I used to take Adderall 10mg x2/day and now have been taking Vyvanse 30mg 1/day. It seems to me like every few hours I can feel it wearing off.. My foot starts tapping by itself and I start to notice the squirrels out my window. I'm wondering if I should be on a higher dose or what. Since it is so new my dr doesn't really seem to know much about it. She said we could try taking one in the morning and then half of one a few hours later. I"m not sure if that will help but I am going to try it tomorrow.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Adderall 10mg 2x/day = 20mg Adderall XR daily = 50mg Vyvanse Daily Recommended dosages... according to PDR's (Which I personally don't go by) you're on too low of a dose anyway but that might help.

what is PDR's?

Adderall 10mg 2x/day = 20mg Adderall XR daily = 50mg Vyvanse Daily Recommended dosages... according to PDR's (Which I personally don't go by) you're on too low of a dose anyway but that might help.

PDR is physican desk reference. It has information about medications that doctors, pharmacist, etc. use for drug information. Your dose of Vyvanse sounds low. Before your doctor has you take it twice a day- which is probably not necessary, ask him to titrate you up to find your effective dose.

Wendy, my 7 yr-old is taking 30 mg once a day and he weighs 70 pounds. If you're a grown woman of average weight/height then I'll bet your dosage is too low. This drug is primarily marketed for 6-12 yr-old kids. You'd probably benefit from a 50 or 70 mg dose.

(I thought about asking how much you weigh but boy, that would've been tacky!)

hehe! See, I was thinking my dose was kinda low too, because I have a 9 year old daughter who is taking it as well. We both started last week and are on the same doses but from different doctors. I totally weigh like twice or more what she does LOL! I'm thinking the 50mg will probably do good for me.

Wendy, my 7 yr-old is taking 30 mg once a day and he weighs 70 pounds. If you're a grown woman of average weight/height then I'll bet your dosage is too low. This drug is primarily marketed for 6-12 yr-old kids. You'd probably benefit from a 50 or 70 mg dose.

(I thought about asking how much you weigh but boy, that would've been tacky!)

I took Adderall 10mg x2/day earlier this year and it improved things until mid afternoon. I never experimented with a higher dose, or XR, but I felt like it might have helped and given me more hours.

I have been on Vyvanse 30mg 1/day for 1 week and it's not helping nearly as much as the Adderall did. For a few hours in the morning, I feel like my brain is "clearer", but I don't have the increased ability to focus or concentrate, like I had on the Adderall. By lunch, it's pretty much gone.

My dr. mentioned starting Vyvanse at 30mg and moving to 60mg if I needed to, so I hope that is what he does next month. He is reluctant to prescribe the Adderall unless you need it for insurance reasons, b/c he says it has a "kick", whereas Vyvanse does not. I never experienced any "kick" at all, so if Vyvanse at 60mg doesn't help, I'd love to go back to Adderall and even experiment with 30mg or more.

I am cautious about going any higher than necessary in case it could cause "tolerance" sooner than it would have.

I take dexedrine which is close to both but I read somewhere that the 10 mg dexedrine spansule was roughly the same equivalency to 25 mg of vyvanse, can't exactly say it's fact since it was on wikipedia for lisdexamfetamine but I know I read that and 10 mg of dexedrine is worthless

That "Focus and Concentration" you're talking about that adderall gave you, also happens to me on adderall where as on any dexamphetamine compounds it does not. I think you'll find that you have a better mood response on Vyvanse but not quite the same help as far as focus and being able to concentrate on task as you did from Adderall. Vyvanse to me also felt like you describe, cleared my head and made me feel like doing task that needed to be completed but at the same time I would have to stop and remind myself of what it was I was going to do. (50mg, 70mg, and 120mg [the right dose for me]).

That "Focus and Concentration" you're talking about that adderall gave you, also happens to me on adderall where as on any dexamphetamine compounds it does not. I think you'll find that you have a better mood response on Vyvanse but not quite the same help as far as focus and being able to concentrate on task as you did from Adderall. Vyvanse to me also felt like you describe, cleared my head and made me feel like doing task that needed to be completed but at the same time I would have to stop and remind myself of what it was I was going to do. (50mg, 70mg, and 120mg [the right dose for me]).That's exactly it. My mood is much lighter than usual on Vyvanse - not irritable, in a good mood, not so many negative thoughts. Certainly not "elation", but just "everything's cool" (although even that wears off a bit after lunch). When I try and do my complicated tasks at work which require thinking and remembering and solving, I have zero improvement.

I had thought Adderall and Vyvanse were mostly the same thing, but I guess not. I'm willing to be patient and stay on the 30 for now, but I don't think it's going to be much different the rest of the month.

