Does Vyvanse Work?
ByVyvanse is the newest medicine for ADD and ADHD. It uses an innovative approach so that it is an ADHD ADD medication that cannot be abused.
As a Canadian doctor, I am not able to prescribe Vyvanse, because it is not yet available outside of the US.
So, my biggest question is: Does Vyvanse work?
I have read the research, I have heard the presentations, but I don’t have real life experience with this medicine.
This is where you can help me out.
I want to hear from anyone who has tried Vyvanse, or even considered trying Vyvanse.
Just go ahead and enter a comment below.
Please realize that when you click submit, it will take a little bit of time until your comment reaches my blog. That is because every comment is moderated (i.e. I want to make sure that there are no spam comments, and nothing hateful, racist, etc.).
I found this video – where someone shares his or her experience with Vyvanse – and you can watch it here:
Now, it’s your turn. Please type in any of your own personal experiences with Vyvanse so that the readers of this blog can benefit from your knowledge and experience. I know that the readers of this blog span the whole globe – so if you have experience with Vyvanse, all of the readers of this blog (American, Canadian and International) will appreciate your contribution very much!
Thank you for your help,
Dr. Kenny
Technorati Tags: Vyvanse, ADD, ADHD, Medication for ADHD, Adult ADHD, Adult ADD, ADHD Video, Vyvanse Video
Im 20 years old and ive just been diagnosed with ADD, although i now realize i had it for some time i never took action. I have no physical side effects, i still eat a ton, sleep a ton but i am able to focus in college and complete my projects. I started with 30 mg but had to be moved up to 50 mg because it seemed that it would wear off between 8-9 hours. The only downer to this drug is the up and down moods. It’s not bad but it seems that it either makes your good mood even better or your bad mood even worse.
I wrote about my son who is 6 years old on 01/04/2010. Austin started the Vyvanse 20mg on 01/01/2009. So far with school he is doing GREAT!!! Before the medication he could not sit in his sit he would be wondering around the room all day. He would say he was so bored. When the teacher asked him to do his work he would tell her that he did not feel like it, some day’s he would do his work but it was not his best effort. I would get phone calls everyday and he has had in school suspension and the next step was out of school suspension for two days. That was my wake up call at first I thought it was the teacher she is so young, but now I know it was not the teacher. He went from hating school and not telling me what he learned that day to telling me everyday what he is learning he now has greens everyday for behavioral which is the best instead of mostly reds everyday. His teacher has said it is like night and day. Although we are seeing great results with school. In the evenings he can be very moody we are also walking on egg shells I can say the littlest thing like hurry up and get out of the car mommy is cold and he breaks down in this crying spell telling me he is going as fast as he can, and it takes awhile to get him to stop crying. This is just one example he has not done this every evening but most. Sometimes he acts so sad, but again this is in the evening his teacher says she has not seen this. My son has a dr’s appt on 01/18/2010 so I guess I will be talking to him about this. As far as his appetite I have not noticed a big change but he does eat later now because he is not hungry at supper time
This stuff doesn’t get you high, but it did help me focus a lot. In fact, 20mg of it helped me focus as if I was on one of my best days w/o it, so I can only imagine what a stronger dosage will do for me!
My son just started this medication 5 days ago. The results have been tremendous. He has not experienced any side effects. He sleeps well and eats well. His focus at school has improved immensely. I give high marks for this medication.
I am a 37 year old teacher. I have recently been diagnosed with ADD (even though I now realize I have had this problem my whole life) and I take a 40mg dose of Vyvanse. The inner peace that I feel is incredible. I had always thought that everyone’s insides rumbled like a pot of boiling water until I took this medication and felt such an inner peace. I do have some side effects, but compared to the benifits, I think they are minor. Dry mouth (makes me drink more water), loss of appetite (not always a bad thing), cold hands and feet, and trouble sleeping (take ambian for that), and jaw clenching. The side effects are a nuisance, but they do not interfer with my daily life as much as the untreated ADD.
My 10 year old started 20 mg of Vyvanse about three weeks ago. While his focus has certainly improved and homework has been much less of a battle, he is irritable and moody. He has some loss of appetite mid-day, but seems to make up for it with a large dinner and bedtime snack. We are giving it another week, but if the mood swings continue to come more frequently, we will look for an alternative.
I received an official ADD diagnosis last week, and started 30mg VyVanse. I’ve never taken meds before, and was very resistant to the idea. Being nearly 50, however, I’ve decided that it’s just too hard to live this way. I felt great the first few days….lots of energy and staying-on-task. I didn’t get hungry, and had to make an effort to eat during the day. I don’t have to be hungry to eat; my anxiety often kills my appetite anyway so it’s something I’m used to. My problem always was that I’d forget to eat if my stomach didn’t remind me. It’s been a week now, and the high energy (hyper, really) seems to be gone (darn). I was tired and grouchy last night by dinnertime, but who knows if it was the meds, or something else? Personally I love the feeling of being hyper, or even somewhat aggressive. I think it’s very different for an adult than a child….I can direct this energy into projects or a good workout at the gym, whereas a child isn’t always equipped to channel the energy in a productive manner (especially if they’re being forced to sit at a desk). I had a hard time staying on task yesterday, and lost track of time (a big problem for me). I’m going to ask to increase the dosage. I have the dry mouth thing going on, but it’s not intolerable. Had headaches too, but they were more annoying than painful. My goal is not to be able to sit at a desk all day, but I would like to be able to have control over my runaway brain. I’m not trying to force myself into being something I’m not, I love the gifts of being ADD. I’m just trying to manage it a bit better so I can make the most of it!
