Withdrawal From Vyvanse Experience (Page 4)

I have been on Vyvanse for 4 weeks and I am now tapering off. I was going to quit cold turkey , but I wke up this morning and felt like I'd been hit by a truck. It's been a few hours and I still feel like I have a mild case of the flu. Anyway, I started 4 weeks ago and the first 3 days I never felt better in my life. I 'd never been so productive, focused, and organized! By day 7 , I was back to my normal under- acheiving, scrammbled , self. Then my Dr. raised my dose from 30 mg to 50. Well this threw me into severe anxiety. I have been chewing my nails till they bleed. I can't seem to stop. I have a feeling of being completely overwhelmed, my house is trashed and it's driving me nuts, but I have no energy or drive to get up and clean it.....Can anyone else out there relate to this?

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I meant to reply in response to the person saying withdrawal isn't As bad as people are saying it is and dont worry so much. Also I meant to say psychological in my last response not physiological

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Hi Stacy, I saw your 2010 post about Vyvanse. You said that you had been taking it for a couple of months and that your life had improved greatly. That was two years ago. If you don't mind, could you please tell me how you are presently doing?

I've had the same experience as you, and at the same time also, 2010. Vyvanse improved my life from non-functional to highly-functional.

But now, 2 years later, the effects of Vyvanse have worn off, my tolerance built to even the highest doses available, so it does no good to take the med anymore. In fact, when I do take it, I experience headaches toward the end of the day. Without Vyvanse, however, I am sleepy and non-functional. I yearn for the happy Vyvanse days. It was the best year+ of my adult life. (I'm 37 now.)

So how have you been since starting Vyvanse in 2010, Stacy? Have you maybe also experienced increased tolerance to the point that Vyvanse no longer helped? Have you also experienced withdrawals, fatigue, extreme sleepiness?

Your post on this forum sounded exactly the way I felt a couple of years ago too, and I just wanted to see how you're doing now, and if we have similar exeriences.

Sincerely, Charity

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In June I was given a dose of 30mg and felt nothing. Then I was upped to 60mg and I became super focused on what ever was in front of me and I couldn't stop. Before I could get the Dr to lower the script...I was canned from my job, lost my insurance and simply could not afford the drug. It has been 3 weeks since I took my last pill. Initially I would have denied any withdrawal symptoms but from the other comments on this board I now understand that my fatigue and foggy brain are results from not having the drug in my system. In retrospect I was unusually anxious when I my dose was upped to 60mg but I also had a very stressful work environment. Overall I am still trying to find a natural alternative. I would exercise but I just can't focus enough for that right now.

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Guys, it sounds like most of you are suffering from long term sleep deprivation, not withdrawal. When I see posts saying that it worked great but it made it difficult to sleep it is kind of obvious. Your body needs sleep, and the drug tends to mask the effects of sleep deprivation so of course you're going to feel awful for a week

Also, amphetamines have no physical withdrawal.

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Yea hate on the drug due to your experience on it when it said people with your condition shouldn't even be taking it... I've been on it for just over a week and side effects are I'm more irritable loss of appetite and insomnia however when its active its like a superman drug and I see no reason for me to stop unless I find 1 that does the same without the negatives. Too many people are too quick to say somethin is bad and awful with no real knowledge of what they are even talking about. Try taking something you don't have a conditions it expresses should not be mixed with the drug then throw your opinion out there about the terrible drug it is

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I have been taking vyvanse for almost 2 years. Started off taking 30's then quickly moved up to 50's and sometimes 60's. I eventually started taking 2 50's a day. I decided to quit after a friend told me of a psychotic episode she had taking her prescribed 70's. I went cold turkey, and really had no side effects to speak of, and neither did my friend when she stopped after being taken to the hosp by the police. Crazy scary drug. I think it's more psychologically addictive than physically, at least for me. I've heard people go in to rehab to stop. Good luck, take medicine as prescribed, and report anything unusual to your MD. I'd rather be ADHD than on it after my friend's story. No withdrawal for me, hope the same for you.

