Vyvanse and Concerta questions

[Anonymous]

Hi! I was recently diagnosed with ADD and my psychiatrist and I decided to try out some of the meds. I started with Vyvanse about 6 weeks ago, starting with 20 and gradually upping the dosage to 30 (tried 40 one day and it was too much) and I LOVED it. I have never felt such clarity it was like suddenly my brain made sense. Anyway, I would have continued along with the Vyvanse but I started to notice that my skin was always itchy and I broke out in hives, and then as I increased I the dosage I started to break out in acne as well- not just a few bumps here and there, but cystic acne on my face and regular acne, which is not normal for me, on my back and chest. I went off the Vyvanse after consulting with my psych and the skin irritation – both itchy hives and acne – went away almost immediately.

My psych started me on Concerta as an alternative about 5 days ago at 18mg. The first day I felt great, but I hadn’t been on meds for about a week so that could just have been withdrawal finally ending/responding to ANY stimulant, I’m not sure. After that first day, though, I have not felt the effect of Concerta aside from having a really hard time getting to sleep. The only really good news so far is that the Concerta doesn’t seem to be causing an allergic reaction, but I am still on a low dose.

SO my questions are:

-Has anyone else had problems with their skin on Vyvanse, and if so, was there any way around it? (I really liked the Vyvanse aside from the havoc it wreaked on my skin )

-Should I just up the dosage of Concerta?

-Do many people find Concerta as effective as Vyvanse?

-Has anyone else experienced this kind of skin reaction from Concerta?

If you have a response for any of my questions I would love to hear it. Thanks so much!

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[nellie]

If 30mg of Vyvanse was working for you then maybe 18mg of Concerta is too low a dose. Have a look at this blog about the “conversion factor” of Concerta vs other meds:

http://www.addadhdblog.com/concerta-getting-the-right-dose/#bbc09

I’m not sure how true the above is and it doesn’t seem to mention that info on the manufacturers website, but you might want to ask your psychiatrist about it.

I’ve only been on Vyvanse for about 3 weeks and haven’t had any skin problems and it works great for me so far. I came off Concerta because it caused anxiety, I couldn’t sleep and it generally didn’t seem to work. That was at 27mg. I was previously at 30mg of Ritalin so the doctor prescribed a similar dosage for the Concerta and I was surprised it didn’t do anything for me ( well except for the unpleasant side-effects!) . If the info in the link I mentioned is true, then it may explain why.

Also, Vyvanse is dexedrine based whereas Concerta is methylphenidate based, so perhaps that can also be a factor in how you respond to them. Have you had a chance to read the medication information in the forum on this site?

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[Anonymous]

I have been reading up on Vyvanse and it seems as though skin irritation is one of the listed side-effects. It’s in the middle range, meaning not common but not extremely rare either.

I think 18mg is waaay too low. My doctor started me out on Concerta at 27mg and even admitted that is pretty low. The Psych NP I visited said most people are on 36mg or 54mg, and based on the conversion factor, 36mg of Concerta is almost equal to 30mg of Vyvanse.

I’m in the other category though. Concerta 27mg worked amazing for me for about 5 weeks. Then it’s just…not working at all. I get maybe an hour or 2 out of it in the morning and I take it so early (5:30am) that by the time I get to work it’s pointless. I’ve been reading great things about Vyvanse and am going to ask my doctor to let me try it. *crosses fingers*

I hope you success on the Concerta!

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[Anonymous]

Both of my kids (10yo and 12yo) take Vyvanse and it seems to be working really well. My son (10yo) takes 30mg and my daughter (12yo) takes 40 mg. Besides the standard side effects of not being very hungry and not as tired at bedtime, they don’t seem to be suffering any side effects. My daughter tried Concerta for a few months last year, and over time became very withdrawn and then almost suicidal. We pulled her off it immediately. Both kids have also tried Biphentin but seemed to get a sick stomach from it. My son also tried Adderall, but he felt like the world was spinning and kept having to sit down or hold onto the walls.

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[Anonymous]

To address your first question: My young adult son is on 40 mg Vyvanse after some less than great experiences with Concerta. Concerta was okay for him but, like Nellie, made him anxious. He is ADD-PI, not H or C. For PI, Concerta seems to address only half the issue. He really likes Vyvanse which he started a few months ago but he recently started getting worsening acne on his face. The acne is unusual for him – he barely had a pimple as a teen. He says he doesn’t care about the zits b/c he loves the results with Vyvanse . As his parent I can see how at ease and comfortable he is on Vyvanse. But I hate to see the bad acne. HIs doc didn’t offer much insight. He has had no hives or itching from it. If anyone knows more about Vyvanse and skin pls post.

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[Author]

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