New Vyvanse user

[intangible]

Hey all,

I just recently started Vyvanse and was hoping to get some feedback.

Quick history:   I started Adderall XR 5MG for about 7 days, then went to Adderall XR 10MG (generic) for about 2 days.  But it was only lasting 8 hours exactly (7am-3pm) and I was working til about 6pm and sometimes nightclass so the doc suggested vyvanse for longer lasting.

The 5MG adderall originally gave me hot flashes when it first hit and i almost want to say a “high” feeling.  I was pretty unfocused for the first hour.  Those symptoms seemed to disappear and i would say my executive functions increased (organizing, doing non boring tasks) but in class I was having trouble paying attention (even to classes that interested me).   So I switched switched to the 10MG.  It actually seemed to have less effect.  Kind of weird.

But I only did the 10mg for a few days before switching to the Vyvanse.

Present:

Switched to 30mg Vyvanse 3 days ago.  The first day seemed OK  (I can’t actually remember any of the negatives.)  And I got a lot of work done.   But second day (yesterday) I just felt really high.  I’m not even sure that is the right word because I don’t do any drugs.  I guess just unfocused sort of glazed.  I’m not sure if it is helping me focus because I had the day off yesterday and managed to leave the house at 3pm.

So today:

Today was pretty bad (day 3).  I was having hot flashes all day.  I feel like im just running hot altogether.  I was super unfocused and just wanted to lay down.  I managed to leave the house at 5pm and walk to the cafe to get some some work done.  I want to say I almost had hyper sensitivity when I was outside.  The sound/noise/smell was there but it felt like i was on the outside looking in.

Normally I can’t sit in a cafe and get any work done so I guess its working as I type this.  There is probably like 50 people in here with noise/music.  But I put ear plugs in and not terribly distracted.

What do you guys think? Should I try and drop to 20MG Vyvanse or wait it out and maybe some of these symptoms will drop off?

 

Thanks!

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[blackdog]

Hi @intngible

It’s a little hard to give specific advice about medications because everyone reacts differently. What works for one person will not work for another. You should always consult with your doctor and/or pharmacist.

That being said, 3 days on any medication is not really enough time to know if it is going to work or not. And it is perfectly normal to have some side effects in the first week or two. You really need to stick with it, if possible, as long as you can tolerate it.

I take 80 mg of Vyvanse now, and it’s hard to remember what it was like when I first started at 20 mg, but I think I do remember feeling like my symptoms were getting worse for the first few days. It will take time for your brain to adjust. Feeling high at first is fairly normal too.

All of these side effects should go away in time. If they start to get worse, or if you start to see signs of an allergic reaction, then you should contact your doctor immediately. As a general rule, you should not stop taking a medication suddenly, but you have to use your own judgement there.

I would recommend leaving the dosage the same, unless you really feel it’s necessary to decrease it. It is better to stay at a steady dose, rather than going up and down, so that you can tell better how it’s working. 30 mg of Vyvanse is not really that much. It’s about equivalent to 10 mg of Adderall, if I remember correctly. But some people are very sensitive to stimulants and need a much lower dose than others. Your metabolism will affect how it works as well, plus a whole lot of other things. Like I said, everyone is different. Again, only you can judge what is best.

I hope this helps you a little. And again, talk to your doctor about your concerns. I  might sound like I know what I’m taking about, but that doesn’t mean that I do.

Good luck, let us know how things turn out. 🙂

 

 

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[blackdog]

Here are a couple of my posts from when I started on Vyvanse:

This is my first day on 20mg Vyvanse.

So far, so good. Feeling a little dizzy and maybe having a bit of nausea. (not sure the nausea is from the medication)

It’s too soon to tell but my initial impression is good. I feel very calm and relaxed and a little less foggy than usual. I am still getting distracted from what I *should* be doing but I am aware that I am distracted and haven’t completely forgotten what I need to do.

I will post updates as I go. I am scheduled to stay on the 20mg for 30 days after which it will be increased to 30 mg if I am tolerating it okay.

****************************

 

I guess I should update this, since I started it.

So, it’s day 5 now, and I feel really good. The last few days I didn’t feel well and I was very anxious. and I was almost more scattered than usual. But today I woke up feeling more rested and energetic than usual and very relaxed again.

The only problem is that my memory has been pretty bad. Forgetting to put things away when I come home from shopping, locking myself out of the house, losing things. It’s actually a little worse than usual.

Has anyone else experienced this when first starting a medication, having your symptoms get worse? Is it just a part of adjusting to it?

