Vynase, anyone successful? | ADHD Information

My almost 8 year old DS is on Concerta, 27 milligrams.  It has been working very well for his inattentiveness, however he has not gained any weight since March 2009.  He continues to grow taller and is becoming a beanpole.  My pediatrician suggested Vynase because it has less of the appetite effects.  We are switching from our current psychiatrist to a new one in October so I'm trying to get as much information as possible.  TIA

 

Kazmama

is he eating or just not gaining weight but eating okay?

My son has always been small for his age. That's just the way he is built.

If your son is eating well and just not gaining weight, i wouldn't worry because he probably just has a high metabolism and burns it off quickly. However, if he is not eating at all, then i would worry. Try making him eat before he takes his medicine and give him his favorite foods until you get to see the new doctor.

Good luck.

My son has been on vyvanse for about 3 weeks.  He's never been on Concerta--but he's been on adderall xr, focalin xr, straterra, tenex, daytrana, and metadate cd.  The daytrana and medadate cd kept him up all night.  In the year prior when he was on the other meds--he gained no weight--but he lost none---still, when he came off of them and was on nothing--he gained almost 10 lbs.  He does not eat as well on the vyvanse as he did with no meds in him...but he still eats--and as far as focus and impulse control and such...it has been the best so far.  It goes out of his sytem to quickly and we may end up with a booster of something--but so far no other side effects--though he does take clonodine to sleep.

 

My son is six and was diagnosed June of 08. He also has sensory processing issues and is in OT as well as counseling.

In my experience as an adult taking stimulant medication, the appetite loss and weight loss is something I experience when I start on a new medication.  This happened when I started taking Adderall, and it happened again when I started taking Vyvanse.  It's as if my body, over a period of several months, gets used to the medication to the point that my appetite sensations are able to override the dampening effect the medication has on them.   My appetite gradually comes back, which is good because while I am average weight for my height, some people think I look skinny.    I guess he is getting adjusted. He is eating so much on this med!! Isnt it so odd how some kids are so good on one med and bad on another!  My son was just diagnosed with ADD/ADHD our Connors test stated he was on the low end.  The school had tested him in the spring and he also came back on the border line.  His psychiatrist insists that he is a full blown case and started him on 30mg of Vyanaise.  He has been on it for 2 weeks now.  The first day he took it he could not fall asleep.  He finally fell asleep at 2am and woke up at 7am.  I called the psychiatrist and he wanted to put him on a sleeping pill or I could try melatonin but it probably would not work.  I did put him on melatonin and it helped him fall asleep. 

Here is the thing since he has been on it I have noticed an increase in aggresssion and hostility in the morning.   He does not eat very well. Thankfully he has some reserves.   He also seems a bit withdrawn and sad.  This makes me worried as he was diagnosed with depression last year and is on zoloft for that.  So I called the psychiatrist yesterday and he wants to up the medicine saying that he is not getting enough.   I am really worried for my six year old son.   We have tried alternative therapies but he fights me on the diet changes.   I want him to be successful in life and in school.   My son is the exact description of yours.  He is 11, going on 12, and is the skinniest kid one his football team.  He doesn't eat after taking his morning Vyvanse, because he said it makes him feel sick to his stomach.  He goes to school, mostly doesn't eat lunch, gets home and his appetite kicks in and he goes and gets Cheetos or chocolate.  If he doesn't take his pill, like on the weekends, he is hungry and eats alot, but the ADHD is hard to handle.  What to do?My son was on Vyvanse from Dec 08-June 09. Initially at
30mg and then upped to 40mg in Feb 09. We took him off
meds completely for the summer in an effort to have him
gain weight (he gained 5lbs since April, WOOHOO!) and
give him a break.

Well, we went to put him back on Vyvanse again for school
starting (we wanted to start it a few weeks before school
started so we knew if it would work or not) and because
my son had been moody/emotional on the 40mg dose in the
spring, we started him at 30mg. WOW!! moody, mean,
emotional, COULD NOT SLEEP describes my kid. Took him off
that med and started him on Metadate CD 10mg which we
just increased to 20mg this morning after 4 days. YAY!
Think we found the right med.

Vyvanse is a good drug and it works for lots of children
.. just not mine.asdkidsarecool - does your child eat better on the new medicine?  So far, yes ... he's eating much better on the Metadate CD
than on Vyvanse. He actually gets HUNGRY during the day,
and that's saying something since the child is NEVER hungry
to begin with. He's got the same personality (spunky,
funny, and happy) but he's got the ability to focus and be
attentive.

It's still early in the afternoon so we'll see how rebound
goes and we MAY need to have a booster dose for the
evenings with my son doing wrestling which starts in two
weeks. We'll see.Rebound....is that what happens when the 1st dose wears off in the afternoon?  I've tried the 2nd dose in the evening, but never stuck to it.  There has to be a way to get my son to eat....well, after I posted my son ate TWO hotdogs! He had come up
to me saying "I'm STARVING" and promptly ate both hotdogs
and then turned around 2hrs later and ate some spaghetti
and a piece of bread w/ butter for dinner.

Yep, he's definitely a LOT better on this med and little to
no eating side effects. NO REBOUND EITHER!!! He's back to
his normal giggly/hyper self but I can handle that until
bedtime. I just can't have him like that at school.We had a horrible time with Vyvanse, made him a moody mess.... but like most meds, I'm sure different kids act differently with them...

Audrey

No, not days, hours.  The real variable is, of course, how one reacts (or doesn't) once it does kick in, and how (or if) one reacts when it kicks out (rebound).   It may take a while to observe these reactions and to decide whether or not to stay the course or modify.
My son will be put on this for the first time tomorrow. Im kinda scared every time he switches meds. We had a bad experience with Vyvanse, but that was just us. Everyone is different. Our psychiatrist did say that younger children tend to have a tougher time on it because it can bring out moodiness. For us, he had a great appetitie but he was an angrier, more irritable child and would get really upset with himself when he did something wrong. He almost became a different kid. We switched to Focalin, which didn't last long enough and was just OK, then Concerta, which we're on now but thinking about adding Tenex. Again, that was just our experience ... everyone has a different response. Good luck!

My son has been on Vyvanse for several months and seems to be doing well.  Although, we have had some "issues" with extreme impulsivity.  Which has always been an issue with him.  Anyone else think this med brings out more impulsivity?  He just seems to act on the impulsivity more than he use to.  Maybe it is just a teenage thing.  After all he is going to be turning 16 in about a month.

 

Bremenmom

15year old severe ADD son

 

well, my son is being switched from Vyvanse to Metadate CD
because the moodiness/emotional aspect is just too much. I
HOPE we get enough of an effect that it lasts him
throughout the whole school day w/ less rebound but we'll
see.

Unfortunately, my son has been moody the entire day on the
Vyvanse so it wasn't just rebound for usOk David (7) has been on this for 3 days now. The first day was heaven!! The 2nd and 3rd was not so good. Does this med take days to kick in??