Vyvanse for Adult ADD or ADHD

I am an adult with ADHD diagnosed about 3 yrs ago. I have been on several medications with various results. Several have worked great (Adderall XR) but for a short period of time. I have been on Vyvanse for 1-2 months. It seems to work for most of the day with minimal side effects. I do have jaw clenching and somewhat of a suppressed appetite.
I have a question. I was tested for cholesterol levels this week and the results stated that my bad cholesterol was ok (105) my good cholesterol slightly low (35) and my triglycerides very high (320). This has not been a problem in the past and I am wondering if it could in any way be related to the Vyvanse.
Thank you

i am a 22 year old with inactive add i have been on vyvance for about 2 months. vyvance is kinda my life support. without it i cant get out of bed ,in a bad mood ,dont want to talk to anyone,bacicley just want to sleep allthe time. i started on the 30mg for a week and notest it would crap out on me half way though the day i told my doc and he said take anotherone 6 hours later. this worked for a bit but i sumtimes have 12 hour work shifts and it still wasent cutting it.told dock he gave me 70mg but onley last 6 hours. if i take more than the 70mg would that be abusing the drug? also when im on vyvance im in a really good mood andhelp around the house and talk to people and just really happy. some one asked me if i was high the other day at work because of my good mood and talkivness. is this norm? or am i high? this worrys me.

My 7 year old son has taken Ritilin and Adderall, and was recently switched to Vyvanse at 30mg. While I see more of his real personality coming through which is great, we still are having problems in the afternoons. I am meeting with his doctor next week; originally we were going to talk about changing his meds again, but that’s before I read that the 30 mg of Vyvanse is equal to only 10 mg of Adderall XR. Is it worth uping the dose to see if it helps? Is this product a long acting or timed release medicine? The appetite is still as supressed as with any of the meds he has taken, but we have not had one night where he has been awake all night which we had a lot on the other meds.

For those complaining about duration, you might want to consider going up on your dose. I switched to Vyvanse after trying Adderall, Concerta and Daytrana and Vyvanse has been absolutely a life saver for me. But at first, when I was trying to find which dose worked best, it would work for a couple days, and I wouldn’t feel it for a full 12 hours. I am now on 100mg of Vyvanse and I have been now for about 2 months, and it works for a full 12 hours every single day. I think that until your on your “best” dose, you don’t get the full benefits that Vyvanse has to offer.
Doctors write off label all the time, usually they know from years of experience what is off label but still considered to be very safe and reasonable doses. I would tell your doctor (and maybe get a second opinion just to have more peace of mind) what you should do and tell them pretty much what your saying here and see what they have to say. Typically since its worked so well for you so far, they will safely start pushing the dose up at small intervals to see how you respond. But don’t get nervous that Vyvanse will only work for you for 2 weeks at a time. Again, thats how it happened with me until I found my best dose.
Hope that helps!

I was diagnosed with ADD yesterday (I went to the doctor for a sore leg…who knew?) and was given a prescription for Vyvanse.

I’ve always prided myself on not being someone who needed medications (seeing this in print, I realize what ridiculous point of pride that is. . .) I took the Vyvanse this morning and it has made such a difference already. I started reading ADD info online tonight and I felt a wave of grief that for so many years I’ve been thinking that I am secretly a shameful, pathetic, useless lump of a woman because I just couldn’t get my act together. I feel exhausted from a lifetime of trying to hide or work around these problems. It never occurred to me that this was something a doctor could fix. I thought ADHD was a made-up disorder, completely invented in order to medicate bratty little boys who probably just needed a spanking. I’m cool with admitting I was wrong on this one.

Well, I couldn’t believe that taking one pill would make me feel so different. I felt like the constant chatter in my head was more structured. I could listen to voice mail without feeling this weird irritation I usually get from it. My mouth was a little dry, but I should probably drink more water anyway! The pill did curb my appetite, but this wasn’t a big deal since once I did eat, it didn’t make me feel queasy or anything.

I’ve read in some posts that the efficacy of the stuff wears off after a few days/weeks–I hope this doesn’t happen to me. I know it sounds so trite, but I do feel like I have been given a new shot at life.

