I was just prescribed Vyvance this afternoon from my Dr. I haven't started it yet since they said to wait until the morning to start. I was previously taking Focalin XR 2-15mg in the am and 1- 15mg at noon (because it wore off too soon for me). I was also taking Tenex 1mg as needed for Anxiety up to 3mg if needed a day. I never used 3 in a day...at the most 2mgs.

Anyway.. the Focalin XR had stopped working for me. My pre-med symptoms returned even while taking it. Plus the Tenex made me too sleepy. Sat around being bored and dealing with high anxiety.

So.. my Dr suggested Adderal XR or Vyvance and he said since the Focalin XR wore off too soon for me, that he thought Adderal XR would do the same.. so he suggested we try the Vyvance. He wrote a script for 15 day supply 30 pils of 30mg dosage. Told me to take 1 pill in AM for 2 days.. then take 2 pills in AM for 2 days, and then 3 pills in AM after that to find "The Best Dosage" for me. Then to call them for a refill with the best dosage. I did this with Focalin XR too and worked rather well.

He also switched from Tenex (Guanfacine) to Buspirone for Anxiety. Dosage is 15mg tablet. Take 1/3 tab twice a day for 1 week, then 2/3 tab twice a day for 1 week then up to the whole tab.

Sorry for the long story/background. Does anyone have experience going from Focalin XR to Vyvance? Or been on both Focalin XR and Tenex to what I'm on now?

I'm being hopeful that this med will work better for me. I've only tried Strattera (Horrible results for me) Focalin XR which worked great for 4 months then just stopped working! and will be starting Vyvance either tomorrow or Monday.

I'm not asking this question to sound like abuse or mis-use. But, I was wondering about anyone having experience with taking Vyvance as normal in the morning and drinking alcohol later that night. Every once in awhile I like to have a few drinks and with Focalin XR I was able to take my meds like normal... have the meds wear off like normal and it did not affect me if I chose to have a few drinks. I know you're not "Supposed" to drink while taking meds.. but I am over 21 (well over) and do enjoy a nice cold Beer or two sometimes. :)

Thanks in advance.

But, I was wondering about anyone having experience with taking Vyvance as normal in the morning and drinking alcohol later that night. Every once in awhile I like to have a few drinks and with Focalin XR I was able to take my meds like normal... have the meds wear off like normal and it did not affect me if I chose to have a few drinks. I know you're not "Supposed" to drink while taking meds.. but I am over 21 (well over) and do enjoy a nice cold Beer or two sometimes. :)

Thanks in advance.I just started Vyvanse this week. I have a glass of wine occasionally, but I won't for the first few months I'm on Vyvanse. After that, I may enjoy a glass on a weekend I decide to not take any meds.

Sounds like you got a good doctor. At the smallest dose, be prepared for possibly feeling next to nothing. You might want to do this on the weekend-if you don't work. If you try the 30MG of Saturday or even Sunday and it doesn't do anything, then Monday might be the better day to try 30MG x 2. Something to think about. Please keep us updated b/c I am very curious about this med.

I've taken Focalin XR and I had a negative reaction to it. Made my attention span worse, but then again I don't have adhd. I've taken tenex and I got a rash from it, so I had to stop that one. I've taken buspar (the brand name of buspirone) and I had a bad reaction to that one too. It made me depressed within one week so be sure to monitor youself, because Mom caught on with me and took me to the doctor so that I could be changed meds. Now I'm on Pexeva and doing much better. I would like to try other ADHD drugs to see if they help me but all of them increase my anxiety and irritability levels.

About alcohol...
Coming from an experienced teenager: you can get drunk while taking Vyvanse (or at least I can) without any other real problems.

..Zoloft, however... wasn't good

There is the basic warning that stimulants and alcohol at the same time can be very dangerous. since stimulants have shorter duration its possible to drink far too much and then as the stimulant wears off pass out and die from alcohol overdose. Be extra cautious when mixing the two (1 drink per hour max etc).

Generally alcohol should be avoided while taking stimulants. Both raise dopamine levels and if your dopamine get high often your brain will down regulate dopamine receptors and your med will stop working. Usually this is reversable, but its best to avoid. Switching between amphetamine and methylphenidate when down regulation occurs should work. Some people take drug holidays to prevent this as well.

BobC

I was just prescribed Vyvance this afternoon from my Dr. I haven't started it yet since they said to wait until the morning to start. I was previously taking Focalin XR 2-15mg in the am and 1- 15mg at noon (because it wore off too soon for me). I was also taking Tenex 1mg as needed for Anxiety up to 3mg if needed a day. I never used 3 in a day...at the most 2mgs.

Anyway.. the Focalin XR had stopped working for me. My pre-med symptoms returned even while taking it. Plus the Tenex made me too sleepy. Sat around being bored and dealing with high anxiety.

