Withdrawal From Vyvanse (Page 18)
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My son had a terrible experience on wyvance. He has phyciatic systems to include halluciations. The doctor took him off the drup cold turkey and Ihe seems to be having withdrawal systems? Is that normal?

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Hi. 23/Male. I just quit vyvance after intensely researching the effects that stimulants can bring onto someone. They're serious issues. I'll first tell you that I took adderall XR 20mg for 4 years straight (almost every day) and switched over to vyvance 30mg about a year ago. I had gotten so tired of feeling the way I do from taking this stuff- I knew I needed some answers and also some changes. After intense research, I knew I needed to QUIT immediately. People, this stuff is bad for you. I had definitely noticed changes in my personality and even felt anxious at times for no reason! I had never had any types of anxiety my whole life! Number one thing that was terrible was dependence of the Adderall/Vyvance. I felt that I needed it to function. You may feel that way but that's not the case-you DON'T NEED IT..withdrawal sucks and you have to fight through a couple rough weeks but once your body adjusts to not taking it, you gain your body's natural energy and overall health back. Personally, I am very disappointed in Many "doctors" out there. They should warn people and encourage them NOT to start taking these stimulants-instead, they write off scripts like it's no big deal. In conclusion- Extreme fatigue when not taken, dependence/addiction just to feel like you can function normally, changes in sleep patterns, jittery/shaky feelings, DEVELOPING anxieties you never had before, an just feeling braindead and not how you used to anymore. Just like most drugs out in the world, people will always realize that you end up taking a drug to help with one thing, then you ALWAYS end up having Many other problems as a result from taking the drug. Go natural, get the drugs out of your system, eat healthy, exercise, and have a positive outlook on life and you will see that those are the only things you need to feel alright and be productive in school/ a job etc..

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My son, age 9, was placed on Vyvanse about 7 months ago for his ADHD. It worked well in helping with his hyperactivity but he has developed hand tremors, high blood pressure, and has literally pulled his hair out. Even after stopping the medication over a month ago, he continues to pull out his hair to the point that he looks like an old bald with most top hair now gone. He started at the front and now is over half way back on the top. Has anyone else had this problem? I am a licensed mental health professional and have not found anywhere that hair pulling is a side effect but have been advised by at least 3 psychiatrists that it is indeed a side effect of this medication.

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Vyvanse, or lisdexamfetamine is a prodrug of dextroamphetamine. It is not a narcotic (narcotics are pain-killers such as morphine, Vicodin, OxyContin) but all amphetamines (including Vyvanse, Adderall, Desoxyn, Dexedrene, methamphetemine, etc.) can cause physical and psychological dependence and/or addiction. Addiction and dependence are not the same thing! If you are dependent on a drug you may not be addicted and you are not abusing it but you will get withdrawal symptoms. Amphetamine withdrawal symptoms are not deadly ot life-threatening just uncomfortable. I used to take Vyvanse and Adderall. And I am a Nursing Assistant becoming a Nurse and now about medication (: Any questions just ask -Michael

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RE: CAP..glad to hear ur decision to take ur son off of this medication..educate yourself on the food additives in our food today..artificial sweeteners can affect u and ur child much the same as add, adhd, etc...also food coloring added to our food has a negative impact..i wish u the very best of luck..i do not know the diagnosis of ur son, but there are other alternatives..google things like " natural ways to treat this or that" or "does my child need this medicine" a good website is "naturalnews.com" and check out Dr Mercola's site also..Dr's are so quick to hand out meds without considering the side affects..sometimes we need to look in another direction..after all the longer we stay "sick" the more money they make..much luck to u all

There are thousands of sites out there ...
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-ways-to-treat-adhd-naturally.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Are-There-Any-Natural-Ways-to-Treat-ADHD?&id=370296
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2818122/the_3_top_natural_ways_to_treat_adhd.html?cat=68&id=370296
http://www.naturaladhdcure.com/
http://www.naturalnews.com/024302_aspartame_Splenda_soda.html

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So we have officially taken our 6 yearold off of Vyvanse and his pediatrician put him on the lowest dose of Concentra (The Brand not the generic) we will see how this one works out. Heres hopeing for better results:)

