i hope it works for your ds. it works pretty good for mine. he is only turning 7 and on 30 mg. he had to get adjusted to it though but after a week or two he was good. good luck!! let us know how he is doing! i wish my ds was old enough to tell me how he feels when he takes it or without it!

kim

Aw, thanks! 

I'm glad your DS is doing well with Vyvanse.  Believe it or not, mine is starting at a dose of 30 mg (he's probably 6 feet tall, weighs about 185 - don't keep track of that stuff like I used to when he was a "kid" . . .  LOL).  We'll see how that dosage works. 

Hope you and your DS enjoy the rest of the summer.  Ours is flying by - school starts on Monday.  

our ds started last monday. he has only had good reports everyday. which is a total shock since the last 3 yrs i have gotten bad phone calls and reports and he had never had a good day! its like a dream. i think your ds will like this med if it works in any way for him as it does my son! isnt it amazing that these meds dont go by the weight! has he grown that tall being on meds?? im curious about if they stunt growing. mine is 4' 2" and turning 7 in sept. i know he is supposed to be tall and i want to make sure he makes it up there! did u do med breaks at all? when did he start meds? hope u dont mind all the questions just trying to learn all i can for my little boy. we have only been on meds for a little over 2 months. started on concerta and it had too many side effects. he has been on vyvanse for almost 3 weeks now. still new at the med thing but they seem too help him so much. any how hope your ds has a nice 1st day of school.

kim

Hi, Kim. 

I, too, am curious whether growth can be affected; I have seen posts on these boards to that effect, but know very little.

My DS only started with medication in recent years, as non-med modifications began to fall short and he began to have a terrible time academically.  We are like you, in that we are still trying to find a plan that works!  

Keep in touch.

thanks hanginindere!! and spamula i hope the 50mg works for your ds during school.

kim

Happy day today!  DS just approached me and told me how he thinks the Vyvanse is working well.  He said he can stay focused, on task, and gets his work done!  I told him that's great and keep up the good work to which he said he thinks he'll be fine, as long as he takes his med. 

One little ray of light at the end of that long tunnel!

thats great!! i hope it continues to work well for your ds. we just had to add in tenex(gaunfacine) for some minor tics that my ds has. he has had them with other stims too. its such a nice feeling when things are going good! thats exciting! i am very happy for you and your ds.

kim

well the 1st 3 days when i would give it to my son he would seem extra hyper for about an hour and then he would calm down and be tired. i kinda think it was the concerta rebound from taking him off of it and it taking an hour for vyvanse to work in the morning though so maybe u wont see that.  it did stop after a few days. my ds lost his appetite and had trouble sleeping. his appetite isnt so bad now though. we have been on it for a little over a month. he is usually pretty hungry later in the day. it lasts about 10-12 hours for him with hardly ever any rebound. some days we get it but its no where near what we had on concerta. my son had sniffing tics with concerta and he continues to have them with vyvanse also now with a cough. we have started him on tenex(gaunfacine) and this has helped with sleeping and eating and lowering the frequency of tics. we have had a few side effects but nothing major. to me this med is like a dream. it has dramatically cut down the hyperness, impulsivity and helped attention! sometimes i cant believe it! its so nice to not have the school calling here everyday or my ds getting sent home. kindergarten was soooo horrible we had to pull him out of school and homeschool him and this yr for 1st grade we have put him in a new school. now with the meds i have a well behaved 1st grader that seems to fit in pretty good so far. if i didnt tell the school he had adhd im very sure that they would have never guessed. its also very nice to not be stressed out or overwhelmed when i am in the same room with him. i can actualy enjoy him now! good luck to u and your son. if u need to know anything just ask me. i would love to share our experience!

kim 

Thank you rosalie68 for the insight on meds.  I gave my son his dose at 6am and almost immediately he was up and talking and talking and talking.  He is on Clonidine but the doctor said to cut his dose in the morning.  I had to give that dose in the afternoon though.  He was kinda aggitated and whinny.  All he wanted to do was lay in bed.  He did not eat anything all day, hopefully he will eat before bed.  Hope tomorrow will be better.  I didn't see an immediate change in his focus yet, hope I will tomorrow.  Will let you know.

