Make the jump from adderall to vyvanse, it's a godsend!!! The way the medicine metabolizes is much smoother and less of the side effects than typical amphetamine salts
Well Vyvanse isn't for everyone, I took adderall as a kid and it gave me bad side effects, changed to concerta (What i take now) Still unwanted side effects, but not as bad as adderall. But i did try changing to vyvanse freshman year of college. It gave me the worse side effects which were mainly Heavy deperession to the point to wanting to end it all. So the side effects will probably be different for you compared to him. Good luck!
Vyvanse stopped me from having a normal, fluid conversation.
I thought about everything far too much. I was nervous, uneasy and depressed.
Stopped for a day and all the horrible side effects left.
I've only had success with Adderall. Different strokes for different folks.
I switched from Adderall to Vyvanse sometime in high school and never looked back. Been on Vyvanse for at least 6 years now, it's fantastic. I now take the minimum dosage (20 mg) and have virtually no side effects. I'd like to get off the meds completely but every time I try not taking it, it's obvious that I still need it.
Vyvanse is also an amphetamine medication. There isn't a medication that is better than another, just meds that work better for the person. Worth trying if you are having trouble with your meds, but it isn't much different over all.
I was one of the first people to be put on Vyvanse, my mother couldn't afford the medicine and my doctor said he'd sign me up for free under vyvanse to try it, with the perk of a lifetime supply if it worked. I stopped taking it five years ago and I'm a decent human, but I was much better on it, I just hate the thought of putting harsh chemicals in my body...It's a real dilemma.
Yea, plus it is not abusable; folks with actual ADHD prefer to feel normal and with how the lysine compound is attached to the amphetamine it has to go through the liver to activate. This is why Shire, manufacturer of Adderall XR, are phasing out the XR's and trying to promote this rather new medicine
edit: by abusable, I mean you cannot snort it like an adderall XR/IR. It must be ingested
Honestly, go to a different doctor. Find a psychiatrist. You need somebody who will listen to you, give you the chance to explain 35 years of struggles, and then let them guide you through the process of finding what you need. Sometimes, they make people go through the different "non-stimulants," but if it isn't working and you have been able to show to your psychiatrist that you are trying to get better and that you can handle this, then most will be willing to start you on a low dose and see how things go. Also, having weekly therapy sessions (psychiatrists and therapists will usually exchange notes and keep each other in the loop about shared patients, especially higher risk ones) is another great piece of evidence that you're there to get treatment, not get high.
I also have had alcohol issues, got hospitalized 3 times for alcohol induced pancreatitis. I recently got diagnosed with ADHD, the inattentive one. I don't see why they just don't keep it as being called ADD. Anyways I was too scared to tell my Doctor about my alcohol issues so I lied.... I have to go see my other doctor and I don't know what he's gonna do if he sees I got prescribed Adderall because he knows about my past. I have been taking it for a couple months now and it has changed my life. I hope they don't take it away, it is helping so much.
It's an amphetamine, they won't prescribe schedule II stimulants if they deem you to be a risk for abuse. Stratera/Concerta are non-stimulant medicines. I would find a different doctor and let them know.
I remember my doctor wanted to put me on stratera after being on adderall xr for a year. I was in 5th grade I believe at the time.... worst fucking week. I still remember the migraines everyday for that week and I flat out refused to take it (I wasn't one to refuse things outright)
Calmed me down, definitely less agitation, not as likely to cross the line socially but... I feel like its done fuck all for my focus/organisation/procrastination etc
Like I said, not for everybody and definitely different effects depending on the person. Calms me down, reduces anxiety, and it causes me to be much more productive/focused.
Vyvanse is definitely abusable. I used to get high as fuck on vyvanse, me and my friends would take like double to triple the dose and it would make us feel gacked out.
abusable in the sense of snorting it to get the immediate effect. It doesn't work with snorting... of course you can abuse it by double/tripling the dosage
Vyvanse was more euphoric than Adderall was for me -- it's definitely abusable. The lysine in Vyvanse just makes it so it can only be absorbed by the g-tract so you can't insufflate it, hence "pro-drug" but it still gets you high by ingesting it orally.