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after honeymoon phase extremely dissapointing and discouraging i have adhd it made me think finally somthing that works but nope. I started at 70 mgs and had nowhere to go so i took more which did absolutly nothing these meds are too expensive to not work so i think im done the only thing i havnt tried is focalin but im not sure i want to waste time or money on another mind f***. good luck i think if you suck it up a couple days youll be fine half the time it seemed like med didn,t kick in other days i felt like i was on autopilot not think just working not what i was looking for want to concentrate not be i mindless drone i think these companies are corrupt and more worried about money than patients.

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Before Vyvanse I spent ten years being scatter-brained, unproductive, depressed, and sluggish. My true nature however is energetic, happy, intelligent, and organized as I was in childhood.

My honeymoon phase with Vyvanse lasted for a year. I made the honor roll in college, I took up aerial acrobatics, spent hours every day at the gym, became indescribably muscular & jaw-droppingly athletic, became a yoga instructor, dated some of the hottest men imaginable.

The Vyvanse year started at 30mg then every few months increased dosage. My max was 60mg where I'd built up tolerance yet again but didn't want to increase anymore because headaches and severe depression were setting in.

Over the next year off Vyvanse my appetite began to increase, compounded by life agonies of divorce, boyfriend unbearable heartbreak, financial instability, no longer able to concentrate at school, now owe the school thousands. Extreme state of depression and on the brink of homelessness. Went from rock bottom to being on top of the world with Vyvanse, now back at rock bottom again.

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number 20 is the truth. There is no physical withdrawal from stimulant meds besides being really tired and hungry. Amphetamines and their derivatives don't screw with your endorphins in the way that long term opiate use does. Chill out. You'll be ok.

p.s. If medications for AD/HD make you really anxious there is a good chance you may not be diagnosed properly. Most of us sufferers of AD/HD are very anxious when not medicated and stimulants calm our racing thoughts.

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Please see a doctor. No person should be taking another person's prescription. Before I started taking by vyvanse, my life was miserable. I take 20 mg twice a day and I feel like I have my life back. Before vyvanse I could barely function, so tired all the time. Now I feel great, but I would never abuse this drug, and my doctor has been so supportive. By the way, I just turned 65 and I have a new lease on life.

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I'm a 48 year-old woman who started taking 30 mg of Vyvanse in early January of this year. Felt great initially - super focused and clear-headed - yet a little jittery the first day. The positive effects stopped after one week, so I went up to 40 mg per day.

The first week was positive, although I felt lightheaded after moving from a crouched position to standing. The inability to sleep I experienced during the first few weeks was trailing off. Into the third week on 40 mg I started having blurry vision first thing in the morning, which only lasted a few minutes. Then later in the day I started feeling a weird tingling sensation at the back of my head, which happened again the next day. That was enough to make me call it quits, so I called my doctor and he suggested quitting cold turkey due to the short period and relatively low dose.

My doctor had warned me that I might feel tired, so I went jogging earlier than usual that first "Vyvanse Free" day. Please note: I've been jogging every other day for 10 years through all seasons (I live in Toronto), and only stopped once for a few days when I had a cold last year. I'm fairly healthy, and am reasonably slim and fit for my age. Early in the 8-kilometre run my muscles were aching, and just past the halfway mark my legs felt so heavy that I contemplated quitting and calling a cab. I'm stubborn though, so I completed the run. The rest of the day was a write-off, and I felt achy, fatigued and had a horrible headache. The second day has been almost worse, and I stayed in bed for a couple of extra hours in the morning, which is highly unusual for me.

The worst part is that I was so optimistic about this medication. I'd been taking 400 mg of SAM-e for about 12 years, and while it helped the depression it made my anxiety worse. My recommendation is to THINK LONG AND HARD before taking Vyvanse, as the withdrawal symptoms are the worst I've ever experienced. Of course some people have zero side effects, yet the discomfort I'm experiencing after taking Vyvanse for less than one month is ridiculous. I agree with a few of the people on this thread who suggested making changes in their diet, or exploring meditation instead. This changes won't help in extreme cases, yet for people with milder symptoms it might be beneficial. Best of luck either way.

