Generic Concerta?

[JustMe]

Lovely. Today is the day I start dd on this! Our brand is called Mallinckrodt, which is slightly different than one of the brands listed in the article. Our insurance only pays for generic (I think it may pay for the name brand if the generic doesnt work, but not sure). I had mentioned this concern to the dev ped. before, and he told me he never had a problem...I just e-mailed him.

[egoldber]

So her scrip is for Concerta?

Concerta has a very distinctive shape, like a "bullet". This shape is because of Concerta's unique drug delivery mechanism.

There are currently 3 generic manufacturers. One is an "authorized" generic, and it is the EXACT same drug as the name brand, manufactured by the same manufacturer. It is just marketed under a different manufacturer's label. The pill even says "Alza" (the name brand manufacturer) on it. This is the Actavis brand (which used to be called Watson).

The other 2 generics are what the article was referring to: Kudco (Kremers Urban drug company) and Mallinkrodt. These 2 drugs are also methylphenidate, but are not delivering the drug in the same way. The Kudco is what we got last year and what prompted me to post this. It's a long acting methylphenidate, but the release profile is NOTHING like Concerta's!

Since the issue we had last year, we have always asked for the Actavis generic when getting her prescription refilled. Both of my kids currently take Concerta, and it's a bit of a PITA. It's better since they are now on a stable dose and we have 90 day scrips from the doctor.

[JustMe]

So her scrip is for Concerta?

Concerta has a very distinctive shape, like a "bullet". This shape is because of Concerta's unique drug delivery mechanism.

There are currently 3 generic manufacturers. One is an "authorized" generic, and it is the EXACT same drug as the name brand, manufactured by the same manufacturer. It is just marketed under a different manufacturer's label. The pill even says "Alza" (the name brand manufacturer) on it. This is the Actavis brand (which used to be called Watson).

The other 2 generics are what the article was referring to: Kudco (Kremers Urban drug company) and Mallinkrodt. These 2 drugs are also methylphenidate, but are not delivering the drug in the same way. The Kudco is what we got last year and what prompted me to post this. It's a long acting methylphenidate, but the release profile is NOTHING like Concerta's!

Since the issue we had last year, we have always asked for the Actavis generic when getting her prescription refilled. Both of my kids currently take Concerta, and it's a bit of a PITA. It's better since they are now on a stable dose and we have 90 day scrips from the doctor.

No the scrip was not for Concerta, as the dev. ped my insurance does not cover that. I no longer have it, but I think it was for something like methylphenidate or generic methylphenidate.

The manufacturer brand we were given is Mallinckrodt. I thought the one in the article was spelled slightly different, but now I see it is the same. Its just a round pill shape.

We started this morning, and the good news is so far, no side effects. Eating normally, no other problems, etc. We havent done any academic stuff, which is where we are looking to see a difference. I plan to try some tomorrow.

I e-mailed the article to the dev ped in the morning. Now I'm wondering if I should also e-mail the info above. I wonder if we can get the Actavis brand.

[egoldber]

I know she's taking the generic, I meant is she taking a generic for Concerta vs. a different type of long acting methylphenidate. If she's taking a generic for something other than Concerta, then there really isn't an issue with having a generic. But Concerta's unique drug delivery system makes it very hard to duplicate.

Is her dose something like 18, 27, 36, or 54 mg? Concerta and its generics are the only ADHD meds with dosages of those numbers. Almost all other methylphenidate based ADHD meds will have a dosage that is some multiple of 5.

No the scrip was not for Concerta, as the dev. ped my insurance does not cover that. I no longer have it, but I think it was for something like methylphenidate or generic methylphenidate.

The manufacturer brand we were given is Mallinckrodt. I thought the one in the article was spelled slightly different, but now I see it is the same. Its just a round pill shape.

We started this morning, and the good news is so far, no side effects. Eating normally, no other problems, etc. We havent done any academic stuff, which is where we are looking to see a difference. I plan to try some tomorrow.

I e-mailed the article to the dev ped in the morning. Now I'm wondering if I should also e-mail the info above. I wonder if we can get the Actavis brand.

[JustMe]

I know she's taking the generic, I meant is she taking a generic for Concerta vs. a different type of long acting methylphenidate. If she's taking a generic for something other than Concerta, then there really isn't an issue with having a generic. But Concerta's unique drug delivery system makes it very hard to duplicate.