Ive been taking VyVanse for almost three weeks now and i stopped taking it because of the moods that it would put me in. I seriously almost felt bipolar and the anxiety from it wasn’t worth it. It did work tho i had to boost the dosage to 50 but i wasnt myself and thats a big thing for me. I suggest low dosage for anyone because i started to depend on it to do all my work but with the help of vyvanse and wanting to improve myself i’ve gotten off a daily dose and am able to get things done.
Hello, I was wondering if you could help me. My 10 yr old ( ADHD and some ODD)son has been on Concerta 18mg for 5 months. It worked perfectly for apx 4 months, then the effectiveness dropped significantly, especially with the ODD. His teacher ( who initially had no clue about his ADHD) has been pulling him out of class because of interrupting, talking back and rude behavior. He has had major weight gain problems ( He already had an extremely fast metabolism before being put on meds) and his Doctor will not increase his meds (understandably so)and is thinking of taking him off. I’ve heard suggestions of trying shorter acting Ritalin, even though it can be a pain. He eats a great breakfast(7:30am), and a so-so supper (5:30), protein shake and snacks(8-8:30) before bed. He eats virtually nothing until 4:30 when he gets home from school. I was looking at Vyvanse which is now available in Canada, or Strattera. Any suggestions? Thanks for your time.
I am a 21 year old, male, college student. I have been taking Vyvanse for 7 months now. Has my life been a lot more productive on the drug? YUP! It has helped me loose weight, get better grades, and all that good stuff. BUTTTTTTTT! Keep in mind that with any medication you take there is always a down side. About 2 months into taking it i made the mistake of taking my medication, drinking a red bull and then working out for an hour running and lifting. I could not get my heart rate below 145 for 2-3 hours. Then literally last night I felt panic, could not sleep, diarrhea, light headed. I am going to the doctors today because this feeling has not gone away. For the last 3 days I did some heavy drinking (alcohol: I am a college student after all), Ate horribly, have not excersized in a while, and probably didn’t drink enough water.
MY POINT IS: BE CAREFUL PLeASE! WATCH YOUR DIET, BLOOD PRESSURE, EXCERSIZE, DONT DRINK TO MUCH ALCOHOL. PLEASE!
AND BTW I have been on Riddalen (don’t know how to spell it lol) and Adderal. Both of those drugs made me feel weird, throw up whenever I worked out, loose my appetite. So as a real person not someone from a drug company getting paid to post on random forums, I’m a psych major so their is nothing that pisses me off more than drug companies, I am telling you that I personally prefer it but I must take responsibility for my health when on this medicine.
P.S. when i first started on it i started at 30 mg and thats what i’m on now. Anything more than this would be too much.
Hope everyone finds this informative!
I am an adult with ADHD and I have had it since I was a kid. I was on every medication you can imagine none of them have really worked for me, or if they had there was major side effects. When I took adderall I couldn’t sleep or eat anytime and when I finally did get some sleep it was short and I had always felt anxious when I woke up. My doctor switched me over to Vyvanse and so far it has been more helpful. I have had some side effects on this med; mostly mania, I just want to clean! and a def. appetite decrease but it is a stimulant so that is normal. Aside from the two measly side effects I have had no trouble with it, I can stay focused and do my college papers easily when I am on it, and sleep fine when the effects wear off.
Being a college student, I have always wondered why I have always strayed away from converstation, why my attention focused on the professor for a couple minutes and then without me even realizing, my thought stray into something else. I have been in college for about 2 years now, and my grades are not bad, but they are also not great, like I would want them to be. I have a friend who, told me to try vivance, since he said it helps with concentration. I decided to try the drug once (without prescription), and have not tried it since, but from that experience, I know for sure that I might have some sort of concentration issues. When I took the drug, it made me concentrate in class so well, and I have never enjoyed my physics and calculus class, as much as i did with taking the drug. I did not stray from the lecture into my own world, I took great notes, and actually understood the lecture better. I have not taken another dose, since I dont have a prescription for it. I would love to talk to my doctor about my concentration issues, but am scared that the doctor will think I just want the drug for recreational use. If anyone has any feedback for me, please tell me. I don’t know who to go to, to talk about this problem.
Gabriel,
I suggest you talk to your primary care doctor about this – i.e. ask about whether you have ADD/ADHD.
