Vyvanse in Canada
Vyvanse is the newest medication to come out for ADD and ADHD in the USA. I have posted articles on Vyvanse, and many of my readers have shared their experiences with Vyvanse (over 50 comments) about whether Vyvanse works.
As a Canadian Doctor, I am not in a position to prescribe this medicine for my patients, because it is not in Canada yet. In fact, I am not aware that it is in any other country than in the USA.
One blog reader asked: ‘When can we expect to get Vyvanse in Canada?’
The short answer to this is: I don’t know.
I can tell you that at the earliest it will be well into 2008, and possibly 2009.
I will continue to update this blog as I find out more information. To keep up to date with this information, just enter your name and email address in the top right hand corner to receive email updates.
Dr. Kenny Handelman
Technorati Tags: Vyvanse, ADD, ADHD, Canada
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Written by Dr. Kenny Handelman - The ADHD Doctor
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November 14th, 2007 at 12:10 am
To Francie: My 8 yr old son was diagnosed with ADHD @ age 3, and with Asperger’s disorder at age 7. We have run the gamut of meds for ADHD. He has been on Concerta (which proved to be a miracle drug with my 12 yr old when he started it at age 5), Ritalin, Ritalin LA, Focalin, Strattera, and finally Adderall. In the meantime, his psychiatrist–who specializes in kids with these types of problems–has added Depakote, Risperdal, Cogentin, and Prozac to the cocktail. Our problems were there, but they were survivable. Two and a half weeks ago, he was switched to Vyvanse from Adderall in an attempt to control his fits–which occurred on a regular basis. Within two weeks, his fits had become violent and more frequent. Last week in school, he even went so far as to throw chairs across the room–a behavior that had stopped when he was in kindergarten–3 years ago. My baby is now in an adolescent ward in a psychiatric hospital in a desperate attempt to help him. When he is not throwing fits, he is loving and affectionate, and a truly happy child. But it seemed as if a switched was turned when he lost control and his fits began–even more so since Vyvanse was introduced. At this point, after reading about all of the wonderful results of other parents, I am beginning to wonder if our problem was caused by the combination of the Vyvanse and another one of his many meds rather than the Vyvanse alone. I would urge any parent whose children have other conditions coexisting with ADHD to proceed with caution when their MD mentions Vyvanse. For the parents who have had success with Vyvanse, I am so very happy! I have walked many miles in your shoes, and I truly believe that every child needs to be evaluated and treated as individual cases, and what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another. If it did, then there would only be one type of ADHD med out there! I will add more postings as we get more info on my son’s condition.
February 8th, 2008 at 3:34 am
I have been visiting this site a lot lately, so i thought it is a good idea to show my appreciation with a comment.
Thanks,
Jim Mirkalami
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:31 pm
Wow. That hurts. I feel your pain. From the first time I had to give my son (diagnosed with ADHD, ODD & LD) medication, it killed me. To have that happen to you when you are only trying to fo the best for your kids…it hurts. Perhaps its the combination. I am interested in this new drug. We’ll see. Currently my son is on Concerta and Risperdal in the A.M. and Ritalin and Risperdal in the pM. I hope it was just the combo and you can figure it out. As for me…I have lots of research to do! I just want my son to be able to function with society and not be judged based on his conditions that are out of his control.