Hello, I am 38 yrs old. I am not a user, but a family member of a user. I have no idea what all of you go through every day. I am trying to find out if Vyvanse has been approved for adult use. My insurance will not cover it because it is only approved for children at this time. I am hoping that this will help because I do not like Aderrall at all. That was a medicine that caused a lot of heartache and grief in my family, but I won’t go there. Anyway, I would like for it to be available, but I can’t afford the full price either.

i am 36 years old and last summer i decided to return to college, i was seeing a therpist and she recommeded me seeing a Dr. to see about taking something to help me with school.I can answer yes to almost any question on a ADD test. When I was in high school I had very low grades and the school never wanted to full with me so did not do well. I was put on Vyvanse and it really helped and Im very happy to say I had straight A’s on my report card at the end of the semester, this was a great achivments for me since I work 50 hrs a week, have two teenagers and was taken 5 classes. I hope i will be able to contuine on and get a degree in social work.

I’m a 28 year old woman who has ADD and I have been taking Adderall XR for years. I reached the max perscribed amount of 50 mg so my doctor decided to start me on Vyvanse. 30mg Adderall XR + 30 mg Vyvanse the first week. Then 20mg Adderall XR + 30mg Vyvanse. Well, today I was suppose to drop down to the next level and I couldn’t do it. I had to stop taking the vyvanse and take my normal Adderall XR dosage.I’m not sure if this medication is reacting odd with my anti-depressent or if it’s just the Vyvanse alone.I have had crying spouts increasing over the last two weeks along with an overall feeling of just being “down”.Over the last two weeks I have lost focus at home and work. I also noticed some effects to my eyesight. I take my meds at 7:00 am and around 9:00 I start to notice some light sensitivity/ slight blurry vision. Obviously I will be calling my doctor today.
IS THERE A SUBSTITUTE MEDICATION FOR ADDERALL XR USER’S WHO HAVE REACHED THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT?
I seem to become imune to my perscribed dosage fairly quick,is this normal? I started on 10mg of Adderall Xr in 2005 and by 2008 50mg was not enough.
Any info would be helpful.
thanks.

Hi there,

Im an adult with ADD diagnosed over 5 years ago after failing school and finding it hard to keep a job. I am now completing a PhD in History and loving it. However, I moved to the UK from the US and cannot get my prescriptions filled here as they dont believe this problem affects adults – I cannot get back to the US regularly enough to get my prescription … any advice? I have letters with diagnosis, old copies of prescriptions etc. I am not able to get my medication here.

Thanks

Hannah

Hi,

I was recently diagnosed adhd. I am 37 I was great to know what was up with me. My doc gave me Vyvanse 30mg. When I finally took it, it was amazing! I was awake, alert, I could think crystal clear, didn’t feel overly stimulated or irratated. It actually seemed to last for 12 hours. That was the first 2 days. The third day around 3:00 pm I started getting sleepy and foggy. The fourth day I only felt good for 4/5 hours and got really sleeply again. The fifth day , it didn’t work at all and I was so tired I thought I could sleep for a week. Didn’t take it on the sixth day and I at lest felt like my old add self rather than like I was in a coma. My doc told me to only take half the dose maybe it was too much. So today I took half didn’t help at all and I am so tired. Anybody have any that might be helpful or encouraging for me know?
Thanks

HELLO AND GOOD SATURDAY AFTERNOON I HAVE A IMPORTANT QUESTION WOULD IT BE POSSABLE TO RECEIVE A SMALL SAMPLE OF THE ADULT VYVANSE MEDICATION TO SEE IF IT WILL HELP MY PHYISICAL CONDITION IF SO EMAIL ME BACK AND THANK YOU.

Im 31 female I have been taking Clymbta 60mgfor a year it has been helping in it’s other ways but not the way that I need.My mind racing non stop all day long I take alot of things too personal and I become angry and hold gruges no patience at all and then im become depress thats why im on clymbta,My doc prescribed me Vxy. on 50mg the first day I took it I talk so much my mouth hurt,(ha) but it was wear that i was understanding why i act the way i do i was interesting in it, I was focus on things at work which was great,i had patience which i do not have at all had no appitite which i need to lose weight anyway,i was restless but hey i was up on time for work i even wahed dishes that morning 2nd day was the same i had dry month bad, i was thinking this is what i need BUT on the 3rd was not too good @ 2:00 i started to crash 4th day i felt like my old self. i go back to the doctor 2weeks from now. do you think a higher dose would please me this is my first time i have taken anything for ADD/ADHD ANY SUGGESTION THANKS

