Just restarted Vyvanse - completely different experience from last time

[twohandshmo]

The last time I was on Vyvanse, I worked my way up to 50mg and felt very few effects. This time, a little over a year later and with a different psychiatrist, I am starting again at 30mg. I feel completely different. I was kinda nauseous and am still lightheaded and according to my best friend I am much more "still and quiet" today. Of course, it is still very early to make any decisions, but has anyone else experienced this? Before I remembered that I had taken it this morning, I couldn't figure out why I was was feeling so odd and where this came from. It started about an hour after taking the Vyvanse, so I think my feeling this way could likely be attributed to the med.

[Gettingittogether]

Yes, that happened to me on Adderall XR. My sense is that medicines interact with a system, and that system is our brain, our body, our mood, our level of stress, random hormones, anxiety and on and on ...

I see some good news in this, that meds that don't work the first time can be tried again later.

[Hidden in reply to Gettingittogether]

I had a similar experience with Adderall XR too. No matter how early I took it I never got to sleep until around 2 am. Now my psychiatrist has me take one Adderall XR and one IR Adderall in the morning. Did the trick. If I have a late day, I can take another IR in the afternoon so I don’t fall off the cliff too early.

[twohandshmo in reply to Hidden]

Glad the meds worked out for you!! I was really nervous yesterday, but I'm trying to keep a positive attitude and just wait till my next appointment for things to settle

[Hidden in reply to twohandshmo]

Stimulants can makeYou anxious when your not yet used to it. You’re going about it the right way.

[twohandshmo in reply to Gettingittogether]

Thank you so much! I am much more stressed right now, and I am also on a different dose of a thyroid medication. I didn't even think of that affecting me so differently.

[galacticnomad]

Hey there! I just started on 30 mg of Vyvanse 3 days ago. The first day was, umm, wow. LOL! Incredibly euphoric, and switched on. While that was great for when the circumstances required that headspace, when they didn't I felt anxious and uncomfortable. Yesterday (day 2), the euphoria was gone, and the feeling of being extremely alert had dialed down from a 10 to a 7. The anxiety was now more of an agitation, but still somewhat uncomfortable. Today, the same dose is almost imperceptable. Ás it's the weekend, my perception on whether it's helping me stay on task isn't clear. My pshyc wants me to work my way up to 40, and eventually 50. I'll keep you in the loop on how I go. Prior to the Vyvanse I was on 18mg of Concerta, and while I feel I had better focus, and impulse control, I wasn't quite able to shake the feeling of unease I felt while taking it.

[twohandshmo in reply to galacticnomad]

Glad to know it has calmed down for you!! Today was definitely less offputting than the first day, though I still experienced side effects. Please do update me on how your med journey goes, and I'll do the same if that's good with you

[galacticnomad in reply to twohandshmo]

Will do mate, watch this space.

[sharkticon in reply to galacticnomad]

it's normal to have a sense of well being the first couple days after starting Vyvance. Feeling a little optimistic and like you have some extra energy. Seems to go away after a few days though.

[indigoclutter]

Hi! I recently switched back to Adderall XR (30mg) after being on Vyvanse (70mg) for about 5 months. As of today, I am back on Adderall XR 30mg, and this time, I am taking a 20mg IR booster in the afternoon. I feel like a whole different person.

If you don't mind me asking, in the last year up until going back on Vyvanse, did you try out a different stimulant? Were you just off medication altogether?

I would definitely pay attention to those symptoms, like what day/time of day you started to feel them.. especially if it becomes a pattern. Personally, Vyvanse made me feel spaced out and fatigue almost everyday; if it weren't for the extra cups of cold brew, I barely made it through a work day.

It very well could be your body's natural response.. but it also could just be the dose itself. For me, when my body feels the way you've described, it signals to me that my dose is too high. But, I know, for others, it also could be a sign that it is too low.

Every body is different, and the best way for you to know is keeping track! it can be a pain but, if the smallest adjustments can make a huge difference, it'll be worth it!

Good luck!

[twohandshmo in reply to indigoclutter]

Thank you! I was not on any other stimulants in my year break, or any adhd meds at all. I actually paused taking the vyvanse now, as got covid and was feeling awful anyways. Will definitely take this into account at my next appointment. It did seem to settle after a few days. I also get nauseous quite easily and frequently, so I could just be more susceptible to side affects. I'm also allergic to caffeine (which is super weird), so that's not really an option for me to have a pick-me-up, haha!

[galacticnomad]

G'day everyone

An update as promised on how I'm progressing with Vyvanse. After progressing through daily increases of 10 mg from my starting dose of 30 mg, I'm now taking 60mg daily, which seems to be the sweet spot for me (41-year-old male, 176CM, 100kg). I take the 60mg at about 9am, and I notice benefits about an hour later.

I started to experience a crash at about 8pm where I wouldn't be able to do anything beyond sit on the couch or go to bed. Being a father to 3 kids 13 and under, crashing out at 8pm was not an option. To address this, my psychiatrist prescribed me some dexamphetamine. I take two 5mg tablets at 4pm and that see's me clear and coherent till 10pm.

The journey to this current dosage has been an interesting one. Initially I transitioned from experiences of euphoria to periods of anxiety and irritability. I'm grateful I hung in there because I currently feel as empowered as I've ever felt.

Hope you're all doing well.

Cheers

GN

[Nurseadhd in reply to galacticnomad]

Hi

That's great to hear. I'm in titration and moving onto 45mg xaggitin xl. I came off it last week because I went from anxious to spaced out to crash and burn after 8 hours then the irritability when they wore off became too much and I felt I was handling stressful situations even worse than before. It's such a difficult time to know whether to continue. I'm glad it has worked out for you 😊

[Speno2 in reply to galacticnomad]

Your experience sounds very similar to mine. I also started on 30 and had that initial euphoria for about three days, then after five or so days it was imperceptible outside of a small boost for a few hours. 50mg is working really well for me after about a month, lasting from roughly 9am-8pm. (though I was experimenting with 70 in between, which felt too high). I also notice benefits after an hour. For me,the crash at night is good for getting me to have a good sleep cycle.

As a side note, contrary to what many say online, vyvanse 50mg works for far longer for me (from roughly 9AM-8PM). Dexamphetamine has a half life of 9-11 hours, so doubling the dose would mean that I experience a blood concentration above the effective concentration for roughly an additional 9-11 hours, ignoring the prodrug shenanigans. So slightly less giving me an extra 8 hours makes sense. Or, perhaps, it's just my body reacting differently to others.

[Spacehead]

same happened to me. Felt very different both times. I had raynauds syndrome the second time but not the first.