10 Things You Should Know About Vyvanse
This article was written by a new addition to our team who has significant personal experience with the ADHD medication Vyvanse.
None of the ADHD medications I had tried, Ritalin, Adderall, Strattera and Wellbutrin had helped me much. Vyvanse has.
First, I go over 10 things I’ve learned from taking Vyvanse for about a year that may help you if you are taking or considering taking it.
These are things you can pretty much only know if you have been taking it for a while – that would have made my life a lot easier had I known when I was starting!
And if you want to learn more about ADHD, see here.
The 10 Things You Should Know About Vyvanse
1) Vyvanse is extremely long lasting
Its half life is about 9 and a half hours give or take an hour or two. That means that in most people, the medication has some effect for up to 14 hours! But there is more to the story – see element 8.
2)You can take Vyvanse daily
You can take it every single day of the week, every day of the month, and every month of the year – and it still works!
You hear all the time about people saying they develop tolerance to ADHD medications or they stop working – so I was very scared. I didn’t want to take Vyvanse every day because it helped so much and I couldn’t stand the thought of it not working anymore. But thankfully, it seems you can take it daily and it still works!
Online ADHD/ADD diagnostic test
3) At the right dose, you might start thinking that it isn’t working anymore eventually.
It seems that a lot of people who take ADHD medications, when they find the right dose and are consistently taking it, don’t really feel like it is doing anything.
Which is wonderful! Because, for me at least, it means that my personality and who I am are 100% intact – I take Vyvanse and I feel like it doesn’t do anything (but it does!)
Now when I tell you that the Vyvanse still works for me and that I very often worry it has stopped working, you may feel doubtful. The reason I can say this for sure is that if I try a slightly higher dose, say 50mg instead of 40mg, then I feel way, way, overfocused. If the 40mg had stopped working, this would not be the case.
4) Vyvanse is d-amphetamine
It turns out that Adderall is made out of d and l-amphetamines. The l-amphetamine type may be responsible for the weird feeling some people get on Adderall. It does provide more of a motivational kick, however – but I much rather not have it and feel like myself.
5) Vyvanse is mostly digested in the blood so what you eat likely won’t affect it so much
With some ADHD medications, your diet content really affects how the drug is released. It turns out that with Vyvanse, most of the action takes place in the blood. This means that your diet likely won’t affect it so much, but I still don’t drink orange juice in the morning on it.
6) It takes an hour to kick in, and two hours to fully kick in
I take Vyvanse in the morning with a cup of water and have a snack 20 minutes later. It starts having an effect I can notice at 20 minutes and is ‘fully’ operational (to the point where I trust myself to send emails or work on something) at about 1 hour.
7) Exercising does not seem to change its effects very much. I can get a 20 minute high intensity cardio work out and still feel the Vyvanse working normally. This is very important because I love exercising.
8) It becomes weaker at night
When I first took Vyvanse, I felt the difference from 9am in the morning to 9pm at night. With time, I felt like it stopped working at 7pm and then, increasingly, that it stopped at 5pm. 9am to 5pm is 8 hours. I started getting depressed and was not able to do things past 5pm; figuring out what’s really going on got me back on track.
At 5pm or 8 hours in, the levels of Vyvanse are about 60% of their peak (for me, at least, and in my estimation).
At 7pm, or 10 hours in, the levels are about 40% of their peak.
At 10pm, or 13 hours in, they are at about 20% of their peak.
How do I know all this? First, this is my personal experience. Second, I am basing it off my experiments with Dexedrine instant release. See the next item.
9) I think there are about 3.3mg of Vyvanse to 1mg of Dexedrine instant release. I can’t find a number from a reputable site for conversion, but this ratio seems to work and I’ve heard it in several places.
This is important because I’ve found that I need to start taking small doses of Dexedrine at night to keep my levels of d-amphetamine where they need to be (yes, I know how horrible that sounds. ADHD is not always fun.)
What that means is as follows: I now take 2.5mg of Dexedrine IR at 6-7pm, 2.5mg at 8pm, and ~4mg more somewhere around 9-10pm. (This is all based on my taking Vyvanse at 9am but I usually take it earlier these days. When I started, I was so depressed that I was sleeping a lot.)
The reason this is important to you is that you may have a similar experience to mine in that you might need to work on things that take focus or need ADHD symptom relief even at night. Vyvanse works really, really long, but at the low dose it is at night, I simply can’t function in what is now ‘normal’ to me.
10) Being on Vyvanse for a year has given me stability
I have had more than 40 hobbies in my life and I’m just a college student. I would go from learning calligraphy, to conducting medical research, to crashing parties, to bike riding, to swimming, to hip hop dance, to studying infectious diseases to… you get the drift.
The ads for Vyvanse say something like “consistently Vyvanse.” I hate ads and you do too, probably. But, for the first time in my life, someone called me ‘consistent.’
If being consistent means sticking with a job and performing well, getting promoted and professional recognition, studying for classes, developing meaningful friendships and relationships over time, being able to remember things that happen to me – being happy, sure I’ll take it.
Even if the ADHD part of me does not, does not in any way shape of form like being called ‘consistent.’ =)
Adult ADHD:
ADHD can be different in adults than children. If you are concerned that you might have ADHD and are over 18, see an ADHD Test Made For Adults.
And knowing the 4 Secrets to Success with ADHD may make your life a lot easier.
Related Articles:
ADHD and ADD Online Diagnostic Test
ADHD/ADD Natural Remedy Report
Overcoming ADHD: A Guide for Parents
More than an IT geek troubleshooting your body, nobody knows our bodies better than ourselves.
Come- on, debate with me, I have proof, I am now 15 years off meds for the made up name for (your parents didn’t teach you how to focus, were lazy and gave up on you.) I mean ADD/ADHD.
HAS ANYONE EVEN DONE RESEARCH ON WHAT THESE MEDS ARE???
It’s SPEED being prescribed legally.
No shit you have a hard time when it wears off – you have taken the easy way out and become complacent, rather than taking responsibility for your own chemical balance.
Has anyone ever done research on speed and how you feel when you come down???