I’ve been on Vyvanse 30, now on 50 and I am have several side effect. While my ability to focus has increased substantially, I don’t experience effectiveness for the 12 hours, only about 6-8. This of course is not nearly enough, I get up around 7:30 and sometimes work till 10pm. Secondly, I am more aggitated (than usual), which affects several aspects of my life including my relationship with my 11 year old and my fiance. I have an appointment with psychiatrist tomorrow, June 11th and will ask about plain Adderall since it is available in generic and my copay on Vyvanse is about $30 for a 30 day supply(1cpoqd) and it seems to get more expensive as the dose change (expected). Does anyone have ay experience on Adderall (not XR)?

I have been taking vyvanse for about 3 months and it was working great. A few days ago I developed a rash, skipped the vyvanse and it cleared up. Started vyvanse again and it is back. Very itchy, like mosquito bites. Has anyone else experienced this? I don’t want to tell my doctor for fear he will take me off of it and it works so great for me. Please, if you have experienced a rash please let me know how it came out, did you have to go off the vyvanse?

I am 33 years old and have been taking Vyvanse 30 mg for 8 days. I am experiencing some nasty effects including dizziness, emotional agitation, anger swings and headaches. I can focus on tasks fairly well until there are elements of problem solving needed. I then seem to hyper focus on the problem itself and have a very hard time approaching solutions. It’s as if I walk into a wall and keep taking a step back and then forward again into the wall. I know the wall is a problem and I need to find a way around or through it, but I can’t stop walking into it.

I feel as if the top half of my head has plastic wrap tightly wound about it. Adderall made me feel as if I had blinders on; Vyvanse makes me feel as if I’m wearing blinders plus an eye patch and the room has ten times too many lights turned on. I have trouble making out type against a white page (and I have 20/20 vision.)

I find myself wanting to scream at people. “What’s your problem!? Are you stupid!?! YOU’RE NOT LISTENING!!” and that kind of thing.

Interestingly, a little caffeine helps (but just a little, maybe a single cup of coffee or a couple cups of tea.)

On the upside, the drug wears off very gently, unlike Adderall or Ritalin. No crash whatsoever. If I take the medication early enough in the day, I can sleep normally.

I have been on vyvanse 30 mg for 2 months and doc increased (his own decision) to 50mg. I am not sure if I am just extremely overworked here in TX (Hurricane Ike) or if its the meds, but I have been extremely emotional and “fragile”. Has anyone else experienced extreme changes going from low dose to higher dose? I had also anticipated more weightloss but that doesn’t seem to be the case;however, that could have something to do with my emotional status at the present. I would be curious to know if anyone else has had similiar symptoms with increased dosing.

Today is my first day taking Vyvanse. My doctor prescribed the 30mg dosage. I took it about 3 hours ago and dont seem to notice any difference what so ever. Has anyone else had this happen? I wonder if I just need an increase in dosage, or whether Vyvanse is just not the right pill for me.

I’ve been Vyvanse a few weeks – 30mg. I noticed that the drug wears off around mid and by 5:00 I’m a mess with anxiety, etc. I’m hoping to get my doctor to dump me up to 50Mg. For now I think I’ll try taking another 30 mg mid-day just to see if my evenings taper off. Far as sleep – no problem. I take Ambien CR around 10 – sleep til 5 or 6 every morning.

Finally realized that Vyvanse brings on more anxiety when it wears off and taking more of a dosag is not the answer. I’m attempting to get off the drug and deal with HDHD differently. For now I’m taking Buspar and it helps with my panic-anxiety attacks.

I have been taking Vyvanse for three weeks @ 30mg and have had a yeast infection for 2 weeks. I read another poster has had a persistent yeast infection as well. I am trying to find out if this is a side effect that does wear off after continued use or if I need to get off Vyvanse. Obviously a persistent yeast infection is not something anyone can accept as part of treatment!

Hello…Is the doc reading these posts? I havent seen a reply from him in the thread for quite awhile. I really hope he can respond to my post as I have a serious question for him.

Ok, I would like to know what is the maximum amount of vyvanse an adult can take throughout one 24 hour period?

