Vyvanse Feed back PLEASE!
after describing to our doc today the downsides- (some withdrawal,flat
expression, up and down a bit as meds kick in and wear off)- he wants us to
try Vyvanse. I was surprised because I thought he'd go for Focalin xr, or just
have us continue on the low dose of short acting. He explained that it's a
milder , smoother experience typically, and because my son seems sensitive
to the stim in the way we described his behavior, he felt he could do well on
it. I'm willing to give it a try, but would love to hear feedback from anyone
whose had experience with it. THANK YOU!
I've not tried any of the methylphenidate-based drugs; I've been prescribed Adderall in both short and long-acting XR forms, and its successor, Vyvanse. So the smoothness I attribute to the Vyvanse is in comparison to the short-acting Adderall.
On eating... catch some of the threads here that discuss ways to pack more into what he does consume. And enlist him to help by letting him know that the medicine may reduce his hungry feelings but that he'll be better at (fill in appropriate enticement here: running, jumping, playing ball...) if he eats his meals, even if he's not hungry. I had to remind myself not only to eat, but how much to eat...and I still lost weight! But, sooner or later appetite comes back while on meds...and it comes back ten-fold when the medication wears off!
On sleeping...yeah, like Marykath says...you gotta keep trying stuff if sleepyness doesn't come when it should. I always found that vigorous exercise dulled the effect of the meds (maybe endorphins override the stims?). A few brisk games of ping poig an hour before bedtime might help....
Your little guy may not get 12 hours out of Vyvanse... I got around 8 hours of discernable effect.
I'm sure this must be a bit traumatic and all... but try to stay loose and go with the flow... you're taking in huge amounts of info because this is such a hugely important topic in your life right now (as it should be). All that info is important, but try not to take it and build up expectations or let it seed worries within you. Get plenty of rest yourself, and exercise too! You're way more important than the meds...the meds help him to be more receptive and aware...
but it doesn't take away your job which is most important to him:
you're his muse.
Thanks again John...I'm still a little perplexed as to why this doc would
jump from methyl based stim to an ampehetimine based one. My son has
only had methyl, and has tolerated well for the most part besides the ups
and downs. It seems he feels strongly in the smoothness of Vyvanse
regardless of what it's base is...does that make sense?
The doc also suggested the excersise thing that you mentioned before bed,
so we will definitely do that! Hoping to get started with it by Wednesday the
latest...I will report back here for updates, and more advice if need it :)
"...It seems he feels strongly in the smoothness of Vyvanse
regardless of what it's base is...does that make sense? "
regardless of what it's base is...does that make sense? "
from the patient perspective, it makes a lot of sense to me
for doctor's working with ADHD to be fluid and willing to work
on finding the right medication. This is especially important because
over time, however long or short, things will change and so the
meds will have to change also--different dose or different med.
Smooth is VERY important, I think. The ramping up and ramping down
of a short acting stimulant can be very distracting, especially when
someone is first starting a med. Though diminished, these ups and
downs can occur with the long-acting varieties also. I'll use the analogy of vision... imagine your eyesight isn't so great..everything's a bit blurry (maybe you don't have to imagine this!). But you're used to it (poor eyesight) and you've learned to adapt and feel OK in general about how you handle things that come up day-to-day. Now, someone gives you a pill and, for a period of time each day, your eyesight magically improves to 20/20--everything is crystal clear and bright and life becomes so much easier! Until the effects of the pill start wearing off and your vision doesn't just go back to where it was--it gets blurrier than it was! Talk about frustrating! And as if that's not enough, the "rebound" from the pill is making you impatient and cranky (or emotional) as all get out!
Sooo...if you're just a little tyke taking ADHD medication who doesn't
really know or understand its effect, it's easy to see how experiencing
these "ups and downs" can really wreak havoc!
I've taken Vyvanse. It is smooth. Start low and increase slowly--much can be happening inside that isn't evident from the outside. Side effects are usually most prevalent when first starting up one of these stimulant meds.
Thanks John... I SOOO appreciate first hand feedback!
Curious if you've tried Focalin or Ritalin prior to the Vyvanse? Does the
"smoothness" you described come out of a comparison to one of those other
stimulants? We will of course start at the lowest for our 5 year old, which is
20 mg. He went through the side effects of stomach ache, loss of appetite,
and some mild itching with the Focalin, so I hope that he doesn't have to
start from scratch with that again! All three things subsided completely, or
enough to be managable. My biggest concerns are that becaus eit's a 12 hr
pill he won't eat all day, where at least with shortacting pill I had windows
when his appetite came back- he's really a little guy as it is! I'm also worried
about sleep, which doc warned us could be an issue. How did you manage
with food and sleep? Thanks again!
The brief time my daughter, also 5, was on Vyvanse we would feed her a huge breakfast. At dinner, she would not be hungry so we would keep her food in the frig, then heat it up and try to feed her right before bed. We also gave her a cup of hot, whole milk in bed to try to get something down her. The sleep thing was difficult for a few nights, but by night 3 or so she was back to her normal sleep patterns.
Hope that helps. Vyvanse worked well for her, attention and focus wise. But it really agravated her existing sensory issues so we stopped.
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