*****************************

Of course, I completely forgot that I started this thread and never updated it again. Also kept forgetting to keep a journal and finally gave up. But it looks like my first reaction was very similar to yours. My side effects all went away, except for the dry mouth, which I just have to put up with, and even at 80 mg I can barely even tell I’m taking it now. But I tend to have a higher tolerance than most people for just about everything. I also have a very slow metabolism, which I suspect makes the Vyvanse less effective. I want to try switching to Adderall, but my doctor will go ballistic if I even suggest it.

Anyway… I should probably go to bed now.

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[Scattybird]

Hello intangible,

I don’t have any experience of Vyvanse or of Adderall because we can’t get Adderall in the UK. But I do have experience of dexamphetamine which is the short acting version of Vyvanse and one of the components of Adderall.

So both meds you have tried are based on amphetamine.

To me, and it’s only the opinion of a lay person with no medical training, either your dose is too high or the drug doesn’t suit you. Normally your doctor would start you on the lowest dose and titrate up until it feels right. According to Dr Parker you shouldn’t be aware of all the side effects. That said, I find dexamphetamine to be much stronger than methylphenidate and I get more annoying side effects with the dex than I ever did with methylphenidate (Ritalin). BUT it is much more effective so I tolerate the side effects (a bit of jaw clenching, dry mouth and insomnia if taken late). The benefits outweigh the side effects, but I cannot tolerate high doses of dex at all.

So you need to find a dose that does what you want it to do but with minimum side effects. Increasing the dose can have the opposite effect than the one you want. Too much turns me into a zombie and all thought is slowed to a point where it’s pointless, but when it wears off I have a spurt of activity.

So in summary, start low and gradually work up. That gives your body a chance to adjust to the drug and then you can gradually experiment until you find the optimum dose. Also, this drug family may not suit you, in which case you need to discuss the alternatives with your doctor.

One last thing that I have noticed with these meds is that they only act as a support. Even when taking them, I have to know what I want to do so the drug helps me to do it. It’s a bit like playing a musical instrument in an orchestra. Without dex I play any note and in the wrong place, or more usually don’t bother to play at all. Taking the meds is like having a conductor present, but I still have to pick the instrument up in the first place, otherwise the meds will help me focus on the wrong thing.

Blackdog’s description of her experience should help. From what she says, 30mg isn’t a high dose. I certainly wouldn’t increase it until you decide if you can tolerate it. I take very low doses of dex. It’s a powerful medication and we all react differently. My psych thinks my dose is very low compared to some people, but it suits me and my metabolism. Increasing the dose gives me no benefit and more side effects. Find your balance.

Good luck and do let us know how you get on.

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[ramblinon]

@intangile

I just started on Vyvanse 30 mg for 4 weeks then 40 mg for another 4 weeks. As suggested, long and slow build up sounds like the most safest and effective approach.

I’m impatient but I know you can’t rush it.

 

Rambli On

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[blackdog]

One more note…

Scattybird mentioning titration made me think of this. It’s something you might want to try:

http://www.corepsych.com/2007/11/vyvanse-dosage-water-titration-recipe/#axzz3RBoorf7J

Dr. Parker has lots of good info on his website and YouTube. I should have mentioned before that’s where I got my info about Vyvanse and Adderall dosages.

 

 

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[intangible]

Hey all!

 

Thanks so much for your responses.  I was a bit worried taking it again today, but your responses helped a lot.

I’m starting to think it was the caffeine i was drinking yesterday.  I woke up yesterday and had 2-3 sodas and was hammered by the side effects i mentioned yesterday.  Probably like 5-6 hours later I was feeling better and went to the cafe.  I had an americano and started feeling pretty shitty an hour later. (similar symptoms, heat flashes, shaky, rapid eye blinking, twitchy.)

So today day 4:

I decided to not drink any caffeine today and I’m having 0 side effects that I can tell.  Looking back I’m pretty sure I was having similar issues when I was on the Adderall XR.  My doc and I might have to reevaluate all of the dosages since the caffeine could have been messing everything up.

I did originally start at 5MG XR and went to 10MG XR.  Which is why my psych MD (whatever they are called) started me at 30MG Vyvanse.  The medical book said he had said the minimum was 20MG but 30MG was recommended starting out.

So… no caffeine for awhile? Unless this 4th day magically removed all the issues I was having.

Thanks again for your responses!

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[ramblinon]

Hey thanks for your note. I’m a coffee lover and can do 4-6 cups a day but recal my doc asking then recommending keeping it at 2 or less per day. That’s not considering other caffeine sources.

I’ll be more aware now that simple changes in caffeine intake may affect me while on Vyvanse.

Ramblin On

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[Scattybird]

Hi intangible….. Oops. Sorry. I never thought about asking if you drink coffee! 🙂 Coffee and amphetamines – at least for me – most definitely do not mix.