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I have been on Vyvanse for approximately 4 years. As of last week, my doctor and I decided to discontinue using the drug from 40mg, as I ran out on my Rx, and getting off of my prescriptions has been a long term goal of mine. I feel like crap. I am on day five, and as of this morning have had extremely bad nausea, headache and dizziness. It has been five hours since I woke-up, and I feel like I have to go back to bed. Yesterday, I thought I was in the clear. I didn’t feel quite right, but I didn’t feel as bad as I feel today, and I assured my parents/bosses that I would be able to work today. I feel devastated as a 27 year old, who now has to have her mother bring her home from work because I don’t feel able to drive, and am nonfunctional as an employee. I don’t understand how I could go from feeling so crappy, to feeling just about alright, to extremely crappy again. It’s not so much the sleep at this point--- I slept the entire weekend, Friday-Sunday, and took Monday off from work (I am lucky to be employed by my parents), but I don’t really know how to deal with these other withdrawal symptoms. I just keep hoping that the end-point will be better than what I’m going through to get there. As for the 15 year old who is afraid, I say the same thing, hopefully the end-point will be better than what it takes to get there, you have every right to be afraid, but don’t let that get in your way. As crappy as I feel, I am still trying to stay positive. Nothing I read is making me feel any calmer, but at least I know I am not alone.

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how long does the sleepiness withdrawal bsympyom last?

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hey guys, I am on vyvanse as well. But I was heavy into stimulants in my days of drug use, and just wanted to let you guys know it wont last much longer than 3-5 weeks, you will most likely feel depressed, tired and pretty unmotivated.

your brain gets used to the stimulation on the neurotransmitters, and produces less of the chemicals (thus tolerance haha). Just be grateful it doesn't work on your serotonin like mdma, talk about feeling s***ty after a while.. But just wanted to let you guys know its gonna suck for a little while but it will end, nobody permanently damaged anything, you don't have to worry :)

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My son has been on Vyvanse since he was 5 and now at 14 he wants to stop. On the medication he had great grades and was very sweet boy, now off his grades slipped and he seems angry all the time and this is after a month of being off!! My question is does the medication permanently alter your mind to never function as a normal person again or gradually return to normal?? He certainly can't take this medication the rest of his life!!

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I've been taking about 120-150 mg daily from Monday through Thursday (rarely on weekends) since late April now. I stopped about 2 weeks ago and have felt fine. Try to eat as healthy as possible, excercise, and recover on sleep. I used to work out a lot before I started taking it and noticed I got significantly weaker when I tried working out again after stopping. Nevertheless, a healthy life style following use definitely helps cope with recovery. Otherwise I reccommend speaking to your pd.

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Here-here! I'm emploed in the healthcare field and, statistically speaking, opiate withdrawal is far more dramatic. That being said, if a patient is experiencing extreme anxiety / panic, euphoria, not sleeping for days, experiencing tics and / or jaw clenching, increased BP, heart palptations, and not limited to angry outbursts, these are all noted as possible side effects of Vyvanse on Shire's website as well as on the medication insert. Both the website and insert clearly designate which are dangerous, to stop taking Vyvanse, and call your healthcare provider. More likely than not, one who is suffering such side effects from Vyvanse is either terribly misdiagnosed or has multiple disorders. Case in point, there are comments in this thread from someone who is bipolar. A manic depressive should not have, EVER, been prescribed a stimulant medication such as Vyvanse in the first place! Or, was not thouroughly examinedand interviewed FIRST to assure a correct diagnosis of ADHD. This brings me to my next point. ANYONE diagnosed with ADHD should be done so by a professional TRAINED / SPECIALIZING in the diagnosis and treatment of this disorder! In most cases, this is NOT to be your family doctor! One or two, 20 minute visits with a family doctor is NOT enough time to thoroughly interview and test a patient for an accurate diagnosis! ....either is an overwhelmed 2nd grade teacher with a classroom of 32, 7-year-olds a trained professional to make such a diagnosis either! To ACCURATELY diagnose, other family members, teachers and in the case of late diagnosis in adults, the interviewing of spouses and coworkers and bosses if they're willing to do so. A psychiatrist to prescribe and monitor YOU and the stimulant RX he/she prescribes as well as an ADHD counselor with training in life coaching to assist and guide the ADHDer to function and live even more effectively than on medication alone. Statistically speaking, stimulant medication for one that has ADHD is far more successful in the management of symptoms than an antidepressant is to one who suffers from depression. The numbers don't lie, folks. As mentioned earlier, an ADHD, life coach / counselor paired with medication improves on the dramatically positive numbers on medication alone. I know this not only because of researching, BEING MY OWN ADVOCATE, and being a woman who at 46 years old finally recieved a correct diagnosis of ASKS and has been taking a daily dose of 70mg of Vyvanse daily at 6:00a.m. and a 10 mg dose of Foclan (sp?) at 4:00 pm daily to cover those last few waking hours because the Vyvanse wears off for me. ....the 10 mg of Foclan is AS NEEDED, meaning at MY discretion. For me , my daily functioning, my life, has improved beyond compare with the correct and accurate diagnosis of ADHD, medication, and life counseling.

