Dealing with vyvanse side effects

amother

↑ Alyssum

Sun, May 12 2024, 12:23 pm

My son was on vyvanse for years, it definitely helped his learning but his moods were terrible. We switched him to a low dose of Adderall for concentration and guanfacine for impulse control.

amother

↑ Brass ↓

Sun, May 12 2024, 1:04 pm

amother Poinsettia wrote:

I was on this drug as a kid and I highly recommend that parents use it as a last option. It made me into a zombie. I felt like I was wearing an emotional straight jacket. I lost a ton of weight on it and eventually that’s what made me go off of it. I went to the psychiatrist after a year of being on it and I lost 20 pounds in six grade. I went from being 90 pounds to 70 pounds.
Also, I have students who have only done terrible on it. One of my students started taking it and he went from being the main macher by recess, to playing chess by himself in a closet. It’s an extremely strong stimulant and it really should only be used for severe cases of ADHD.

Unfortunately it's one of the only chewable adhd meds.
Anyone knows of other chewable? My son has a very hard time swallowing pills.

amother

Calendula ↓

Sun, May 12 2024, 1:16 pm

My son has been on vyvance for about 3 years. This was the third med he tried. The first gave him ticks and the second made him angry and moody. He started when he was around 6 and took 10 mg. We found that it gave him no side effects. Over the years we have upped his dossage and now he is taking 30. I am planning on continuing giving him a lower dosage because the 30 mg is making him slightly moody and he has trouble falling asleep which he did not have on the lower dosage.
As an adult I also began taking adhd meds sometimes, and the vyvance makes me feel really good and happy. The first med I took was concerta and it made me fall asleep within a half hour of taking it.
Basically, every person is different. What is good for one is not necessarily good for another.

amother

↑ White ↓

Sun, May 12 2024, 1:42 pm

amother Calendula wrote:

I'm currently on Adderall which is ok but my doctor was thinking to switch me to vyvanse because of my BED. Is it that if one is good another one won't be good? I'm nervous but if it can help with the bingeing that would be life-changing.

amother

Forsythia ↓

Sun, May 12 2024, 3:03 pm

I'm on vyvanse. Concerta messed with my mood (when it got to a dose that helped my focus), but vyvanse has had no effect on my mood at all. I don't think one med or another is good or bad. It depends on the person.

I would not stay on a med that was messing with my moods. Nor would I keep my kid on one. I would keep looking, as hard as it is...

amother

↑ Saddlebrown

Sun, May 12 2024, 5:40 pm

amother White wrote:

You never know until you try it. I feel like it's one experiment after another.

amother

Honeysuckle ↓

Sun, May 12 2024, 9:35 pm

amother Brass wrote:

Unfortunately it's one of the only chewable adhd meds.
Anyone knows of other chewable? My son has a very hard time swallowing pills.

Have you tried methylphenidate (the category of Ritalin) in a patch?

amother

↑ Honeysuckle

Sun, May 12 2024, 9:39 pm

DS just stopped taking vyvanse.
It was helping his focus but not letting him fall asleep at night.

We're going to try Xelstrym, an amphetamine patch where you can keep it on through the day and take it off before it starts to affect sleep.

amother

↑ Brass

Sun, May 26 2024, 7:43 am

amother OP wrote:

so BH he is not very tired anymore.
its definetly helping with focus.
the lack of of appetite though is concerning. any tips?

Give him a good breakfast before you give him the medicine.

amother

↑ Calendula

Sun, May 26 2024, 9:13 am

My son son eats cereal every morning before school and has his appetite back by dinner time. My doctor isn't concerned thatbhe doesn't eat the whole day because he eats very well at night. My son is on the shorter side and I'm scared itbis because of the medicine but my doctor doesn't think so.

amother

↑ White

Sun, May 26 2024, 8:22 pm

amother OP wrote:

so BH he is not very tired anymore.
its definetly helping with focus.
the lack of of appetite though is concerning. any tips?

I just started on Vyvanse and I also was exhausted for days. Same as when I started Adderall. I wonder if I'm just really sensitive to stimulants. Today is day 5 and the exhaustion has mostly worn off. I can't tell if it's helping my ADHD yet.
Everyone also told me it's impossible that I'm tired I must be on too high of a dose but it seems this is what my body does.

amother

↑ Forsythia

Sun, May 26 2024, 8:52 pm

amother OP wrote:

so BH he is not very tired anymore.
its definetly helping with focus.
the lack of of appetite though is concerning. any tips?

Yes. Feed him breakfast before he takes it, if possible.

How old is he? If he's old enough to take this the right way, talk to him about how and why it's important than he eat, even if he doesn't feel all that hungry. I am on vyvanse, and I make sure to eat lunch by a certain time every day. I'm not particularly hungry but I know I need to eat or I'll start getting shaky at some point in the afternoon. I don't eat a huge lunch, but I do eat.

Also, maybe encourage him to eat something at dinnertime, but if he's not hungry enough to eat a full dinner, allow him to eat the same food a couple of hours later if his appetite picks up by then.