Ritalin SR Vs Vyvanse

[csteinke]

I have been on Vyvanse for almost three years. Long story short (I know we all prefer short stories ;), it’s too expensive and I need to start concentrating our benefit dollars on my kids. I go my doc, he says he is going to switch me to Ritalin SR (cheaper apparently). My immediate reaction is “habit forming!” He says the Ritalin SR is not habit forming. Apparently the “regular Ritalin is habit forming but not the slow release version? I am doing research on the differences and wondering why I was even put on Vyvanse to begin with. Couple of things to note 1) I have impulse issues NOT hyperactivity and 2) Vyvanse works fantastic for me the only issue is the cost, $200 a month.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

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[blackdog]

I tried to answer this earlier but lost my connection. I guess  it was because I  stopped to cook dinner half way through.

Now, what was it I was saying…

I don’t have any experience with Ritalin SR, but I think what your doctor means about it not being habit forming is that because it releases slowly it doesn’t give you a “high”, which reduces the chances of  someone becoming addicted to it by using it the wrong way.  It’s the same as the difference between Vyvanse and Adderall. The Ritalin will be a lot cheaper because Ritalin is a very old drug that has been in use for decades. As a general rule the longer a medication has been in use, the less it costs. You were probably put on Vyvanse to begin with because it is newer and I think a lot of doctors favour it over Ritalin now.

I suppose there is some amount of dependancy with any medication that is derived from amphetamine. But all that really means is that if you stop taking it suddenly you will go into withdrawl. It doesn’t mean that you can never stop taking it. You just have to do it the right way and be prepared for the effects of stopping it.

It’s up to you to weigh the pros and cons. How important is it to you? Is it worth the risks? Your pharmacist might be able to help you if you talk to him/her about your concerns. They know more about it than anyone.

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[csteinke]

Thanks Blackdog, I know how you feel, I kept meaning to read your answer post since yesterday but kept getting distracted :). Good point about asking my pharmacist, that’s a great idea! Just nervous about changing but it’s kind of necessity at this point. thanks for the advice!

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[shutterbug55]

@karenza

ADD  is a spectrum disorder that involves inattentiveness, hyperactivity, impulsivity. We are easily distracted, forgetful, and restless.  The bad news is we have these traits in different amounts. This makes it difficult for professionals who specialize in the treatment of ADD to identify or quantify the extent of our affliction.

At the core of it, are a few commonalities. We have difficulty accessing working memory. This means information coming into our brains gets filtered out, sometimes that information is important. Which brings us to another difficulty. Prioritization. Everything coming into our brains has the same priority/importance. Sometimes the important stuff gets through. Sometimes not. This is why, when we put stuff down, it disappears.

All of this happens because dopamine is not being produced and taken up by receptors like NT people’s brains do. We find ourselves “self medicating”. Ever wonder why high stress jobs have a high number of ADD people working them? Ever wonder why a lot of ADD people gravitate toward risky behaviors? It is because we self medicate. In this case with Dopamine and Adrenaline.

Our medication does the same thing, without the danger. It boosts the production of Dopamine. THAT is why stimulants work on us.

Hope this helps.

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[csteinke]

Thank you Shutterbug55, this is an excellent and simple way to describe ADD. I am always looking for ways to describe how my brain works to people. What is the difference between Vyvanse and Ritalin SR why would I take one over the other? I am planning to discuss this with my pharmacist as well. Thanks again!

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[shutterbug55]

OK. Looks like I didn’t answer your question. I get that a lot. 🙂

First my standard disclaimer: I am not a pharmasist nor am I a pharmacologist. I am just someone who has had lots of experience with lots of drugs. That probably shouldn’t be included on my resume, should it?

OK: Ritalin SR is the sustained released version of Ritalin. Meaning it delivers a continuous supply of Ritalin (Methylphenidate) to your system over time (about 8 hours).  It is a stimulant and there are warnings that it can be “habit forming”. I am ADD. ANYTHING that can form habits for me is a good thing! It took about 30 mg twice a day to allow me to have some control over my ADD. Concentration was still difficult and I was still ruled by impulsive outbursts and actions. I am very sensitive to medication and I found Ritalin gave me headaches and it made my heart race. At 60, that is not something I take lightly. It turned out to be causing high-blood pressure.

Ritalin has been around for a long time. I took it as a child, when my parents discovered I had Dyslexia. Over that 6 month period, my grades improved, I could read, I was attentive, and a “model” student. So say the nuns that were teaching us.