Print this out, and fill it out. http://www.addinsights.com/docs/18_Question_ADHD-ASRS-v1-1.pdf This is a screening questionnaire for Adult ADHD. Take it with you to your doctor to discuss.
Also, if you can get one of your parents to fill it out as well – about how you are now (and if you have old report cards saying that you could focus better, and you need to stay on task better) that could help.
The best solution is to talk to your doctor – get a proper assessment, and then create a full treatment plan – which may include medicine, as well as hopefully some other strategies as well.
Best,
Dr. Kenny
p.s. come back and let us know how it goes…
My 15 yo son is taking abilify and depakote for bp, he also has add but those two medications are not helping his focus and concentration and in fact has a poorer focus and concentration while on abilify and depakote. My doctor is suggesting a stimulant, should i insist on vyvanse? Concerta did not worked before, he went into rages and aggression, he even flipped our cal-king mattress upside down. That is when pdoc diagnosed him bipolar. pdoc said that with abilify, he can try a stimulant to counteract the sleepiness caused by abilify and gain focus and concentration.
My 5 year old son was prescribed Vyvanse in January (we had to have it couriered to us then). With the first dose he developed facial tics, manic behaviour and was extremely emotional to the point of crying. I was advised to not give him any more and now we are trying Ritalin. He is on his third day and I haven’t yet noticed a difference in his hyperactivity or attention, he is somewhat less defiant though. I also tried giving him Biphentin, which seemed to work but he then refused to swallow the pills whole or take it mixed with liquid or yogurt, etc. due to sensory issues involving certain textures of food. I was disappointed the Vyvanse did not work for my son, but I guess it is a long process finding the right medication.
I was diagnosed with ADHD at the beginning of 2009. I was aggravated that they didn’t catch it a bit sooner, meaning when I was in H.S. I did horribly, and there was the curious thought that it was just because of me not being on medication for bipolar which I wasn’t tested for until 1/2 way through my senior year in 08. There was no surprise from me, that I had ADHD. There were some questions as to what prescription to use, because of my background of substance abuse. So my Psychiatrist suggested that I try this newer kind of ADHD med, which was Vyvanse. It’s great! I love it, I love how it makes me feel and act.
Nevertheless, to every upside, there is always a downside.
I started on 40mg from Jan. 09 until Aug. of 09. I was taking college classes during the summer, and I had noticed that if I took the 40mg between 8:30-9 am that I would start to feel the affects wear off around 2 pm, which doesn’t usually happen. This started to become a problem because I was taking evening classes. My doctor had then made a few differences to my dose. Instead of taking just the 40mg in the morning, I am now also taking a 30mg at 3 pm, so there is not a large overlap of the 2 strengths. On the level of hyperactivity mines extreme. I get very energetic. I don’t get fidgety just if there’s something that has to be done, I’ll have it done within a 20 min period. When people say concentration is key, that’s true, but there is such thing as having too much.
What I’m writing is a big hint as to what Vyvanse does/can do to you. When I had papers to write during school I never could write enough, or I could never say what I wanted to. Now there is no issue (as you can see) to this ability.
Once again, there is a downfall to this — there are problems of stopping what I’m doing. I have to finish everything I start no matter what. It brings out the OCD that I have. It’s nothing major, except when I am usually recopying notes. If I make one mistake, I tear out the paper no matter where I am and start all over again. I have never taken any other kinds of ADHD medications but Vyvanse works wonders. If you take it as directed then you shouldn’t have any real problems.
Hope this might give you some sort of insight!
my daughter is now vyvanse 40mg and she is doing great.she has ADHD,the dotocr said she has mild autism and she might have bipola.
my girl last year in school fail pre-k and was hold back in pre-k this year but on she been on this vyvanse for a year she press per-k this year and going to kindergrade next year.
the dotocr put me on PRISTIQ 50mg for ADD and bipola and it didn’t help at all.so they are putting me on vyvanse 30mg too see it work i take it at 11:30 this moring and i am still awake at 4:03 in the morning but it really help me i was more foused and i didn’t talk so much today.
My son has been on Vyvanse 40mg for about 5months and made the honor roll for the first time ever! I was so excited about school going so well that I chalked up his serious moodiness to being a teenager. HA! He has been out of school for 2 weeks with this bad weather so because he was sleeping late, I used the Daytrana patch that he had been on before. He was so much more himself! He went back to school today on the Vyvanse and tonight is mean, angry and extremely aggressive. I LOVE that school is going well but the moods can’t continue like this… I am going to switch him back to the patch or try a lower dose right away!
Im 21 years old and I have always had ADHD but haven’t had meds for a couple years.This is my 2nd full day on a 40 mg daily pill. I felt very focused in all my classes. I usually am an eating machine and my appetite was WAY down. I had to really force myself to eat even though i was not hungry. I did have the dry mouth. I was very concerned however about my heart rate. It was speeding up and slowing down and did not have a pattern in the beats at all. It got over 130 bpm and I was very concerned. My doc said he wanted to start me on 40 mg because he believed that anything less than that was like consuming water. so i have 2 questions: will my body adjust to the slightly overwhelming effects and allow me to tolerate this dosage. and was 40 mgs too high of a dosage to start me on.