if he is on clonodine maybe he wont have trouble going to sleep at night then. does he take a dose at bedtime too? i bet he will be hungry later on tonight around 8pm. good luck. i sent u a pm.

kim

weird, i posted but it didnt show up. well anyway maybe u can try to give him carn instant breakfast strawberry mixed with whole milk. it has vitamins and extra calories. (kinda like an ensure or pediasure) my son really likes the choc flavor. some kids can lose quite a bit of weight on this med. my ds is only 46lbs and 4'2" so we dont want him losing 1lb! he lost 3 with concerta and were not sure if he has lost with this or not but he seems to be doing good. he has been more hungry lately. not sure if its the tenex or him getting used to the vyvanse. he usually has a prob with lunch if anything but we give him breakfast before the vyvanse kicks in(takes an hour to work) and then he is hungry in the evening. i hope your ds does better tomorow. sometimes it takes a little while for them to get used to the med. hang in there. i'll be here tomorow. glad to help out. always nice to know what to expect!

kim

thats good that he did better today. i bet everyday will get better. i hope he starts eating something soon! can u try to get him to eat breakfast before the meds kick in? for my ds vyvanse made a huge difference in school. i hope they can move yours back to the classroom soon. good luck!

kim

maybe on friday u can go into the class to drop him off at school or when u pick him up or maybe call the school and see. when i pick up my son from school sometimes i will stop in the class and see how he has been doing. the teacher this yr is pretty good about it though. last yr was a mess and she had time to call me about the bad things and to complain but when i asked she never had time to write a small note for me!! i hope they say your ds is doing good. keep me updated i would love to hear how he is doing! hope u can get him to eat soon.

kim

Well I went to lunch with ds today and the teacher in the special ed room (two of them) said he was so good today he zipped through his work and had some free time to spare.  I'm so happy, I guess I have to go eat lunch with him to see whats going on in school.  I'm still going to write a note friday to see how his week was.  Oh and you can't go in the school to drop off or pick up your kid.  When you go in the school you have to sign in at the office and they watch you go down to the lunch room. 

wow thats crazy about not being able to go in the school. where do u live? i would be annoyed by that. but thats good that he is doing so good in his class!!! its so nice to hear those words! maybe u can go to his lunch once a week and see how he is doing and if he is eating lunch. im glad he is doing good. i really like this med too. keep me updated! im so happy for u and ds!! good job ds!!

kim

Indiana, yeah I know that's crazy.  It's the school rules.  I feel like he goes to a school in russia or something.  I think I will have lunch with him once a week so I can see the progress in school.  I like the meds to.  My ds actually listened to my husband when he told him to do something.  Amazing....  He did eat a half of a corndog for supper.  You know my ds is so smart that I actually think if he is able to focus he could be a strait A student.  He told me today that after lunch he stayed in his regular class the rest of the day.      I write back when I hear something else.  I tell you what this forum has been a blessing for me b/c I had such a hard time since he was diagnosed 2 years ago. 

wow indiana huh? never wouldve guessed. i was thinking more of russia too lol. thats great that he got to stay in his class!! i bet u are so happy! takes alot of stress away too when u dont hav to keep yelling or getting annoyed b/c ds wont listen to what to tell him to do. im so glad mine listens better and isnt very hyper. i used to not want to be around him as much. now we get along great. i alos love these boards. i get so much info and i think its better to hear ppls experiences too instead of just reading a paper with side effects or listening to dr. i like to put them all together. good luck to u and ds. keep me updated! 

kim

I just read this entire topic because my dd just started on Vyvanse 20mg.

