Amphetamine is available under the following different brand names: Adzenys XR-ODT, Dyanavel XR, and Evekeo. Amphetamine belongs to a class of medications called stimulants. Stimulant medications work by increasing dopamine levels in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter (brain chemical) that is associated with pleasure, movement, and attention.
Adderall contains both the drug dextroamphetamine and amphetamine which are both stimulant medications. According to the NLM, the generic medication name for Adderall would be dextroamphetamine and amphetamine. Adderall is commonly abused (especially by college students) to cause certain focused and wakeful effects.
Focalin contains dexmethylphenidate whereas Adderall contains a mixture of amphetamine salts (MAS). What is Dexmethylphenidate? Dexmethylphenidate (Focalin) is a man-made stimulant that is derived from methylphenidate (which is marketed under brand names such as Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate, and others).
Dextroamphetamine is a generic, and it is sometimes abused both alone and with other drugs. The most commonly prescribed brand name drug for dextroamphetamine alone is Dexedrine. Adderall is a brand name drug, and it is often more expensive than dextroamphetamine because of this.
The basic difference between Adderall and Vyvanse is that Adderall is a mixture of four different kinds of amphetamine salts (one of which is dextroamphetamine) while Vyvanse only contains one salt, called lisdexamfetamine, which only gets converted into dexamphetamine once it is in the body.