I am a 40yr old female and was diagnosed with ADD about 5 years ago and have tried numerous medications. I have been on Vyvanse for about 6 months. I gradually increased to 70mg and that was ok for awhile (maybe 2 months), then in the afternoons I started getting extremely sleeping, agitated and unmotivated to do anything. The psychiatrist then said I could take a 70mg in the morning and a 50mg in the afternoon, which I did and this helped for awhile. Suprisingly the insurance company covered both prescriptions! Anyway, as of about a month ago I started having problems with waking up in the morning – severe problems. I would not hear two different alarms that I would set the night before. My husband would get so ticked off at me for allowing the alarms to go off for so long – it would literally take him shoving me and yelling at me to turn the alarms off and I eventually would. Or I would hit the snooze over and over and this would tick him off – but later on I would have NO recollection of hitting the snooze whatsoever or how long the alarms were going off before I finally shut them off. I also had no recollection of him yelling at me. Its like I could not wake up and was in a coma or something. Once I was up I would take my morning dose of vyvanse (70mg) along with my pain meds for fibromalygia and lay back down for 30 – 45 minutes. Then when I got up I was halfway coherant, but not totally with it at all. In the afternoon I would take my 50mg dose and for the most part would feel better by then. As of a few days ago, I started taking another 50mg dose around 7pm and this has cleared up the problem. I have not discussed this with my doctor yet, but see them on Monday the 1st. Now when the alarm goes off I am instantly awake. And when it is time for bed, I go to bed and fall asleep pretty fast – the extra dose does not keep me awake. Also, I used to take Ambien for years but stopped taking it about a month and half ago. So, I am taking 70mg plus 50mg plus 50mg for a total of 170mg a day and this seems to keep me going and alert and not crash when the drug wears off. I am able to sleep a full 8 hours and feel refreshed in the morning – before when I took 70mg and 50mg I was feeling like I was in a coma in the morning. If the house was on fire, I’m not sure if I would have woken up to get out!!

Any thoughts or advice on this? Am I taking too much Vyvanse? I’ve had a really hard time with the other drugs….ritalin, adderal, etc. Oh, I was taking concerta and that worked for awhile but eventually I did get the coma affect with it waking up in the mornings also and that is when I switched to vyvanse.

Thank you for your website.

I am a 18 year old male and I just got a prescription to Vyvanse. I struggled through all of high school and almost didnt graduate. Finally after starting college this year, I talked to my doc about the problems ive been having in school. He gave this drug and it has worked miracles since.

Hi kate-
I too take vyvanse at 70mg first thing in the morning, then another 50mg in the afternoon around 2pm – 3pm. Just taking 70mg wears off by afternoon and then I’m left in a fog and just want to crawl in bed! Luckily my insurance covers both prescriptions – I really lucked out there. Insurance will only cover 30 capsules of the 70mg, so doing another prescription for 30 the 50mg capsules is covered by insurance because its a different strength.

Anyway, I was just wondering what kinds of things you are doing for behavior modification. I wish that a pill could solve everything, but I realize that I still struggle throughout the day with staying on task….or even getting to my to-do list at all. I just float throughout the day doing whatever happens to pop into my brain – which can be 10 things at once. I’ve searched endlessly online for ideas and there is a ton of information. But what I would really like is some simple, straight advice on behavior modification. I think I have bombarded myself with information overload due to looking online at various websites. I totally lack follow through on just about everything I have tried. I just dont know how to stick to something and FINISH it!! It is soooo discouraging and my husband is at his wits-end with me.

So, if you would kindly share what you are doing for behavior modification, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks so much!
Nancy

Guys,
Ive been to the doctor on the 23rd of December, and I have been diagnosed with ADD . By the way, IIve been to the doctor in Houston so maybe I got a professional opinion about it.

then, I was also prescribed Vyvanse – Ive been taking it for two weeks – and there are no visible changes – in my behavior;
I have been having racing thoughts several times – even when taking vyvanse – I had a hard time controling them – however, they were linked mainly to fights with my sister.
I have found that teh cause for not being violent was actually my choice of behavior – in spite of my sister’s aggresive – actually over protective behavior.
I believe the medication may not be what I _really_ need – for racing thoughts that is.
Tom. I will return to the doctor and tell him about my experience;
what do you say about this?what other medication has worked for you?