Also Im getting a very strange feeling every couple of minutes in the back of my tongue and a little bit in my neck almost like a doc is gently pressing down on it with a popsicle stick. It does not hurt it is just really weird. I know they said unpleasant taste is a side effect so i wasn’t sure if this would be in that category.
my daughter just started taking vyvanse today she said she dont feel anything. today was a bit challenging but tonite she is actually setting down watching t v instead of running thru the house. which is good cause she uaually has to have all the attention so we will see how it goes.
Ive been taking vyvanse for 2 months now and I generally like it overall but I do get very irratated and tend to not get tired as much as I would with out it. It makes me super quiet and sensitive. I often feel like it takes away my personality but I do feel less frustrated and better about myself with it. Are these side effects the norm?and Is it just me or the meds?I’m a very confused teenager.would any other medication be less strong but still affective?
I have been taking this for almost a year already and its beevery good to me. I only get side effects if I miss a couple doses. I have a better tolerance level ( patience with things that used to get to me ) and I am able to focus better. Like most have said, different drugs work with people different ways. Vyvanse is not for everyone. It has worked for me though.
Jason
60mg once a day
Hi,
im currently on adderall 20mg, i was wondering how you guys have switched from adderall or whatever it is that your taking to vyvanse?
the reason i want to switch is because my psych prescribes the adderal but the pharmacy always gives me the generic saying the insurance refuses to pay for name brand. the generic isnt as good and i heard vyvanse has no generic due to its patent…and everyone sais it does wonders!!!
My Questions is HOW DID YOU GUYS SWITCH??? what was the process???
Hey,i im 16 years old and a sophmore in high school.i started taking yvanse at the beginning of the school year i now take 70 mg pills.Vyvanse is definently reccomended by me because i am very calm,ahead of everyone when it comes to work,and i just want to work work work.The only thing i dont like is the appetite because i have football at the end of the day and it sucks working out on an empty stomach.Hope this helps,i highly reccomend it.
Hello, has anyone tried Biofeedback for ADHD. Thanks
I’m hoping to start in two weeks, I have heard it works great
and some people see no sign after treatment.
ive been taking generic adderall 20 mg twice a day and
it hasn’t done anything other than give me a 20 min boost of energy!
how do i go about telling my psychiatrist to switch me from adderall to adderall xr? o vyvanse?
my pdoc said that it would change my life and turn things around but sadly it hasnt! ive been on it for a month and my appointment is next week.
Help
George, Hopefully just explaining it to your doctor and asking for a different form of the medicine will work!
Dr. Kenny
Personal experience with Vyvanse (30 years old, severe ADD without the hyperactive element, i.e. not AD_H_D).
1 month now, 20mg/day (very low dose – I am very sensitive in general to medication).
Noticeable effects 30min to 1hr after taking in morning (between 8-10am).
Side effects:
-Urgency to urinate more frequently (like a big mug of strong coffee)
-dry mouth for first 2 weeks (now almost negligible)
-trouble getting to sleep but fine once sleeping
-slight hangover effect in morning for about 1hr after waking (feels similar to dehydration)
-mild agitated state for a few hours during the afternoon on some days, maybe 30-40% of the time(irritability)
-distinct crash in late afternoon (2:30-5pm), loss of focus, severe lack of energy/lethargy, then energy and ability to focus rebounds again (about 5-9pm) *This problem seems to be greatly exacerbated by caffeine intake in morning to early afternoon.*
Positive effects:
-Greatly enhanced ability to focus and remain on-task, especially mid-morning through early afternoon, and mid- to late evening.
-Energized feeling accompanies this
I may adjust dosage with Dr. to see how it changes side effects; currently I am ambivalent about whether the drug is worthwhile for me.
It is expensive, and only mildly better than Ritalin or Adderall XR. The benefit of Vyvanse over these other two is a less extreme peak effect, and it does not seem to initiate migraines. I cannot tolerate the heavy crash in the afternoon, so will give Vyvanse another couple months at most and see if this settles down to be more manageable.
A lot of high-quality, strongly-brewed coffee throughout the day gives me almost the same benefits as Vyvanse, along with side effects…diuretic (urgent urination), and a jittery physical feeling if I drink just a tad “too much.”
The positive effects I’m seeking – energy, motivation, and ability to focus and follow-through on tasks – are stronger with Vyvanse than coffee, but only about 25% (subjective number, of course).
_Tyler
Any other Suggestions? other than telling him directly?
What are the symptoms supposed to be so a Md Can Prescribe Adderall xr?
or vyvanse?
This is my first time trying Vyvanse. After being diagnosed, but before being prescribed any meds due to all the testing that had to be done, I tried my husbands Adderall 20mg because I wanted to know what to expect. Btw, I’m a 27 yr old who’s never taken any medications save for some iron supplements during pregnancy.
