A counterfeit version of a generic Adderall product that contains pain medications is being sold on the Internet, according to a warning issued by the Food and Drug Administration on May 29.
The counterfeit product – 30-mg tablets of the Adderall formulation manufactured by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries – contains tramadol and acetaminophen, not the active ingredients in Adderall, which are dextroamphetamine saccharate, amphetamine aspartate, dextroamphetamine sulfate, and amphetamine sulfate.
Courtesy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
This counterfeit Adderall label contains misspellings.
Adderall – a controlled substance that also is on the FDA’s list of current drug shortages – is approved for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and for narcolepsy.
"The counterfeit versions of Adderall should be considered as unsafe, ineffective, and potentially harmful," and consumers should be "extra cautious when buying their medicines from online sources," the FDA said in a statement. "Rogue websites and distributors may especially target medicines in short supply for counterfeiting," the statement added.
The authentic Adderall 30-mg tablets manufactured by Teva are round, orange/peach, and scored with "dp" embossed on one side and "30" on the other side. They are only packaged in a 100-count bottle with the National Drug Code (NDC) 0555-0768-02 listed.
The FDA described the counterfeit Adderall, however, as round, white tablets that do not have any markings with letters or numbers. Another sign that it may be counterfeit is that it comes in a blister pack and the package includes misspellings ("NDS" instead of NDC, "aspartrte" instead of aspartate, and "singel" instead of single).
The FDA is advising consumers who think they have the counterfeit Adderall not to take it or to stop taking it.
Health care professionals and consumers should report adverse events associated with Adderall thought to be counterfeit to the agency’s MedWatch program at 800-332-1088 or http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/. Those who believe they have received counterfeit Adderall also should contact the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) at 800-551-3989 or http://www.fda.gov/OCI.