Vyvanse - time to stop or reduce?

[Gaiyuri]

Hello - I have been taking 30 mg of vyvanse daily for about 6+ years, maybe more. Never increased and always did medical testing to regulate and check med efficacy with psych doctor. I was “4 deviations from the norm” and the medication dramatically helped me at the onset and last years.

Recently however, someone asked if I would ever go off it and make me wonder again when? I thought about this at the beginning but now been gliding thru… however, since Xmas I decided to take a break. It has helped me relax and reduce anxiety. Another issue was that I was smoking a lot, and I think that was affecting my digestion but a also due to the stimulant affect of vyvanse. In combination with coffee in the morning, it all seemed to add to high powered running thru life activity. I am very productive at work, since I stated years ago but now started new career teaching. It’s very good for me in general but lots of little details to focus.

Now after 10 days not taking or just taking 15 mg, I noticed less smoking and less anxiety,. My stomach pain seems to have gone away and overall, I think the break has been good for me to not take it.

Part of me became reliant on it to wake up, esp 6am now with teaching! But now without I feel betty physically and less anxious, but now back to feeling less organized and not able to stick with my CBT-style management which I also been working on the past ten years.

Has anyone stopped vyvanse or had similar symptoms of stomach issues or anxiety?

[BlessedLady]

A close friend of mine took Adderall since 1997. She stopped recently due to heart problems. She said she did not realize how bad the Adderall made her anxiety until she stopped taking it.

Maybe a lower dose or another medication would be helpful but not worsen your anxiety. There are also medications many doctors prescribe for anxiety in combination with ADHD medications.

[Gaiyuri in reply to BlessedLady]

thanks for sharing that story and connection to anxiety. It’s become a lot more of the issue as of late, new job and all, and probably exacerbating my ADD symptoms. Ironic.

I did experiment past two weeks in taking 15 mg; it does make it better it seems. Then low sleep one or two nights also throws it off.

I think going with your friends story and others, going off for a bit and focusing on more natural behavioral and diet changes to see what that will bring. Likely I’ll do two weeks off and see … starting this weekend.

Any other counsel most welcome !

[JazzElvis1]

I find 15 mg enough to get by and not get anxious at all from stimulating effect

[Gaiyuri in reply to JazzElvis1]

thanks Jazz. Have you also been taking it a while?

Has your stomach ever had issues from prolonged use ?

[JazzElvis1 in reply to Gaiyuri]

the only time I would get tummy issues is if I take without a meal, but I take a high dosage good bacterias tablet I buy from Amazon and my stomach is fine

[Funnypapers]

I find less is more...I titrate my dose by mixing in water so I take 1/4 of a 70mg capsule. I get anxiety in the stomach too, when I get it. This isn't what you asked and please forgive if unwelcome, but it's a total of what you put in your body. The elephant in the room is smoking. Whatever it takes to quit entirely, please do, even quitting meds. I bet there are people around you (up to 50 yards away) who would benefit too. Cigs are a med with a short term benefit and an astronomical cost. We have impulse control issues for sure. I used to do it. What ended the cravings was chemotherapy.

[Phianoposis33]

Not Vyvanse but my son was on adderal for about 8 years. Kept telling his doctor it wasn't working and he kept raising the dosage. Then the anxiety came so he was given hydroxyline- then he started to get really angry and irritable and he put him on abilify. This was a pretty well know psychiatrist that worked at out cities psych hospital, so I never questioned anything and neither did my son. Adderal was up to 60 mg XR- one day he just flipped. I mean stating he was going to kill the dog, talking nonsense. I actually called the police to take him to the hospital. We involuntarily committed him. The very first thing they did was take him off everything- cold turkey except for the abilify. He has to be weaned off of that. But it's been 6 months and he hasn't been on any ADHD meds and he's doing really well.

I think sometimes a break or even trying another med is very helpful. I wish I didn't trust doctors so much before. If the adderal wasn't working and he was having other symptoms, instead of always raising the dosage or adding other meds to take care of other side effects- just change the first med.