I was very impressed with some of the results of the Adderall. I was able to focus on mundane tasks FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE! I was excited to go to work and impress my boss with my new found attention (he currently thinks I’m an idiot which is extremely frustrating considering I’ve got more intelligence in my pinky than he has in his entire body.)
Around 2PM I noticed the effects of the Adderall doing a sort of roller coaster thing. I would start to “come down” and found myself waiting for the medication to kick back in. I also found mysef getting a bit moody during this time. A cup-o-joe seemed to help out.
Another side effect that bugged me was around the afternoon time I would begin to feel anxious. I felt like I needed to be up and doing something, even if I already was up and doing something.
My last complaint about the Adderall was that I would get muscle soreness like I had been slouching all day. This was also disturbing.
Now, the Vyvanse. Aside from taking awhile to actually kick in, about 2 hours for me, it seems to be working just fine. I am able to focus without feeling the anxiousness. My left hand is a bit shaky as I type this but I’m thinking that is just temporary. As far as muscle soreness, anxiety and rollercoaster ups and downs, and apetite; I would have to get back to you on that as it’s only the first few hours.
Hi,
I’ve been reading this blog for a couple of hours now feel like a have a really good sense for what to expect when I start on my Vyanse tomorrow. Thanks everyone for contributing to it. I’m a female in my late 40′s who unfortunately ended up in a profession that is totally ADHD un-friendly. But I didn’t know that ADHD was my issues until I was diagnosed just about a month ago. Prior to my current job, I spent most of my career in very people-oriented positions, mostly in sales. I was at the top of my game I guess using the boundless energy I had that is the upside of ADHD. Then came the job change because I was traveling too much and wanted to have a relationship. What a mistake! My extremely sedentary, solitary and detail-oriented current job ( I had no idea it would be like this) has revealed I have terrible challenges with meeting deadlines, attention to detail, inability to stay focused. I turned to alcohol to deal with the stress of having to try so much harder than everyone else (working all night, 7 days/week etc; not letting co-workers know) to get my work done, terrified about losing my job in this economy. Having to work so hard and so much put a terrible stress on my marriage just complicating the anxiety and depression I was already being treated for. Assessments from subsequent rehab and from my pscychiatrist revealed ADHD. I started with Dexedrine a few weeks ago but found that when I didn’t take it on the weekends I was getting very depressed. Plus, my heart’s been racing and I’ve noticed my blood pressure elevating (139/89 today). I’m on a small amount of Paxil for anxiety(10 mg) only because I’ve wanted to get off of it because of the withdrawl symptoms I’ve experienced from not taking it. Let’s see what the Vyanse does to help. One recommendation I would make that I am in the process of implementing- find ADHD friendly work if you can! I’m trying to get back into sales again. Forget about the desk job! I am not a failure. I fail at tasks that don’t play to my strengths. In the meantime, I need the Vyanse to help me focus. I’ll keep you posted on how this goes.
This is my first time on ADD medicine, although I have been diagnosed with many different disorders, and truthfully the docs aren’t sure what’s wrong. My therapist was the first one to ask me about ADD and to administer an assessment. I am 28 years old. As of today, I am taking 50 mgs per day.
Day 1 was relatively normal in that I think I felt no effect.
Day 2 was cloud nine for me bc I felt the effects. I could concentrate enough to read a book and in conversation my mind didn’t wander.
Most days after that the effects are lessened, I’d say by about 50%.
Overall, I think this is a good drug bc it keeps people from abusing it and it seems to work quickly and effectively with little side-effects, but everyone is different.
I am 44 years old and have been on Vyvanse for 3 weeks. My doc started me on 15 mg due to a history of atrial fibrilation (he also put me on cardizem at the same time to keep my heart rate and bp down). After one week of no heart changes I was bumped up to 30mg. I started off feeling more focused, but within 3 days or so I felt like I was noticing things more, but not focusing on ONE thing. I am attentive of more things, but not BETTER attentive. After seeing these blogs I will go and ask my doctor for a higher dose. The side effects to me (dry mouth, loss of appetite, slight insomnia) are all minor and worth the effects of the meds that I felt those first 3 days. Thanks to you all I will hopefully get on a dosage that better treats my ADD symptoms.
I am an Adult with ADD. I have taken Vyvanse for about 1 year now. I am not at all sure Vyvanse works well for me. Over the last year I have notice what I perceive to be negative changes in my personality, my sleep habits, my physical health and my ability to learn new things.
I also have Crohns Disease (Inflammatory Bowl Disease) of the large intestine. I have wondered if the damage to my colon from past Crohns flare ups is interrupting Vyvanse’s ability to convert to it’s active ingredients. My understanding is that this conversion process takes place in the large intestine. I have many areas of scar tissue throughout my colon.
