Comparative Pharmacology
Head-to-head clinical analysis: ADDERALL 30 versus DEXEDRINE.
Peer-Reviewed Evidence
Head-to-head clinical analysis: ADDERALL 30 versus DEXEDRINE.
ADDERALL 30 vs DEXEDRINE
Comparing the clinical profiles, pharmacokinetic behaviors, and safety indices of these two therapeutic agents.
Adderall contains mixed amphetamine salts that increase synaptic levels of dopamine and norepinephrine by inhibiting their reuptake and promoting release from presynaptic terminals.
Dextroamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant that enhances the activity of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain by blocking their reuptake and increasing their release from presynaptic terminals.
Initial: 5 mg orally once or twice daily; increase by 5 mg increments weekly; usual maintenance: 20-30 mg daily in divided doses; maximum: 40 mg/day
5–60 mg/day orally in divided doses, typically 5–20 mg 1–3 times daily; use immediate-release or extended-release formulations per indication.
None Documented
None Documented
Terminal elimination half-life: d-amphetamine 10-13 hours, l-amphetamine 13-15 hours; in adults (children: 6-8 hours). The longer half-life allows for once-daily dosing.
Terminal elimination half-life is 4-6 hours for dextroamphetamine; clinical effects last longer due to CNS accumulation
Approximately 30-40% of a dose is excreted unchanged in urine; the remainder is metabolized primarily by oxidative deamination and aromatic hydroxylation. Biliary/fecal elimination accounts for less than 5%.
Renal: 30-45% unchanged, 50-60% as deaminated metabolites; fecal: minor (<5%)
Category C
Category C
CNS Stimulant
CNS Stimulant