WTS people? Get creative, find a way to get involved with kids, or take responsibility for your own mistakes.
If any of you out there follow these comments by email like myself because it is nice to see how other parents, or others are handling their child’s or their ADHD, and to feel like maybe your experiences might help others than please don’t give Thomas the satisfaction of a response. I would hate to have to block my email because this forum becomes a debate on the validity of ADHD. If we are researching or are using Vyvanse, we are beyond that. I am sure that there is a forum for Thomas out there.
Thomas is right to be concerned about giving this to children. Here’s quote that you can find on dextroamphetamine on Wikipedia. You can go there and look up the references of studies that they used to make this statement, “The long-term effects of amphetamines use on neural development in children has not been well established.[53] Based on a study in rats, amphetamine abuse during adolescence may impair adult working memory.[54]” At 53-54 years old, I’m aware of the risks in taking this myself now. In my youth, I tried crystal meth for a couple of months. It seemed to screw with my biochemistry for a couple of years after I quit taking it, and manifested as anxiety in social situations. So, fully aware of the risks, I’m taking Vyvanse because my situation is dire enought to warrant it. I would never give it to children though, no matter what the initial benefits. Just saying. It’s just too bad that our schools and corporations aren’t set up to allow for the full potenital of the ADHD brain. Frequent recess, some quiet time, shorter learning periods, and some freedom to explore a unique curiosity would make for some very creative adults from the stuff of ADHD. As for Vyvanse, I was on it six days and the insomnia passed after two days. I am clearer and steadier on it, but I’m aware that my heart has been racing from time to time. My blood pressure is higher and more inconsistent. I’m going to try taking it in short spurts with rest periods in between based on when I need a focused mind, and when I don’t.
Lindsay, I get more satisfaction responding to know-it-all bores like Thomas than he could ever get in thinking he actually has all the answers. If “dedication and hard work ” were the only requirements to successfully “overcome” ADD/ADHD, then sites like this wouldn’t exist; every single independent-thinking person who takes a regular medication for ADD/ADHD is inherently ‘dedicated’ to the cause of eliminating the condition from their lives, and the majority of these people are quite familiar with the “hard work” involved in doing just that, we didn’t need Thomas to remind us.
Unfortunately, all of the “dedication and hard work” in the world hasn’t cured cancer, or stopped our nation’s economy from collapsing, or ended hunger and homelessness or wars with foreign countries- hell, it didn’t even help Thomas finish his first comment, unless “The fact is that Dr’s are no m” is now considered a complete sentence.
How difficult is it to debate someone who contradicts his own arguments with statements like “nobody knows our bodies better than ourselves,” or “taking responsibility for your own chemical balance”? Did he mean to say “imbalance” instead of “balance”? Either way, making the conscious effort to control one’s symptoms of ADD/ADHD, whether by taking medications, seeking out courses or seminars for coping tools, performing a voodoo ritual or simply praying to a Higher Power, is THE VERY DEFINITION of “taking responsibility for your own chemical balance.” Hasn’t every commenter on this site taken “responsibility” by sharing their struggles with the rest of us?? How responsible is Thomas being with making generalized, ignorant statements like “Come- on, debate with me, I have proof, I am now 15 years off meds for the made up name for (your parents didn’t teach you how to focus, were lazy and gave up on you.) “? Or this little gem: “and go ahead, argue with me, I’ll say ur lazy…” Wow, what a constructive insight this Thomas guy has!
“Get creative, find a way to get involved with kids, or take responsibility for your own mistakes.” Did Thomas even bother reading that statement back to himself to see how completely ignorant it is? These aren’t helpful solutions, or viable alternatives, or even competent suggestions
Lindsay, this isn’t a “debate on the validity of ADHD” – Thomas has managed to demonstrate how clueless he is without ‘debating’ at all. If he truly wants to engage in an intelligent debate, he could start by avoiding his own comments, which only does the work for the rest of us. Why should anyone bother expressing an original thought when it’s so much easier to use his own words against him? As an example of saving time and energy, I’ll use YOUR words to close this commentary: “If we are researching or are using Vyvanse, we are beyond that.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
As a parent who is making the huge decision for her child to put him on medication, there are a few things that I would like to share. First of all, I doubt that a decision like this is often made lightly by parents. I know it wasn’t with my husband and myself. This world is full of hasty generalizations made by those who are usually not even in the situation themselves. Two years ago I also would have “never” put my young child on medication. Life has a way of humbling the best of the “know-it-alls” which could describe me at times.
As a parent you make decisions every day for your child that have positive and negative effects. Every time you choose to give your child antibiotics, you are increasing their chances of them contracting an infection too strong for their body or other antibiotics to fight, but yet sometimes I feel the benefits outweigh the risks. I feel this weighty responsibility when I feed them their meals–am I giving them enough anti-oxidants too decrease their chances of cancer in the future? And believe me that I felt that weight with this decision, the hardest in my shortish parenting career.
As a parent I can’t know how everything I am doing now will effect my child future. All I can do is stay informed, and choose the way where the benefits outweigh the risks–in my individual situation.
That said there are some studies and websites that are very helpful with us parents who are trying to stay informed. I have yet to find studies that state there are no long term side effects to a child using stimulants to treat ADHD-that would be reassuring. The study cited in an earlier post linked from Wikipedia self states that it may be more applicable to the abuse of these medication than the prescribed use, but it was nice to read and I am more informed because of it, so thank you for the link. I did find a study that was very encouraging about the long term BENEFITS of medication in the September edition of the Journal of Development & Behavioral Pediatrics of 2007. A quote from a Dr. reviewing the study results states:
“This study provides reassuring evidence that medication is not just blunting hyperactivity or enhancing alertness but actually doing so in a way that protects the capacity to learn,”
This study shows the academic success linked to the proper use of ADHD medication.
Here is a link to a Dr. who is reviewing the findings if you would like to know more: http://www.addadhdblog.com/long-term-stimulant-use-improves-school-grades/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AddAdhdBlogcom+%28ADD+ADHD+Blog.com%29#42875
This blog also has some great information about Vyvanse and other medication.