The increase of wide spread body pain, probably due to interrupted sleep, my decreased ability to process thought, my inability to follow through on projects and ideas, my mental fog – the feeling of not being quite mentally awake, my lack of motivation and energy to complete daily tasks, my difficulty in learning new things due to an inability to remember anything, these are all factors in my decision to talk to my Neurologist about discontinuing Vyvanse and returning to traditional Amphetamine medicines.
As I first mentioned, over the last year with a daily dose of 75mg Vyvanse I feel I have declined in my ability live a normal life as an adult with ADD.
Anyone else out there having similar experiences?
Annie,
regarding the metabolism of vyvanse – initially it was thought that it was metabolized in the gut. New research shows that it is mostly converted to the active medicine in the blood. So the Crohn’s shouldn’t have an impact on that at all.
If you aren’t have a good response to vyvanse – that is a different story and it’s worth talking to your doctor about alternatives.
Dr. Kenny
I have been taking vyvance for about four mos now, and at first it was great! I started off on 20mg, then she increased, 30, now i’m taking 40 mg, but it doesnt work but for a few hours now.. i take it about 7am, then by 10:30 it’s already fading away… She said she was thinking about addind addderal.. I’ve tried Ritalin & it was a nightmare! So I’m kind of worried about the adderral..hmm…any suggestions? Thanks, Michelle!:)
My doc will not put me on anything but Straterra, because they r not comfortable prescribing stimulants, but my 9 year old daughter was just described Vyvanse today, so if it works well for her, I may have to switch doctors. The Straterra just isn’t doing the trick. I crash really hard, but then do not sleep peacefully. It’s like I sleep, but have chaotic dreams all night.
This site has helped me feel more comfortable about starting her on her first ADD medication though. Thanks so much!!
Can you get hurt really bad when you take more than one pill. like if you take 3 or 4 pills does it hurt you
I am a 22 year old female who has tried many mood stablizer medications. I was diagnosed for 1 1/2 years with Bipolar Disorder. Every psychatrist perscribed me mood stabalizers and all of the mood stabalizers made me even more suicidal, on them I had many suicide attempts and in June almost succeded. So they would always change my medication to another mood stablizer and they swore that I was bipolar and they had my diagnosis right becasue I was impulsive and had mood changes and extreme outbursts of anger, so I continued on this medication, listening to the professionals and my life spiraled out of control, I dropped out of college and lost a lot of jobs. Nothing was working at all and then I lost my medical insurance, so was off medication for about 5 months. Finally when I got medical insurance I went to this wonderful doctor and she said enough of the mood stablizers and I said thank God, she had a different idea of what was going on and wanted to look outside the box. She diagnosed me with ADHD, which suprised everyone becasue I have a 3.8 GPA in college and will be graduating in May and I achieved that without any ADHD medication and I also held 3 jobs at once prior to that 1 1/2 years, so this diagnosis seemed odd to everyone, myself included. I first tried concerta and the medication I swear only listed around 4 hours, but during those 4 hours I felt better. I told the doctor that the pill worked but only for a short amount of time. She then perscribed me vyvanse and this was the first and only pill that made me feel like I had my life back in control again. God had answered my prayers becasue I couldn’t take living in that state any longer! I feel like it is a blessing to have found this pill because it has saved my life. This is the only pill I take and it has stopped my angery outbursts and put me in a stable mood without the ups and downs all day and my suicidal thoughts and actions have vanished! Thank you and God bless you!
Before the age og nine, my son had been on ridlon, concerta, and adderall. All of these products worked, but my son was not himself.
He developed side effects with each. The worst being mood swings, ticks, and fainting spells. VYVANSE has been a God send for my son and myself. The worst thing now is that first half hour when he wakes up and nothing is agreeable to him which might have more to do with being 12 and not a morning person! My sons grades are A-B honorroll. He is in band and on commities at school and has been in baseball for a year. I have been worried about his growth, but studies show that taking vyvanse does’nt stunt growth, so that too is probably our gene pool. My son has even asked for an increase in dose
when he feels things aren’t as good as they could be. Now, if I could
only get him to wear matching clothes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have tried Ritalin and Concerta, but I found Vyvanse to be the best working ADHD medication there ever was.
In middle school, I had the tendency of forgetting what my teacher would say right after he/she had assigned us homework. Whenever I had asked him/her to repeat the assignment, He or She would blame me for doodling on my notes instead of listening. Note, I have been doing that for years. I was never able to concentrate in class. Every Parent/Teacher Conference, my teachers would complain about how I was never able to finish my classwork unlike everybody else, and I was constantly in my “own world.”
Finally when high school started, I went to the doctor’s and the doctor said that I had ADHD and that it is treatable with medication. I was relieved that my “problem” was something unique and didn’t mean I was just “dumb,” because unlike my classmates, they seem to be able to do their homework very easily. I was prescribed Concerta, and that worked for me very well. Except, the problem I had with it was that it decreased my appetite which caused me to feel like a zombie. And usually for being a social butterfly, I was unable to have conversations or laugh at something humorous. So about a couple months later, I was prescribed to Ritalin, and I felt no effect from that, so I switched back to Concerta. I was upset that I had to rely on a pill that lost me my outgoing personality and made food look disgusting. I was a zombie. But hey, it helped me with my work, so I was okay with it.
