Medicine combination

[Melissanmylittleman]

So today my son seen a new doctor for his meds I'm so confused she just added more meds my question is does anyone else take vyvance and kapvey together in the morning? And more kapvay at night she says it will calm him down but I just don't know I went there just wanting the vyvance lowered because hes barely eating and she lowered it but added more meds which I'm really not happy about I'm just at a loss and confused really thinking about just taking him off everything

[Cjkchamp]

Oh please don’t throw in the towel. If the dr isn’t working with you then you need a new dr. I know where you’re coming from; been there myself. Please try looking into broad spectrum micronutrients and talk about them with your psychiatrist. The two companies are True Hope and Hardy Nutritionals. Keep the faith!

[Elijah1]

Simple answer - Yes, the 2 medications can be used together. They have different ways that they work for ADHD and can complement each other's actions.

[Pennywink]

Hi!

I’d give the new drugs a trial for a few weeks.

Kapvay (clonidine) is a non-stimulant, and works a bit differently than vyvanse. It’s not uncommon to pair a non-stim with a stim, as they can counter each other’s side effects and for some people address different concerns (though stims usually work best, especially for focus, the non-stim can help with impulsivity & hyperactivity and usually has less side effects.) You might even see some weight gain with the Kapvay. I suspect we will go down that road at some point ourselves.

Though it may take up to two weeks for Kapvay to kick in & it’s side effects to subside - so I’d try it for at least that long & take notes about what you are seeing.

[Melissanmylittleman in reply to Pennywink]

Thank you I will try he slept alot today but still barely ate anything 😢

[Pennywink in reply to Melissanmylittleman]

My son was very sleepy when he first started any new medication- stim or non. So that isn’t abnormal.

As for eating, what helps us is to feed my son a hearty breakfast before the stims kick in. Lunch is usually the meal he doesn’t each much on, so for that meal I feed him whatever he might eat, even if it’s chicken nuggets or pizza rolls. Then a hearty snack & lots of fruit @ 3:30p when the meds start wearing off, and a big healthy dinner.

[Budsmomneedssupport]

My son, now 20, has been taking vyvanse for about 2 1/2 years. At first it seemed like the miracle drug with his performance then in highschool going from Cs & Ds to As & Bs; He was more outgoing, and seemed happier. He is highly intelligent and wanted to pursue a CS degree living on campus. First semester was wonderful, however second semester (after a year on vyvanse) he started experiencing severe anxiety and depression. He had to withdraw from college after he became so depressed that he started hibernating in his dorm.

His dr decreased the vyvanse and added stratera. His anxiety went down some but still a huge issue and he still needed vyvanse to focus. He returned to school but his grades suffered terribly and came home at the end of the semester with his confidence shattered.

I started to really reseach ADHD and realized that these stimulants strip the body of many things. We started him on a regimen of supplements. We also had him use Nurofeedback. He continued with his coursework on a part time basis while living at home. I am happy to say that the anxiety and depression are now almost completely gone.

This spring we decided to have his brain scanned at Amen clinic in an effort to get his meds right. The dr eliminated the stratera, decreased the vyvanse to a very low level but added vitamin D, iron, & clonidine based on results from scans & some very extensive blood work. Its only been a month but he is getting straight As in summer school and is starting to plan and organize which we have never seen before. We have noticed he sleeps 10+ hours a day but really like what we are seeing othwise. We are considering letting him return to school and live on campus. Everyone is different but for my son the clonidine seems to be helping with the strategy of minimizing the stimulants. Your dr may be on to something but agree with the other comments about looking into the supplements. Hang in there. ADHD meds are a slow journey to figure out but worth the benefits once on the right combination.

[Init2winit]

I would voice your concern. We are our child’s advocate and know best