Methylpenidate(concerta 56mg XR) to amphetamine (vyvanse)?

[Anonymous]

Ok So i’ve been on concerta for 5 years, since 8th grade, Im in my second year of college; I recently raised my concerta to 56mg from the 36mg I was on for oh 4 years. My doctor that diagnosed me said that if this doesn’t work out we can try moving you to vyvanse. Now when she said that I was a little worried since I knew vyvanse is an amphetamine, well I go back tomorrow for my check up and I may go ahead and ask her to switch me to it. Below I will point out why I’m worried about it; all I know is that I have to do something because I get up at 7 AM and don’t get out of class/off work around 9-10:30pm. I have noticed I start eating candy, cokes for energy etc. I dispise energy drinks it’s like now it’s cool to be all jittery, anyway I just would like some first hand experiences with vyvanse, my mom takes it and she says it works better than her concerta did, she also told me to think about it hard because instead of 9 dollars it’ll be 22 dollar co-pays.

1) How long does it last?

2) Any different side effects? I can tell I’m adjusting to my concerta because I eat A LOT more than I did when I started/

3) When does it kick in? or how long till it kicks in?

4) Will it cause a higher increase in BP, my concerta did so Im on High BP medicine hopefully it won’t.

5) If you tried concerta then went to vyvanse or vice versa tell how it affected your body if don’t mind.

If there’s anything else you would want to add feel free.

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[ADDled]

Hi, Inefficient

For what it’s worth…

I have been on Vyvanse for about six months. Prior to that I was on 90 mgs of Concerta per day. And I can say I much prefer the effects of Vyvanse. Specifically, I have more energy and it’s easier to work tasks that require concentration and organizational skills. The organizational part has always been a struggle: for all of us, too, I imagine. But it was the lack of energy, both physical and mental, that made me see my doctor about why I felt that way. At home after work I would crash in front of the TV after supper and fall asleep.

I found it takes 30-45 minutes to “kick-in”, but I can notice the change. I’m now at 90 mgs per day, but I find that taking 70mgs in the AM when I wake up and then 20 mgs right after lunch pretty well gets me through the day. I did notice taking the entire dose in the morning kinda left me felling a little “fuzzy” and lethargic. Based on the advice of my doctor he recommended splitting the dose. It does increase BP, but the doctor monitors that and has me on more meds to control that. The other effect I found was that it has really suppressed my appetite, so if that is an issue for you you may want to try something else.

However, the benefits for me are impressive. I now have some energy left after working all day so that I can pursue my hobbies, which for a few reasons has been put on the shelf. Picked up the guitar and my cameras again so everything seems to be coming back together in my life. It doesn’t impact the creativity, though, and I was always afraid using meds would do that, but I’m more creative than ever! I’m also a more engaged with life in general. And I’m now organizing my life more, too. I am trying to organize all my tools and hobby supplies to “first order retrievability” so that I don’t frustrate myself looking for the soldering pencil, or the torque wrench, or the doodad for the power washer. Never could do that before. Of course, there were a few other things working in the background such as therapy and counseling at this time. But I was going through that while on Concerta. I can definitely say Vyvanse is working better for me.

Your mileage may vary.

Hope this helps and good luck…

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[Anonymous]

At TotallyADD.com we will eventually have videos on each of the medications out there but for now this site will give you the information you need to know (I wrote this section as well).

http://www.caddra.ca/cms4/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=96&Itemid=141&lang=en

The idea of splitting the Vyvanse is interesting (albeit more expensive). Thanks ADDled for that. I’d like to hear from anyone else who is doing this particularly any concerns about sleep issues.

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[Anonymous]

Can someone please tell me the difference in some of these meds for ADD – I am currently on D-Amphetamine Salt Com XR 10MG caps which I understand it is the generic for Adderall XR. I was not diagnosed since my late 40’s – so much wasted time. I struggled for so many years and in my late 30’s the diagnose I was given was deppression never ADD. At one time I was up to 300 mg of Effexor ER finally I convinced my doctor that I wanted to lower the dosage and little by little I went down to 37.5 mg which I can operate much better at. He also believes I could have a bit of bipolar in me and so I was on Lamictal for about one year which horrible skin problems – I made the decision to get off of it and also feel so much better after stopping.

