I'm newly diagnosed, and my doctor has started me on Vyvanse, 50 mg. I'm on my third day, and I'm struggling with the way this drug seems to interact with my metabolism and its feeders, food and exercise. There are scattered references to this issue throughout the forum, but I wanted to seek your collective wisdom in one place.

Basically, I've never paid as much attention to blood sugar as I seem to need to do with Vyvanse. On the first day, I took it after eating a good lunch, bbq with a bagel, and it was astounding. Angels were singing.

I don't mean I had a euphoric surge, only that I was wearing those metaphorical glasses for the first time in my life. I could take short breaks from work to attend to brief phone calls, emails, thoughts, and when those phone calls, emails, and thoughts were over, I could return to work. I'd never experienced anything like that before. I'd taken it at 2, it started working at 4, it started tapering off at 10, and it was largely gone by midnight. (though I couldn't sleep until 2.)

On the second day, I ate a few nuts for breakfast, took the pill, and then forgot to eat for the rest of the day. (In and of itself, that's not unusual: When I'm working in a hyperfocus mode, I often skip food.) It was a disaster. I felt heavy, weighted, my mind was full of a content-less buzz, like white noise turned black. I finally figured out that I should eat something, which took the weight off my mind, but the Vyvanse didn't work at all. I felt, for the duration of the day, like I do after not sleeping: Empty, with flitting, meaningless thoughts.

Today, I ate a good, solid breakfast (with a cup of green tea), waited half an hour, and then I took the pill at 10. Bzzp! The angels were back! But my body had too much energy to sit and work. Instead, I went to the gym, ran a mile (the first time I've managed to run a full mile, non-stop, in my entire life! though I've been working up to it for a while), speed-walked some, did some weights, went back to my desk, and worked beautifully...

until, around 1, when I realized that while I wasn't hungry, my blood sugar wasn't doing so well, and neither was my concentration. I ate lunch, gulped some sugared (herbal) tea to kick-start the blood sugars and in so doing calmed my body, but not my brain. My concentration was a little better than it is without the stimulant, but not very much better, and nowhere close to the level I'd achieved either that morning or on hte first day.

I know that some of each day's variance stems from my body learning how to deal with this new substance and that it will even out over time, but I'd also like to shorten the learning curve as much as possible.

Some of you have mentioned water intake as a complicating factor. I habitually drink 1-2 gallons a day, so I don't think I'm having problems there.

With regard to food, though, I've taken to heart the advice scattered through this forum and vowed to eat well, regardless of hunger. The physician's prescribing sheet indicates that taking the pill after a fatty meal extends the maximum concentration of dextroamphetamine in the blood from 3.8 to 4.7 hours, which bolsters the argument for having a good breakfast, with fat and protein, before taking the pill.

I think that after breakfast, I probably need to eat something every few hours; normally going from 9:30 to 1 without food isn't a problem, but it was a significant one today. And based on both yesterday and today, once my blood sugar crashes, there's no real restoration.

I'm not sure what to make of the gym thing. I know that aerobic exercise temporarily boosts your metabolism; today, rightly or wrongly, I feel like I burned through the drug this morning by exercising as soon as I did after taking it. I think I can avoid the hyperactive body thing by (sigh) abandoning my one measly cup of caffeinated tea in the morning and so I can put off the gym until much later in the day...but do I need to? Could the caffeine and the exercise early in the morning actually change the rate at which I metabolize this drug?

How do you all find that food and exercise impact the efficacy of the Vyvanse?

you drink one to two gallons of water a day?!?! wow. i have what vyvanse does to my weight. i am 15 and have a very good body and i am healthy, etc. i went from 125 to 108 in a week. my metabolism is already very fast and vyvanse speeds it up like crazy, in addition to that i can't eat a thing on it. i dont eat or sleep on it so i am off of it for now until i gain my weight back and get on my sleep pattern. it does motivate me to excersise and do other things though. good luck with it

I've never taken vyvanase, but my doc told me exercising after taking adderall isnt the best thing to do. your hearts already working extra due to the stimulant, and the exercise is just extra strain on it.

