New insurance claims I need to try a generic medication instead of the brand name I’ve been taking for over a decade. Anything I can do?

I’m an adult with ADHD and have been prescribed ADHD medication since I was in high school. In 2009, I switched from Adderall to Vyvanse, and have been on been on and off various doses of the medication since then. I would take it for school when I was in college, stopped when I was working, then took it again when I was in grad school, stopped again, and then finally started taking it again in 2020 to help with the distractions of working from home.

Throughout my entire life, I have never had an issue with insurance covering the medication, not once. But last month, I started a new job and thus got a new insurance plan. Interestingly enough, it’s the same insurance provider I had at my last job, just a different group plan I guess. Well, I went to the pharmacy this weekend to fill my monthly prescription, and they told me I needed prior authorization from the insurance company. So I had my provider fill out a request and just got a response today saying I was denied because I haven’t tried a generic version of the medication.

My doctor is filing an appeal, but she doesn’t sound very confident that it’ll work. Is there anything I can do? I’m very much an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” type of guy, and I generally have anxiety issues with medications. I don’t take them if I don’t have to, and trying new medications makes me uncomfortable. I’m comfortable with the Vyvanse because I’ve taken it for so long, but the thought of potential new side effects from a generic is concerning to me. I’ve actually had issues in the past where generic medications (not Vyvanse) gave me side effects, while the brand name did not. So, while most will say they’re basically identical, I know that I’m sensitive enough to notice the differences.

Any advice?