Rosalie68, thank you so much for being honest and saying you used to not want to be around your ds as much.  I noticed ADHD symptoms last year in kindergarten in my daughter.  Because girls typically display their symptoms different from boys, her teacher and my husband both made me think I was crazy.  Her kindergarten teacher said it was probably her age and she would grow out of it.  But, like with everything in her life, she never outgrew it.  That is why I finally decided to seek treatment because I felt myself not wanting to be around her.  I knew I shouldn't feel that way about my daughter and I had to do something about it regardless of what other people thought.

Now we are in 1st grade and I have total support from her teacher.  She saw the inattention and hyperactivity on Day 3 of school.  Of course, she probably wouldn't have recognized it as being ADHD if I wouldn't have said something to her.  She probably would have just wrote it off as my daughter being an underachiever.

My dd is at school right now for the first time on meds.  I am so excited to see how it is going.  She is at a private school.  I was really doubting myself as to keeping her there because her psychologist said public schools are better equipped to handle ADHD children.  But, right now at the private school, I can go in the classroom any time I want.  I help with lunch duty and recess duty.  Her teacher keeps a daily journal for me.  I called her teacher at home last night on a Sunday evening and she returned my phone call.  I have her teacher's cell phone number.  Her teacher told me that I could have her pediatrician call her anytime.  And, her teacher told me she loves my daughter and wants the best for her.  I know the public school where she is supposed to go will not allow parents at the school at any time.  Maybe my dd is right were she needs to be.

By the way, I am 35 and just found out I, too, have ADHD.  Untreated for now, hence, the rambling on and on and on. 

thats so good nnjpolive!!! im so glad its working so good for your ds. doesnt it feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders!! my ds is writing all of his numbers and letters the right way now. he used to write alot of them backwards. i contribute it to being left handed too. they say its common. he barely messes them up anymore. i was wondering how your ds was doing. i havent been on here in a few days.

dysyd- your welcome! thats really how i felt about him though. its not him its how he acts that was driving me absolutely crazy. it was that overwhelming feeling or like too much was going on around me with him near. like i cant think straight. he has a little brother thats 2 yrs old and he would get him all riled up too. it makes you feel bad when u keep yelling at them to settle down or get frustrated b/c they dont listen. then when u discipline them u end up feeling bad b/c u wonder how much of it they can really control and how much is the adhd. he always felt bad for making me mad or upset but he would go right back to doing whatever he just got in trouble for. i didnt feel like it was fair for him to get yelled at and picked at everyday. and why should i have to be stressed out everyday. alot of times i felt like i had failed as a mother and i just wanted to give up. i didnt understand what i was doing wrong or what i wasnt doing right. i have always suspected adhd since he was very young. i was not a beleiver in meds for children and i tried everything i could in hopes that one day he would just grow out of this. when he was 4 we tried adderall and he reacted pretty bad to it and then they made me think that maybe he didnt have it and that i was a horrible person for putting him on anything. so i waited and dealt with all his behavoir the bes i knew how. when he started getting in trouble in school i  knew i had to do something. we actually had to homeschool him last yr in kindergarten b/c of a horrible school and his adhd. we saw his self esteem lowereing very fast. when i took him to drs they did a med trial as i had felt like i had no other choice. when i saw the difference in him and how well he could stay on task i decided to try it in with him in school. we moved and he goes to a new school now. we did have to try several meds and doses before we got where we are but i really like vyvanse. he is totally diff at school and home as far as behavoir! now everyone can see how smart he is and he can actually work to his fullest ability with this med. now he doesnt get yelled at all day, he has friends, he does great at school. ppl like him. im so happy for him. sometimes its still hard to beleive and i wonder if it will last but we will take it one day at a time. ppl also used to tell me that he was just acting like a boy with alot energy and he would grow out of it. this made it hard for me to medicate him. i also had alot of ppl think it was my parenting skills. totally not fair! i had tried everything with him! i often asked ppl for advice about how to deal with certain situations and read lots of books and just searched for different ideas on how to help him to behave. i was not lazy and not careless with him. its amazing what ppl think they know about our kids. esp when they dont know them! well anyhow i think i just rambled!!! lol. i think we have all been in similar situations thats why i love this board! good luck to u all!

kim