I once took a pill and exercised. it was a GREAT workout, but then I felt like CRAP for the rest of the day. I felt sick, was having cold sweats etc... so yeah, that's my 0.02

I haven't tried Vyvanse but I was unable to go to the gym after taking Adderall so I used to get up, eat a little something, go to the gym, then eat a little post gym snack and take my Adderall. Would it be possible for you to make it to the gym before taking your meds?

Luckily, with Dexedrine I don't have a problem going to the gym after taking it (as long as I don't over exert myself) and if anything it seems more effective if I do that in the morning.

Hey Babka,

I don't have any idea about Vyvanse but, one thing I can tell you is, if you are trying something to loose your weight then try only natural thing instead of any diet pills or something else.

"Your metabolism will be slowed down once you start taking diet pills. Instead of making your body getting well, this will stop your hunger making you not to eat that well. Losing weight is good but risking health is not."

<o:p></o:p>

I am currently filing a complaint with the FDA about Vyvanse. I am not sure how other ADD stimulants work, but about a month and a half after starting Vyvanse I became a type 1 diabetic. I tested the blood sugar of one of my co-workers who also has a Vyvanse prescription after he had take his pill and his blood sugar on the first test was 365 mg/dl, and the second time was 445 mg/dl. That is dangerously high. If you take Vyvanse on a continual basis (ie daily) then you are a functional diabetic. I have searched for drug warnings about Vyvanse and increasing your blood sugar but have found nothing. Having dry mouth? Urinating constantly? Irritable? Losing weight? Those are all typical signs of diabetes. Those side effects are why I did not go to the doctor immediately when I began experiencing them because they are the same ones I had while on Vyvanse. I went a month as a diabetic without seeing anyone because I figured that I was having some sort of withdrawal symptoms.

At any rate, whether the Vyvanse had any effect on my becoming diabetic or not (which I am convinced that it did), Shire should list a warning of what it can do to your blood sugar levels. This is not a safe drug to be taken every day. You run the same risks taking Vyvanse every day that a diabetic runs (organ failure, retinopathy, neuropathy, etc). And organs that are not used correctly run the risk of becoming less effective by misuse. So if your pancrease is not secreting enough insulin to bring your blood sugar down then you run a great risk of not being able to regulate your blood sugar in the long run. All together, not a safe drug. Being inattentive and not being able to focus is a much preferable condition to having to inject yourself with insulin several times per day.

Brian, I don't know how diabetes gets started, but the symptoms you listed are due to Vyvanse being an amphetamine.

Amphetamines give you dry mouth, which makes you drink a lot, and that obviously makes you urinate a lot. Stimulants of all kinds can make you irritable, even regular caffeine. I was more irritable on Concerta than I am on Vyvanse. And, of course, if you look at meth or speed addicts, they are also really thin because amphetamines suppress your appetite, and all stimulants can do that, too.

I'm not a doctor obviously, so I have no idea if amphetamines can cause diabetes, I'm just saying you're using a logical fallacy called "cum hoc ergo propter hoc (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cum_hoc)", meaning because you took Vyvanse and you found you had diabetes, you think Vyvanse caused it.

I don't know anything about you or your medical history, so that's all I can say based on the information you've given. The side effects of Vyvanse are common for a lot of ADD meds, though.

babka:

Diet is very important. Meds can't substitute for diet and exercise. You will feel like crap if you don't eat enough during the day, even on meds. Amphetamines can suppress appetite, but it is your responsibility to get enough to eat, even if you have to force yourself. Them's the breaks. The symptoms can wear off after a few weeks though and your appetite can return back to normal.

