Vivanse vs Focalin and Ritalin

[Eataash]

Has anyone given Vivanse to their tween after trying Focalin and Ritalin? How was your child’s experience?

Was Vivanse more effective as opposed to Ritalin or Focalin?

How long did the effects last?

[d0224]

Hi there,

Both my son and my daughter are in the Vyvanse after being on Focalin. Both have had great results but it took a bit to find the right strength for them. It seems to last from early morning (around 7am) through till around 1:30 or 2pm which is their full day of school. I have yet to notice any major side effects at all. Good luck!

[Eataash in reply to d0224]

Thank you for your reply! Did you have to give a bump dose to get them through school? Any irritability?

[d0224]

I didn’t have to give either of them a bump dose but my son does get the guanfacine as well which helps him. He is on his meds all week/weekend due to hyper adhd but my daughter just does the mom-fri with no bump but she has inattentive adhd. I hope this helps a little bit for you.

[ChristinaVesq]

My son had a lot of initial success on focalin but it suddenly stopped working. We upped the dose form 10 to 15mg which helped but then same thing, lost its efficacy. We started 10mg vyvanse about 10 days ago and it did nothing, upped to 20 and still nothing (he’s 8, about 55 pounds). Seeing doctor this week and I’m thinking she may want to try another amphetamine (genetic testing said these should work for our son) but I am so so disappointed and discouraged because everyone I know had such success with vyvanse. Keep us posted on how it goes for you.

[concerned2 in reply to ChristinaVesq]

My daughter is on Vyvanse 30mg. She is 8yrs. But say the least its works from 7am to around 1:30pm. Then she takes 5mg adderall to help with after school tutoring.

[Eataash]

You bet. So far, I already got a call from school that my daughter felt dizzy and seeing lights after a mile run. Mind you she dances 5 days a week and it happened that after PE she has science class. It’s her day 2 of being on Vivanse.

[MP05]

My son tried focalin when he first started ADHD meds and he didnt do well with it... it made him so angry and irritable. He took vyvanse for 5 years and he said it worked great for him. He now takes a smaller dose of adderall only because it doesnt last as long as vyvanse.