Vyvanse

[Anonymous]

I’ve been on Vyvanse for just over a week now, and I’m still trying to get a handle on the medication. Overall, I think I’m functioning better but still adjusting to some of its effects, particularly the constant dry-mouth, sore jaw from clenching, and the tingling I feel feel through my upper body (particularly down my arms).

The meds are lasting a good 12-13 hours and I’m finding that I’m getting about 1-2 less sleep per night since starting Vyvance. I have no difficulty falling asleep, but am waking up at ungodly hours (like 4:30 am) fully awake after 5 hours sleep. Appetite seems unaffected but I’m drinking water constantly.

I notice that my peripheral vision has improved and for the first time I can remember, am aware of my glass frames when they’re on my face. The world seems to be operating at a much slower pace and I am more conscious of my surroundings and myself. My patience has increased significantly (I can stand in line at the grocery store now with little discomfort) and my impulses are easier to control.

My hope is that gradually I’ll acclimatize myself to some of the less-desirable affects as I continue with the medication.

J

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[Orion]

Jim, I know how you feel. I combat the dry mouth by drinking lots of water, which I needed to do more anyway. Also, I chew sugerless gum and that helps alot. As for the tense, speediness: Make sure you aren’t getting any caffeine. That only magnifies the anxious and tense feelings. When I started Vyvanse, I couldn’t drink a cup of coffee without going bonkers. I am able to have a cup or two now though, without much trouble. For the first few hours every day, I am always conciously slowing myself down. My wife is always saying ” slow down. Stop talking so much”. I stop and take slow breaths and remind myself that the world doesn’t always WANT to hear my 50,000 ideas about how to create the greatest invention in history. anyway , hang in there!

JB

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[Anonymous]

Does anyone take Focalin? My boys take it and it seems to be working very well with no side affects. I am considering medication (just waiting for a formal diagnosis), but I am afraid of side affects. I was wonderinf if Focalin was just for children, or if it was also an adult medication.

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[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice about caffeine. I’m a bit of a early riser, so I’ve modified our morning coffee to what I call “half-caff” (1/2 regular, 1.2 decaf), then take the meds before leaving for work at 8:30.

Not sure if I’m going to medicate on my off days…makes me too antsy and full of energy when I’m trying to take it easy.

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[Anonymous]

I have been on Vyvanse for over 2 years. I still occasionally get really jittery the first few hours, there is usually a reason for it. Either I have had too much coffee (more than 1 cup) or I have not had enough protein/food for breakfast. Those two things make a world of difference in how jittery/antsy I get. I love coffe so I get my one real cup every morning and then if I am really craving coffee later I have decaf. As to not taking it on my days off, I have found that I do not like the spacy/lack of concentration/dittzy/airhead I become without it and I have realized how unfair it is to my husband and family if I don’t take it. Just my opinion….

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[Anonymous]

I have been on Vyvanse for 2 months now, I am 27, and was just diagnosed wtih ADHD combo type 3 months ago.

I started on the usual 30mg, it made a big difference, but I still felt like it could be even better. We moved to 40mg the second month, and oh wow do I love it!!

I am more focused, less hyperfocused, my mind is less noisy and cluttered. I feel like instead of 100 tvs on 100 channels in my head, I am only dealing with about 50, and some of those are on matching channels!

The ultimate test was Christmas Eve. I used to hate hate hate driving (too many distractions) and I really don’t like holidays or family stuff (too many people, smells, lights, and noise)

So anywho, the weather was crummy and I had to drive about an hour on busy roads and try to get somewhere on time. Normally this would have meant an hour of white-knuckling the week, an generally freaking out, followed by 6-8 hours of going nuts over the noise of my cousins, the smell of the food, and too many people too close together in a house. Insert two church services (yes 2) in here at about 45 minute each, and you have the perfect recipe for ADD hell.

This year, it was a whole new world…I calmly drove. No major worries over traffic or weather, just calmly dealing with it as was appropriate. Got there on time (go time management!!) managed the noise, the crowd, the smells, and even the 2 church services with no problems!!

I was tired when I got home, but it was a normal tired, not the bone-weary exhaustion that makes you want to cry in frustration.

So, IMHO, Vyvanse is awesome…

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[Anonymous]

I’m on Vyvanse right now, and it makes me agitated, restless and moody (I think). My psychiatrist said the side effects would disappear after a while…is this true, or did he just say that to get me to take the higher dosage? I feel like it was helping me at first, and now I’m too wound up to concentrate…

Unfortunately, I also suffer from a generalized anxiety disorder, so it’s tough to tell what exactly is the medication, and what is just my brain doing what it often does, without consistency.

