Thoughts on Vyvanse?

[charney0709]

Hi there. We are looking at starting meds for the first time for my daughter. I am really nervous about it. She already takes low does fluoxetine for anxiety. Our doc has prescribed Vyvanse. How has this meds worked for others out there?

Thanks in advance.

[booklover42]

Everyone is different, of course, but my daughter did very well on Vyvanse. She was finally able to focus, and her anxiety decreased because she could get her work done. However, and this was why she was taken off it after a few months, she lost 15 pounds because she was rarely hungry. She could not afford to lose that weight, and was getting concerningly thin. She was put on Strattera, a non-stimulant, which she said doesn’t work. So now we are back to considering stimulants again. Good luck.

[Aloysia in reply to booklover42]

My 10 year old daughter is doing well on Vyvanse. She is able to focus, is less angry (this was a surprise), and I think has less anxiety. She says that the school day flies by instead of dragging on forever.

She has not had any appetite issues, which is good since she's already skinny. The first issue we had is that she couldn't swallow pills at first and she hated swallowing the powder from the capsule (didn't matter what we tried - pudding, etc.). So it was always a giant battle. After much practice (many months), she can finally swallow the smallest size capsules. Now we need to work on the next size up. The 2nd issue is that she gets a stomach ache if she doesn't eat enough food for breakfast first. Since she's not a big breakfast eater to begin with, this is still a problem that we battle with some days.

Good luck!!

[Redpanda5]

I agree with booklover42. The Vyvanse works but it does cause weight loss. My daughter (16yo) has also lost 15 pounds (over 12 months). Just today the doctor prescribed a new sleep med (she takes these too) that can cause weight gain so he hopes it will balance out.

Everyone reacts differently. My son who also takes Vyvanse (in college) also experiences weight loss but is better about eating once it wears off. Everyone responds differently to it.