Anxious/emotional on Vyvanse - CHADD's ADHD Pare...

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Anxious/emotional on Vyvanse

TummaSauce profile image
8 Replies

Hi, everyone. I've never used an online support group like this, but I'm getting desperate. My 7yo has been on Vyvanse for about 8 months. At first, it was like night and day, as far as how much it helped him. He loved it, felt better in his head and his heart, started excelling academically and socially; other than a little loss of appetite and the occasional trouble falling asleep, it was almost perfect. We had noticed a very mild amount of anxiety creeping in, but he still preferred being on the meds and it wasn't at all debilitating. But now, for about the last week, he has been horribly anxious and emotional and weepy, practically all day. Nothing else about his lifestyle or diet has changed, and when he skips the meds on the weekend, he's back to his normal, albeit ADHD self. At this point we're terrified to go back to the way things were pre-meds, but I can't let him feel like this much longer either. Anyone else had this experience with Vyvanse in particular?

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TummaSauce
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8 Replies
malinka40 profile image
malinka40

Hi there, my daughter was around 7yr. old when she started on vyvanse. She is a teenager now but i do remember her having a lot of anxiety at some point and unfortunately as a divorce parent not having her dad around made things a little more difficult because it will take me longer to calm her down, longer talks and more manual activities to distract her mind of whatever fixation or whatever was bothering her which sometime my poor little thing didn't even know what it was. Her therapist recommended stress balls or squeeze toys that she can release stress or any activity that is short and you two can do together if possible, i know sometimes even to get them to do anything takes some convincing but be patient it does go away, be aware if they are learning something new at school, anything new that might be bothering your baby and he/she feels can't handle.

Best of luck and hang in there we can do this :)

AngelamarieQ profile image
AngelamarieQ

This is something you have to be talking with your doctor. Are you seeing a psychiatrist?

Crunchby profile image
Crunchby

Not yet...but I have heard of it happening. There r some great Facebook pages 40k members you should join. I have done searches on the page for various meds, and get some very telling results. You don't have to post yourself, so it's pretty anonymous. ...you can just troll.

ng24 profile image
ng24

My son went through the same thing on Vyvannse. Adderall XR works much better for him. Talk to your dr about the new symptoms. Since it was working before, maybe he is going through something else? Puberty? Good luck

BKuboff profile image
BKuboff

Yes we have. It was the first med we put our son on 2 years ago. We had so much hope. It seemed to work at first, then he started to crash after school. It was horrible he either cried uncontrollably or was so angry at everything and everyone. He had baseball in the evenings and could hardly make it through practice without a meltdown. We talked to his doctors and took him off right away. He’s eleven now and on concerta and intuniv, which seems to be working better. Use your mom intuition and if it seems wrong, it is. Tell your doctor right away, no need for him to suffer. There are tons more options out there as far as meds. If this isn’t working they can try something else that does. Hugs to you 😊 And don’t give up hope!!

reg2018 profile image
reg2018

My boys didn't have a problem with increased anxiety and emotions with vyvanse, but that's the nature of going on medication, the first medication might not be the right fit, because each person is different. Keep trying until you find a medication that will work. Even finding the right dosage is trial and error. I have to pay attention to how vyvanse is working or not working to see if the dose has to be increased because my boys are growing. As they grow their dose has to be increased.

Williamsbhg profile image
Williamsbhg

We’ve been on vyvase for 15 mos with no issues but have had some recent concerns. We made an appointment with our dr to see if his growing spurts are affecting him and different dosage or med. We don’t participate in any activities after 5:00 because it’s too much for him too handle and tiredness effects everyone, especially adhd. Our psychiatrist said not too place him in no-win situations where he can’t succeed and to cautiously approach group sports. We opted for Saturday morning piano lessons when he’s refreshed and the music does him wonders, especially classical. He now plays piano when he gets home and it seems to help him transition from after school to dinner. He’s seven years old.

willandgrace profile image
willandgrace

My son gets sort of irritable from Vyvanse (he's 13). I don't give it to him on weekends, and on Mondays I lower his dosage just a little so that he can ease into it. I also find that he's irritable around 4:00 when it's wearing off. A parent I know gives her child another med after school (for moods) in order to help her son deal with the "crash". It is something to consider for you and your son- Ive heard of parents using a mood medication to help with the anxiety or irritability that comes with ADHD meds. But also, sounds like it's possible Vyvanse may not be best medicine for your son. My daughter has ADHD too, and it took three tries before we found right medication for her (which also turned out to be Vyvanse for her). I think it may not be common to get the right medication first time. It's a frustrating process, and I don't think any medication is perfect- there are always some down sides- But for us, the good outweighs the bad, so we stay with the medication (which is Vyvanse for us).

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