So.. my Dr suggested Adderal XR or Vyvance and he said since the Focalin XR wore off too soon for me, that he thought Adderal XR would do the same.. so he suggested we try the Vyvance. He wrote a script for 15 day supply 30 pils of 30mg dosage. Told me to take 1 pill in AM for 2 days.. then take 2 pills in AM for 2 days, and then 3 pills in AM after that to find "The Best Dosage" for me. Then to call them for a refill with the best dosage. I did this with Focalin XR too and worked rather well.

He also switched from Tenex (Guanfacine) to Buspirone for Anxiety. Dosage is 15mg tablet. Take 1/3 tab twice a day for 1 week, then 2/3 tab twice a day for 1 week then up to the whole tab.

Sorry for the long story/background. Does anyone have experience going from Focalin XR to Vyvance? Or been on both Focalin XR and Tenex to what I'm on now?

I'm being hopeful that this med will work better for me. I've only tried Strattera (Horrible results for me) Focalin XR which worked great for 4 months then just stopped working! and will be starting Vyvance either tomorrow or Monday.

I'm not asking this question to sound like abuse or mis-use. But, I was wondering about anyone having experience with taking Vyvance as normal in the morning and drinking alcohol later that night. Every once in awhile I like to have a few drinks and with Focalin XR I was able to take my meds like normal... have the meds wear off like normal and it did not affect me if I chose to have a few drinks. I know you're not "Supposed" to drink while taking meds.. but I am over 21 (well over) and do enjoy a nice cold Beer or two sometimes. :)

Thanks in advance.
I drank beer and wine, but please stay away from liquor (only 1 drink then). I am 31 and I drank beer every day for 2 years on my meds until I came clean with my doctor. I gained 40 pounds due to drinking because of every day drinking to help calm me down, and aged quite a bit in my face due to alchol. I drink once a while now, and have been the past 2 yrs. and finally lost all my weight. I found I was more dilussional, and depressed with a horrible attitude toward others. Finally, I feel good.

I was just prescribed Vyvance this afternoon from my Dr. I haven't started it yet since they said to wait until the morning to start. I was previously taking Focalin XR 2-15mg in the am and 1- 15mg at noon (because it wore off too soon for me). I was also taking Tenex 1mg as needed for Anxiety up to 3mg if needed a day. I never used 3 in a day...at the most 2mgs.

Anyway.. the Focalin XR had stopped working for me. My pre-med symptoms returned even while taking it. Plus the Tenex made me too sleepy. Sat around being bored and dealing with high anxiety.

So.. my Dr suggested Adderal XR or Vyvance and he said since the Focalin XR wore off too soon for me, that he thought Adderal XR would do the same.. so he suggested we try the Vyvance. He wrote a script for 15 day supply 30 pils of 30mg dosage. Told me to take 1 pill in AM for 2 days.. then take 2 pills in AM for 2 days, and then 3 pills in AM after that to find "The Best Dosage" for me. Then to call them for a refill with the best dosage. I did this with Focalin XR too and worked rather well.

He also switched from Tenex (Guanfacine) to Buspirone for Anxiety. Dosage is 15mg tablet. Take 1/3 tab twice a day for 1 week, then 2/3 tab twice a day for 1 week then up to the whole tab.

Sorry for the long story/background. Does anyone have experience going from Focalin XR to Vyvance? Or been on both Focalin XR and Tenex to what I'm on now?

I'm being hopeful that this med will work better for me. I've only tried Strattera (Horrible results for me) Focalin XR which worked great for 4 months then just stopped working! and will be starting Vyvance either tomorrow or Monday.

I'm not asking this question to sound like abuse or mis-use. But, I was wondering about anyone having experience with taking Vyvance as normal in the morning and drinking alcohol later that night. Every once in awhile I like to have a few drinks and with Focalin XR I was able to take my meds like normal... have the meds wear off like normal and it did not affect me if I chose to have a few drinks. I know you're not "Supposed" to drink while taking meds.. but I am over 21 (well over) and do enjoy a nice cold Beer or two sometimes. :)

Thanks in advance.


I hope the Vyvanse works for you. Although I hope you don't have high expectations for it because It seems to fall short from most of the experiences I've read with people taking it and my personal experience. I had the same issue with my meds not lasting long enough. I tried adderall xr and it lasted 4 hours or so, Vyvanse lasted 5 hours or so, now Ritalin LA and it last 6-8 or so. Vyvanse has a unique digestion release mechanism that differs from all the other medications which seems to work well for some and not so well for others.

My advice would be that since you're just starting out with this med, don't drink for a few weeks or so. Especially since your doctor is letting you up your dose as needed within days. That is a bit surprising to me, but just be careful. When I first started on Vyvanse (40mg/day, extended release) I had this really scary side effect with heart palpitations and tightness in the chest. It wasn't pleasant. So just be careful with increasing, I would actually try to give it a week before taking 2 a day. Hope this helps!