When I took the Adderall for a month, it was amazing the productivity I had every day, starting on the very first day. I completed more work at work in one month that I had over the last 6 months.

Due to taking Adderall 10mg at 6am, and 10mg at 10am, I had little improvement at home after 3pm, which would have been nice. I could tell the 20mg of Adderall weren't enough, so I was hoping he would put me on that and experiment with 30, 40 or more if needed.

I feel like they are suspicious of you if you ask for higher doses, so I don't plan to ask for more, but to just describe what I experienced and let him decide.

If higher doses of Vyvanse doesn't give me that concentration, I will ask about switching to Adderall.

My dr. mentioned starting Vyvanse at 30mg and moving to 60mg if I needed to, so I hope that is what he does next month.If 30mg is not working call the doctors office and talk to either the doctor or their nurse about going to the next higher dose. It is pointless for you to wait till your appointment if it's not till next month. I can almost guarentee they will say to take two 30mg instead of one. If this works good, then all is good. If it is too strong, then they will probably try 50mg. Be proactive in your treatment and good results will surely happen.

If 30mg is not working call the doctors office and talk to either the doctor or their nurse about going to the next higher dose. It is pointless for you to wait till your appointment if it's not till next month. I can almost guarentee they will say to take two 30mg instead of one. If this works good, then all is good. If it is too strong, then they will probably try 50mg. Be proactive in your treatment and good results will surely happen.I didn't think that was an option b/c of insurance. I got 30 capsules of 30mg, so that is one month's worth - if the Dr. prescribed an additional 30 caps of 30mg, wouldn't insurance refuse to pay since they already gave me 30 days worth?

I am supposed to call him Monday, so I will mention the 30mg isn't doing very much. I can't imagine 60mg would be too much, since 20mg of Adderall was only good for 6am-2pm, but nothing after that.

I took it today, even tho it was Saturday and I didn't "need" it like I do at work. I felt less effect than I did all week.

If your doctor increases ie. changes your prescription, what you would most likely do is take two instead of one of your 30mg. He will then write you a new prescription (say for example in two weeks instead of 30 days. You are now starting a new 30 day period.

If he gave you the same prescription order that you currently have two weeks early, then you may encounter problems.

watts, as you predicted, today my dr told me to start taking two 30mg each morning, since one just wasn't doing much. It's made me feel very alert, a bit "wired", but I so much prefer that to foggy. I have noticed I am talking a lot (using 4 sentences when 2 are sufficient), so I will need to be aware of not overwhelming people.

I didn't have any difficult work to do today, but I suspect I will have more focus tomorrow on 60mg when I will have complicated tasks to do at work.

I guess the question will be after these are gone, is whether to go to 50mg or 70mg next time, assuming insurance will charge more for 60 capsules of 30mg, than for 30 capsules of the higher doses.

I'm hoping you will be right about insurance being willing to pay for a different prescription in 11 days when I run out.

I took two 30mg today and will see how it works. So far so good today. I have been doing actual work and not playing on the internet as much :)

I have been doing actual work and not playing on the internet as much :)
I chuckle when I read stuff like this, because it sounds like it came from me...

Speaking of which, i should get back to work! :p

watts, as you predicted, today my dr told me to start taking two 30mg each morning, since one just wasn't doing much. It's made me feel very alert, a bit "wired", but I so much prefer that to foggy. I have noticed I am talking a lot (using 4 sentences when 2 are sufficient), so I will need to be aware of not overwhelming people.

I didn't have any difficult work to do today, but I suspect I will have more focus tomorrow on 60mg when I will have complicated tasks to do at work.

I guess the question will be after these are gone, is whether to go to 50mg or 70mg next time, assuming insurance will charge more for 60 capsules of 30mg, than for 30 capsules of the higher doses.

I'm hoping you will be right about insurance being willing to pay for a different prescription in 11 days when I run out.
After you take the 60mg for a few days or when you need the refill, as you get used to the dose (60MG), going up to the 70MG might be a good option- maybe the ideal dose? Simplicity and cost- taking only one pill and 30 instead of 60.

Definitely keep us updated on how things are going.

After you take the 60mg for a few days or when you need the refill, as you get used to the dose (60MG), going up to the 70MG might be a good option- maybe the ideal dose? Simplicity and cost- taking only one pill and 30 instead of 60.

Definitely keep us updated on how things are going.As you may have seen in my other posts, the 60mg is not much help either. I will continue until Monday and then see what the Dr. wants me to do.

