We just switched my 7 year old son from Focalin XR 10 mg to Vyvanese 20 mg. The Focalin did not last very long, and he was very moody, crying a lot, and anxious. Today is only his second day on Vyvanese and already it seems much better, although he is still a little nervous about things. It seems to be lasting much longer - yesterday I gave it to him around 7:45 am and it seemed to last until late in the evening. Even going to bed around 9:00 pm seemed "easier" for him. The doctor said this medication is smoother. So, hopefully, this is the right one for my son. So far, so good. Even his teacher said he had a good day yesterday.
Kathy
we just switched mt 7 year old son from Focalin 5mg to Vyvanse 30 mg for the same reason. The Focalin just wasn't lasting long enough. But the side effects were much less on the Focalin. I also want to not give him meds on weekends and vacations. when I took him off the Vyvanse for 3 days and then gave it to him again the first day he compained, that he just didn't feel like doing anything. It is nice to have him QUIET and mellow. But I really don't want to change his personality that much. Is Vyvanse a med that is not tollerated well when taken on and off? Thanks. Has anyone else had experience with Vyvanse and med breaks
I consistently got 8 hours of benefit from Vyvanse (70 mg) compared to 6 hours from Adderall XR. I found the Vyvanse helped my concentration more, but even after 6 months, I really hadn't settled in with it, so went back to the XR.
The sleep thing when off meds is common.... When I take a "break" from either of these stimulants, I'm either sleeping or eating for the next 48 hours! It wasn't that way when I started taking this medicine--but this response has gotten stronger over the years. My guess is that the body strengthens the sleep and hunger "signals" over time while on stimulants as a way to counteract the stimulant effect of dampening hunger and sleepiness sensations.
My 17 year old son has been on vyvanse for almost 3 weeks. We took a one day break from it during that time...on a Sunday when he had nothing to do. He slept until 11am (typical for a weekend), but then went back to sleep for a nap at 1:30 and slept most of the afternoon. He said he was tired the rest of the day and the beginning of the next. So he seemed to experience extreme tiredness on his "day off." I don't know if that is typical or not.
my daughter has been on adderall xr in the am and regular adderall in the evenings so that she can do her homework. her doc just changed her to vyvance 30 mg and we had the absolutely worst day. She was so hyper she couldnt sit still for a moment. And it only lasted 6 or 7 hrs, just like the adderall xr, so we are switching back. She is fabulously calm on the adderall xr. I didnt want to switch (dont fix what isnt broke!) but her doc wanted her to try it. Back to the adderall xr!
I guess I thought that Vyvanse and Adderall were similar. My son is on 60 mg of Vyvanse in the morning...and he says he feels absolutely nothing. Nada. I just want to wait a few more days before I bump him up to 90mg. Is it possible this is simply not the right med for him?Hi Kitty, Vyvanse and Adderall are similar, Vyvanse is supposed to last alot longer. I didnt find that. I'm not a doctor but you son's dosage seems pretty high. My 9 year old daughter (weight 57 pounds) was taking Adderall XR 15 mg in the morning, and regular Adderall 10 mg in the early evening. When her doc switched her to Vyvance it was 30 mg but she still had to take her 10 mg of reg. adderall at night just to make her stop spinning off the planet. Scary. From reading the boards, not too many people love Vyvance. Alot of people seem to do well on Focalin XR. Once you find what works, still with it. Good luck.
vyvanse is actually a dirivative of Adderall. It does last longer than Focalin XR. There are some apparent side effects when taking days off. I have found that with my son taking a day off is not a good idea. He is extremely tired the day after he stops taking it and is lagging the first day back on the med. The Focalin was much easier to choose days on and off. But didn't last throughout homework. So I have decided to go with the Vyvanse non-stop for the rest of the school year, (testing is coming up here in our state). And then off for the summer. His high activity is tollerable for us so unless he needs to be sitting still in school it is not a problem. Even now he is working on homework one on one with his dad totally focused not on any meds today, but all other sounds and distrations are eleminated. Maybe we should Homeschool? Ha HaSherilynne - Thanks for the reply! My son is about 170lbs (he is 17), and it just seems odd that he feels NOTHING even on 60mg. His first day on 30mg (after never taking a stim before) he said he felt very focused and concentrated (but forgot to eat lunch!!!!...this is a child who has never missed a meal in his life!) but after that very first day, even with increases, he said he derives no real benefit.
Camcrazy - and thank you for the reassurance about the vacation day from vyvanse. I simply was not prepared for that, and your experience identically mirrors the one I had with my son. Even though he didn't "feel" any benefit from the med at all during the week, he certainly did his fair share of sleeping when he went off!
The other eye-opening discussion from this forum...I have had a difficult time communicatiing with my son's psychiatrist. He was great in the initial meeting, but doesn't seem to listen when I phone him about concerns. This seems to be more prevalent behavior among docs than I would have thought. I am thinking of finding another doc because of that.
Thanks to everyone!!!!
Kitty2Karen - Psychiatrists prescribe meds and that's about it. You may want to consider a psychologist. They don't prescribe meds and are better about listening to concerns. I am working with my family physician for meds and with a therapist (licensed psychologist) for the behavior modification and emotional stuff.