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[Anonymous]

If you go to the http://www.caddra.ca website, the CAP-Guidelines covers all of the usual medications and compares them. This is helpful. See above for the site.

As a newcomer, gretatiticomia, you need to do a bit of work looking at lifestyle changes. Start by going through the sponsored videos which will take you through how to pick the right medication for yourself and help you understand the holistic nature of treatment.

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[Anonymous]

Thank you Dr. J – I will got on it right way.

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[Anonymous]

I have had trouble with sleeping! I have been on Vyvanse for 2 years and I find it works well but the side effect that I hate having to deal with is the waking up at 3:30 am when i go to bed at 12 or 11pm. I can usually control the insomnia by sticking to a sleep schedule and filling my day with lots of things to do, and when I wake up trying to just not move and like still and think of relaxing my whole body, but it get difficult trying to get passed the insomnia, especially when I have been of my meds for a week, (like during christmas break) I go off meds during the break cause I go back home and think of it as a break and when I’m on vyvanse I feel like I should be using this focus and energy I have.

I am never sure if my insomnia is due to my meds or the lack of eating (cause when i wake up i usually feel hungry) or the kind of dry mouth feeling causeing me to feel hungry? I dont know if anyone can shed light on how to deal cause I dont wanna start swithching meds.

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[Anonymous]

To me, Vyvanse is bringing too many side effects for it to be a god solution. I was on Concerta 45Mg (2 pills) for a while. It worked pretty well but did not last long enough.

My doctor switched me to Vyvanse. It DOES work better and longer for me. However, it makes me feel REALLY sad from time to time (1 day out of 2 I’d say). The sadness sometimes lasts for the whole day, sometimes lasts for just an hour or so. I can feel the sadness coming and I fear it. Vyvanse also makes me wake up nightly around 4AM with a lot of trouble getting back to sleep.

If I had the choice, I’d return to Concerta and have a small Ritalin at the end of the day.

I will see my doctor in 2 weeks and I will ask him for something new. I’ll keep you guys posted.

Good luck!

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[Patte Rosebank]

@improman, if those feelings of sadness are as bad as that, I wouldn’t wait 2 weeks.  I’d see the doctor much sooner.  This is because those feelings of sadness can be so overwhelming that they may lead to a desire to harm yourself.

Also, Vyvanse has a high risk of dependency.  If it’s not the med for you, then the less time you’re on it, the easier it will be for you to wean off it.  However, DO NOT STOP OR CHANGE IT, UNTIL YOU HAVE CONSULTED YOUR DOCTOR OR PHARMACIST.

The sleeplessness is another problem.  If you’re not sleeping properly, your symptoms will be much worse the next day.

I thought of something else.  Vyvanse binds with protein, so if you’re not eating enough protein, it can cause problems.

If you can’t see your doctor any sooner, talk to your pharmacist.  He or she will be able to give you more information about what’s going on.  In fact, many pharmacists know more about side effects & drug interactions than doctors do!

When you’re feeling really bad, 2 weeks can feel like forever.  If you can see your doctor sooner than that, you’ll feel better, that much quicker!

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[MarieAngell]

@Improman, I had a similar reaction to Vyvanse and now use Focalin XR. Many people with ADHD need a “booster” for mid to late afternoon use. If the Concerta works for you but wears off, maybe your doctor will try that for you.  It’s not unusual.

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[Anonymous]

@Larynxa, First, thanks for caring! 🙂
Here in Quebec, having an appointment within 2 weeks IS fast! In fact, I was surprised he could see me that quick!

I don’t think I could harm myself during those 2 weeks. Although it is a pain in the a55 to always feel that sad, I hang to the belief that as soon as I’ll stop/change the medication, parts will fall into place and I’ll be my old myself again.

@MarieAngell: thanks for the advise. I’ll talk my doctor about that one.

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[Patte Rosebank]

Sounds like Quebec’s medical system is as overburdened as Ontario’s!

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[Patte Rosebank]

More evidence of the risks of irregular sleep habits and lack of sleep:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2012/07/26/shift_workers_at_an_increased_risk_of_heart_attack_and_stroke_and_should_be_screened.html

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[Anonymous]

Great link! Thanks @Larynxa!

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[Author]

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