Comparative Pharmacology
Head-to-head clinical analysis: ADDERALL 30 versus METADATE CD.
Peer-Reviewed Evidence
Head-to-head clinical analysis: ADDERALL 30 versus METADATE CD.
ADDERALL 30 vs METADATE CD
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.
Methylphenidate is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. It blocks the reuptake of norepinephrine and dopamine into the presynaptic neuron, increasing their levels in the extraneuronal space. The precise mechanism for treating ADHD is not fully understood.
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
20-60 mg orally once daily in the morning
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: 6.8 hours (range 4.5-10.3 hours) for methylphenidate; clinical context: supports twice-daily dosing regimen
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: 78-97% as metabolites (primarily ritalinic acid), unchanged drug <1%; fecal: <2%
Category C
Category C
CNS Stimulant
CNS Stimulant