Vyvanse, new ADHD drug | ADHD Information
I know this new drug won't be available in pharmacies until July sometime but I was wondering if anybody (or their child) had been involved in any of the clinical trials and given Vyvanse a try? If so, what was the drug like?
I too will be anxious to hear. Especially how the side effects are.Crossing my fingers, we'll be involved in the 2nd trial that they're doing. The FDA has approved 30, 50 and 70 mg doses, but Shire is doing a trial on 20, 40 and 60 mg. doses.
It is a bit different from Adderall, though it is in the same family. It is absorbed in the gut instead of processed through the liver (just quoting what I've read and been told). It is also a drug that junkies can't get high on due to the way the body needs to absorb it.
It's also supposed to actually last LONGER than the XR drugs. It SHOULD last up to 12 hours which might negate the need for an afternoon booster of a short acting drug to get through homework and/or after school activities.
You can find out a bit more info at www.vyvanse.com.
no this is a different med than Concerta. Concerta is methyphedinate (like in ritlilan) this is amphetimine based similar to Adderall.thanks for the info on this! I haven't heard of this one. We see the doctor next week and i printed off information on it and am going to ask her about it. Thing that worries me a little in reading it, that it kind of sounds like Concerta, which my son is currently taking.I'm on Vyvanse. My doctor, however, did not tell me that it was only available for studies. He said that "only ADD specialists, like myself, can prescribe it." That was after I asked for him to put me back on regular Adderall. I like the Vyvanse when I need to be up all day and getting things done, but if I just need to be "focused" for half a day for classes, I have been debating whether to just not take it on those days. I hate taking stimulants, and the Vyvanse is definitely a stimulant.It feels exactly like Adderall, minus the HORRIBLE time while it's getting out of your system. I haven't had a chance to sit down with my doctor and be completely educated on it, but I have read everything I can get my hands on about Vyvanse, since I'm taking it.
Oh, and by the way, it still takes away my appetite, and I still have to drink water ALL day long, and it lasts for about 14 hours, so I have to take it at 5 AM for it to be worn off by 7 PM.
Question....
Why didn't he tell me that it was only available to adults in clinical trials? Is that legal to withhold that kind of information from a patient?
This is the same doctor who prescribed me the Daytrana patch AS SOON AS it was available, and wouldn't write me anything else even when I encountered the defects 6 times in a row literally.
Oh, P.S. I'm a 22 year old female college student.
It looks like Vyvanse is available now from their website. SHire is definitely billing it as providing consistent adhd symptom control for a full 12 hours which if true would be great. I know my dd's adderall XR never lasts as long as it should. I will be so interested to hear what people think as they try this new drug. We will definitely be trying it before school starts. As for now my dd is on a "med holiday" ! Fun, Fun!
I would think it highly unethical for him to do that to you. As far as I can tell from what little I know about studies, you have to sign a consent form, do blood work and have all other meds out of your system for a full 7 days before you can start the trial. And you're supposed to come in every week for a checkup. At the end of the trial (they're saying this one is about 6 weeks long), you also get a stipend (about 0 or so if I'm not mistaken) if you complete the whole trial. I would certainly do a bit of research to see if his office is doing a trial.
BUT, the FDA HAS approved the prescription of (as of this month I believe) 30, 50 and 70 mg of Vyvanse. However, if those are not your doses, then I would definitely question him as 20, 40 and 60 mg doses HAVE NOT been approved by the FDA, which is why they're under trial. Just my opinion.
on the website it says that it will not be available in pharmacies until july, and he wrote me the prescription like june 18 Call Shire (you can get their number off their website) and ask when the pharmacies actually got the drug. When I was at the round table discussion in May, we were told by Shire that the drug could be prescribed mid-June. But like I said, double check your dosage. Some are FDA approved. And if your pharmacy has it, then they would be able (obviously!) to dispense it. I think Shire was just playing it safe by saying it would be available in July....possibly it hasn't been distributed to every state yet but by that time, it should be.soyouthinkimfat, I am wondering if the Vyvanse last longer for you than adderall XR? ALso is it more consistent throughout the day? I have read that it seems to be more consistent without that a.m. punch so to speak and stays that way longer due to the way it is absorbed in the stomach. Also, how do the side effects compare to adderall? My daughter has done very well on adderall XR but seems to have developed some tolerance to it and none of the ritalin drugs are that great for her so we are looking for an alternative...........Also I bet your dr. prescribed it AS SOON AS it was available. It was approved back in Feb. What dosage do you take? I am wondering how the dosage converts from an adderall dosage............Thanks for the reply and good luck to you!!!!!I was recently diagnosed with Adult ADHD at 38 and started takingVyvanse last week. I was advised that this was a brand new drug and
warned of the potential side effects... but I had no idea so many side
affects would all hit and hit so freaking hard.
