Unmotivated even with my Vyvanse which used to help

[Kai2019]

I am 61 years old and have absolutely no desire to get moving to do anything. Once I get ready and get started doing housework or get out of the house, I am happy I did, but I can barely begin to get started. I have been on 40 mg Prozac and 300 mg Wellbutrin for nineteen years. About eight months ago I began taking Vyvanse and I’m on 70 mg a day. When I began it, it was like a miracle. I had energy and interest in doing things; I even lost 30 pounds of the hundred I need to lose. I felt happier and enjoyed being around others more. However, for the last six weeks I feel like I’m right back where I started. I wake up, sit on my sofa and read anything and everything that I’m thinking about on my iPhone. I don’t won’t to stay in bed, but I really don’t have a desire to talk to anyone. The only joy I get is when I’m around my grandson who will be one year old in two weeks. I’m a retired elementary school teacher and work full time twelve hour night shifts dispatching for the hospital police. I love my job. There is always something interesting going on and I have access to over 700 cameras in the hospital so that when we are called I can keep an eye on my guys and note all interactions going on. I also like the fact that I’m by myself for most of my shift to get my work done. I’m happy to see everyone when I arrive and I am happy when they leave my area. Lastly, before my fifties I was very outgoing and loved being on the go. Also, I married my fiancé from college ten years ago and love him more than anything, but I don’t even get excited about being around him anymore.

[jas_0]

Hi there,

I'm brand new to this platform but I just wanted to chime in and show my support. It sounds like you have had some pretty good success with your treatment until this little slump. I wanted to congratulate you on that.

What you've shared sounds oddly similar to what I experience a lot. I take 20mg of Adderall and 90mg of Duloxetine daily for ADD and Depression. I often find myself in bed all day, researching and reading the most obscure things. I wonder if its a mixture of the depression (lack of energy/ lack of motivation) combined with the effects of the ADD medication.

I think its important that we recognize that the medication we take is meant to suppliment the things we do to help better our own mental wellbeing, and I commend you for noticing a snag in your routine. If you have a councelor or psychologist, maybe you could reach out to them for the non-pharmaceutical ways of getting yourself motivated.

Sometimes, I find that I have to really, almost physically it seems, force myself to get up and moving. Once I do, im off, but man, are those first few steps hard.

Once it gets cooler out, I'm planning on starting my days with a super short morning walk around my block, WITHOUT my phone. Just to try to break the connection.

Best of luck to you!

Jess

[Marygr66 in reply to jas_0]

I am 53 with the same problem. I have read many things about our hormones, aging and ADHD. I unfortunately am high risk breast cancer and can not take any estrogen. I also am having so many issues with Dr.s and my meds. Many years ago I had a Doc that had it perfect. Had to change Dr. and the RX has been reduce so so much. I try to explain and tell about my research but their responses have made me so angry and not heard that I don't even want to post.

[RedMalibu]

Hi,

I m about to be 63. I was diagnosed only a year ago with ADD. I wanted to be tested because I was having such a hard time getting my work done. I started with vyvanse and am taking 70 mg now. I also was already taking prozac. I noticed positive effects with procrastination and was much more energized when trying to get some things done. Also with making mistakes, but really have not had any progress with getting through my work. Now, the positive effects seem to have mostly worn off, and I am planning on revisiting my psychologist. Best wishes to you.

[Halem1982]

Vyvanse worked perfectly for a few years for me but then it completely stopped. I went through so many trial and error replacement meds until I tried Vyvanse 70mg with Provigil 200mg (Modafinil generic) together in the mornings. That helped give the vyvanse a boost and I didn’t have any side effects. When that eventually stopped working, my dr switched the Provigil to Nuvigil 250mg (Armodafinil generic).

[Kai2019 in reply to Halem1982]

Thanks for the info. I’ll talk to my doctor about it.

[sunflower2019 in reply to Halem1982]

Thanks for your post! I have been on Vyvanse 70mg for a few years now and it worked well for awhile.. recently I feel like it just stopped working & it really sucks. I feel like I can get nothing done and everything even the smallest of things seems to be so frustrating and difficult. I am supposed to follow up with my doctor on monday maybe I will ask about your suggestion.

[Thosta]

Hang on! You are doing exactly what you need to be doing. To me, I'm 63, the thought of your day exhausts me! It is okay to be in a slump. In the olden days they used to give people a month or two to themselves, but always opened the windows or even took the bed to the lawn so sunlight could do it's work. Anyway all this will be a blur as soon as that grandson finds his feet. I have an eleven year old grandson and he will soon be out growing me, but because I may have passed on my ADHD to him I've been trying to make things a little smoother and more transparent to him. Every bit of advice and knowledge you can give him counts. Sometimes living in your head is more exhausting than living on your feet. Watching Grandsons grow into young men is an adventure I won't even try to explain, but you'll soon know for yourself. Best Wishes.

[wtfadhd in reply to Thosta]

Beautiful way to embrace your ADHD/ ADD... your grandchildren are lucky to have you!!! ❤️

[Traccee]

1st let me say congrats on the length of time Prozac helped you!! I needed change after 3to4 yrs. That said.

I loved vyvance when I started . But like the many stimulants I tried it ran through my system to fast .

Went to professional / DNA test ...came to find out fast metabilizm . Started addy.

Most days it helps , it helps longer than others for me. Sometimes a couple days aren't so good.