I am a 50 yr old with ADD. I have been taking Vyvanse for 6months before that I was taking Adderall 2 times a day to counter the afternoon sleepiness. But I got tired of fighting the insurance companies for a double Rx. I am currently on 70mg of Vyvanse and I too find that it wears off about 2pm. What I do to counter this is when I can, work permitted, is to take a short 20 min. nap and then drink a cup of very strong green tea. This seems to boost whatever stimulant is left in my system and keep me going for a few hours longer and I don’t have problems sleeping at night. I may try the 100mg in the future but for now this works. I also have the teeth clenching problem but without taking anything I can’t function. Since I have been treated for ADD I have been able to go back to college and get my MFA. Before I suffered from crippling indecision and anxiety.

Help, where can I go to get diagnosed. I know something is wrong, I’m 39 and I stayed in trouble when I was in school as a kid. I have two boys who have already been diagnosed and one daughter who the school suspects is ADD also. I have a hard time concentrated and staying on task. If it was up to me I would just sit and daydream all day. I catch my self getting off task at work which is making my work suffer. I need help, where do I look?

I am a 27 yr old female. I was diagnosed with ADD in highschool and was givin dexadrine, this was ten years ago, but I remember being very irritable and moody so I went off of the pill and haven’t been on anything else since. I was just prescribed Vyvanse yesterday and took the first pill this morning at 6:00 AM. In the first half hour I could feel the affects, very talkative(was on the phone calling people at 6:30. Felt good for the first few hours aside from a racing heart and clenched jaw. By about 12:00 at work, I felt kind of blah and spacey, and didn’t want to talk to anybody. I also felt like I was having hot flashes. I am a dog groomer and felt like I was concentrating too hard and taking too long on each hair cut. I just didn’t want to be at work, but then when I got home I finished all of my house chores, things I had put off for weeks, even months, and was much more tollerant of my fiance(we normally argue alot) I feel great knowing that I can get things accomplished on this medicine, (my life was a completly unorganized mess before) but I’m affraid side affects aren’t worth it. I will give it a go for a while and see if things change. Anybody have similar issues? Do these things get better or worse?

I am a 33 year old man with ADHD. Currentlty not taking any medications for it, and I have stumbled across this newer drug. I was reading one of the posts and read that someone recieved a free 30 day trial from their doctor. Is this available through all doctors or only a select few? Anyone know more about that? I would love to try Vyvanse, but I don’t have insurance and long term would be costly I think, but if it worked, I would pay just about anything these days. Thank you in advance for any feedback.

While on vyvanse 30mg i have realized if i forget one day and take it the next day i get depressed and emotional. I will go through the day thinking i dont want to be under this trap and stuck in this rutine i think the medicine has made me so much worse because i depend on it i do not like this medicine i took concerta 54mg for 10 years and i was fine until it stopped working

I am 37 years old and was OVERDOSED on Ritalin when I was first diagnosed at the age of 5 or 6. I was like a zombie. Unfortunately having this side effect when I was a child scarred me away from ADHD medications.
It wasn’t till about 8 years ago I visited a doctor for weight loss and they prescribed me phenormene as a suppressant. This helped me focus, lose weight and gave me the energy that I needed to make it through the day. About 7 months ago these diet pills no longer worked for me. My daughter is ADHD and when I took her to the doctor he prescribed her vyvanse 50mg. I heard how well it worked and so I tried it.

I can relate to you Bill, I get so much accomplished, I look forward to work the next day, I am extremely motivated and smarter. It’s amazing, but I tend to take it a few days during the work week just enough to get me through. If I take more, I feel like I am crawling out of my skin, short with people, and just don’t have the patients to deal with different personalities.

Furthermore, I can’t sleep, the vyvanse will last all day and half the night. I’ll get hungry between 8pm-1am if I am still up.
My question for the doctor is the same as what everyone else must worry about, is it safe to take meds such as these for so long, and is taking a sleeping pill dangerous. I’ve never heard of taking pain pills, and many other pills; mixing must be extremely dangerous. (up & downers??) And absolutely vyvanse will cause me to smoke more than my usual plus I am thirsty all day and if I didn’t eat during the day I am running to the restroom every 5 minutes.