I had to cut back my coffee consumption drastically when I started taking Dexamphetamine –  with both I felt like I was about to have a heart attack or a stroke…..certainly a very odd and unpleasant sensation.  So I make a decision each day….do I want coffee or the meds? That depends on what I need or want to do that day.

My coffee consumption was partly to get or keep my brain going and also displacement behaviour – making a coffee was an excuse to walk around.

With the dex I don’t actually NEED coffee anymore, but I did have withdrawal symptoms when I cut back.  Now I have got used to the meds, how they make me feel etc., I have a coffee or three when the last dose of the day wears off and feel fine.  That’s what I like about the short acting versions of these meds….. I can take one to get going on a morning and then have another for the afternoon followed by coffee in the evening. Or I enjoy a coffee when I wake up and take a dex in the afternoon.  Of course with Vyvanse, because it’s the long acting version you need to be more careful. But on an evening when you feel it wearing off, a coffee is a great way to stay levelled without a crash.

 

 

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[blackdog]

Oops! I totally forgot about the caffeine thing too.

I was wondering about the hot flashes and was a little concerned because that seemed like an unusual side effect. But it totally makes sense with the caffeine.

I still drink coffee and tea just like I always have and I don’t have any side effects from it. Sometimes I wash the Vyvanse down with my morning coffee.  So I didn’t even think about mentioning it. I’ll have to remember that in the future.

Like Scattybird said, coffee in the evening, when the Vyvanse is starting to wear off, can be a good way to keep yourself going and not crash, as some people do. For me, if I take my full dose in the morning, I feel like I need a coffee by about 3:00 pm.

One more thing I forgot to mention: It’s very important to take Vyvanse at the right time, and at the same time, every day. When I first started taking it people told me to be sure to take it by 7:00-7:30 am or it won’t work. I thought they were crazy, that it couldn’t matter that much when you take it. But I have found it really does make a difference. I feel much better when I take it at 7:00 am than I do if I take it later in the morning.

 

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[ramblinon]

@blackdog  My wife is 49 and just starting menopause and tells me her anxiety medication has a wonderful “side effect” that keeps the hot flashes at bay. How cool is that! (pun intended)

Ramblin On

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[blackdog]

@ramblinon

LOL That’s good to know. I’ll be there myself pretty soon. Which is nothing to laugh about now that I think about it. 😐

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[nellie]

Hi all,

Just wanted to pipe in about the caffeine aspect – definitely notice a difference if I have too much coffee. I usually also wash down the vyvanse with my coffee in the morning since I need at least 2 or 3 cups to wake up my brain before the Vyvanse kicks in. Lately I noticed that the caffeine seems to be having an even stronger effect. I decided  to stop after the 2nd cup today  because it feels as if I had a glass or two of wine instead.

Proper sleep and eating habits  also makes a difference in terms of feeling alert. If I don’t get enough sleep  or forget to eat breakfast the Vyvanse makes me feel spacey.

Blackdog, when you said it works better if you take it really early, could that be because it takes 2 hours to take effect so you notice productivity  earlier in the day?  I also find that if I get up early enough and take the Vyvanse I get a better start to the day. If I get up later and then only notice it kick in closer to noon , I kind of drag my feet and don’t get much done. Basically  the day feels totally wasted. (Hope that makes sense!)

 

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[Scattybird]

nellie – that makes perfect sense. After reading blackdog’s comment I remembered what someone else had once said about taking it before they get up on a morning.  For the last couple of days or so I tested blackdog’s observation and have been taking my dex about 30 minutes before I get up. During the 30 mins slumber time I mentally plan my day in between dozing and when my alarm to get up goes off I’m ready for the day and have had very productive mornings compared to usual. I droop a bit in the afternoons though.

Usually I like a coffee on a morning so take the dex later and you’re right nellie, the day can be lost as a result.  So I’m trying to kick start the day with dex rather than coffee and it’s working well so far.

 

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[blackdog]

nellie- That makes perfect sense. Ideally, I like to set my alarm for 7:00 am, take my Vyvanse, then reset for 8:00 am and go back to sleep. I feel much better the second time I wake up.

And  I probably would notice productivity early in the day if I got to work right away, like I keep telling myself I’m going to.

If I take the Vyvanse later in the morning, it’s like it does nothing at all. I suppose it does kick in sometime in the afternoon, but I don’t notice it.

I still have a hard time knowing if the meds make any difference or not. Sometimes it feels like it, but I am still very inconsistent. And very lazy. I have a hard time convincing myself to do all those not fun things that need to be done.

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