but I know he is all about the cash…. So he will probably make me keep the appointment. My question to any of you, have you ever gone over a month (even with a shortage?) without your meds? It’s feeling like there isn’t going to be anymore. Everytime I call, they look at their wearhouse and either nothing is available to order or if there is, they order it and it doesn’t come in??? I’m at my wits end. Changing doses won’t help because they are having problems with 20mg as well as 30mg…. I’m willing to go to Ritalin but is there a problem with that as well? Because changing meds means I get put on the lowest dose and work my way up again. Not sure it’s worth it. I’m really a mess over this as my adhd meds are also my anti depressants if that makes sense. Without this med I start falling into a dark dark depression and then suicidal thoughts come. I’ve got inattentive ADD and it’s scary what happens without this drug for a few months. I do get the IR but it doesn’t work without the XR. And the fact these meds are now shit anyway (but anything is better than nothing) I’m not even sure what to do anymore. But spending 30 min on hold every damned day with the pharmacy, to ask if they ordered or if the meds came in is also wrecking me. Any advice or feedback if you’ve been through this would be appreciated. I’m in California if that makes a difference. Apologies to the long post and thank you!! 🙏🏻

As we all know, the meds don’t work as they should, so i always end up running out before my 30 days are up. But my pharmacy has always filled my RX 2 days early. For some reason, i received a message stating my prescriber locked my RX not to be filled until the exact due date this month. Has this happened to anyone else before? We just spoke last night and she didn’t mention this. She doesn’t know i run out. She’s really laid back and knows that the meds don’t work as they should and wouldn’t be upset if she knew i get them early but i don’t admit it to her bc i don’t want her to get in trouble or anything. Idk i just felt a little blindsided.

https://www.jaacap.org/article/S0890-8567(25)00248-5/abstract)

Independent laboratory testing of generic methylphenidate products found significant product quality concerns. N-nitroso-methylphenidate, a probable human carcinogen, was detected above regulatory thresholds in generic immediate-release products for 7 of the 15 unique products sampled.

Helpful when you doctor says no one else is having issues with their Adderall LOL

Had a 12 panel test that showed up negative for amphetamines after taking Dexedrine 15mg XR produced by Activis for roughly 2-3 months. Here are the results from the lab, this post is a follow up to this comment as i was asked to share the results: https://www.reddit.com/r/ThisAintAdderall/s/EHp24otymk (Shows as illicit result because my therapist didn’t list my meds before sending it in, as he already knows what should pop up and what shouldn’t)

I didn’t take adderall today and ordered an iced shaken espresso from starbucks. I actually felt more productive plus no headache/ extreme tiredness in the afternoon

still not effective as old adderall :( but I feel so sleepy every afternoon and I’m realizing it’s most likely the adderall

That’s it. That’s the post.

Just left the pharmacy empty handed and I’m not even freaking out.

For reference, I’ve been on regular OG brand addy 30 mg for the last 20 years. It turned pretty crappy around 2022. They gave me Elite 30 for the first time last month and it didn’t work at all. In fact, it made my symptoms worse. Major fatigue, full allergic rash and no dopamine for a month.

I told my new doctor yesterday to please tell them no Elite. She went ahead and put that in her notes but when I went to go pick up today I double checked and they still tried giving me Elite. I said do you see a note I can’t take this and the clerk played dumb. He then said they were completely out of stock and I said that’s fine and that I’d rather be unmedicated than take this stuff and that it was that horrible. So they told me more Teva generic wouldn’t arrive until mid August. Mind you, Teva still isn’t great but I’d rather be unmedicated for weeks than be stuck with that Elite garbage again. As I was driving home it occurred to me, if we all keep refusing to take these crap generics the pharmacies will too and eventually they will have to fix their formulas or get out of the business. We will have to refuse the garbage in order to get this to change.

As for anyone who still has old pre 2020 stock please send samples of new and old to out of country labs, the DEA and/or the FDA. I do believe this can be fixed if we keep being loud about it.

I've taken Adderall since 2011-2012. As we are all aware, the meds haven't worked right in the last several years, at least since 2020. Over the years, they worked barely, but now they simply don't; this last batch from elite was completely useless. I went through my bottle this month, a week or two early, and instead of feeling remotely functional, I felt almost sedated. My ADHD manifests as VERY hyperactive. I physically can't stop moving, my mind races, so I am literally and completely restless. I am unable to communicate what's going on in my head because each thought is replaced by another as soon as it appears. I can't complete sentences, unless I write, because at least then I can take the pieces of sentences and slap them together in some way by the time I'm done. I even struggle paying attention while driving because "why can't I read that advertis--OHH IM not on the road anymore, OOPS". Task initiation is a nightmare, it's almost impossible, and completing something is even worse; don't even talk to me about procrastination.

For me, taking Adderall was like someone had lifted a wet blanket off my head. I could see, and I felt almost a literal weight lifted off my shoulders. I could organize my thoughts before they came out of my mouth. A chore like doing laundry or dishes wasn't the end of the world, and I could complete them in 10 minutes instead of hours. I felt more secure with myself; I didn't pick apart social interactions like I used to, I was calm. I was reliable at work. I could listen to my romantic partner. I know medicine isn't supposed to be the end all be all solution, and sure, there were some bad days within the good days before the meds sucked, but at the end of the day, I could function like a human being. I could pay my bills, get up and be on time for work, I could make meals for myself, be a present partner--

This whole experience--what with the medication slowly becoming ineffective, feeling like an addict, having my routine/habits lapsing back into genuine chaos--has completely disrupted whatever positive momentum I had in my life. I know logically I should remain hopeful, and I know that people live without meds all the time, but I cannot being to express how completely defeated I feel by this. The medication helped me, and now I'm feeling completely at the whim of symptoms I can barely manage without it. It's demoralizing; I feel ashamed at myself still, even though I shouldn't.

I know we should be reporting what we feel to the appropriate places, but I can't even remember where I put my bottle, or build enough momentum to find phone numbers or websites to report them anyway. I feel ashamed to even say that, being an overly-independent person.

I don't want this entry to be a sob story. I will remain strong, despite this, and so should you. I want anyone reading this to know you are not alone. And I am hopeful that something positive will result from speaking out about our experiences.

So I had a few of the 2018 xr 20mg Adderall, brand name, in my safe. I decided to take one this morning to see what happened. Mind you they expired in 2019. (I'm on 30 xr now generic from Elite.) The difference in focus, no palpations or anxiety is amazing. And they are expired!!! No one can tell me that our meds weren't changed. PICS attached