Vyvanse for kids...questions

[Amanda1212]

My 6 1/2 year old daughter has been on 20mg Vyvanse since February. She was on Concerta but the dr changed it due to a huge issue over the holiday (we thought she was having thyroid issues but all is well there).

At first we were thrilled with the outcome. Lately she has been VERY emotional. If you even look at her cross, let along scold her or, God forbid, you tell her no she starts freaking out and crying! She is not just doing this at home but at school too.

We have also noticed that the meds seem to wear off in the evening and she becomes very difficult.

We go to the dr. on 6/1 for a follow up on the meds. Does anyone have a suggestion? Does anyone have a child that takes more than one dose per day, if so how is it going?

Thanks for any advise. Sometime my hubby and I feel overwhelmed!!

[johnnyc00]

I'm not a child but when my 40mg wore off I became really irritable, depressed, and short-tempered. I take 40mg twice a day now and all of those symptoms went away.

[AddaptAbilities]

I never experienced this with Vyvanse, but I definitely did with Ritalin. When it was wearing off I'd get sad and depressed. My understanding is that it's an not uncommon response to stimulants.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, I'd suggest calling her doctor and discussing your concerns before the appointment. There's no need to wait through another couple of difficult weeks.

[bzmom2bne]

My 8 y/o son is going through the same thing! We've had behavior and defiance issues for a few years & he just went on 20mg one month ago. Like you, we were happy w/ the initial changes. But in the same time frame his defiance and backtalking (w/ me) and anger/irritability have gotten worse. We don't want to increase his dose because his appetite is decreased and his body cannot afford to lose weight. I was wondering if this was typical for other kids as well. I agree w/ Addapt and am gonna call the ped to discuss. Good luck!

[Amanda1212]

The last two days she has been great. She had a substitute teacher today, usually a bad day, but got a huge smiley face and very good written on her behavior report. Just gonna hold on until June 1. The more I think the more I do not think 40mg a day is a good thing. Hopefully we can figure out something. Her dr. is amazing and I am sure she will guide us in the right direction.

[sunkist123]

I can't really pass judgement, but I remember when I was a kid like four years old I had extreme ADHD. I would run on trains and jump on people and my parents would always try to keep me down. My therapist would do stuff like buy me toys like little building blocks and cars and play with me in her office to learn about me. I am taking Vyvanse now at age 24, and have previously been on Adderall for about a year, but I am glad I did not take any of these as a child. I look back and enjoy memories of my wild ways, I would today be a quiet hermit locked in my bedroom if I have been taking this medication since childhood. When it comes to the moody difficult behavior its because the medication crashes at the end of the day. Vitamin C is the best for this, I take a vitamin c pill at night, maybe you should stock up on some orange juice, it cleans the body from whats left when the medication has been fully absorbed. Be careful however, do not drink oj with the med in the morning, the acid in juice kills the meds effectiveness and becomes wasted.

[Amanda1212]

Went to doctor today about her meds. Her heart rate and blood pressure are way up and the doc wants us to get her to a ped cardiologist. We will discuss changing her meds once the cardiologist tests come back.

Anyone else have issues with a high heart rate and bp on Vyvanse?

The doc is also concerned with her being very emotional since starting this med. You so much as look at her cross and she starts crying.

Hopefully we can get into the cardiologist soon.

[tambourine-man]

Originally Posted by johnnyc00

I'm not a child but when my 40mg wore off I became really irritable, depressed, and short-tempered. I take 40mg twice a day now and all of those symptoms went away.

Hey, can you give me more details on how this works for you? I take Vyvanse and Adderall but would have stuck with just Vyvanse had I been able to afford 40mg twice daily. Don't get me wrong, the Adderall brought some added benefits I now greatly appreciate but the Vyvanse was just so smooth and consistent and effortless when it lasted all day (which it only did the first month).
Do you experience any lag? Is it basically just like one Vyvanse pill that really lasts all day? That would be pretty great. I just wish they had Adderall bonded to lysine because I love the delivery system but I need the levo.

[SMarks]

Originally Posted by Amanda1212

Went to doctor today about her meds. Her heart rate and blood pressure are way up and the doc wants us to get her to a ped cardiologist. We will discuss changing her meds once the cardiologist tests come back.

Anyone else have issues with a high heart rate and bp on Vyvanse?

The doc is also concerned with her being very emotional since starting this med. You so much as look at her cross and she starts crying.

Hopefully we can get into the cardiologist soon.

I just went through this with my 17 year-old son. He was having such a positive response from the Vyvance and then came the tightness in his chest and the rapid pulse. Went to the ped. cardiologist and he checked out fine with just a couple of things for us to watch over time (a lot of heart disease in my family,) but he still recommended that we look for an alternative to the Vyvance. We haven't been very successful since then and that has me entertaining the option of going back to Vyvance with either a lower dose cocktail with another med, or maybe making a cocktail with something to lower his pulse rate. When on Vyvance he was a complete 180 degree changed boy for the better. It was amazing the positive effect it had on our entire family. I felt awful that we had to give that up, but my son was getting concerned that he was going to have a heart attack, though the doctor said that it was quite unlikely.

Good luck with your daughter.