The 50mg dose felt like Strychnine from bad acid. My jaw clenched up.
My shoulders tigtened up and later in the day I'd feel backpains along my
spine. The good news was I did feel a bit more focused.... but damn it
felt like i was on something cooked up in a trailer park. Major trouble
sleeping. Major dry mouth. Almost zero appetite.
After 4 days on the 50mg dose I started waking up in the morning totally
disoriented and severely scattered... like my concetration had been
completly depleated. I was totally dehydrated despite drinking 5liters of
water the day before. It took me 2 hours of wandering in confusion
around the house before i could get breakfast together and another dose.
I dropped to the 30mg dose, which reduced the Strychnine symptoms
but left me with migrantes and naussa and little no benefit in focus or
concetration. I spent a beautiful sunny Sunday curled in a ball in bed with
the curtins drawn, feeling rage against whoever could bring such a
horrible drug to market.
I asume that the body takes a week or two to get accustomed to the
wonder drug.... but I'm not sure i want to get acclimated to what feels like
rat poison. I was really hoping that medication could help me focus ....
but a 10hr bad trip every day is too much. I've stopped taking
medication untill I can see my doc again.
Do Riddilin and Allerall have similar effects and "adjustment" periods?
-- Miserable in Seattle --
Every single medication and even delivery method to delivery method (short acting vs long acting) have different effect and side effect. Your goal is to see symptom relief with little or no side effect. You should not feel like you are taking rat poison
. As you can see from above there has been lots of great feedback from Vyvanse, I'm sorry it wasnt for you. there are a LOT of choices though. don't give up.....keep trying. Yes some meds can take a few days for your body to adjust, but most phsyicians will start you on a low dose and add every few days until you see symptom relief. I wonder if that happens often or if you are one of few...if so you are lucky.Exactly. Ha yea it's definitely a good luck day. I need it. I didn't even really get to study for this test because we had to put my 13 year old puppy to sleep Monday. Just can't keep my mind on stuff like "chronologically, how are the verses in psalms usually divided up?" It just isn't that high on my priority list.
Thanks for all of the information guys! I have been on the Vyvanse for a week (maybe a little more) now, and it just took my body getting used to for me to like it. Personally, I would still rather take something that I could break in half if I needed to, or something that would not last as long. Today is a perfect example. I have my Introduction to Old Testament final at 8, and I needed to study before, but it wasn't worth taking a Vyvanse that would last until 7 or 8 PM just to get me from 5 AM to 9 AM. I don't work this afternoon, so there's absolutely no reason for me to take a pill that's going to last all day. Also, I do really like the fact that it releases from your system MUCH slower and for the most part without any of the bad side effects like "coming down" from Adderall.Would your doctor prescribe you a short acting med like Ritalin for times likes this? It is effective right away and lasts about 4 hours. Generally you dont get that "crash" or "coming down" rebound effect from short acting meds.
Diane V39261.1846064815My problem with Ritalin is that I took it for YEARS when I was younger like in elementary school, and as I've gotten older, sometimes it works great, but sometimes it puts me right to sleep.I have issues with my doctor lol, but that's very first on my agenda of things to talk to him about when I go on July 13. Yep, Friday the 13th.
Oh good a good luck day
. Well maybe not Ritilan but any of the short acting, a quick up and out of your system 
.vyvance update
well I don't want to be negative for anyone thinking of trying it...
I stopped it, was a little too relaxed and into very zone out activities, TV watching etc, and when it wears off, sleeping seems so appealing
so should be a big hit for parents of adhd kids, maybe it is better if you are hyper?
tightrope2, please talk to your doctor or pharmacist about how you are taking this med--if it is long acting, you might not be able to "split" the pill without some nasty side effects.
Otherwise, there are many other meds out there. There wil be something that works for you. Do not give up.
lostship, thanks for the advice. I've been off the med for 48hrs. My Docclassified my reactions as an "Adverse Episode" and is being reported to
Shire.
You make a good point about splitting long-acting pills, but in this case it
is not the capsule that makes it long acting.
The starter pack says that you can break open the pills and pour them in
water to reduce dosage or for kids who can't swallow capsules. The
morning i tried splitting a capsule with a sharp knife the two halves flew
off in opposite dirrections... leaving trails of white powered medication.
That was the end of that.
I'm feeling much better now after finally getting a night of REM sleep.