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????????PLEASE READ ????????
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This is derected to #20 (pancakes1) you have been on this med for 6 months.... You have no room to talk about withdrawls from vyvanse... I am now sober 18 months and use to shoot up a gram and a half of meth a day... Ive been thru both herion and meth withdrawls and dont get my wrong herion was brutal. But meth in my opinion was worse because of the mental sickness and depression u have during it. Everything that people have said to have happen to them coming off Vyvanse is true symptoms of amphetamine withdrawls. In some cases such as phychotic outburst there is more then just withdrawl being a aspect.
I HAVE BEEN ON VYVANSE FOR WELL OVER A YEAR AND HAVENT MISSED A DAY. WHEN I WAS FIRST PUT ON BY VANS IT WORKED PERFECTLY IT DID EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO I DIDN'T TAKE IT TO GET HIGH I TOOK IT BECAUSE I'VE SEVERE ADHD AND IT HELPED CLEAR MY BRAIN BUT RECENTLY I HAVE BEEN SEEING MYSELF NOT BEING ABLE TO GET OUT OF BED BECAUSE I AM EITHER TOO TIRED I FEEL PHYSICALLY SICK I GET STUFFY NOSES IF I DON'T TAKE MY MEDICINE AND I CAN'T GET OUT OF BED UNTIL MY MEDICINE KICKS IN I HAVE TO SET MY ALARM CLOCK TO WHEN I NEED TO WAKE UP IN 30 MINUTES BEFORE I NEED TO WAKE UP IN THE REASON WHY I SAID IT 30 MINUTES BEFORE IS BECAUSE I HAVE TO TAKE MY VYVANSE TO BE ABLE TO WAKE UP AFTER THEY KICK. The withdrawal symptoms that I feel right now is I cannot think straight I feel like my brain is foggy I can't remember the words I have stuffy noses if I don't take my medicine I have depression I am on carrying no motivation I feel Physically sick like I have the flu my body get shaky I twitch at night I'm tired all the time it's almost like when you're coming down off ecstasy or you have that hangover from that bad bottle of wine minus the sick to your stomach part. To everyone that gives their kids medicine at anywhere under age 13 you need to reconsider being a parent because that is not right you are giving your kid a stimulant that causes so many more problems just because your kid has a lot of energy as a child which is normal does not mean they have ADHD no kid under the age 13 should be given a stimulant. That is horrible parenting

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Welcome to speed hahaha doctors prescribe it like candy. Vyvanse is a weird one, its more a 9 hour come down with 2 hours of some what focus. Ask for Dexedrine it's better, and if motivation is more an issue try for adderol, it's like Dexedrine mixed with l-amphetamine, basically focus plus it makes u wanna clean everything, do everything. But u trade ur personality to be a worker robot, but I'd rather be a robot than unproductive loser who can't pass college prep classes lol

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Guys, quit freaking out. Go try 5-HTP and take vitamin C and u will be fine in like 3 days. That old ad about holes in ur brain was your dopamine and seratonin receptors depleted from speed, simple fixes. Don't stay on amps for the rest of ur life, And for gods sake parents don't put your kid on this s***. Vyvanse converts to dextroamphetamine in the liver, dextroamphetamine is just like meth. Closer chemically than heroin to morphine. S*** they prescribe desoxyn, which is methamphetamine for adhd. But f*** it amped up America might be able to fix the economy lmao

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