By the time college started, I was relying on my pills like a diabetic needing their insulin, even though Concerta didn’t make me happy. But finally, my best friend (who had also taken Concerta and had the same symptoms as I did on that pill), recommended Vyvanse. She told me that it works just as well as Concerta (in terms of effects), BUT unlike Concerta, she was able to socialize–in fact, she socialized more than she did without it.
So I talked to my doctor about it, asked him about its background and etc. He said it was a new ADHD medication, so there aren’t much information on it whether or not if there’s problem with abuse. He prescribed it to me anyway (30mg), and boy–knowing that there was an ADHD medication that helped me with all of my problems and ALSO not lose my personality–I was very excited (especially since I had ran out of my Concerta, so I was also concerned if it would work or not)!! As soon as I got home, which was like 3PM, I took my medication. It took awhile for it to kick in (about two hours for my first time), I stood up and WOW! I just stared at my apartment and I was very motivated to clean the whole thing! So I did, and then afterwards I organized my planner, and started on my homework. By the time I was done with everything, it was about 10PM, and I didn’t feel tired at all. I tried sleeping for a couple of hours, but was unable to get to sleep until 5AM.
So the final verdict: Vyvanse is amazing. I’ve been taking it for about a year now, and it’s doing great. I could always depend on this pill for keeping me focused throughout the day. What I like to do is wake up really early that I normally wouldn’t wake up at, take my pill, and take a nap until it kicks in, because when it does, you’ll slowly wake up on your own command because your body feels awake. I compare this pill to Concerta because their effects are quite similar: decreased appetite, focused, lasts up to 12 hours, motivated, easily inspired, wanting to do more tasks when one is done, and being unable to just loaf and be lazy. I can’t think of anymore effects that they both have, but I feel comfortable about Vyvanse because (according to other medical researching websites) it has low abuse. And honestly, I don’t know why anyone WOULD abuse these ADHD medications. I feel so, strange. With Concerta I feel like a Zombie, and with Vyvanse, I just feel like my whole internal organs are awake even if my eyes would be tired and dry.
So far I couldn’t think of any negative effects of Vyvanse. But I recommend this medication for anybody who is social because for me, it keeps my mind on a straight line. And oh yeah, I am one of those people who have a lot on their mind but aren’t articulate at trying to explain what they are trying to say. Meaning, when I’m off the pill, I have a hard time thinking exactly what I want to say or when I do, I’d forget what I’d talk about mid-sentence, but with Vyvanse, I know everything and exactly what I want to say (keeping my mind on a straight line), and even when I’d go off into tangents in a conversation because I’d get distracted by other thoughts, I resume back to the original subject because my mind is like an organized shelf.
If I find any negative effects, I shall post them on this page immediately, but for now, I love this pill so much, and if I had to choose between a husband or Vyvanse, I’d choose Vyvanse because it is always reliable. This pill could never cheat on you, as in you could have large portions of food, but the food wouldn’t “dissolve” the effects. Great pill. Glad that my best friend had recommended it to me. In fact, I just recommended it to my other friend and she is going to talk to her doctor about it this weekend.
I hope this helps!
PS: I am aware that I have bad grammar and that there are few run-on sentences. I’m sorry if you couldn’t understand.
I previously took adderal for 4 years before, I started taking vyvanse about 2 weeks ago. These were perscribed to me in order to treat my ADD and adderal was effective; however, vyvanse was at first not as effective i think mostly because it seemes to cause a different reaction or mode of effectiveness.
I just began taking vyvanse about a month ago, and it works great! I am able to focus so well and have also been able to complete all of my school work on time. Vyvanse does not make me as anxious and jittery as other medications have.
I am 18 years old and decided to try vyvanse in the 2nd semester of my senior year. I was prescribed to 50-mg capsules for thirty days. My cumulative GPA is a 3.2 and my 1st semester GPA in my senior year was 3.5. It was hard to accomplish this grade average because tasks always seemed daunting and endless. I was never organized and always procrastinated. When i started taking Vyvanse, i immediately noticed a sense of awareness and a lot less fatigue in the morning. Everything started to make more sense and i could actually organize and retain information with seeming ease. My third quarter of school is finished and i am proud to say that i got a 4.0. It wasn’t as hard as i made myself think it was. I broke that mental curse with the help of Vyvanse. It is great and helps you feel motivated and happy. The only issues i have with this drug is a suppressed appetite. I am trying to gain weight and it is very difficult. I also noticed that i perspire fairly easily when im on it. One thing i wish is that the drug would only release D-amp for around seven hours instead of 12. I Have a little bit of trouble getting to sleep. It is exponentially a benefit in ratio to some of the negatives it brings. I usually do the best when i take 1 a day from monday-friday and stop use on the weekends. This helps me gain control of my body functions aside from the brain. I also reduce some immunity that i built up during the week.