In summary, I just want to say that, as parents, we are doing the best we can (at least most of us). To me and my husband, the benefits of my child succeeding academically and having a great self esteem outweigh the side effects he is currently experiencing on Vyvanse and the “possible” long term risks as shown in rats. I wish my child had every door open to him without his medication that his 8 year old sister does. But that is just not his path (his may be much more scenic), and I will do everything I can to allow him as many chances to succeed,
This has been an emotional journey for me, and am guessing it will continue to be. I need all the support and understanding that I can get, and hasty generalization only hurt. I, contrary to Patricia, did not read any concern for anyone else in Thomas’s post. I am blessed to have family who, though they may not be in my situation, believe I love my child and would do the best I can for him. Lets give people the benefit of the doubt.
Hi Lindsay. My brother had to make the decision for his son as well. ADHD is certainly not the parents’ fault as Thomas intimated. We are definitely wired differently. And I certainly don’t mean to imply that anyone is taking this lightly. I don’t know what I would do in yours or my brother’s circumstances. I’m just concerned about the fallout based on my research and past experience around amphetamines. I’ve heard mixed experiences from parents as well. Sadly, we live in world that doesn’t allow for much diversity in terms of how we think, how we learn, and how we work. Anyway, I’m going to keep taking it for myself. It has helped me work and focus. But this first day off of it after six days is kind of a relief. I’m not very productive today, but I feel much lighter inside. I don’t know how to explain it except that I’m to understand this sensitivity that I have to the world and other people is supposed to be part of the ADHD. It’s the part that gets me overwhelmed but it’s also a beautiful, intuitive asset in the right times and places. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. Good luck with your child and I hope all will be well.
Thank you Patricia, Well said. As a reluctant parent with two children on ADHD meds your insights on how the meds make you feel (and not feel) are so valuable. It helps me know how they feel. It is a double edged sword for sure.
I am so scared, I took my little one he, is only 6 years old – to the Dr’s yesterday and he said that he has ADHD and gave me Vyvanse for him to start taking. I have no problem with him having ADHD, I just want to make sure that I give him all that I can to help him in school and in life. However, I have been reading about the side effects of Vyvanse and am so worried for my son.
Can anyone tell him how it works and what side effects they have had to deal with their little one(s)?
I would truly appreciate it.
Tony, thank you so much for your comment in regard to Thomas. He obviously has not lived a life raising a ADD child and until people experience this, they are full of uneducated opinions.
Lindsay and Shannon, I felt the same exact way about medicating my child and felt that I was causing more harm than good and taking the easy way out. We tried homopathic meds, diet changes, strict schedules and counceling. I’ve been told my son was ADD since headstart. From kindergarten through 2nd grade we tried classroom modifications and rewards such as a taped in area for him to “move around” in while still listening, a correl to test in and many others. We switched schools because it was a new charter school and I felt that the teachers were unexperienced and the administration was unqualified and he needed more. In the third grade we would spend literally HOURS doing homework. He would cry and be so frustrated. He was starting to feel isolated and socially ostrasized because he was a distraction to the other children. I wanted to avoid the labeling but he was starting to be labeled anyway. I met with administration and his teachers and it was at that point I realized he needed more help than what I was doing. I agreed to medicate. We started with concerta and it was amazing the difference in him and not for myself and his teachers but for him. His confidence boosted but about a month into it he lost his appetite and then would become depressed as it wore off during the evening and he was emotionless during the day. So we switched to stratera, this worked on the hyperactivity but he was unmotivated. This morning is his first day on Vyvance. We are now in the 8th grade. My point to you is that it will probably take some time and alot of patience to find what is the best for YOUR child. It is a constant struggle so keep trying things. All children are at different levels of ADD and all children react differently…this is not the flu with one shot for all. Good luck.
My brother and I were both diagnosed with ADHD as adults, he at 40 years, and me, just two weeks ago. Both of us did well in school despite the ADHD. So just having ADHD doesn’t mean your child is doomed to not excel in school. I had another brother that the school wanted to put back a year for dyslexia, and my Dad refused. That brother was the first of us siblings to get his college degree. On another note, I was asked to keep my daughter back for one year from kindergarten to 1st grad, and I too refused. I asked them to test her again, knowing that for her, testing depending on how bad her allergies were that day. The second test showed her on the borderline with the gifted students. My son never could sit still and he always had a problem with talking to much in school. He, too, graduated with honors from college. Consequently, I think 6 years old is too young to predict that child’s success in school, life or relationship, and then give the child amphetamines based on that prediction. First of all, brain development is still occuring and will occur for the next 19 years or so. It is not yet known how amphetamine will affect that brain development. Some scientists have figured out a way to help kids with ADHD using video games designed to improve their focus and concentration. Without drugs. I’ve read some background on this, and it looks like these games actually assist the brain in making new neurological connections. It’s very exciting. For a very young child, I would look into that first. Of course, maybe you already have and it is too expensive. I don’t know. I just want to throw that out there. My ADHD brain has a tendency to pick up scraps of knowledge that I may find useful some day, and this seemed like a good one. I think I’m going to look into it for myself. I also wanted to thank Colleen for her kind words.
My son was diagnosed with ADD yesterday and was given the RX for 20 mg Vyvanse each morning. My concern is that the drug tends to make you “groggy” to slow down the hyper activity. But my son is not hyperactive. He is now 9 years old and his only issue is his short attention span. His teacher even said one time that maybe I should give him a shot of “red bull” to get him going as he is too quiet and looses focus during class. It was like he was physically there, but he was not there. Is this enough reason to give him Vyvanse? Is there another drug that only addresses focus and nothing else?
I have the same type of ADHD I guess because I’m not hyperactive either. Vyvanse does improve focus and concentration. However, if your son is still doing well in school despite his short attention span, then he doesn’t need it. How are his grades and testing capabilities? I know several people, including myself, who daydreamed a lot in school. We did well in school though, and on tests, so it was okay.
Actually, these type Meds do not work by making you groggy. They are stimulants by nature. Normal people would feel like they drank alot of coffee on most of these, but they seem to work differently on the brains of ADHD people.