Is her dose something like 18, 27, 36, or 54 mg? Concerta and its generics are the only ADHD meds with dosages of those numbers. Almost all other methylphenidate based ADHD meds will have a dosage that is some multiple of 5.

I don't think it was supposed to be generic Concerta in particular, just generic methylphenidate. It says its 20 mg tablets, so I guess its not a generic of Concerta.

We did not have any side effects at all, and dd ate a very healthy lunch. She is currently the only one hungry for dinner!

[egoldber]

So generally you can tell what the "name brand" is for, even if the scrip doesn't say. It should say on the label somewhere (or perhaps the label on the bag from the pharmacy).

On our prescriptions from CVS, it's right underneath the drug name on the bottle.

Something like....

methylphenidate ER 27 mg tab, and underneath it says "generic for Concerta ER 27 mg tablet"

or

methylphenidate LA 20 mg cap ("generic for Ritalin LA 20 mg capsule")

I would highly suggest knowing the name brand of what she is taking. One, it's easier to remember and tell another doctor/pharmacy/urgent care, etc. Also, these drugs all work in different ways. If you look at this chart (http://addwarehouse.com/shopsite_sc/...l/article3.htm) you can see the different rates at which the different meds release drugs, how long they are supposed to last, etc.

[JustMe]

Its methylphenidate ER 20MG and the manufacturer is Mallinckrodt. So, its not generic Concerta. This is what the dev ped had to say

The medication I prescribed is NOT generic Concerta, but generic methylphenidate ER. Yes, Concerta is methylphenidate, and yes, generic Concerta would, therefore, be similar, but Concerta comes in multiples of 9s and 18s—e.g. 18, 27, 36, 54, and is a different product that methylphenidate ER 20.

So, I guess its not *for* anything in particular. Looks like what I have is closest to Methylin ER, as it is not on the chart exactly as is.

She also has one for afterschool that is methylphenidate 10mg, with the Corepharma brand name.

[pastrygirl]

How do you know whether you want the name brand or that a generic is fine? My husband, for example, can only take the name brand for his thyroid meds.

We've only had one prescription filled so far, and it was generic. Half of it was from one manufacturer (I already tossed that label), and the other half was from Kremers. I have to fill/pick up a new prescription today and am wondering if I should ask for the name brand. He's on Metadate CD; generic is listed as methylphenidate HCL ER (CD).

Is it just a matter of how he reacts to it? It seems to be working very well. We had some startling confirmation last week, when he had one really bad day; he was basically his old self after school, out of control and unable to focus. Finally, at dinnertime, I decided to check his pill box, and sure enough, he'd only taken half his dose that morning. (We started with 10mg but quickly moved to 20mg, but still want to use up the 10's, so he needs to take two). I'm now 100% convinced we're doing the right thing by medicating.

[o_mom]

Its methylphenidate ER 20MG and the manufacturer is Mallinckrodt. So, its not generic Concerta. This is what the dev ped had to say

It looks like that is generic for Ritalin SR. http://www.mallinckrodt.com/Template...l.aspx?id=1891

Ritalin SR is a sustained release which it looks like it is slower to take effect and supposed to give an even release of the dose over the day. Concerta has a two phase release which gives 22% of the dose as immediate release and then 78% over the rest of the day.

How do you know whether you want the name brand or that a generic is fine? My husband, for example, can only take the name brand for his thyroid meds.

For most medications, the generic is fine. In the case of thyroid and a few other medications, there is such a tight dose window that the slight differences in brand can send you from fine to hypo even though the dose number is the same (I had this when I switched brands last time). In the case of Concerta, the mechanism of how it does the two-phase dosing is unique. It is not just an extended release, but a two-phase dose. The generic manufacturers have not been able to replicated it, likely because the mechanism itself is still protected by patent even though the medication is not. It is a pretty unique situation for this particular medication.

[egoldber]

The generic manufacturers have not been able to replicated it, likely because the mechanism itself is still protected by patent even though the medication is not. It is a pretty unique situation for this particular medication.

Exactly. For the other ADHD medications, I think the generic is fine. We've never had an issue with other generics.

I think the main issue with generics occur when either 1) the dosing/timing release is critical, or 2) someone is allergic/sensitive to one of the additional inert ingredients.

In our case, we were giving DD Concerta because we needed a med that was both fast acting and long acting. That generic form of Concerta was neither!!!