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[Anonymous]

I am 35 years old, and have been on Vyvanse 30mgs for almost 2 years and it has been nothing short of lifechanging. I was very reluctant to start it because I am also treated for bipolar disorder and my psychiatrist warned that a potential side effect could be increased mania, which for me, and everyone around me, is torture (I liken it to the Tazmanian Devil with a splash of Incredible Hulk). I also had pretty distinct memories of being on Ritalin as a child and knowing that my mom took me off of it because I was ‘listless’ and didn’t seem like myself. I drove home from my appointment with my script in my purse and debated filing the script, the entire drive back to work, then I locked my keys in my car! I took it as a sign and filled the Rx. I talked to people who were closest to me and asked them to let me know if I seemed ‘different’ in any way after I started the meds. My co-worker said that the only thing that she noticed at first was my ‘fast talking’ She likened it to me having 4 too many energy drinks, but after that first day, things seemed to even out, and on the other side, not only did I NOT have any manic episodes, the Vyvanse seemed to help ‘even’ my moods out even more. We think that it’s because I’m now able to get things done, to prioritize and be more ‘rational’ in my approach to the simplest tasks. The first weekend that I was on the meds, I was able to SIT and WRITE (my favorite pastime) for 6 hours uninterrupted! It was nothing short of amazing. I was always anti medication from working in the medical field for over a decade, but now I tell people every chance I get, try it. It doesn’t change you, it changes your ability to deal with the stimuli that life throws at you. I can say without the slightest hint of melodrama that meds saved my life. My Rx is still expensive with insurance, but I can’t see not having it. The peace of mind and change in my life that it’s given me is worth every cent. I have gone without before due to bad budgeting and I can tell you that I am now VERY concious of the difference in my demeanor. I’m so scatterbrained! I can’t focus to the point where it feels painful. I do have the drymouth, but I drink a LOT of water and use either gum, or when I’m at work and can’t chomp on gum, lozenges work wonders.

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[Anonymous]

Hello All,

It is WONDERFUL to hear about everyone’s individual ADHD responses to medication and particularly Vyvanse.

Me and my entire family, Husband and Son are all ADHDers, Combined Type. Fun and sometimes, not so fun:)

My son, now 9 years old was diagnosed first, then my husband and then me.

My son and husband take Vyvanse. It has been wonderful for both of them.

I did well with Vyvanse too, at first, but over time it actually made me too mellow. The stimulants really relax me as my ADHD combined type, untreated, keeps me VERY hyper and wound up. But, the Vyvanse was making me too relaxed, in a way. I do need that part of my ADHD to be calmed, but I also benefit from being more alert.

Recently I switched to Adderall and it is working wonders for me. Clearly, each ADHD individual is just that, individual.

My husband and son do incredibly well with Vyvanse and I prefer and do better with Adderall.

Good luck to ALL.

I love hearing everyone’s stories.

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[Anonymous]

I’ve been on Vyvanse for 3 weeks now and love it. However, my doctor has to continue to increase my dosage because it doesn’t last long enough in the day. This is my first stimulant and I’m not having any side effects from it. Vyvanse has really started to change my life. I feel like I’m starting to get organized and motivated to some of the things I should have been doing all along. My husband reports that I’m not moody and don’t over analyze nearly like I was. Good luck to all. I love it.

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[Anonymous]

I know this is an older thread, but I just had to say that after reading the posts that I’m feeling hopeful for maybe the first time ever. It was almost 10 years ago that I read a magazine article about a woman who was diagnosed with ADD as an adult, and I felt like I was reading about myself. I ended up getting diagnosed with “severe” anxiety and depression, and tried treating that with Prozac, Wellbutrin, and Zoloft at different times with limited success and unwanted side effects. I’ve begged several Dr’s over the last 10 years to please just screen me for ADD to have them refuse.

I’m 30 now, and have a 10yr old who was diagnosed with ADHD and Anxiety several years ago. I had him on Zoloft attempting to treat the anxiety because I was so hesitant about the idea of stimulant medication. It wasn’t working well and he didn’t like how it made him feel so we decided to take him off of that and to try treating the ADHD as the primary issue. He has been on Vyvanse now since Mid-October and it is nothing short of amazing, he can focus and is less anxious.