Adderall did all this for me as well, but it also had a side effect of making me hyper focus on ONE thing. To the detriment of everything else. Once I focused on that one thing, I'd quite literally ignore everything else, Family, feeding myself, any other responsibilities, I just wouldn't care in the slightest about taking care of it until that one task was finished. To top all that off, I wasn't guaranteed to hyper focus on something that was actually important. Sometimes it'd be something just totally random.
I knew what to look for, so when I started getting that on the XR's, I immediately asked to change up my meds and lower my dose and taper up. My dr knew I worked pharmacy and we had had extensive talks at that point, so he listened when I told him about side effects and things that were happening.
Unfortunately not all people have that kind of relationship with their dr. I told a buddy to start jotting down his side effects to take in to his dr later to show what he was dealing with.
Yeah, all my life I've had episodes of pain. So I went to my doctor and got prescribe OxyContin. They are an absolute MIRACLE!. Praise be! Next week I'm going to try to get switched to Fentanyl patches because I hear it's a smoother ride.
Adult diagnosis here. I was on Ritalin and Concerta for a couple of years until the efficacy began to wear off and my condition became problematic in work and life again. I also hated how anxious I always was when I was taking those. I'm on medikinet now (I live in the UK) but the anxiety is still there, to an extent. Mindfulness techniques help somewhat but I was never this tremulous or panicky before going on meds at all.
If the anxiety is getting to you then I'd suggest seeing a psychiatrist. Just be willing to actually work with them and not just ask for meds and leave.
I'm currently on an anti-anxiety medication and I haven't had it effect me since. That being said, I also changed a few things about my lifestyle which supplements it.
i'm in limbo right now with my medications. i was on something called biphentin (canada only) and it's basically just concerta that's been reformulated. it helped a lot, until i thought it wasn't working so they upped the dosage, and i started a new job. then over time i started fucking up at work, and it felt like they were coming down on me, i had then convinced myself that everybody was watching what i was doing to get me fired. i was so stressed out i eventually pulled a truck out and ran over a piece of the truck i forgot underneath (it just bent a bracket and i bent it back) but i got fired. i stopped the meds and realized they made me paranoid and made my condition WORSE over time.
so now i don't know what to do. i'm happier and more organized, but i still slip up, forget things, get disorganized, etc. lately it feels like i'm losing control of myself again no matter how hard i try.
Without routine the medicine is not worth much. When I get work done, I get it really done with this medicine. But if I fail to start and binge on something, I'm have superfocus but don't amount to much.
Side-effect is that I feel very good for 1,5 hours. I suppose it is the supercharged dopamine rush.
Dude tell me more... I've been on Adderall for several years now, and I don't think it does much for me anymore besides make me want to drink to "come down"...
Most people with ADHD also have comorbid disorders. It's typical of anyone with a disorder, it's much more rare to only have one disorder. I was prescribed lexapro to aide with anxiety, it's an antidepressant (SSRI) taken at night before bedtime. It does more good than harm. But as far as adderall vs vyvanse. It works better for me, I don't like to feel anxious or on edge which I know some people like the "tweaky" feeing but I just want to feel "normal". Vyvanse restored my motivation, helped me curb marijuana and lounging and procrastinating and delaying important things that needed to be dealt with
I can only speak for myself, but I am in a similar boat as the person you are replying to.
For me, it's not that it's doing more harm, than good. It's not much different to be honest. However, it's kind of odd when the medication brings out disorders that aren't apparent else wise. Of course, this isn't unheard of in medicine, but I haven't heard of any side-effects of medication causing one to have an increased urge to drink.
Regardless, it's not just Adderall, Ritalin, and Vyvanse all did it too. So basically, I just power through the urges most times, and that's life. I won't try any of the non-stimulant options for a few reasons.
I don't/won't take a medication every day.
I don't have the 8 or so weeks to test to see if it's working or not (in regards to Strattera).
The potential side-effects seem worse than the disorder.
It basically doesn't work for most people. I have even had doctors that refused to prescribe it. It makes sense, I mean, if it has no potential for abuse and worked so well wouldn't it be the first line of medicine to try? Except for many, the latter is the issue.