The best way I can describe it, is that the part of a normal brain which filters out distraction, is stimulated by these Meds, allowing the brain to focus more easily.
Sunny and Patricia, thanks for your input. I would really give it a lot of thought whether I should put him in meds or not. As for his grades, he is passing, but that is because I made sure that he studies for his tests, give him comprehension exercises that I pull out of the website and review his lessons with him during the weekend. It was like home schooling him in addition to attending a regular school. This is why I had had him examined and the feedback from his teacher for losing his focus during classroom discussion. When he took his assessment, I was told that he can be gifted if he takes the meds as it will stimulate his brain function based on the exams that they gave him. It was like I have to choose between having a gifted son if he goes on meds and worry about the after effect later. Or just keep what we are doing and just pray that one day, his brain cells will stimulate on its own and just be happy that he is passing without honors. Very tempting isn’t it? Behavior wise, he is a very adorable kid.
Hi Wyn,
I have the same issue with my son age 9. He was diagnosed in July 2011. He is on 20 mg of vyvanse and 1 mg of intuiv. We have noticed a huge difference. He is more focused and able to get his work done. His teacher has seen a huge improvement from a year ago. I will say it does take at least an hour to get the meds in his system. By 7:00 at night, he is very unfocused and moody. I meet with the doctor in January to discuss. I read some where that kids with ADHD have a cup of coffee in the morning to help jump start their brain. I will not be trying it but wonder if this would help. I know meds are not for everyone, but when you see the difference without them you know you are doing the right thing.
Hello Laura,
I wanted to say thank you so much for your replay.
We started our son on his med’s and oh my goodness… I did not know who he was. He was talking so much, which I loved because he does not talk a whole lot. However, he would cry over everything, and when we tried to take him out to dinner, he wanted to leave so bad, he could not stand being at IHOP, and he loves to go out.
Then on Sunday – he was a little better, but he was mean… I mean really MEAN. He kept hitting his sister and when we would ask him to do something he would make a weird noise and talk back.
We are going to keep trying and keep in contact with the DR regarding his progress on the med’s – today was his 1st day at school on it. I pray it will be okay.
I have three kids and they mean the world to me. I know that I need to do this for my son, to help him. At school, he has been labeled as the bad kid, and it is not true, he is a sweet boy. He just has a little bit of trouble focusing and staying still.
I thank you all for coming here and leaving comments, I feel like I have friends that understand my son and me. Thank you my friends.
Shan
Shannon,
Please also be aware that children with ADHD are very often bothered by other issues such as Bi-polar, ODD, and other issues, and for some it takes a cocktail of meds to level out their behavior, and allow them to participate in normative culture.
Good luck on wading through this. It is heart wrenching at best, and downright discouraging at worst some times.
At others, though, you begin to see the kid your child will be when their confidence and self love increases, and those days are really great.
In response to Thomas…………I have adopted children from birth that all were born to a crack/cocaine addicted mother. I’d be glad to take responsibility, but fact is…………I’m not to blame and neither are many other parents of AD/HD children……………….it just happens. Sometimes I see it runs in families. My 2 boys are the worst…they are on max doseage of straight ritalin…………we are starting this new medication Vyvanse this weekend. I am reluctant to say the least as we have tried concerta, adderall, focalin, daytranna and just about all of em.
You can call it speed if it makes you feel better, but this is what helps these kids focus, period.
Just like most people can take benedryl and it makes them sleepy, yet others take it and it keeps them awake all night & full of energy. So yes, in most of us AD/HD meds would be like speed, but to someone having AD/HD it helps them focus and actually calms them down.
What’s better ? Having my son in detention every day along with suspensions because of his mouth blurting out things or having a child that can actually focus, stay on task and complete his work ?
I will admit my 2 boys have severe cases of AD/HD. Unless you’ve had to parent a child w/the extreme version of this problem you would never understand what it can do to families & marriages. Everyone in the family suffers when that child (unmedicated) is having a “normal ” day………………..by no means is it normal to the rest of us, trust me! My other children suffer because we have to avoid public places w/crowds and gawd forbid there’s a sudden change in plans or daily schedule……………..it’s a major trigger of behaviors too numerous to even mention here. So you see Thomas, it’s fine to have your opinion but for those of us who parent these kids………………..believe me, you are clueless!
I like you Midgeypoo =) I think you are amazing. I know I would not be able to do what you do. You are a very strong person. I have just started to deal with this and I am so scared.l I have no clue what I am doing. But I am learing everything I can about AD/HD. Happy Holidays to you and yor family.
Thank you so much my friend Sunny Lowe, I truly appreciate your comment =)
I think some people don’t understand what we, as parents, are dealing with. In my situation, my 6 year old has been diagnosed with ADHD. In addition, he has sensory issues and possibly ODD. We will be assessed by a child psychologist to confirm exactly what is going on, soon. We don’t just have a child that doesn’t pay attention or that is hyper. He is non-compliant, has sensory meltdowns, is very impulsive and takes risks that could result in injury. He is difficult every single day at school. He is in the principal’s office at least once a week. I am in daily contact with his teachers. We have an IEP and he gets two sensory breaks a day, help with writing (since he is impatient), and an OT visit each week. We’ve had him in private OT and PT for a year. We have tried diet changes, behavior charts, reward systems, talks, punishments, and most recently – a naturopath doctor. At this point, my husband and I feel that he is missing valuable learning time, becoming the “bad child” at school, being ostracized by his peers, and losing self esteem by the day. We simply don’t know what else to do and he has negativity swirling around him as he stays in trouble at school, at home and even in sports. We have been prescribed Vyvanse and will start in a week when we can be with him during Christmas break to watch for side effects. I have really struggled with this decision, but feel we have tried everything else. I feel that we are setting the path for his life, self esteem and personality and currently, it is not going in a good direction. I will never feel comfortable giving my kid these drugs but I do not know what else to do. We hope to begin behavior therapy this summer when he is out of school. If those folks that feel that it is the wrong thing to try drug therapy have other options that I haven’t already tried, PLEASE let me know. Giving my child more time is not an option. I am already doing that as much as possible with full time jobs, a long commute, and two other small kids to care for. My son has said recently that he “just wants to feel like a real boy”. I am going to do everything in my power to help him get there and I hope the drugs are a temporary thing. This child is my heart. He means everything to me and that is why I would take such a risk (with drugs) to help him when nothing else has worked. I hope I am at peace one day with the decision. Maybe I will get there if the Vyvanse or some other drug is helpful to him.
