Elvanse/Vyvanse

I'm a 26 year old male that got recently diagnosed with ADHD a few months ago and have been prescribed Elvanse (I'm on 50mg now). I've found it to be really effective so far but something I'm finding really annoying is I seem to be waking up in the morning feeling more groggy, tired and unrested as ever! I'm getting a good 8 hours sleep a night, trying to eat as healthy a diet as I can and drinking plenty of water. Has anyone else experienced this and have any suggestions on how I can stop this please?

[EnlightenedOne]

Hey Dan, I'm male, 32, and was diagnosed in the beginning of March this year.

I'm currently taking Methylphenidate 30mg extended release. Although we're taking different meds, have you tried to take your meds a half hour to hour before you get out of bed? I'm doing that, keep my meds by my bed and a half banana and try to sleep some more before I need to get up. Not my idea, I read this suggestion elsewhere 🙂

[Hidden in reply to EnlightenedOne]

Thanks for the reply! I do tend to take my meds as soon as I get up with a big breakfast but the problem is they tend to take anywhere between 1 1/2 - 2 hours to kick in for me. I was thinking about asking my psychiatrist if an IR medication would be a good idea for the morning and to then take my Elvanse to last the day. Thanks for the suggestion😊

[Wasted71years]

I take my Vyvanse immediately when I get up with nothing but water. I wait half an hour before eating, which allows it to activate so that I feel clear headed about 45 minute to 60 minutes after awaking. I suspect the food is delaying the release of the initial dose from the Vyvanse.

My doctor has me skip one day per week - he calls it a drug holiday - and on those days I feel much like you describe. It takes several coffees or sodas to get alert enough.

[Hominid711 in reply to Wasted71years]

Drug holidays are no longer recommended meaning there is no need for them. The risk of addiction with Vyvanse is low due to the slow release and nothing else would justify a drug holiday. You'll find research into this online then tell your GP. Sorry, too lazy to do it for you but we all know how to Google ;^)

[Hidden in reply to Hominid711]

My psychiatrist said that drug holidays aren't necessary for the moment but in the future they may be needed. However, its nothing to do with addiction he said its due to tolerance. I'll be on the max dosage of Elvanse/Vyvanse in the next couple of weeks though so this might not be required for people on lower dosages.

[Hominid711 in reply to Hidden]

Same process, tolerance, dependence, addiction. Only addiction adds the craving aspect

[Hidden]

Thanks for your response. Yeah I have tried taking it on an empty stomach but it doesn't seem to last very long when I do that. I'm only getting 3/4 hours out of it when its active atm at 50mg every morning. I'm considering speaking to my psychiatrist and asking to switch meds soon.

[Hominid711]

I have a couple of coffees straight after waking and this nicely bridges the time lap til the Vyvanse starts to work. And it makes me feel awake sooner. In fact very soon. Within 20min.

[Hidden in reply to Hominid711]

Can I ask how long you wait until you take your vyvanse after drinking the coffee's? I heard that anything acidic can interact with vyvanse and stop it working as effectively which is why I've avoided coffee first thing. Before diagnosis I was drinking 10 strong coffee's a day easily without getting the jitters... diagnosis definitely makes sense!

[Blue_186281_red]

Vyvanse is just a precursor to Dexadrine (that's a brand name not the chemical. I think it's called dextromethorphan but look it up) Dexadrine lasts less time because your body doesn't need to convert it. As an addict, I don't understand why slower onset is supposed to cut down the abuse potential. I would abuse it if I wanted to. It's the same drug in the end - just plan ahead and take more if you want a rush. and yes, tolerance will be a problem either way, necessitating drug holidays, because your body will become accustomed to processing dexadrine. I think the addiction angle is just some BS to sell copy written Vyvanse for $300 over 80 year old Dexadrine for $10.

As someone with ADD, I don't get off on stimulants. They don't (in 12 step terms) set off my addictive obsession & allergy causing me to lose control of what I put in my body. But, I have never taken illegal stimulants either. Nor am I willing to let my insurance pay orders of magnitude more for a similar Rx, so never took Vyvanse either.

Anyway, after all the BS caveats necessitated by the War on Drugs & cultural misunderstandings about addiction, I would recommend asking for Dexadrine and see if it clears your system faster so you can sleep better.