i was wondering is there a schedule that anyone take your vyvanse, i have class around 11am and i take it when i wake up around 8am.i was wanting to know any tips that i can do when i take it it takes away my appetite, i do stay focused but i feel i have a burst of energy and even though i finish my tasks i feel i am doing too much, any advice my e- mail is mooremario79@yahoo.com
Hi, I’m 17 year old female and i am currently taking 70+ mgs of vyvanse. i took adderall XR(30 mgs) before that. I stopped taking adderall after my 4th concussion becuase they needed to see if any of my head injurys caused damage that the adderall was hiding. But anyway, they switched me to vyvanse, gradually increasing the dosage.
I know they say vyvanse is not addictive, but im almost positive im addicted and i dont know if i should stop taking it or what! I wake up every morning at 5 eat a slice of bread and take 70-80mgs then go back to bed, then around 6 i wake up becuase of the vyvanse. I think this is the reason i feel addicted becuase i cannot get up without it! I have also recently lost like 15 pounds and im getting kinda worried that i will keep losing weight! I usually cant eat till like 9 but on days i have soccer i force myself to eat but its horrible. I actually liked losing the first like 5 pounds but i thought my appetite would eventually come back. somedays i take it and im extremely talkative and happy and then other days i get am in a horrible mood all day and get agitated really easily. i had similar symptoms while on adderal but no where near on this level. I hope someone can give me some answers! thanks!
Okay, I’ve been reading for a while now…my son is 11 1/2 and has been on 70 mg of Vyvanse for over 2 years. He is ADHD and was diagnosed in the 2nd grade he is currently in the 5th and doing very well. It last about 12 hours for him, at first it did surpress his appetite, but not anymore. He doesn’t seem to experience any side effects. Lately however, we are seeing more, what we refer to as, meltdown. He become angry, extremely loud and cries. Also he is of sticking his tongue out between his teeth, all the time, like he was concentrating, but this is not just when he is concentrating but he is walking around like that and it is becomming a social problem. Vyvanse has been wonderful for us, but I’m wondering do we need to change or increase the doseage? Any suggestion would be greatly appreciate.
I’ve been on vyvanse 30mg for a year now – having taken concerta, ritalin, adderall at various times over the past 10 years. For me, Vyvanse works *much* better. About 30 min after I take it, I feel like I can do what I need to do for the day. I do try to schedule my most boring and mundane chores for the first 6 hours, since it does seem to taper off after lunch a bit.
Addicted? Possibly. But what is addiction? I feel that I could not function well without this medication (I compare it to insulin – it provides something that my brain chemistry is missing) – I would be sleepy, indecisive, distracted and lethargic. I have no negative side-effects (besides loss of appetite which I appreciate) – and am not abusing or increasing my dosage. I am STABLE.
It would be very helpful if folks would identify their ages in the posts. Many do so, but not all. My daughter is almost 16 and we are considering asking her MD to switch from Strattera to VYVANSE, but am looking for feedback about kids in their teens. The ones that I have identified have been helpfu. My daughter has ADHD-Inattentive Type, which I understand is the same as ADD. She has been on Strattera for years without much focus and significant struggles with high school work. Looking for alternatives. Thanks.
As someone who has taken Adderall his entire life, I’ve been very satisfied with Vyvanse.
I currently take 60 mg 1x in the morning and I’m covered for most of the day. My psychiatrist also prescribed Dexedrine spanules to take as needed (I attend evening classes for my master’s degree).
The change from Adderall XR to Vyvanse is similar to switching from a car with manual transmission to an automatic. Adderall XR made its presence known as a stick-shift transmission does if you don’t switch between gears correctly. It increased my alertness, but also raised my anxiety levels.
Plus, as someone who loves to write, I felt as if Adderall XR stunted my creativity. While I may have been attentive to the task at hand, whether it be a paper or blog post, etc., the process took far longer than it should have.
In addition, I always had the uncontrollable urge to multitask, which often left me with lots of unfinished things.
But Vyvanse, like an automatic transmission, works in the background. My task list is finished, my apartment stays clean/organized and I haven’t been late for a single meeting/appointment/social event, etc.
So nothing but good things to report here. One issue that does bug me is the fact that my psychiatrists/family doctors could have treated me with Dexedrine as opposed to Adderall and Ritalin during my younger years. But that’s just Monday-morning quarterbacking on my part. There’s no point in dwelling on that which you cannot change.
Anyway, I hope this offers some insight. Thanks!
- Colin
I was prescribed vyvanse and it made me bounce off the walls. I made the mistake of having a beer and it made me unsociable. Basically like cocaine without the side effects
I have been taking Vyvanse off and on for the last two years. I am currently taking 50 mg a day. All I can say is that it works, I remain “on track” throughout the day. I don’t get knocked off my square by the small stuff. A curious side-effect is that my appetite is voracious.
Mb2