Audrey, I feel you pain. I hope Vyvanse helps you like it has helped us. The only negative that I have seen with Vyvanse is the fact that it doesn’t last as long as I would like. I give it to him about 8:00 a.m. and by 6:00 it is out of his system and makes it difficult to do any sports activities. By the time, we went on Vyvanse we had tried at least 6 other medications. You will know within that day if the medicine is helping him. I pray for you it does. It makes such a difference when your child can communicate believe me when I say he notices a difference. I forgot to give him medicine one day and by 12:00 he told me that he can’t keep his thoughts straight. I knew right away I forgot to give him his medicine. Good luck.
Good Luck Audrey I think many of us feel your pain! The good news is it’s not too late. I feel like after 6 months of being on Vyvanse my son has been able to shed that “I’m a bad kid” thing little by little. It is SO much better. He is able to communicate how he feels now instead of blurting out or acting out in anger impulsively. He has been going to therapy with a wonderful woman who “gets it” and has helped him learn about his feelings, get in touch with them and how to express them. He is such a great kid and for the first time I think both he and I see a sunny future ( :
This was so nice reading all these comments. Our son is 8 years old and yesterday was sadly diagnosed with ADHD (something we have wondered about for years if he had). He is hyper active, impulsive, doesn’t have much self control, is constantly on the go, things he knows he shouldn’t be doing he does and then is already thinking of the next thing to do, etc. The doctor prescribed him 20mg of Vyvanse. This is so scary to us. We have tried behavior modification with the school (pretty much every year since Kindergarten) and rewards, consequences, etc but the idea of medication is another thing. I keep questioning ‘does he really need medication’ or ‘what if he is on this long-term and what will the risks be on his health?’”. So this is why I am doing some more research. Anyways, we are going to try and see if it really will help him focus and control himself better maybe have more successful days. Just so nervous about all of it!
Anyone else out there with a child on Vyvanse that has seen a great improvement? Thanks for any feedback :)
I would suggest to anyone whose child is just being diagnosed with ADHD to try other things FIRST. I have heard great success stories from others who have gone the natural diet route – eliminating artificial colors, flavors, loads of sugar, reducing gluten, and limiting dairy and soy. I know this sounds AWFUL and it is time consuming at first, but once you get it down, it is daily habit. I truly believe that this can help a majority of these kids. We saw a naturopath and I have heard tons of success stories about this particular doctor helping to eliminate some of the toxins and get kids on the right track. I am not “crunchy” at all and have never tried herbal anything, but I really believe this could work for some folks. I wouldn’t go to just any naturopath because I think there are a lot of quacks out there. I would also look at the Feingold diet. Please know that medical doctors are TRAINED to go straight to meds to bandaid the problem instead of trying to resolve it. If you can get to the heart of the issue or if there is such a thing as neurotransmitter therapy – where you can fix the issues that are causing the misfires, this is where I would go. This is especially true if your child is simply having trouble with concentration or focus. It is no surprise that more and more kids are being diagnosed with these type issues when our country’s food market is based on fat, sugar, and artificial everything. Did you know food colorings are made from PETROLEUM? Lots of food colorings still used in the U.S. have been banned in the U.K. Mars makes M&M’s for the U.K. with all natural colors. Why can’t they do that here? There is lots of information about how certain groups have been fighting the FDA to prevent these food dyes. In 2010, the request was denied after years of research and tons of doctors backing the request. I was appauled at all the chemicals that go into food processing…including hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics. I urge you to try alternatives first before meds. We just don’t know what the outcome is for our kids that have to take them. Does it permanently alter their brain, stunt their growth, give tendency for drug addiction?
Unfortunately in our case, we have tried all the avenues and they have not worked for us. We saw small glimmers of hope with the naturopath, but this process takes time and we don’t have another year to wait for things to get better. Our son recently bashed his head on the floor at school until his nose bled profusely and the teachers thought he could have injured himself terribly. We need immediate results to get us on a better track. I am hoping we won’t have to go through 5 different meds before one works for us. I have researched the meds and Vyvanse seems the best option. Our doctor prescribed Adderall XR at first and I went home and got on the web and did not like what I saw. It is also hard to find and the generic is on backorder. I quickly called our doctor and requested he change our prescription to Vyvanse. We start next week, so I will keep you all informed of how this goes. Thanks for the kind words! I TRULY NEED THEM!! PRAYERS ARE WELCOME, TOO! I want my son back:) Wish I didn’t have to drug him…….
Why is there so much doom and gloom surrounding the idea of medicating our children? I too was nervous to medicate my son at first. But my idea has quickly changed, especially with the more research I do. Ritalin and similar medication have been around and studied for years. Yes, they have side effects, just like EVERY other thing we put into our mouth, but what amazing things it is doing for our kids who were previously struggling. I count this medication as a blessing along the same lines as insulin for diabetes, and steroids for asthma and respiratory disorders. We have to change our thinking about ADHD medication. There would not be this much discussion if we were on a forum about our diabetic children. Society wouldn’t be encouraging us to put our kids through years of strict diets and cleanses to make sure insulin was really their only option. I know that this idea even exists with diseases like diabetes, but my point is, a parent of a diabetic child doesn’t have to prove to society that they explored every other option before going with the one that all studies show is absolutely the most effective. We are doing a disservice to our kids allowing the idea that medicating for their disorder, which is very real, is something to apologize for or that it should be a last ditch effort after trying everything else and potentially allowing their self esteem, academic progress, and social relationships to suffer for years.
A blog I mentioned in a previous post cites a study that shows that youth that are medicated for their ADHS are 75% less likely to abuse other drugs and alcohol. This is just one statistic of many that shows the benefits of medication.
