Myths surrounding Vyvanse/ Personal experience

[UCLAmoonwalker]

Greetings my fellow ADDers!

After being on Adderall for 3 years I wanted a less aggressive stimulant med to treat my ADD so I turned to Vyvanse. And I know that there are tons of review posts on this forum related to each individuals personal experience. However, If you're like me whenever your meds feel a little off you immediately log on to this board for answers/insight on how to correct your dosage. And for those of you exploring which ADD med fits best for you and are contemplating Vyvanse here are my conclusions after 3 years of responsible/realistic/ journaled use.

1. Taking Vyvanse without a booster will ultimately lead to debilitating come downs:

After playing around with doses ranging from 50-70 mg. I can assert that despite eating a high protein diet, getting adequate sleep, being well-hydrated, taking fish-oil/magnesium/b-12 daily, and exercising I had NO LUCK avoiding vicious come downs after about 4-5 months of use.

The only consistency I was able to achieve was by adding a 10 MG IR adderall while reducing the 70 MG Vyvanse (which had the most severe side effects) with a 60 MG + a 10 MG IR taken in the afternoon.

I highly recommend the IR booster because, (A) it combats the come down, and (B) most importantly it is more reliable than the Vyvanse. So if you take your Vyvanse and notice that for whatever reason it is not having the intended effect it had yesterday your day is not lost because the IR Adderall at least for myself will remain consistent.

2. Vyvanse and Sex
Vyvanse had crippling effects on sex-drive.

3. Vyvanse and Speech
This is probably the side effect that I feel Vyvanse holds exclusive to adderall is its effect on speech. No matter what dosage I tried Vyvanse has a strange impact on how smoothly words came out of my mouth. Having just graduated college as an English/ Film major (UCLA Go Bruins!) being able to effectively communicate for me is essential; however, Vyvanse significantly hindered my speech. Whether it be random awkward phrasing, stuttering, or just a desire not to speak and remain silent in situations where I would never voluntarily do so were very common. Additionally, unlike my experience with XR, with Vyvanse you almost get into this bad habbit of filtering your thoughts before talking--leading to an unnatural way of speaking filled with hesitation.

4. Vyvanse and avoiding communication

At all doses on Vyvanse, I felt less inclined to engage in social interaction. Whether it be noticing a casual acquaintance or receiving a call and choosing not to answer. On Vyvanse these became habits that I willed myself to break.

5. Vyvanse and Hair Loss
When I started back on Vyvanse my hair became thin, and honestly I started to loose my hair (26 year old man), and days after I stopped taking it I had a thick head of hair again.


Final Take on Vyvanse

Conclusively, my only incentive to post my results with Vyvanse are because I wish that I could have read a post like this when searching for answers on how to "prevent tolerance" or to "help with the Vyvanse crash", because if you're like me you think "alright, i'll change my vyvanse dose until I find the one that works best, i'll take chelated Magnesium, fish oil, 5 htp, L-Tyrosine, B-12, L- theanine etc., I'll sleep 10 hours a night, exercise, eat a high protein diet, read self-help books, read affirmations. etc... until you are back at square one. Now, I am back on Adderall XR 25 MG with a 10 MG booster taken as needed. Unlike the Vyvanse where I had to take the booster everyday, I can easily avoid the 10 mg of adderall if I need to. I will NEVER allow my mind to present such thoughts as "maybe Vyvanse will be different this time" or "i'm in a better position in my life to have success with Vyvanse".

My advice: Avoid Vyvanse at all cost without a booster and ideally find another med. Because, Vyvanse ultimately doesn't cooperate with your schedule and you'll have days where you need it to come through (interviews, presentations, social events, performances) and it will be a no show. I've never had issues with XR or Ritalin, and I won't pretend to be an expert in the medical field or chemistry, but I have to believe that the "pro-drug" element featured in Vyvanse renderes it useless, and feel strongly that in 20 years Vyvanse will be looked at as a huge failed experiment (obviously not financially). I am ecstatic for those of you experiencing prolonged success on Vyvanse and hope that it continues. However, for those who are frustrated with it because of your initial success with Vyvanse and are trying to "make it work" by taking the initiative to incorporate many of the "solutions" that have been recommended with Vyvanse do yourself a favor and just switch to a different medication. Whether it be pressure to continue Vyvanse by your pdoc or family, you are the one that ultimately benefits/suffers, so you should determine what is best for you.

Good Luck and fire away with any questions. As someone who has been one ADHD meds for 10 years and has had tremendous success directly related to treatment, I feel strongly that my personal experience could be valuable to some.

[AronP24]

This is a great post. Thanks for sharing your experience. So many of those things have hit home with me as well over the 3 years I've been on Vyvanse. I need a way out soon.
THe hair thing is SO SO SO true, as well as the speaking in gibberish and or not speaking at all. Some say it's because the brain is working faster than the mouth can process what it is trying to say, however it feels, at times, there is absolutely nothing but grey fog to process. I just go completely blank or sound like I'm having a mild stroke.
At first, much like early Shire adderall, this was great..but now it's miserable.
I also get burning red hot ears when "coming down" in the afternoons/evenings which has led to the need for a drink or 4 to "level out" ,,,
These amphetamines are a slippery slope and I'm afraid we will all look back in a decade or so and say, to quote Gob Bluth, "I've made a huge mistake."