But then it's back on track!

I take Wellbutrin & Viybrid for depression to.

Took me 2 yrs to get the right

Meds. For myself.

I'm grateful I hung in there .

It was hard. But, low & behold it's better now. Good luck on your Journey, I hope things fall into place 😌

[quiteasmile]

I am in the same boat with zero desire to do anything. Although we don’t think about Covid-19 as much as we did in March through May, it is still there and I think it affects us in ways that we cannot comprehend. Hang in there!!

[jonghee]

It could also be a nutrition/supplement thing. Stimulants tend to create nutritional deficiencies, especially magnesium. I also find that protein helps a lot.

[The1Path]

I’m not a psychiatrist, but I wonder if you are suffering from depression that is slowly building. That could account for why it used to work, but now you lack the energy & motivation to do things.

Have you told your psychiatrist what’s going on? Sometimes I don’t as soon as I could because depression can come on very gradually.

[Hidden]

Hang in there!

Dual diagnoses are common to people with ADHD. Many of us have depression and/or anxiety co-diagnoses. I, too, go through phases of intense apathy and going down the smart phone rabbit hole when I need to be doing something else, like getting out of bed. It's a cycle. The right medications, a great psychiatrist, a good night's sleep, and exercise help me a lot. Sleep dep, stress, and forgetting to drink water and eat are all part of my ADHD landscape. I get discouraged — a lot — and do my best to push through the fog. Optimism is my default setting, and nothing makes me feel more excited and 'right' than the tonic of being with my friends and meeting new people. The pandemic has been a big blow to my essential nature. Thank goodness I lead webinars, or I'd really be in trouble.

[ColinLawson]

Tolerance is a problem that is shared between sufferers but rarely, in my experience, acknowledged by the prescribing medical professionals. I can see from the comments here and elsewhere that this problem is common. By 'tolerance ' I mean that over time out bodies get used to this drug and the only solution is to increase the dose or take a beak for a few weeks. The prospect of stopping the meds can be daunting even when they are not really effective any more. I was forced to due to being in hospital for several weeks last year and the joy of being able to function again on much lower doses was wonderful...but short-lived. I have another condition which causes a rapid tolerance to almost anything. It's very difficult to discuss this in a useful way with my psychiatrist who seems to think that I must be doing something wrong or just complaining or being unrealistic in my expectations. It's really easy to feel stuck with this and I have certainly taken risks by taking higher than safe doses on some days by going without on others. Not to be recommended. I really appreciate being able to communicate with others who have this condition and have learned more from the actual experience of others than from anyone else.

[CheriS]

I am 53 and on Lexapro, Wellbutrin, and Vyvanse and I feel like you do. I often wonder if it's no longer working and maybe I should try a different stimulant.

Going through menopause and perimenopause was brutal and now I feel like the medication doesn't work as well as it did when I first started taking it 6 years ago.

I was reading about another stimulants called Journay. It's taken at bed time and it's supposed to help you wake up and get going without procrastinating. I've always struggled to wake up and get going. Even after taking my Vyvanse it takes 3 hours for the morning fog to lift. I really feel like I've lost my mind and my motivation since my mid 40's.

[PhoenixGal in reply to CheriS]

I too have these same issues. I had been taking Vyvanse 70mg for about 2 years when I started to develop a tolerance that resulted in me having absolutely no motivation to the point where I could barely even force myself to get out of bed everyday. My doc suggested a switch to another similar stimulant because I was already at the max of 70 and an increase to see if that would help or not was out of the question since she refuses to go above the recommended max dosage and because she said that yes sometimes you do need a break from one med once tolerance develops.

So I switched to Adderall and most of the motivation issues I was facing went away and I was so happy that it took so much less time to start working than vyvanse because I too hate the fact that it take 3 hours for vyvance to fully kick in and get me up and going but the problem with the adderall was that it was giving me these horrible intense headaches and no matter how hard I tried I could not make them go away. My doc told me that the XR tended to do that so we switched again to just the IR twice a day and the headaches decreased but did not go away completely so I switched back to Vyvanse and was super happy when I realized that the 2 month break did in fact help but unfortunately the feeling did not even last for a the whole script, just like the first 2 weeks and now I'm right back at square one. So long story short, yes I a break will help but I believe 6 months or more will most likely be needed.

As for the new med Journay, I too have heard about it and would love to try it but my insurance does not accept it and naturally it is one of the most expensive options out there and just not something I could afford but should you try it and have an amazing experience then please let me know and perhaps I could try to get some sort of assistance through the manufacturer if they offer it. Thanks and good luck to you.

[Sunnyskies2023]

I have been having the same issues. I’ve been totally exhausted and can’t get off my couch (which I sleep on because it feels more comforting? I try to motivate myself but I can’t. I live alone and the only way I can get moving at all is if an old friend calls.

I’m 50 and single and my dog died last year, started a new job and moved and that pushed me into a deep depression that I’m only just now coming out of. I haven’t been able to find any energy to do much besides go to work. Somehow I find the energy when forced.

I just got diagnosed with inattentive ADHD and adderal has helped some. Im still a complete messy person and can’t organize my home or schedule. I hope the tolerance doesn’t happen to me too. Also, I know it is hard to get the meds sometimes and I don’t want to be dependent on them and then not be able to get them.

Thanks for sharing. Every story helps understand the struggle more and what is to come.