I don’t have a problem with someone who would like to try natural therapies first, though studies have shown that these and even behavioral therapies have a pretty small effect on the disorder compared to medication. I just think that we need to get out of the 1980’s, read the research out there, and stop allowing ourselves and others to treat ADHD any differently than Cancer, Migraines, Diabetes, Asthma, and other diseases or disorders that are effectively managed with medication. I too was affected by this idea when the idea of medicating was suggested by my pediatrician, I just hope that we can move forward. I can imagine my son’s future, and now it doesn’t look like it is going to be as rough of a road.
Audrey, we did try Adderall and I know every child is different but you know if it is working within a day or two. It had the opposite reaction for my son. It made him hyper and scattered. We knew instantly that he was having a hard time. We have trouble with attention not the hyper side of thing. So when the meds made him too hyper we knew it wasn’t working. The intuiv brings him down and the vyvanse brings him up. It is almost like it makes him calm and with it. The teacher who had him last year has checked in on him this year, and she notices a huge difference especially with eye contact and raising his hands. My son was never known as the troubled kid but the kid who didn’t pay attention. There is hope and when he plays organized sports we notice a huge difference. It is one step at a time. We were lucky to start this process in the summer where we could observe him. That makes a huge difference.
Kris and Colleen, thanks so much for your positive, helpful feedback. This is exactly what I needed. Sometimes it’s good to get things off your chest and unload in a forum where this is all understood. Lindsay, awesome you’ve had great experiences, but you might try less insults and condescending comments if you want your message to be heard. You had to start somewhere and maybe you are ahead of most of us. However, you should not assume how much reasearch we’ve all done or make snide comments about living in the 80′s. That is not helpful. Are you trying to help or start an online argument by throwing insults out? If you are trying to help, you might try a different approach. I’m sure, like me, most that are posting here have been through hell and back and are at an emotional low or even in crisis mode. We all certainly need people to lift us up. You seem very intelligent and full of knowlege. Maybe you should write a book to help all of us. We can all add it to our collections of ADHD books. I’m sure most people who are blogging here found this forum by doing research.
First of all I completely apologize for any offense I may have given, it was completely not my intent. I have even posted before on this forum how I want it to stay positive because that is what we as parents need. My intent was to say that we as the parents need to change the view on ADHD treatment. I am enlightened everyday by my son, my reading, and just simply different ways that my own perception changes. I just want the guilt that we all either feel or felt, and believe me I felt it, to be a thing of the past. I just don’t want to be told everyday that maybe I should have tried more alternative type therapies before going to medication. I learned my son was ADHD just over a year ago. I was then someone who would never give a child medication for ADHD. It has taken a lot of time for me to get to this point, and to be honest sometimes I feel like I am still trying to convince myself of it. But, I do truly believe that we have to change this negative light that surrounds the medication. As an adult, I can handle it (sometimes), I worry for when my child realized what society believes about his treatment. We have the power to make a difference, we just have to be positive about it. So I am sooo sooo sorry if I sounded condescending. I had my grieving time too. And I still worry about the side effects (which we have been lucky not to see too many of). It is helpful to read comments on here about others experience with their medication, good and bad. I think that we all wish our child didn’t have this challenge. But what a blessing that we have an option that is so effective to treat them. I posted this because I wanted those parents that are scared and sad that their child is going on medication to realize that they are doing no different than a parent who received a diagnosis for their child of Asthma, Diabetes, and the like. I believe we parents are being very effective parents by doing what we feel is best for our child, and something that yields results.
There are already some great books out there to help boost your idea about ADHD. I am currently reading: Of Different Minds: Seeing Your AD/HD Child Through the Eyes of God. It has given me a lot of the insight that I have shared here.
I mentioned the 1980′s because my mom was treating my brother for ADHD in the early 80′s. She received so much opposition from family and friends, that she finally discontinued treatment. He dropped out of high school at 15, used and abused many different drugs, has blown through countless relationships, fathered more children than I think he knows of, and is currently self medicating with alcohol at the age of 37.
Going through the experience with me and my son, she cannot say enough how she wishes we all knew back then what we know now. There is no way to know how my brother’s life may have been different had he stayed with treatment, but I choose to think it may have been a bit more smooth.
Hello Lindsay – I just wanted to say thank you for your comments. They have made me feel better about my choice to help my child anyway I can, even if it is by using Med’s. I agree totally with what you have said. I truly appreciate you and your comment(s) they are truly helpful.
Lindsay, thanks for clarifying. I hate when people are searching for help and get railed in blogs. You can’t even read one blog without seeing someone start a fight these days. I’m glad that was not your intent and I really appreciate your experience. I am so hopeful that I will come out on the same side you are on. I would be thrilled. Currently, I am at the grieving stage because the sweetest boy I’ve ever met is suffering through every day of his life. His siblings are losing time with us because we are focused on helping him. His teachers are exhausted by day’s end. We go to bed crying because we have no more ideas and grieve for our boy….our first born. I, for the first time ever, have had to start taking Wellbuterin just to make it through the day without falling apart from all the stress. I started having chest pains and panic attacks as I plowed through research and spoke with therapists, doctors, county reps and our school and had my son tested multiple times. The paperwork…..uggghhh! All the while, I am getting bad reports almost every day from school. My child makes no friends and is struggling. Luckily, he has a high IQ. That is our saving grace. Otherwise, we’d probably have to repeat kindergarten. As you know, there is nothing that can hurt a mommy worse than her child hurting. I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old as well that need us to be a well functioning family. So, your experience can help people like me….especially the humble part where you mentioned you still question yourself. I think that is normal and endearing. Thanks for writing what you did. It makes me and probably others feel like there is a chance for this to turn around. I am hopeful, but we’ve been through a lot so it makes me question how tough this will be to find the right drug and dosage. I appreciate you mentioning that book. It sounds like it could be a good one to pick up! And….believe it or not, it is considered pretty progressive where I am from to go the natural route. I live in the deep South (Atlanta) and everyone thinks I am pretty weird for taking my son to a naturopath or eating healthy. This is the land of fried foods and fast foods. Everything is coated in sugar and no one sees it as a problem. However, if you live out West, eating healthy and seeing natural doctors is probably the norm as opposed to medicating every problem. So, it’s all about perspective. I got very little support for the natural route, but had to try it for a couple of months just in case it helped at all. And it did a little…..but not enough. I pray every day that my child will grow out of this, as some do. Thanks again for your insight!