Also make sure to take Vyvanse early, since it lasts for up to 12 hours or so, making insomnia a lot more likely if you take it late in the day.

couldn't agree more about the effects of food on this medicine, I have to eat every 2-3 hours to get the best results from this medicine

Caffeine is supposed to increase the side effects of this drug and since both are stimulants, it's not the best idea to take them together. I was drinking my regular 1-2 cups a morning when I first started Vyvanse but didn't really like the way I felt with both of them in my body. I usually do a very small cup first thing in the morning and have a good breakfast. I take my meds 1/2 hour to an hour later. I do have coffee in mid afternoon but Vyvanse wears off very early for me and coffee somewhat helps with the afternoon "crash".
It might be better if when you woke up you had a small cup of tea/coffee, had breakfast and went to the gym. After working out, have a snack and take your Vyvanse. By that time you should be ok but I AM NO DOCTOR! so I can't say for sure!
Also, anything acidic is supoosed to counteract it. Gatorade, oj etc.
Hope this helps!

I've been on Vyvanse for 3 weeks now and I'm wondering if your body is adjusting?

I really haven't had too many problems - but I've read a few threads where it took 2+ weeks for people to fully adjust.

I still have dry mouth but I love drinking more water. I eat, but I eat a LOT healthier now. I've lost 5 pounds in 3 weeks because I'm not eating ice cream and candy every day. My biggest adjustment has been my period. Vyvanse didn't seem to work and I was tired and cranky.

As an avid exceriser, who works out 6 six days a week and who eats 6 meals a day, I understand your frustration. You have to realize that a hard work-out will always reduce your energy afterwards, especially for about two hours afterwards. Sometimes, a 10-20 minute nap helps following a workout. The harder the workout, the longer post-recovery period. If you energy levels are lowered during any period, then your concentration will also decrease during this time. Sometimes, Glutamine and Creatine can expediate the 2 hr recovery period. Reguarding your cup of coffee in the morning, anytime you adjust your body to stimulates, when those stimulates wear off, you body will be dependent on that dose for concentration. Thus, if you have overlap in which your vyanse starts mixing with your caff, once your caff wear off you will feel tired unless you adminster the same amount of caff. Doctors who claim one cup day is benefical make a claim that completely impractical because the minute caff wear out of your body your going to need same dose to function at normal levels.



The second thing is food effects your energy levels, postively and negatively. You see, our bodies would prefer us to contantly be fed every 3 hrs but our brains would prefer 6 hr because our body's want to build muscle mass which requires energy for digestation.
Indeed, food enhances cognitive abilities but also after after the body's completed the majority of hte digestation process - 1 hr to 1 1/2.

On the other hand, our brains want to use all energy towards cognitive performance
Why? Whenever you consume a a meal, you body diverts energy to digest the food and this diversion of energy lowers your ability to concentrate. Those bouts of euporia you describe occur because your body is diverting all of its energy to brain power, rather diverting some to your stomach. When you consume another meal, you probably notice the euphoria subsiding and the tiredness kicking in. However, if you choose to eat every six hours or wait until 1 pm to eat, the hunger causes your blood sugar levels to plummet and your concentration to shrink. In summary, eating very often can lower ability to concentrate just as eating too little or less frequenly. Most of the food you eat is digested within the hour but that hour is characterized by tiredness. I would recommend eating every 3-4 hours on a regular basis which seems to be the best balance between keeping your bodying from diverting all its energy to digestation and preventing your glucose levels from dropping. Realize tiredness and lack of concentration will always characterize that first hour. Try to achieve this ration Carbs (50-55%), Proteins (30-35), Fats (15-20), the numbers being contingent on your excerise goals.
have ratbetween Carbs, Proteins and Fats, ideally