[kimical]

The only one of these I have is the come down. I'm glad my hair hasn't changed. For some reason I feel like vyvanse helps me communicate better. I don't know if I would want another medication :/ I guess I'm one of the people it has helped.

[Miss Steph]

I do not have a "crash" with vyvanse but after 12 it starts to wane and by 2 it's not working anymore (I take it at 7:30 AM). My dr recently upped my dose to 50 mg and I am still experiencing the same issues. I know my GP is very cautious about prescribing instant release because I live in a college town with a high rate of abuse. Having said that, I hope my GP will work with me to get a regimen that is effective all day. I have really thick hair and have not noticed any thinning.

When I read the info on vyvanse it states that no matter what dose you are on, the peak is at 3.5 hours. Increasing the dose doesn't increase the peak time, so what you are saying makes complete sense. Thanks for the post!!

[lk44]

I think each of these side effects/issues is based off your personal experience and not generalizable to others. I've had none of these issues, for instance.

[ADDarren]

My doc switched my dose to 1 30mg, twice a day. Take first one at 7:00am, take second at around noon. I find that taking them right before eating helps. I get fairly good coverage now.

[dougpoop]

yeah so I have an appointment in a few days and I want to ask for adderall IR prescribed PRN - as it's needed - or something like that... I've been in a sweet spot with the 60mg since around January, but I'm starting to notice comedowns later on in the day ... :\
I definitely feel ... not cloudy like I am without meds, but I just don't really feel different... On Adderall (XR), I felt easily angered.
Vyvanse helped me talk to people kinda... in the way that I could stop the ADHD-related procrastination of social interaction... but not completely so I wanna see if I can ask my doctor about if I really do have SAD.... but that would lead to a journey of bouncing back and forth between psychologist and back to the doctor again...

[Lizzie80]

You are SOOOO on point about Vyvanse, it's not even funny. When this med works (for 3-4 hours a day, IF I got lucky that day), it's great. Then it dies, leaving me so irritated and even more fatigued than before. I don't expect any medicine to leave me fired up to go paint whole rooms in house for twelve hours a day. I would like to get through a normal 8-hour workday without wanting to throttle people I normally like as my Vyvanse dose is dying with a capital D. You are absolutely correct about the anti-social aspect. I'm in my thirties. I haven't spent this much time alone in my bedroom, thoroughly annoyed by even the presence of other people, since my mid-teens. Not good. "Consistently Vyvanse", as the ads say, MY FOOT. The only thing consistent with this medicine is the high price. I have had my dosed up twice. Nada. Within a couple of days of taking the new dosage, I'm back to square one. And while I'd gladly settle for a few hours of energy in the evening instead of the a.m., because of Vyvanse's MO, I just get a few hours of focus + a whole night of insomnia. I'd go for the IR booster in a heartbeat, but my doctor will not prescribe them to anyone he sees, no exceptions.

[sarahsweets]

Is there any chance you would consider seeing another doctor for a second opinion? Your doctor doesnt know much about adhd if he/she wont consider and IR booster.

Originally Posted by Lizzie80

You are SOOOO on point about Vyvanse, it's not even funny. When this med works (for 3-4 hours a day, IF I got lucky that day), it's great. Then it dies, leaving me so irritated and even more fatigued than before. I don't expect any medicine to leave me fired up to go paint whole rooms in house for twelve hours a day. I would like to get through a normal 8-hour workday without wanting to throttle people I normally like as my Vyvanse dose is dying with a capital D. You are absolutely correct about the anti-social aspect. I'm in my thirties. I haven't spent this much time alone in my bedroom, thoroughly annoyed by even the presence of other people, since my mid-teens. Not good. "Consistently Vyvanse", as the ads say, MY FOOT. The only thing consistent with this medicine is the high price. I have had my dosed up twice. Nada. Within a couple of days of taking the new dosage, I'm back to square one. And while I'd gladly settle for a few hours of energy in the evening instead of the a.m., because of Vyvanse's MO, I just get a few hours of focus + a whole night of insomnia. I'd go for the IR booster in a heartbeat, but my doctor will not prescribe them to anyone he sees, no exceptions.

[Lizzie80]

I'd love to see another doctor for the ADD stuff, but I'm uninsuraned and a seriously broke college student right now. I'd pay for it OOP if I could afford to see a pdoc w/o insurance. It is on my to-do list to see an adult-ADD-savvy pdoc whenever I get insured again. That said, Shire really needs to stop pretending that Vyvanse, even at a proper dose, works just peachy for 12 hours or more every day for all. That is a marketing ploy, NOT reality for a good percentage of us.

And most people really need ADD managed for 16-18 hours a day, to deal with a work commute, a full-time job or college schedule + a part- or full-time job, and/or raising a family. I'm not talking just physical energy, but having a clear head. I don't have kids, but I care for my disabled mother by myself. I work part-time, I'm in college full-time, and the household work of cooking, cleaning and organizing all falls on me. Snd even 12 hours of ADD management falls short for me. And I don't mean physically, I mean in terms of being able to think clearly and not get overwhelmed by my racing mind. I cannot imagine how hard this is for moms with small children or people with very demanding jobs. I REALLY feel for them. This world is tough, and ADD makes it tougher.