As a follow up, I wanted to mention that we saw the naturopath again this morning for what I felt would be our last time. This was our second visit. He mentioned this time as well as the first that my child has a bacteria called spirochetes which is the equivalent of Lyme disease. He feels the neurological issues we are having are being caused by this bacteria. So, I asked for the medical test that I can have our pediatrician run to confirm this. They said the test is called CD57. I immediately called our pediatrician (who I had not told about our natural route) to try to get an opinion on the natural doctor and this test. I left this message with his nurse. Will let you guys know what we find out….if we do the testing and if we, in fact, have Lyme disease. If we don’t have Lyme disease, we will not pursue the natural route past this point. We still plan to begin ADHD medication next week.
Hi Audrey,
I have a correction!! So the success we found for my son is with 36mg Concerta and 5mg of Lexipro. Believe me I had a hard enough time wrapping my head around him taking one drug let alone 2!
I have two sons that are ADD/ADHD one has mostly focus issues (ADD) and the 30mg of Vyvanse works GREAT for him (he started at 20mg 3 years ago). Night and Day difference starting the first week and helps him to this day – he is in 8th grade now.
My 2nd son is more ADHD (Hyper, Impulsive, focus, hard to control, angry outbursts…) he took 20mg Vyvanse and we did not see much difference, then we went all the way up to 40mg and then saw a difference but he was more agitated, anxious. bitting nails, over focused and had a flatness to his personalty. The doctor switched him to 36 mg of Concerta (he started at 18mg) and 5mg of Lexipro. He said for kids that have anxiety Vyvanse can exacerbate it. He said the Lexipro helps them “let things go” so they dont go off the handle with any little change etc. I don’t know if its the lexipro, concerta, or the combo but he has been on it for 6 months and as I said previously, big difference in behavior and its done wonders for his self confidence, friends & school – and he did not lose that part of his wonderful, bubbly, gregarious, personality. Actually we see a lot more of that part of his personality these days and as my husband says “I feel like we got our son back” and my husband was the biggest anti-meds guy there was!
ounseling too.
One thing I have learned on this long journey having 2 ADD/ADHD kids is that they are all different and if you decide to go the meds route you have to play with the doses and types of meds to get it just right. Don’t just try one type/dosage, decide it did not work and give up. Play with the dosage first and if that does not work move on to another brand.
Colleen, I totally agree with you regarding the medication. It is important to find the right one for your child. Five to six medications later we did. We are also changing this weekend the time we give it to him. He is way to tired at 4:00. We are giving him Vyvanse in the a.m. and intuiv at night. It is all about the right dose and the right meds for each child. Well said Colleen.
I’m truly concerned as a Parent as To how thIs Méd affects My son in The long Run ir is having dramátic changes short term My son has gone from f’s To c in spelling To a in math on his tests in 17 days!!! It is so incredle but i feel bad and have To explain The Méd To others.
Glad to see Vyvanse is out there for students. Please do not start your kids out on stronger ADHD medications because it does affect mood and personality during a time where they should have fun and be social with others. My experience with ADHD as a child is with hyperactivity and inattentiveness. I am 30 yrs old and have been on Adderall for about ten years and just switched to Dexedrine ER. So glad to feel free from the side effects of Adderall.
Physical activity is the Biggest help for my ADHD, I get a workout in and my mood is improved. I just want to say to parents to keep giving your children love and encouragement while teaching then structure for time management skills. If medication is the next step do your research. When I was put on Adderall there was not studies past 14 days of treatment, yet I was prescribed longer. I have seen physicians perscribed large doses which is not the answer alone. Physical activity, organizational tools, and family support goes far for us. I am an ICCU RN recovering open heart patients from surgery and I have my mom to thank for my accomplishments.
I plan to give my child’s dose at 7:30 a.m. He eats breakfast at 8a.m. at school each morning. Will the meds make him lose his appetite for breakfast? If so, we can give closer to drop off time.
Not sure because give my son the medicine after he eats. I do not notice a difference in his eating habits except for the foods he use to like (junk) he doesn’t seem to like anymore. I was going to talk to the doctor about that in January. We are getting limited on food items. I would give him the medicine close to leaving that way it takes at least 30 to 45 minutes to get in his sytem. Good luck.
Yes Audrey my kids definitely lose their appetite especially right after taking it (within 15-30min). So try out the meds as late as possible and ask if he is eating his breakfast.
I always try to have them eat first. More options if that is not working is taking it at school after he eats or feed him really early before he goes to school then if he eats more in school great, they are growing boys! Besides on these meds he will most likely be able to afford an extra meal. I have seen overall less of an appetite in my kids.
Thanks for the feedback. I assumed that was the case. Our ped is having us split a 20mg capsule by putting the whole capsule contents in 5cc’s of water and then giving him 2.5cc’s each day of the water mixture. This is to start out. I had never heard of this before and this makes it especially hard to take to school to be administered. Sounds like we’re going to have little bottles of water/Vyvanse mixture around our house for a bit….at least until we are told to move up to 20mg.
Is the side effects that bad for Adderall. My nephew just started that medicine and Iam so afraid of what it might do to him. Can any one tell me a different medicine that is better for ADHD? I no that some of the doctors only push certain medicines but I want what is best for him.