( with series of nightmares with women catching on fire and running to
me for help. ) While on the medication I was walking up every hour 1/2
through the night... only bursts of restless sleep.
I survived Round 1 of ADHD Pharmaceuticals with only a few cuts and
bruises and nightmares. Can't wait for round two up against the old
heavyweight. Riddilin.
Thanks for ya'lls support.
-- I Will Survive in Seattle--
no i always got prescribed the lowest dose of adderall actually. maybe i worded it wrong earlier. i gain tolerance very easily. give me a new drug that i've never taken and sometimes it works great, but after about a week on it, my dose needs to be higher.
i do have a question though. recently, since i am not in summer school anymore, i've been able to sleep later till like 9 AM. that means that the vyvanse, with my body, wouldn't be worn off until about midnight. if i opened it up would i be able to take just half of the medicine in it and it not last as long?
30mg is the lowest dose available... and they don't split easily. (especially
in the morning)
My first day off the Vyvance after trying it for 4 days... I had to leave
work as my frustration tolerance droped to absolute zero. I tried
working from home but nothing got done... and wow I haven't thrown
tantrums in ages. Brings me back to when I was 8.
I put a hole in my apartments drywall and smashed my cellphone into
pieces and brusied my fist and cut my hand. My right kidney (or liver?)
has been aching all day.
I suspect that I experienced severe side effects because this was my first
crack at ADD medication. The other person using Vyvance,
soyouthinkimfat, sounded like she was on high dosages of Adderall
before switching to Vyvance. I'd guess that her system was already quite
tolerant of this kind of drug. Or maybe I got a bad batch.
Perhaps starting out with a long acting med is NOT the way to start ADD
drugs. Hanging out with the bad trip side-effects for 12 hours made me
angry. I didn't realize how powerfully psychoactive this class of drugs
was.
I was searching for a roomate situation but I think I'll keep living by
myself untill this med rollercoaster smoothes out. Perhaps take a week off
work for the next trial. This is nothing like the pictures of happy
kids in the Vyvance starter pack booklet. Imagine the hell of being an
8yo starting out on Vyvance...
Vyvance was supposed to be the latest and greatest. I thought after the
years of reseach and development the Pharmas had made advances. I
was trying to keep my expectations in check... but I really was hoping the
pharmaceutical aproach would help support therapy and excersise and
give me toe hold to get structure in my life.
I'll keep trying.... but this feels like a huge setback.
--Pissed off in Seattle -- tightrope239273.3400694444How many doctors are willing to prescribe it? I'm hoping my doctor won't be too conservative and will be willing to try it if I ask about it...I thought it may be more effective for me than concerta, because somehow I got the idea that MPH meds are milder than the amph.-besed ones. I think I heard or read that somewhere, but I don't really remember...but if it is possible that concerta isn't as potent, that could explain it, because of my high drug toleranceI have been on Vyvanse for over a week now. It has been the best choice I have ever made. i was diagnosed with ADD about 5 yrs ago and the family Dr prescribed stratttera. It did nothing for me and I just delt with it. Well about a month ago I decided to see a professional (psychitrist) and she confirmed that I did in fact have ADD. Sh eprescribed me Vyvanse and I have had nothing but great results form it. It doesnt effect my sleep. My mind is not comstantly wondering, I'm not forgetting things all the time. for me it has been a miricale drug. You dont feel "high" you just feel foccused and not distracted. I thank god for helping my address this issue and finding a med that is working for me. My outlook on life is much more hopeful. I have never been one to take any meds, but this drug works I cant say enough good things about it [QUOTE=soberxinsanity] How many doctors are willing to prescribe it?
I'm hoping my doctor won't be too conservative and will be willing to try it
if I ask about it...I thought it may be more effective for me than concerta,
because somehow I got the idea that MPH meds are milder than the
amph.-besed ones. I think I heard or read that somewhere, but I don't
really remember...but if it is possible that concerta isn't as potent, that
could explain it, because of my high drug tolerance[/QUOTE]
It shouldn't be hard to get your prescription. Vyvanse isn't nearly as
divertable (good thing) as say adderall. It has less potential for abuse.
It's bound with an amino acid and the drug can't be released until the
amino acid is broken down. So that means snorting, smoking injecting
etc won't do a darn thing. Because of this, Dr's should be very willing to
prescribe it.