So, I feel kind of like I am stuck in a medical rut, so to speak.
Dude, you just summed up my struggles perfectly. On days I don't take it, I am fine and a bit more distracted.
On days I do take it, I am still easily distracted, but have a better focus on things I want to focus on, but still shit for things I don't want to focus on. Plus, I get strong alcohol cravings, but only when I am coming down from the medication. Other then that, I never have the feeling.
Man... I might just be weird, but I feel the exact opposite. I am on Vyvanse now and I feel like it affects me far more than Adderall ever did. To the point where I feel like I may need to be on a anti-anxiety med as well. Not to mention I feel nauseous to the point of not even wanting to be at work some days.
Everyone reacts to medication differently, so you should tell this to your specialist/doctor and they can discuss/try alternatives with you. Theirs plenty of different medications/treatments available for people with ADHD so don't worry about not finding something that won't work for you.
Agreed. And I have the appointment to do just that. I just hate that the doc wants to change what I am taking every time I see him. And I don't know about you all, but I have to see my doc every three months. I was OK with taking low dose Adderall/Ritalin whenever I "needed" it, but I understand the tendency for some people to abuse that, so I agreed to be switched to higher dose XR. Then he talked me into trying something else and now I'm taking Vyvanse and I hate it. Instead of going back to Adderall, I guarantee he'll ask me to try Concerta or something. I just wish we could stick with something that has worked for me for years since my career is kind of on the line.
All things to discuss with your psychiatrist. Sometimes there are misdiagnosis, especially since these disorders often overlap in symptoms (bipolar for example). It may be that the medicine is exacerbating cluster B personality disorders which you should bring light to the doctor. I am not a doctor and do not want to give anyone false information nor will I tout my degree in neurobiology and offer ill-advice. I just want to express my experience with what I feel as a miracle pill that has worked wonders for me. These medicines are designed as tools for us to utilize under proper guidance and care from our doctors and if one doesn't work, opt for another. I hope you have/find a medication regime that best suits you needs!
I just got diagnosed 6-7 days ago. Got prescribed 20mg vyvanse. Doc said its conservative dose. He'll increase slowly. First 2-3 days on vyvanse were pretty good. I could focus on music that I was playing on my phone while my dad, sitting next to Me on the couch had his music playing on Bluetooth speaker. I could tune out his music completely. I loved that!! I dont know what to make of this but I kept having a sensation of just being completely honest, tell precisely, in detail what was going on in any situation, felt kinda OCD. I vacuumed my dads car, if I noticed some little trash laying down, I picked it up. Same feeling when I smoked sativa and came home high, just started cleaning stuff. Didnt make the whole house sparkle or anything, just little things. I was energetic. Anyways, its been day like 7, and thats all gone. Focus is gone. The energy is gone. Lethargy is back, stuck in my head kinda feeling. I started have really bad depressed feeling last 2days, bad thoughts. Probably just got tolerant and need to increase dose
MY MAIN WORRY IS, the doc will constantly increase dose cuz ill keep getting tolerant. He'll add more meds. Or, another thing I've read on /r/adhd peoples meds just stop working after few months, few years unexpectedly. I dont want everything to be great then all of a sudden, what kept me going all this time, now im back to square one.
I started at 20mg just for my peace of mind, and now I'm capped at 50 with no intent to increase. If you feel it being effective enough, there shouldn't be a need to increase. Some people only need 30mg and some need 70. Tolerance builds, but if taken as advised under your doctor's recommendation, you should be fine.
But how long have u been on that 50? Whend you switch to 50? See thats my worry is it'll keep increasing, maybe it'll take a few months, maybe a year, maybe more meds will be added. I read stories of ppl on that sub saying "ohh its been 2-3 years I've been on xyz, its all been great, now its stopped working"
IR adderall is best for me. I can actually eat and sleep on it. Had zero appetite and couldn't even sleep 15 hours later with vyvanse. I can take the adderall only when I need it and it works right away. I love it.
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u/plug4preme May 30 '17
Make the jump from adderall to vyvanse, it's a godsend!!! The way the medicine metabolizes is much smoother and less of the side effects than typical amphetamine salts