First, I would like to say thank you to the author of this article. I just started taking Vyvanse after 10 or so years of taking Adderall and I am still at the uncertain point of my decision to change. A first hand experience point of view offers comfort and a bit of hope to the uncertain and ill-informed about Vyvanse, such as myself. For the parents here that are going to extreme measures to administer Vyvanse to their children, for whatever reason (release time, appetite issues, etc), you should really consider making two changes: 1) take your child(ren) to a reputable ADHD/ADD psychologist that specializes in learning disorders, adults should do the same but find one for Adult ADHD/ADD. Doing so will do wonders for your childs medication management plan which is what many of you seem to need more than anything, a solid plan for the future; 2) My daughter (8 years old) was diagnosed with ADHD in the 1st grade and I was upside down against her taking any medication, not to mention going through a year long denial of her being anything like me. After all the testing, parent-teacher conferences, special education meetings, 3 counselors and 2 psychiatrists later, I finally accepted that she needed medication and there was no way around it. She takes Concerta 36 mg (10 hour time release) which is a 50/50 release. That means that she takes one pill in the morning before school and it releases 50% of the medication immediately (effects felt within 20 minutes) and 50% at the 5th hour which is after lunch and long before her dinner. Concerta is the only ADHD medicine that releases like this (50/50) and they offer shorter time span (8hr) versions for those that don’t need the “homework time” kick like my daughter. My daughter does not have any difficulty eating or sleeping and her grades + behavior reports have improved 100% percent. She is now an A/B student and has all E’s on her behavior report.
PEOPLE PEOPLE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE dont use wikipedia or webmd as a source for your research. They truly are not good learning facts. I use to believe those sites until I went to nursing school and realized anybody whos got a computer can write a wikipedia article!. Try using National institute of health or med scape or google scholar!!!
Michelle, good information and I am happy your daughter is doing so well. I feel 4 months into the meds and we are constantly wondering if it is working. We did try concerta and it knocked my poor son out. We stopped within 2 days of trying it. We got our proof last week when we got his report. He got all A’s and B’s. Never has that happened. He also got all check + on behavoir and listening skills. This was our confirmation that it is working. Not only do I believe that meds are right for my son but it makes a difference when you have the right teacher. She gets him. I think we all agree that meds is not the first choice, but if people that close to you notice how calm and focused he is you know you are doing something right.
Kris, you make an excellent point in mentioning “the right teacher” in relation to meds for ADHD, which brought to memory something I experienced firsthand long before an ADD diagnosis ever existed: in my senior year of high school, after suffering years of C’s and D’s in History/Social Studies classes, I was finally blessed to have a History teacher who never read from a textbook, at least not in front of his class. He *talked* to us, and allowed his class to be part of the discussion, not just a cipher that was expected to answer simple true/false questions for the sake of completing a mandatory education requirement.
This teacher focused his curriculum around the Civil War, for me one of the two most boring and frequently-taught historical events (along with the Revolutionary War, except way less so) for my distracted brain to have to endure every day of the school week, having already resulted in the aforementioned C’s and D’s throughout my grade-school career. But no one had ever commanded my attention about a subject I would never have had the slightest interest in otherwise more than this particular teacher who finally expressed the “history” of a time that still affects our lives today, and completely opposite from having to memorize dates and battles that are more important to complete a written exam than to actually ‘learn’ what people in that time were experiencing, and exactly why it could be important for us to know someday, like cursive writing and long division.
The point that your comment made for me is that, up until that time, there hadn’t been a TEACHER who motivated me to focus my CAPACITY TO LEARN a historically “Boring Subject” enough to earn my first A’s in any classroom besides English and study hall, unless we can count nap time and recess as early educational resources I excelled at.
I remembered this comment about your son: “I forgot to give him medicine one day and by 12:00 he told me that he can’t keep his thoughts straight.” That was how I spent about 40 years of my life feeling, except in all that time I could never have expressed that to anyone as coherently as he did to you; that’s intelligent communication, and the attitude and expertise of a truly good teacher recognizes and properly encourages its development.
Good teachers are getting harder to find, mainly because they can’t make a decent living on a current teacher’s salary – I hope this one stays in your son’s life for awhile to come.
Report: My 6 year old (at 50 pounds) started Vyvanse on Dec. 22 – starting at 10mg – half the lowest dose available. He has done Ok on the 10mg although he loses appetite for lunch through about 5 or 6pm. Per doctors request, we upped the meds to 20mg after one week. Since then, he has been sad, feels alone, lashes out with aggression and anger, says he feels terrible, his neck hurts after each morning dose, his “brain feels funny”, he has ringing in the ears, and he asked me what was wrong with him. I finally had to sit down and tell him what was going on in kid terms and explain to him that we were trying to find help for his ADHD and behavior issues. Since he feels so bad, he is reluctant to take the meds and now has even asked if the meds could be making him feel so terrible. I spoke with our pediatrician who immediately said that these were not good signs and to take him back down to 10mg and see if this dose would make a difference at school. I am frustrated that this has not gone better, but expected that we might have to try a couple of different meds before we found the right one. Does anyone have experience with these side effects? Can you tell me if they subside over time or if you moved on to a different medicine? We are going to give it a good week or so at school to see how he does and then make a decision. Also, has anyone tried any of the magnesium or zinc supplements on the market. I have recently read that 95% of ADHD kids have a deficiency in magnesium. Thoughts?
Audrey, my first reaction after reading your post. Stop the meds. We had similar reactions when my son took Focalin. He was only on a 5 mg dose and it made him more aggressive and moody. Our doctor told us to stopt he meds and to switch to another medication. We had side effects with every medication Focalin, Adderall, Concerta and Intuniv. It wasn’t until we tried Vyvanse did we see a positive response. My doctor after the first drug didn’t work recommend that we go to a pyschiatrist. She told us that she thinks my son might need a little cocktail. A little bit of this and a lttle bit of that. She was right. It has been 5 months and we are still making adjustments. My doctor told us that after 3 days if something isn’t working to stop it completely. I do know that the intuniv made my son tired at first but after a week it did subside. I wish you luck. Go with you gut reaction. If you don’t like what the doctor is saying switch. It is like the meds once you get the right doctor and the right meds it is a different world.
Thanks, Kris! I sure do appreciate your experience and feedback. He is doing much better today on the 10mg. I do not know how this will help at school. If he has little side effects but his behavior at school is no better, then we will need to try something else. I am still looking at other options. I will follow up in a week or two.