I am new here and have been reading all the threads on vyvanse.....
In a nut shell- I was diagnosed w/ adhd at 12 yrs old, I am now 37. My parents never medicated me (back then was only ritalin) they were frearful of stimulants. Instead, they hired a tutor for me and kept me very busy w/ lots of activities. Went to college still no meds.

Fast forward..... I am married with 2 boys 6 and 8. Adhd has always been a part of my life but it got out of hand after my 2nd child was born and I was still fearful of stimulants (due to my parents putting it in my head). Instead my pdoc put me on 50mg. zoloft and 200 lamictal. All this did was take the edge off of the "side effects" of my adhd but did not touch the primary problem. I have been on these meds for 2 yrs w/ only mild help from them.

The constant chatter in my head, hyperfocusing, procrastinating, no memory, no focus, angry, irritated, constant negativity, can't multi task, inability to be an adult or follow thru on anything, can't look people in the eye, don't have patience to talk on the phone, losing friends but don't care because the constant chatter has become my only friend.

What kind of life is this?! I can't live like this, I want to enjoy my children, husband and the little things in life.... I just want to be "normal". SO, I made an apt. w/ the pdoc and said that's it, can't take it any more. Bring on the stimulants!!!! Anything is better then this!

Today: took my first dose of vyvanse 30mg. ( She also gave me a 5mg booster of adderall as needed but did not need it today).

Is this what normal feels like? I have never been happier! I got more accomplished today then I have in many years. Everything about today was beautiful.... I just wanted to hug my kids and tell them how sorry I am for the last few years. Your real mom is here. I am focused and returning phone calls and wanting to socialize and I have not had one bit of chatter. I actually love myself today. It's 8:20pm took it at 8:20am and still feeling fabulous and positive, slight headache but thats it.

Everything I read on here says how everyone loves it the first 2 weeks then it's all down hill from there. I don't want this to end. It would be horrible to have a taste of life and then have it taken from you!

Please tell me if any of you have been on vyvanse for 6mos or more and still having a wonderful and productive life. If so what is your schedule with it (what time do you take it, what time does it end, do you add a booster, do you split the dose, b/f breakfast or after etc.) I want to know everything and anything I can do to keep myself where I am right now! Whatever anyone can tell me would be greatly appreciated, you have no idea what I have been thru my whole life. OH and the appetite suppression is great, I didn't focus on food at all today and I did not eat out of boredom just regular meals. Does that go away too? If so this is the worst tease of a med. and should not be available for anyone in "our" situation.

Please help!!!!!

First two months were great...been bad ever since then. The Euphoria of medication has worn off, and I haven't been able to find a med that is consistantly reliable. Some have helped initially, but then after two weeks I start metabolizing them very fast and the XR versions only last about 3 hours...then I start feeling sick until I take another pill. Some would say addiction, but I'm not...I take days off w/ no cravings etc. I actually hate these meds and don't abuse them, sometimes they are like antabuse. But, that is just my story, hopefully yours will be better.

It is wonderful in the beginning. Unfortunately it usually doesn't last. Life with meds is still a lot better than life without though, at least for me.

I have a feeling it differs for everyone. I still feel the euphoria, but it wasn't as mind blowing as when I first started. I think thats a healthy thing, and of course in the initial parts of the medication, you're going to feel a dramatic change, but the pill alone should not be the determinant of the euphoria. The feeling is milder and more controlled, I feel motivated to do things. When I first started there was this wonderful sense of well being, I even wrote some heart felt letters to friends, which I was kind of embarrassed about afterwards haha... but in any case it made me realize the things in life that mattered, and you can't really forget that. In my experience the longer you take the pill you can still feel the euphoria, but gradually the way to get is is less dependent on the pill, and more dependent on the things you do that make you deserve it. So my advice to you is to fill your life with all the things with all you can, which you couldn't do before taking the pill; so far that has worked very well for me.
Some other practical things I can say are do not eat or drink anything in the morning that has citric acid such as juice or fruits because it destroys the pill and makes its ineffective. Save fruits for the evening time. Also, I'm not sure if this is correct and maybe someone can confirm, but coffee apparently makes the pill more effective, so a small cup in the morning could help. Hope that helped.

I know you don't like these responses, but Vyvanse was a tease for me. I felt just as you described for the first 2-3 weeks. I also had troubles with emotional eating and Vyvanse completely took away the urge to eat in response to negative emotions. After about 3 weeks on the medication, the emotional eating returned, along with everything else. I ended up switching meds, and did a lot better on Dex IR.

The fact is, a lot of people feel that way when they take a stimulant for the first time. Vyvanse was the first ADD medication for me too. If I had tried Adderall first, then Adderall probably would have made me feel that way.

That doesn't mean Vyvanse will turn against you. Many people have great long-term effects from Vyvanse. But if you expect this euphoric miracle feeling to last, you'll likely be disappointed. I wish you luck!

I'm not on vyvanse, but I did want to offer my support anyway :p

Yes the feeling of 'normal' was absolutely fantastic. Just being productive, not struggling so much, etc. etc. I probably was walking on clouds after my first time on meds.

Does that feeling go away? Well, you'll probably be brought down to reality somewhat. Overall you will be more productive on meds than without. That doesn't mean you won't still have your frustrating days, or the fact that it takes you twice as long to get things done. This doesn't mean the meds aren't working by the way. This is ADHD.

Your appetite will come back, but probably not in full force. I know that whenever I'm not taking my medication, I will look for anything and everything to eat. As soon as I take a pill, poof.. my appetite is under control.

Thank you so much for your responses. Today is day 5 on vyvanse and I have an apt with pdoc. today. Day 1- fabulous; day2-took longer to kick in and felt the come down earlier;day 3-only about 6 hrs coverage;day 4-forget this med! the crash was hard, I am married with 2 kids 6 and 8. Evenings are tough enough with homework, practices, dinner, bath bedtime etc. last night was horrible. I was irritable, yelling, so tired, it was worse then I was off meds.

I did not try the adderall booster b/c i did not know what time to take it. I will talk to her today and see what she suggests. I really would not mind trying something else. From everything I have read on here about vyvanse, nothing has been very positive.

I have been taking vyvanse for about a year now and I have been very happy and productive. I am in pure commission sales and it is very important for me to stay focused and positive and vyvanse has been a god-send.

Another 'side-effect' vyvanse has for me is the lack of desire to drink (alcohol). In fact, when I do go out I will drink maybe a (one) beer all night. Also, pre-diagnosed, I used to fall into using drugs to self-medicate. Now, I don't have any desire to use elicit drugs or like I mentioned, even drink alcohol.

I also used to be party animal. Needing to be around people ALL the time. Now, I can occupy my time and enjoy this time very much. Again, this is a new occurance. I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 35 and now am 38. Vyvanse has also made me healthier since stomach acidity does not effect vyvanse. Adderall was a roller-coaster ride. Thank god for vyvanse and insurance, without insurance I would pay $471 every month, after my co-pay I pay $75.

i have the same feeling. i'm beginning my fourth week of strattera. i've decided that today i'm going to just let it be and not let that fear creep up. i'm going to focus on the things i enjoy doing instead of on the "feeling" or the "fear". we'll see. regardless of whether this pink cloud totally disappears, it is comforting for me to know that something is capable of making me feel better. so, if strattera is it, great - if not, on to the next one. i will not give up.