After 1 week of Vyvanse at 30mg, and then 1 week at 60mg, I told my psych that 60mg didn't seem to be helping much better with focus and concentration. I told him it did help with 2 things:

lighter mood - no depression over not getting things done (kind of ironic that I'm still not accomplishing much, just don't feel down about it)
more regulated sleep at night with less tiredness in the afternoon
He sounded surprised that I slept better at night, maybe because insomnia is a common side effect of Vyvanse? My theory is that 60mg was keeping me alert in the afternoons, which meant no naps, was wearing off completely by 6pm, and hence great sleep from 9pm-5am.

He said we could go to 70mg, but he doubted it would be that much of an improvement over 60mg. I was hoping to stay with Vyvanse and maybe try 90mg, and if that was too much, experiment with 70 or 80 (if 80 is even allowed from combining a 30 and a 50).

But - he suggested switching to Focalin XR 10mg for a few days, and then 20mg if 10 wasn't doing anything.

I hate leaving one drug without finding the "too high" dosage and then stepping down, but I will follow his lead. Just read a bit on Focalin XR and not lasting long enough seemed to be an issue for both XR and IR.

When I tried Adderall last year for a month, it worked great, but only for 4 hours for each 10mg (took 2 doses a day). I really liked that at least the Vyvanse was lasting a full 12 hrs, although I wish I could have seen that intense, easy to focus ability, I experienced on the Adderall.

My dr wants to avoid Adderall if possible b/c he said it gives a "kick" that people get addicted to (although I don't ever recall a "kick" feeling on Adderall), and of course, the black market abuse factor seems to be a concern for dr's now.

If none of these drugs end up giving me the focus, and he won't prescribe Adderall, I will ask to try 70mg Vyvanse, as just the affect on mood and sleep is an amazing improvement after 15-20 years of living with that.

I wonder if I should try 60mg Vyvanse for longer and use the better mood to try harder to concentrate, instead of looking for the auto-focus that Adderall gave me.

The Vyvanse did eliminate static, fogginess and the running sound track in my head which for me is why I feel my mood is "lighter". I wasn't stuck on negative and useless thoughts which went round and round all day and that was really nice.

I really don't understand why he wouldn't just up the Vyvanse if you're having some positive effects, just not enough. Why on earth would you just yank off of that one and start another one without giving this one a fair shot? Seems ridiculous to me.

Then again, I think it's ridiculous to take you off the Adderall that was working rather than just adding a third 10mg dose to get you through the afternoon.

*shrug*

If you're comfortable with this then go for it. Personally, I think I'd try to stay on the Vyvanse and find a new doc to help you find the right dose for you on that and if it doesn't ever get to a place you feel is good for you, try the Adderall again with an afternoon booster. Makes perfect sense to me, but hey, I'm no doctor. :P

I'd fire your doc if he still doesn't want to work with you on your suggestions. Seeing a shrink each month gets kinda expensive doesn't it? (unless your insurance covers the appointments). You could find another doc that can handle ADHD that is easier to work with. I goto a Neurologist.

1. Your thoughts on Vyvnase are right on! Perfectly reasonable and logical to move to 70mg and if that doesn't work maybe go to 90mg (3x30mg) then to 100mg(2x50mg) and so on. Don't allow your doc to switch you off Vyvanse if you feel it works for you.

2. He doesn't like Adderall because of the 'kick-in high' it gives? Ummm, got news for this doctor but any stimulant can and will do that for someone taking it for the wrong purpose. Just for ****s and giggles ask him to try Desoxyn. hehehe (wait...don't do that...don't want you getting in trouble for joking with him).
The 'auto-focus' you mention from Adderall is what I like to call the 'kick-in-the-butt' effect. That is the portion of Adderall (l-amphetamine) that works on norephinephrine and is responsible for motivation while the other portion (d-amphetamine ie. Dexedrine, Vyvnase) gives the focus benefits.

3. Focalin XR is a great med. It's the only methlyphenidate med that worked for me when I tried it. I don't like it's release profile though since you get 2 very distinctive and noticeable peaks with each pill. Lasted about 5-6 hours for me. Smooth and steady is what I like and so far Vyvanse is the best in my opinion.

Check out this link from the askdrjones website. Also, check out the entire ADHD portion of his site. Great info

http://tinyurl.com/262bkw

Good Luck
J

Kit Kat,

I'm not sure how long you have been on the Vyvanse, I have just started on it, too, 50mg. I talked to my Dr. last week because I was having some pretty severe headaches in the afternoon, that has since subsided. She said the Vyvanse rep told her that you need to give the medication a good two weeks to get used to it. I have been on it almost two weeks and can say it has definitely gotten better. I have also given up coffee, (not an easy thing for me) and have switched to decaf, even the smallest amount of caffeine totally changes the feel of the medication, makes me anxious, and makes my blood pressure high. Now if I can just get my focus on the things I really NEED to do instead of what I really WANT to do, I think it will be a good fit for me.