All the Best, Nicole
March 31st, 2008 at 11:47 am
My 15 year old was diagnosed with ADHD in kindergarten and was put on Adderall . He was on Adderall until recently and it worked very well until he reached 14. He objected to having to take imedicine at school. Because Adderall is not long lasting, he had to take it in the morning and at lunch. Recently he was put on Vyvanse because it lit is suppose to last for 12 hours and he wouldn’t have to take it at school. Recently it seems to me that his behavior has gotten worse. He seems more angry and has more outbursts. The reason for this could be several things but I am trying to do some research to see if other parents have noticed these behaviors after their children started taking Vyvanse.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
A few years ago, my 13 yr old daughter (age at the time) started having discipline problems and occasional angry outbursts. Her problems continued and worsened. She went through three years of misdiagnoses and incorrect treatments. It’s taken us until this year to get her a proper diagnoses, along with a correct combination and dosage of medication. It was during her recent hospital stay that she was diagnosed with bi-polar. Most of the children diagnosed with bipolar disorder also meet the criteria for ADHD. In her case, this was correct. Having BP and ADHD together, she could not risk taking Vyvanse or any stimulant. ADHD stimulant medication has been known to trigger anger/violent episodes. Bipolar disorder typically surfaces in adolescence. If your child’s mood becomes aggressive with stimulants, it may be a sign of a larger issue.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:50 am
My 11 year old has just started taking Vyvanse 30 mg and while it has helped him to focus better in the classroom, he is not eating at all. He has no appetite what so ever and I have to literally force him to eat a piece of toast in the mornings. It’s only been a week and he has already lost 5 pounds. My son is tall and slim and so I worry about how much more weigh can he afford to shed before something serious happens . We have tried numerous other medicines and so far over the past 5-6 years nothing has proven to be worth the trouble. I am also concerned with what it will do to him later in life with his liver. Is it really worth going through all of this ? I have also noticed him refraining from doing any outdoors activities with us. It’s like he would like to be left alone. I know my child and this is not how my son is. My husband wants him taken off these drugs and I am stuck in a hard place to help him better in school or have him not eat all day.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Ashley,
I suggest you contact your child’s doctor for advice on how to proceed with Vyvanse.
You can also view many people’s experience with Vyvanse by looking at the comments here:
http://www.addadhdblog.com/does-vyvanse-work/
All the best,
Dr. Kenny
May 9th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
My son’s doctor says that Vyvanse is the same as adderall except that the effect of Vyvanse lasts longer. Is Vyvanse the same as adderall?
May 9th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Vyvanse is just about the same as Adderall. There are some minor differences, but they are not very substantial.
To read more about vyvanse, visit:
http://www.addadhdblog.com/vyvanse-the-new-medicine-for-addadhd/
Dr. Kenny
September 16th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Vyvanse in Canada | ADD ADHD Blog.com…
Vyvanse is the newest medication to come out for ADD and ADHD in the USA. I have posted articles on Vyvanse, and many of my readers have shared their experiences with Vyvanse (over 50 comments) about whether Vyvanse works….
September 16th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Vyvanse in Canada…
Vyvanse is the newest medication to come out for ADD and ADHD in the USA. I have posted articles on Vyvanse, and many of my readers have shared their experiences with Vyvanse (over 50 comments) about whether Vyvanse works….
September 16th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Vyvanse in Canada | ADD ADHD Blog.com…
Vyvanse is the newest medication to come out for ADD and ADHD in the USA. I have posted articles on Vyvanse, and many of my readers have shared their experiences with Vyvanse (over 50 comments) about whether Vyvanse works….
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:42 am
Hi,
My son is 10 and was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 8, we have tried Ritalin with no effect and have been on Adderall for about a year. It was working great at first and then he started having some trouble in school and at home. I went back to the doctor and she gave him Vyvanse, we have been on it for 3 days and it’s been awful so far. My son is crying, screaming, throwing major fits, and even physically attacked me yesterday. I had to send him to school today and I’m terrified of how his behavior might be. I am currently waiting for a call from the doctor.
My son said this med has mad him angry, sad, and feel like he could hurt someone.
November 5th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
I wrote a comment last March about the change in my son’s behavior since taking Vyvanse. His physician assured me that it was the same as adderall except that it lasts longer. He stayed on the medication but his behavior has gotten worse. His anger episodes have gotten worse to where he punches holes in the wall and he has all but given up in school. I receive calls from teachers frequently about his behavior including today in which his teacher said that his behavior is not like him at all and is similar to the way Carrie described her son mad, sad. Basically he has given up. He is irritated at me when I try to talk to him about this but he told me he doesn’t know why he is so angry. He always apologizes after he calms down and I really feel that maybe he can’t control his anger. I have another appointment with his physician tomorrow to talk about his medication. My son does not want to quit taking Vyvanse because when he takes Adderall he has to take a dosage at school which he does not want to do. That is one of the reasons that we tried something different but it is hard for me to believe that Adderall and Vyvanse are the basically the same medications. I am terribly worried about Jordan and if anyone has more information about Vyvanse for me to show his physician I would appreciate it.