However, in the end, vyvanse has helped me in my professional career as well as my home duties. The steadiness tends to be constant if that makes any sense. Like non-stop and once in a while I might stay up for two days just from taking 1 vyvanse 50mg the day before.

Im 31 years old and about 4 months ago i was diagnosed with Lyme disease. Prior to that, about 8 years ago i was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis. So for approx. 8 years i have felt horrible. Always tired, no motivation, cant concentrate, i felt like my life was out of conrol and i just had to learn to adjust. And of course i blamed it all on the sarcoidosis. Once diagnosed with Lyme, i told the Dr. of my symptoms, and he prescribed me with an antibotic for the Lyme and also Vyvanse 50mg to help with concentration and to give me energy. The first month was like a miracle!!! I had not felt that good in over 8 years. I had forgot what normal felt like and i loved it!!! For once i felt in control! It did take me some time to realize that if i didnt take the vyvanse by 4 or 5 am (thats what time i had to be up for work) then i couldnt take it that day because i would be up until 2 or 3 am. When i got to month 2 i noticed a BIG differance, the effects that i claimed to be a miracle had faded. So i talked to the Dr. and he raised my dosage to 70mg… again i felt good but not for long.. It has now been 4 months and i see my doctor this week. I dont know if he will raise the dosage again. I do recall him saying when i was on the 50mg that i was not even at a adult dosage. How high can i go with the dosage as an adult? I must say, before the Vyvanse i weighed 198lbs and now 4 months later i am at 158lbs. I went from a size 16 to a 8-10. As a woman that IS my miracle lol. My confidence has skyrocketed, but my energy level is back to basically gone. My job is suffering from this, and i dont have the energy to be the single mother of 2 that i know im capable of. That makes me depressed to think i dont have energy to keep up with my 7 & 4 yr old. Will i ever feel normal again? HELP!

I recently started on the Vyvanse 30 mg about 2 weeks, I feel much more energy and alive, however I really do feel that in the afternoon that it levels off. I suffer from depression and ADD and it really seemed to help me with both of those. Except for the wearing off in the afternoon, I see that the drug is supposed to last longer…

I am in recovery for alcohol and drugs (4 years sober) and really do not want to abuse my program… I have tried taking a second dose in the afternoon and I have to admit that I believe that it was too much and that the addict in me kind of liked the speedy feeling…I will be seeing the doctor in a week or two and I really want to get the dosages right. I do not think that he will let me take the second dosage in the afternoon…I think maybe 20 mg and then another 20 mg later, but the doctor will probably say take the 40 mg. Is there a way to take just a portion of the pill…?

Thanks, Suzy

I was just diagnosed with ADHD, I have been an extremely successful person up to this point. My doctor told me that I have to try harder to compensate for the ADHD, and this is why at this point, it has never bothered me. I noticed although, that during times of very high stress, that I have no motivation, no focus, I ramble on… so I went to see my psychiatrist (I am being treated for mild anxiety and post traumatic stress syndrome). She diagnosed me and prescribed me vyvanse, so far so good!!! The only problem I noticed was trouble falling asleep at night. Any recommendations?

I was diagnosed with ADD at a young age, but was unable to take a medication because of epilepsy. I am now 25 and in graduate school. When nothing else would work, I pleaded with the docs to put me on something. This is what I was given as a trial. So far, no problems with seizure and the focus is great. I take it at about 6 am, go back to sleep for 2 hrs and then function throughout the day. I have no problems with sleep at night. My eating habits have decreased a little, but that is probably a pro instead of a con. I think I’m probably going to have to be bumped up on the dosage.

This is incredibly informative. Thanks! I’m 41 a y/o F and got dx’d about a year and half ago after starting nursing school. The diagnosis made my entire life make sense and wonder how we could have missed it all these years. I started on an adderall, adderall X combination, then switched to Concerta (didn’t work at all!) then to Vyvanse. I require a pretty significant dosage, my medication tends to stop working after a pretty short duration and my internist doesn’t know much about ADHD and is resistant to trying drugs not approved for adults. I’m trying to get an appointment with a specialist. Now I’m trying one month on one, the next on the other until I can get in.

My daughter has been taking Vyvanse for 3 months and has developed pinpoint red spots on her lower extremties. She also is saying that she is having a problem memorizing material. Are both of the symptoms caused by the Vyvanse.