Neurodivergence

I notice as a woman my body reacts different to my Adderall depending on my cycle

Do you have menstrual cycles? If so, keep track of when your meds are ineffective and compare against the dates of your cycle. I find mine much less effective in the second half of my cycle when my body has more progesterone (which, for me, seems to be the hazy-spacey-lazy hormone).

The ideal storage temperature should be on the bottle but you should also be able to look it up. Lots of things can cause lots of medications to degrade aside from just time, including temperature, moisture, and light (particularly UV). For instance, you're not supposed to keep most medications in the bathroom even though they often call that a "medicine cabinet" because many people take hot, steamy showers, and both moisture and heat can degrade medications. An NIH paper titled "Medication Storage Appropriateness in US Households" states for Adderall: "Extended-release capsules: Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted to 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F); protect from light." (So don't keep it on the windowsill next to your bed either).

If you're worried about variances in specific binding agents or other parts of the formulation that could vary by manufacturer, call the pharmacy. Ask to speak to the pharmacist on duty about the ideal storage conditions, because they know all kinds of weird shit about the specific ingredients and how to store them (one time I called to ask if there was sorbitol in the liquid medication I was giving a patient because it could explain their diarrhea). It's also possible, like you mentioned, that you just have some bizarre genetic mutation that makes some normally inert binding or coloring agent interact weirdly with the active ingredient and/or you (the pharmacist wouldn't be able to figure you being a freak of nature out, but they could try to make sure you don't get meds from that manufacturer again).

My personal recommendation as a person who went through nursing school (they're very worried about substance abuse and trafficking) with ADHD meds, is that you save your last medication bottle when you empty it. Keep exactly one pill in it in your bag as a backup for emergencies. The bottle will have your name and birthday and what the pills are so you're covered for carrying a controlled substance, but you won't be carrying all your meds around at once to spoil in the heat. As for taking them with food, try keeping some saltines or water crackers around and take 2-4 with the pill to avoid stomach upset.

• (Also) make sure the bottle matches the pills - most medication bottles (and controlled substance ones specifically) specify what the contents should actually look like and the numbers they should be stamped with so some little shit can't replace granny's hip replacement painkillers with vitamins, and an addict can't carry pills they're not supposed to have in a bottle for blood pressure pills or something. You mentioned the pills changed, so keep the next bottle that matches the new ones.

I also take my pills with me to work to take with breakfast. They live in my backpack because of that. Would that cause the pills to degrade faster?

All medications degrade eventually. It may just be head-canon but I feel like solid medications should be more stable for longer but I don't doubt it highly depends on what you're talking about

However, here's 2 things I've learned recently. Heat can affect how drugs act in your body and can be less effective or cause different side effects. Storing medication in a hot place will make some degrade faster.

Sources: https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-heat-and-how-it-affects-medication/ https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-heat-and-how-it-affects-medication/

Anecdotally, I felt the meds that I got during the shortage 6 or so months ago weren't as effective.

I think they do degrade, but I have no sources. I think I asked my psychiatrist at one point and he said that it usually isn't a concern.

I'm taking concerta, not Adderall, if that makes a difference.

My doctor said sometimes certain stimulants can just stop working after a while and that supposedly it's not the same as tolerance. You should definitely discuss these concerns with your Doctor.

If you are AFAB, then it could be fluctuating hormones. I have noticed that my medication is much less effective during the luteal phase of my menstrual cycle. Diet and sleep can also alter effectiveness.

It is possible that certain formulations in certain brands have fillers that are interfering with your absorption/metabolism, but this is supposedly extremely unlikely. Pharmacies also tend not to like when you prefer certain brands of generics, and it would likely make it much more difficult to obtain your meds if you asked. With the shortage, they most likely don't have multiple brands of generics on hand anyway.