After a hardwork, you bodies going to digest food much quicker, so you may notice your hunger returning after a short period. I recommend consuming your largest meal post-work. Some individuals recommend having a small meal, usually a protein shake right after workout then waiting another hour and consuming larger meal. Some bodybuilders eat 8 meals a day, but I have found that causes you body to constantly digest and hence concentration to diminish. Six has been the perfect balance for me when I consider the cognitive performance from feeling fool and tiredness during digestation process. Also, the larger the meal, the more energy needed for digestation. What should you do during this initial hour of tiredness? Sometimes, I have do homework during the digestation process, so I try to read something or study something. To help keep my body awake, I often pace back in forth and usually outside. Having a brightly hit room or standing sunshine during digestation process helps me stay awake. Secondly, You can choose task which don't require alot of concentration such as doing your laundry or washing your dishes

Thanks so much for bumping this thread. This almost precisely sums up the issues I have with an otherwise very effective drug. The crash after dinner kills me. It's weird--also whenever I take a shower at midday I crash really bad and it's ineffective for the rest of the day--I guess it's more of the body devoting energy to temperature regulation? I too have found that those things you mentioned seem to help. But I have to admit Brian's post kind of has me worried. Vyvanse is very effective in combating ADHD, but as someone who has never had serious physical health problems otherwise, the side effects do worry me sometimes, and I always wonder if they're indicative of something more serious.

I've been on add meds since I was 7, so I'm not sure what it's like to have a normal metabolism exactly. But I just went from 74 mg of concerta to I don't know how many miligrams of vyvanse. With concerta it was tough because I go to boarding school and food tastes like garbage on it's own, but the concerta made it awful (I couldn't really tell untill I got off though). It was weird because I'm a teenage girl, but I had a tough time keeping the weight on. However, when I switched to vyvance my metabolism slowed down.... ALOT. Before, because food only tasted good in the morning, I basically ate all my food in the morning and coasted for the rest of the day (My record is eating around 2,500 calories in under 7 min... I take great pride in that), but now, everything tastes amazing! So I guess it's different for every person. That being said, I do believe I was at the legal limit of Concerta before, so it's not exactly comparable.

To the O.P., I've noticed that when I exercise before taking Vyvanse that Vyvanse's effects are less noticeable during the first couple hours and more moderate overall throughout the day. Duration seems to be the same though. Days when I don't exercise (every other day routine) Vyvanse's effects are more apparent, but I get slightly higher anxiety levels. I'm not sure why that is, but it's just what I've noticed over the past year. Maybe you could do some research on exercise's effect on catecholamine levels and maybe interpret some of the info to your situation - I would think that might have something to do with it. Could also be increased metabolism as well.

To Brian56003 - Your symptoms actually match those of an Omega 3 deficiency, but the symptoms for the deficiency match other potential health issues of course, as well. Signs of deficiency include "fatigue, excessive thirst, frequent urination, and dry hair and skin," according to Dr. Andrew Weil, a physician and author that my own doctor recommended to read into.

16-30:1 ratio of Omega 6's to Omega 3's, in extreme cases, are not particularly uncommon in ADHD patients revealed by the study posted below and those patients benefited from Omega 3 supplementation (in rather high amounts might I add, but I'm not confirming their safety in any regard). Typical western diets have a ratio of 10-17:1 omega 6 to omega 3. The natural diet of humans and our ancestors was traditionally 1:1 and 2:1 and most modern institutions recommend at the highest a 4:1 to still be considered healthy. By supplementing with Omega 3's over a period of a few months without adjusting your diet, best case scenario you can get this ratio down to between 15 and 5:1 which is substantially better, but any lower would require adjusting your other food intakes that are high in Omega 6. Lower than a 1:1 ratio (ie.- .7:1) puts you at a substantial risk for stroke and bleeding problems. We still need Omega 6, it's just our modern western diets are significantly unbalanced in their favor.

I'm not saying EFA's are a cure-all - far from it, but in my opinion, I think a lot of disorders and diseases have their origins in nutritional deficiencies.


Check this study out regarding Omega 3's and 6's with ADHD patients:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...1/?tool=pubmed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1971271/?tool=pubmed) <!-- / message --> <!-- sig -->


And this study relating to Omega 3's effect on insulin resistance with diabetic subjects:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1993981/?tool=pmcentrez


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