First week of new medication Vyvance 60mg per day

[nemesis]

I recently visited a doctor, and after discussion was again diagnosed with ADHD. I was a severe case as a child growing up, and took ritalin then. I was surprised when the doctor prescribed me 60mg Vyvance 1 pill for 1 day. I have noticed that my urine stream is not as reactive and comes out slower. I also grit my teeth a lot. I have a hard time sleeping, but was also prescribed 100mg trazadone for sleep. I’m not sure what I think of the effects as of yet. It seems that I become slightly confused easier then before, although I am not so impulsive or explosive with anger. I feel more mature when taking them. I think that maybe the dose was initially too high and its a shock to my system.

I think maybe the doctor wasn’t very qualified, because I feel like this is a very powerful drug being administered at a very high dosage without any prior medications for the last 15 years.  Just wondering what everyone elses opinion is on this.

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[Scattybird]

nemesis – I take dexamphetamne which is a similar drug but it’s quick release form. I only take 5 mg two or three times a day and that’s enough. I am not sure what that is equivalent to for Vyvanse but 60 mg at once sounds a lot?  Dex is much stronger than Ritalin and I only need a fraction of the dose of dex relative to what I was on when I took Ritalin to get a similar effect. Perhaps your doctor thinks 60 mg is equivalent to what you were on – but even so, s/he should start low and titrate up. According to Dr Parker with Vyvanse you shouldn’t feel like the drug is kicking in so it sounds like your dose is too high.

I also feel more mature when I take dex – it’s odd – it’s like my toys have been taken away so I may as well do my homework and I feel very ‘grown up”.  I also find it good for anger management. I used to find it hard to sleep  when I started taking it but that’s fading now and as long as I chill before bedtime it’s fine. In contrast, Ritalin always made it easy for me to sleep from day one.

I notice when I have a drug break for a day I clench my jaw and grind my front teeth.

I think you need to discuss your dose with your doctor.

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[Scattybird]

nemesis – I take dexamphetamine which is a similar drug but it’s quick release form. I only take 5 mg two or three times a day and that’s enough. I am not sure what that is equivalent to for Vyvanse but 60 mg at once sounds a lot?  Dex is much stronger than Ritalin and I only need a fraction of the dose of dex relative to what I was on when I took Ritalin to get a similar effect. Perhaps your doctor thinks 60 mg is equivalent to what you were on – but even so, s/he should start low and titrate up. According to Dr Parker with Vyvanse you shouldn’t feel like the drug is kicking in so it sounds like your dose is too high.

I also feel more mature when I take dex – it’s odd – it’s like my toys have been taken away so I may as well do my homework and I feel very ‘grown up”.  I also find it good for anger management. I used to find it hard to sleep  when I started taking it but that’s fading now and as long as I chill before bedtime it’s fine. In contrast, Ritalin always made it easy for me to sleep from day one.

I notice when I have a drug break for a day I clench my jaw and grind my front teeth.

I think you need to discuss your dose with your doctor.

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[Scattybird]

Sorry for the double post – it wouldn’t allow me to post before and I hit the return key too many times – what was I saying about anger management……… 🙂

 

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[blackdog]

@nemesis

60 mg is WAY too high for an initial dose. I can’t understand why your doctor would start you that high. I only take 60 mg and I have been taking it for 7 months. The FDA recommended maximum is  70 mg. (though it is possible to go higher). Like Scattybird said, your doctor may be basing the dosage on what he would prescribe for another medication.

Typical dosing for Vyvanse is to start at 20 mg then gradually increase by 10 or 20 mg. I know some doctors will increase by 20 mg every few days, getting up to 60 in a week. Slower is better. There can be a big difference between dosages and different people react in very different ways.

I recommend reading this:

http://www.corepsych.com/2007/11/vyvanse-for-add-adhd-the-water-titration-recipe/

And I recommend talking to your doctor as soon as possible, especially since you indicated that you are having trouble urinating.  Vyvanse can have serious side effects and taking too much is not good. How much is too much varies widely from one person to the next.  You may be taking more than you actually need. The lower the dose the better it is for your overall health. Ideally, you want to find the lowest possible dose to control your ADHD symptoms.

The part about it making you feel more mature sounds right. I was thinking about that just a little while ago, because I forgot to take mine this morning. And suddenly I really didn’t want to finish the the yard work that I started yesterday. I had no problem working on it yesterday and was focused and eager to finish it. But today I decided it was too hot to do it. Which isn’t even close to the truth. It’s actually a little on the cool side. And I’m also not cleaning the kitchen like I told myself I would do instead of working outside.

 

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