My parents in their infinite wisdom, did not want me labeled as “Different”, so they took me off Ritalin. Of course I was back to “normal” within days. I was labeled “dummy” by my classmates, instead.

 

Vyvanse(lisdexamfetamine) is a central nervous system stimulant. I can’t tell any difference in how they act in my system, but they are supposed to act differently. Again, that is beyond my learning of the two medications (Help Dr J!). I do know that I had to take 50 mg twice a day, for it to have an affect on my ADD symptoms. I only took it for a week, because the side effects for me were terrible. I had tremors, ticks, my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest, I didn’t eat much( not necessarily a bad thing), and I couldn’t sleep.

I am now taking Adderall (dextroamphetamine) 5mg twice a day. No side effects, and my ADD symptoms are very much in control.

Here is the bad news: Everyone reacts to these drugs differently and you have to find the combination of drug, timimg, and strength that helps you the most and gives you the least side effects.

I wrote a list of ADD symptoms that sabotaged my life the most. That became my standard. If the drug helped with those symptoms, then it was a possibility. It took me 6 months of experimentation with me as the guinea pig and my wife as the scientist. We took lots of notes. We were both looking for real and positive changes in my behavior and coping ability. Side effects were noted.

 

Hope this helps.

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[blackdog]

Arrggg!!! 😡

My response didn’t post. Why? Why was this done to me? After all the time and effort I put into it, the research into methylphenidate vs lisdexamphatamine, my carefully written explanations…..Why? 👿

Okay, I vented, I’m going to bed now.

Short answer: They both do the same thing but they do it in a different way.

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[Patte Rosebank]

@Blackdog, send them a Support Request about it. Jimi might be able to find it.

If the site runs really slowly and seems to hang, just let it do its thing. If you hit “Submit” again, or refresh your screen, the system might mistake your post for spam, and will eat it.

Here’s my trick:  Do a “Select All/Copy”, before you hit “Submit”. That way, even if your post gets eaten, you still have a copy of it. Then, you can just “Paste” it in and re-submit it…or “Paste” it into a Word document and save it for later.

Or, you could write your post in Word, then “Select All/Copy/Paste” it into the Forum.

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[csteinke]

It’s only been four days since I started taking the Ritalin SR BUT I notice I am clenching my teeth bigtime! and colours seem really vivid to me especially when I am outside. Not sure if thats the meds or not but kind of weird… Also having more trouble sleeping last couple of nights. Going to give it a another week and may ask my doc.

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[gemit2000]

This about 3 months late, and tho’  I didn’t read thru all posts I figured I’d pass along a couple of thoughts from my experiences that might help. Not being sure why you’re paying “out-of-pocket” but for me the cost for 3 years of Vyvanse has been about what one pays out-of-pocket for a month.

I lost  my insurance (along with my job) and at a low income  was able to apply to a Shire Cares consumer assistance program (1-888-cares55). From this I received 2 years worth of Vyvanse for free.

Then when the ACA was passed I got an exchange policy and Vyvanse, being an”essential health benefit” has to be covered & is limited in cost by the amount of the copay as well by your out-of-pocket maximum (OOPM) limit.

On my lower income, I stopped paying for the copay due to a very low OOPM. So with 2 years on the assistance program and 3/4 years on Obamacare, I’ve paid in that time what one pays out-of-pocket for one month’s worth.

So if cost is the issue, I’d let either the customer assistance program or  Obamacare solve the issue. gm

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[wsc]

Vyvanse is indeed expensive… it’s the first really new ADD/ADHD stimulant to appear in a long time… Ritalin has come along in various extended forms, e.g. Concerta, Daytrana, Quillivant.. still good ol’ Ritalin. I did same thing about a year ago, switched from Vyvanse due to cost. Doc wrote 2 36 mg Ritalin extended release in place of my 70 mg Vyvanse. Ritalin was still ~$4/ea, vs. $7/ea for vyvanse, so net cost was actually higher. After starting on Ritalin ~45 yrs ago, I hadn’t taken it in ages; found it OK, not as smooth as Vyvanse nor did it last as long. Vyvanse just rocks!

 

Back on Vyvanse now.. looking it up for lovely young lady considering Vyvanse vs. Ritalin vs. Adderall brought me here, as well as to information about patents – Vyvanse patent doesn’t expire ’til June of 2023; it may be extended for 6 mos. if approved for preschoolers, age 4-5, where it’s already approved for 6 & up.. so no generic for ~9 more years :/

Shire came up with a winner with Vyvanse, best ADD med *Ever* in my decades of experience…

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