I just started taking it a few days ago. I was on concerta (36mg) and it
did very little for me. I had to take 72mg to feel "normal" and I wasn't
prescribe 72mg so it was a long month. The first day I took Vyvanse, I
couldn't even tell I took anything. I don't mean the "stimulant" feel. I
mean I had no focus, energy, motivation etc. I didn't take any stimulants
for 2 days and today took my Vyvanse (50mg middle of the range dosage)
and it seem very nice so far. Like others said, it's very smooth. With
adderall xr I could feel the crash from the instant release before the
delayed relase part kicked in and I hated that. I can barely feel that at all
with the Vyvanse. Vyvanse is different than adderall because it is just the
d amphetamine. I guess it's more of a CNS stimulant whereas adderall is
also a CNS stimulant it also has the l amphetamine which is what makes
your body feel "weird" - increased heart rate, clenching jaw, jittery etc.
It's too early to tell if I like this better than adderall but I do like it better
than concerta so far. Unfortunately today, I don't have much to do so I
won't be able to really judge how it helps me in "life" situations. hth
I'm not sure how many doc. here prescribe vyvanse. I take my son to a counselor next Thurs. so i'll ask about it then.
I have a 5 yr old on straterra 10 mg. in morning and 18 mg. in the eve. The only good thing bout it is his evening pill makes him very sleepy. WONDERFUL compaired to how he use to sleep. Before he took straterra he was having night terrors. We were up in the night with him constantly. Now strattera helps him drift right to sleep, and he sleeps ALL night long. WONDERFUL! About 2 weeks ago we found out he has asthma and takes Flovent in morning and in the evening. Mixing Straterra and Flovent is making him a crazy monster, crazier then before we found out he had ADHD. I myself am going to go CRAZY!
Knowing that he has to have both meds,What else can I do???????????
I think concerta is too mild for me...i have a high drug/med tolerance and I was thinking the dex/amph meds might be more potent..not sure where I got the idea but I think I remember reading it somewhere...My 5-y.o is on 30mg vyvanse and has done wonders for her. Concerta did absolutely nothing for her, but this vyvanse has been a life saver.Thank for the advice! I might have to have him switch.My son started Vyvanse yesterday. We had to wait three days for it becuase the pharmacy did not have it in. he has been on focalin xr 15 mg for a month and it did not seems to last as long as he needed.I do not want to get excited but if yesterday was any inclination of how this drug works; it is a lifesaver.
I was almopst moved to tears when the lady at the mall said he must be your token of joy. It was so wonderful. He was a pleaseure to be around yesterday. The drug lasted 12-13 hours. He still cannot sleep which is a problem, but as long as it is working one step at a time!Today was my sons first day of kindergarden. He seems like a new kid, getting him back into a routine is a great feeling! Last two years in pre-k he always said he hated school. This year totally different. Now it's just getting him through this year 
My 11 year old has been on Vyvanse for 3 weeks. We were part of the Shire study before we got kicked out because of family medical history. We started on the 20 mg for one week. We knew it was to low but we saw improvement. We are now at 30mg and have seen a great deal of improvement.
My son is eating more regularly through out the day, which was a problem on the Adderal XR. And he is eating more healthy foods by choice. To fully understand the eating problem, let me tell you he weighs 3 pounds less than he did in August 2006, but is now 8 incher taller. I just weighed him and he is 114 pounds, 2 pounds heavier than the first of the month.
The best thing is now he sleeps. He was staying up all night, everynight for weeks. I was so tired of the battles that I had told him he could stay up but he couldn't go out of the house. It worked for us. We are very fortunate that I am able to be a stay at home Mom, I would have died if I had to do the getting up battle before work everyday.
I do make sure he takes his meds around 7:00 am. He goes back to sleep for an hour or so. I am pretty sure that he is getting good 11 or 12 hours of meds. I haven't noticed the peaks and valleys, we had before. I do notice he is hyper again by 8 or 9 in the evening
I haven't noticed any negative effects. His older sister has motor tics, so I have been watching. His personality is still there and as bad as this sounds, it is fun to be with him again. We have entered into puberty (which is trip in itself) and started having some aggressive behaviors, those seems to have diminished.
You can get a free 30 day trial coupon fron Shire by going to to www.vyvanse.com/voucher_thankyou.asp
I have just started on ADHD meds (Vyvanse). I’ve known I have had ADHD but it has never been a huge issue, I am a fairly intelligent person so I have never needed to concentrate for long periods of time. But now I’m trying to get into nursing school. I was started on the 30mg and it has done wonders. Side effects are mild palpitations, appetite, and slightly emotional when I started. I have been on it for a week and the side effects are barely noticeable, but so has my concentration. I'm worried about jumping doses so fast and so soon, and building up a tolerance where the highest dose wont help. Why are my ADHD symptoms coming back only after being on it for a week? Is this common? If I have to find a "dose that is for me" then why did the 30mg help significantly in the beginning and then quickly fade?