I have taken Focalin XR, could burn through that in about 4-5 hours, no matter the dose and then moved to Concerta, which definitely lasted longer, I got 10-12 hours out of that but I found myself way to anxious after 3 months on it, not to mention food tastes bad to begin with on it, kind of metallic, that could just be me though. The Vyvanse is much more natural feeling now that I have gotten used to it, and seems to last throughout the day and into the evening, so much so, that I take it by 6:30 am just so it won't affect my sleep. And yes, it has definitely helped my mood, an added an unexpected bonus.....

Keep us informed on your progress, I hope you can find the right dose.....

I'd fire your doc if he still doesn't want to work with you on your suggestions. Seeing a shrink each month gets kinda expensive doesn't it? (unless your insurance covers the appointments). You could find another doc that can handle ADHD that is easier to work with. I goto a Neurologist.

1. Your thoughts on Vyvnase are right on! Perfectly reasonable and logical to move to 70mg and if that doesn't work maybe go to 90mg (3x30mg) then to 100mg(2x50mg) and so on. Don't allow your doc to switch you off Vyvanse if you feel it works for you.

2. He doesn't like Adderall because of the 'kick-in high' it gives? Ummm, got news for this doctor but any stimulant can and will do that for someone taking it for the wrong purpose. Just for ****s and giggles ask him to try Desoxyn. hehehe (wait...don't do that...don't want you getting in trouble for joking with him).
The 'auto-focus' you mention from Adderall is what I like to call the 'kick-in-the-butt' effect. That is the portion of Adderall (l-amphetamine) that works on norephinephrine and is responsible for motivation while the other portion (d-amphetamine ie. Dexedrine, Vyvnase) gives the focus benefits.

3. Focalin XR is a great med. It's the only methlyphenidate med that worked for me when I tried it. I don't like it's release profile though since you get 2 very distinctive and noticeable peaks with each pill. Lasted about 5-6 hours for me. Smooth and steady is what I like and so far Vyvanse is the best in my opinion.

Check out this link from the askdrjones website. Also, check out the entire ADHD portion of his site. Great info

http://tinyurl.com/262bkw

Good Luck
J

Guess that explains why I do better on Adderall XR when I have classes. I love Vyvanse vs adderall, last the full day and feels so smoothe and no nasty emotional side effects. I was on 100mg QD but I had to switch back to Adderall XR 30mg QD because I couldn't remember chemistry formulas or remember stuff that I had studied for when it came to school ... I also felt motivated to work hard but not school work? It sucks because the adderall doesn't last me the entire day like Vyvanse did and I generally crash around noon to 2 PM if I take it at 6 AM ... I'm considering asking him for a 2nd XR to take in the afternoon. Maybe I can switch back and forth between Vyvanse/Adderall depending on if I have classes or not?

I'm 22 and a college senior and I've been on Vyvanse now since...June I think and it's been wonderful. I was first diagnosed last October and tried 7 different meds before trying (and succeeding) with Vyvanse. I started with 45mg/day of Adderall, but ended up in the ER with side effects (heart issues), then Wellbutrin (worthless for me), Focalin, Dexedrine, Daytrana patch, Concerta, and then Ritalin. Each of those either didn't work, didn't work long enough to be worth it, etc. I especially needed a med that could work during the day for when I was in class and also at night when I had to study. The big problem I had with the other stimulants was getting a high enough dose to work. I'm on 70mg of Vyvanse, taken in the morning with breakfast, and it lasts all day and I've had absolutely no side effects (except insomnia when I take it too late in the morning). In fact, I have to be careful about when I take it - I make a point of not taking it after 9 or 9:30 if I want to sleep that night. My focus is so much better. I can focus on the things I have to read for class, I can focus during class, and I can focus better when I'm simply talking or writing, etc. At my first counseling appointment after going on Vyvanse, my counselor could tell it was working because I was fully dealing with one topic before going to another, instead of the hallmark trait of getting sidetracked halfway through a topic and then going back to that topic later.

And just to note, during this process of ending up on the Vyvanse, I've also ended up on 10mg of Prozac, as we discovered the depression I'd had wasn't due to the frustrations, etc of the untreated ADD, but rather a problem on its own.

this happened to me too!! after about a month, it just like stopped working. i still felt the side effects though. i hate how i am building some sort of tolerance to it.