non-stimulants and college | ADHD Information

I am a college student who takes vyvanse. I have taken almost every
stimulant at some point or another since I was 11. I can't seem to find
the right medication that fits by college schedule. I like having medicine
during the day for classes and I tend to do my homework in the evening.
I have early class so I have to take it early and if I take it too late it keeps
me up anyways but it has often worn off before I have even gotten to my
homework. I try to work during the afternoon but I am often busy then. I
took short acting medicine for a while and it works pretty well with my
schedule because I am only in class for about half as much as a K-12
student is a day but then do homework at another time due to other
commitments. However, short acting medicine has never really had a big
effect with me or seemed to work at all.. I am posting this because I
am curious about non-stimulants such as straterra that are constantly
working but not as strong I was wondering what people's experiences
are with them and which medications are out there. I hate how stimulants
make me withdrawn socially especially since I want to have fun in college
too. I took straterra when I was 13 but I don't even know if we gave it
enough time. I thought it didn't help but I was younger and wasn't very
good at evaluating how well medications work. I thought about getting a
subscription and trying one over my long winter break because i don't
really want to try it now since vyvanse is working well for me and I don't
want to jeopardize my academics by starting a new medication in the
middle of the quarter. I completely understand! I am in college too, and I have had similar
experiences. Since you said you haven't had much luck with fasting acting
boosters, which some people take in the afternoon to off-set the wearing
off of extended release tablets taken in the morning, have you asked your
doctor about possibly taking a lower dose in the AM of extended release
and then the same dose right after lunch of the extended release? I have
never been on vyvanse, and I don't know the time frame for which you
think it works (6 hrs, 8 hrs, etc.) But maybe that is an option if you don't
want to switch mid-semester and then you could try something else
maybe during Christmas break.

This may be completely useless to you, because you are curious about
non-stimulants, but it is an option for me, because I am on stimulants
and I experience to wear-off/ not sleeping if I take it to late/ doesn't
work with my schedule.

Good luck with everything (and midterms, ahh!) My son took it. It lasted for 5 months, then the effect wore off. While it worked, it was great. If I am recallng correctly, you have to work up to your dosage, and then stay at the dosage for a couple of weeks to see your results. I believe this takes a couple of months total before you can evaluate if it's working for you. Then if you want to quit, you dose down rather than just stopping.