Well, several weeks ago I was experiencing a non-related medical issue that made it necessary to gather family medical history from estranged parts of my family. I discovered that at least 7 of my younger half-siblings have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. I don’t know about the 1 additional half-sibling, but my full brother and I have had symptoms since childhood. With this new information I finally got screened and diagnosed and have been given an Rx for Vyvanse.

I’ve felt like a failure for most of my life, due to my inability to focus. I’ve dropped out of or been academically suspended from college at least 5 times, and I couldn’t even count the number of incomplete projects I have. I say I feel hopeful for the first time ever because I have *finally* gotten somebody to acknowledge and agree to treat what I’ve known for years is the problem. The posts of others success just add to that hope I’m feeling, especially getting relief from depression symptoms. I’ve thought for a long time that depression and anxiety was not the primary problem, but the result of ADD. All I’ve ever wanted in life is to feel like I can successfully accomplish a project or task and that’s what I’m hoping this medication allows me to do. I’m super excited to have the chance to try medication for ADD, my tears today have been out of a sense of relief not frustration (over active tear ducts…I cry about everything).

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[Anonymous]

Hello. I am on 30 mg stimulant Vyvance. I am 20 male.

My question is:

“Emotional Lability” is named as one of the common side effects for this medication. In my case, this can include mild bits of everything (from paranoia to utter confusion) for an hour or so. I’ve been instinctively having a “feeling” to go play tennis every time this comes up because I can take it all out on the court. Is this an okay way of dealing with this side effect?

If not, are there any other suggestions for dealing with this?

Also, I have been on the medication for 2 months now and I only took the medication every 4 days (and giving myself the 5th day for break) because by the end of the 4th day, I was SO tired, I couldn’t even think, let alone focus while ON the pill. I was sleeping for 8 hours but every time I woke up, I woke up really tired (the closer it got to the 4th day).

Now, I am starting to have “emotional lability” and ADHD symptoms start showing themselves towards evening time of the 4th day (sooner than before) and can have restful sleep during while taking the medication.

My self-motivation still doesn’t go away until the pill stops working (which is awesome!), but I start to lose focus and start getting tempted towards my addictions that I am usually tempted to by ADHD sooner.

Should I look into upping my dosage? The medicine is STILL working, but the more consecutively I take it, the sooner it wears off during the day, but if I give myself one day of break, it works just as new again. I ask because it was meant to be taken every day. I DON’T want to change my dosage just to feel “even more focused or motivated.”

Should the medicine be wearing off sooner and sooner, and shouldn’t it work everyday and be meant for use everyday?

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[Anonymous]

WOW! It was great reading all these replies! I have been on Vyvance for about 6 weeks and it is a huge help. But in addition,

I’ve been on an anti-anxiety/depressant (sertraline) for 7 months. That helped me like you can’t believe. I’ve been through ALOT

of dissappointing and hurtful circumstances the last 18 months, was not sleeping, migraines almost daily, so I felt I had no choice and thankfully, it has helped. Adding the Vyvanse has been eyes opening!! NEVER have I been able to organize a room, get all the laundry done, clean out the garage with ease like I can now. I’m 51 years old and take only 20 mg. The headaches are creeping back, but for the most part, I’m good! GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU!!

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[Anonymous]

Hi, all.

I have been taking Vyvanse 50 mg successfully for about 6 months. Last month I had to go back on Topamax. (I have a degenerative disc condition in my neck which at times seriously flares up causing significant pressure on the nerves requiring me to take the Topamax.) Now I am find that I get very shaky / jittery physically – not mentally. I am still much more focused than without the Vyvanse but the physical feeling is really odd.

Has anyone else taken these two meds together? Any similar reactions? Thanks!

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[Anonymous]

SO REALLY? Nobody has posted on this thread for 8 months? I don’t get it….. ESPECIALLY on the topic of medications.

I think I should come up with a new T-Shirt to help advertise for this website. SO MANY people could be getting help

here just by reading all these Blogs and Forums, but they need to be made aware of it. Hmmm, maybe a T-shirt is not the

best way but it’s an idea anyway!

As for a comment on Meds, I started 20 mgs of Vyvance about 9 mongth ago and finally got upped to 30 this week. So far so good. I have noticed I seem to need less sleep now as well. WHY IS THAT? Generally, things are WAY better and I want to encourage all the adult ADDers out there to seek good medical help to treat your ADD. ITS WORTH IT!

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