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My son, 9, has been taking vyvyanse 20 mg. for 8 months. Before that, he was on concerta, but with no results from that, his dr. switched him. He seemed to do good at first, his grades improved and he got along better with others. But lately, he has had extreme bouts of fatigue, nausea, fainting, irregular heartbeat, and trouble catching his breath. His Dr. removed him from the medicine 4 days ago, and the symptoms still remain. In fact, they have gotton so bad he cannot go to school because they send him home. They have ruled out any other medical reasons for this, except for his medicine. Parents, and children, any medicine you take will probably have side effects. Especially ADHD meds. Please, please read all about this medicine you can before putting your child on it. Just because one person says its good, doesn't mean it will be good for everyone else. And if you notice anything odd about your child, take him off at once.

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RE Cap: Search the internet for alternatives..it could be something as simple as his diet..maybe he has a food allergy..etc...look for natural ways to treat your child..these drugs are powerful and can have long lasting consequences..look for support sites where other parents are having the same experience..don't give up..this medicine is new and they do not have answers to our questions..good luck to u

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We are in the same boat with our 6 year old son, 30mlg and he has been on it for about 4 weeks, we are concidering taking him off now because of all these posts and the side effects of hilucinations and withdrawl and dependency... What are we to do???? He is totaly not his usual self on this Medication!!

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Hey guys, this is Kelsey the 19 yo college student from below. I just got an email that someone replied to my post, but I don't know how that works exactly. But it did remind me about this post, and so I want to give an update and put some disclaimers on some of what I said. Because I'm a little bit wiser now in my right mind (I'm back!) and also I am reading posts about people thinking about taking themselves or their children off this drug cold turkey, which I do not support.

First of all, all of that was true about my OWN personal experience with Vyvanse. I've been off Vyvanse for 2 months now and am now taking Effexor and Adderall. These fit my symptoms of depression, anxiety, OCD, and ADD. And I am finally doing well, and hope to stay that way. I am also changing my diet and exercise habits. But the change in drugs was what helped me get to this point, so I want to remind people who are feeling hopeless and broken that it's not your fault--these imbalances in neurotransmitters and the brain chemistry in general is a complex process and it will take time to find what works for you, but I have faith that you WILL find it. Because I was at the point of giving up, but I found that correct balance for my own body with the help of a doctor I trusted and I am getting better.

In other words, remember that feeling totally empty and as if life has no meaning is not a normal, healthy feeling and thus there is generally some pathology (or imbalance) going on here. And that can be dealt with. I used to feel like there was something intrinsically wrong or broken with ME, but now I am able to understand it better in a physiological sense. Remember this when you feel like nothing is going to work for you, and you just want to give up--this is NOT a permanent state and there is a solution. I hope to be a doctor soon so I can help people like those posting on this forum. I feel connected to you and I want you all to see an improvement in your quality of life.

Also, I do not believe in quitting cold turkey from a psychiatric drug and think this could be dangerous due to the rapid change in brain chemistry (it can cause serious symptoms, including increased suicidality). This goes especially for children. Doctors know how to taper off the drug in a safer way, and I highly recommend you address your concerns clearly about this drug to the prescribing doctor, be honest about your symptoms, and do the withdrawal with the support of a doctor. Of course, not all doctors are very helpful or patient, so I recommend you find one who really cares about your health and one you can trust as soon as possible. This can take some time, but they are out there!

One last thing: one danger about these types of sites where people post their own personal experiences with a particular drug is that it suggests those symptoms to others and plants a seed of fear or doubt where there may not have been one previously. I highly suggest not viewing these sites for medical insight during treatment, unless you have serious doubts or worries about a symptom and want to see if others are experiencing that as well. In that sense, this can be a powerful source. But your body is very specific and VERY different from someone else's, so take everything with a grain of salt. Talk to your doctor about your fears and expect them to listen to you and address those issues. If they continually brush your concerns off, then it's time to find another doctor. And believe that you can get better!

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Some Dr's do not care about the possibilities of a New drug..this drug is only a couple years old..everyone taking it is being used as an experiment..do your homework about the company..they have a 1.5 billion dollar goal..it's all about the money..and only until hundreds of thousands of human lives have been affected will they even begin to look at the drug and the problems that go with it..from an experienced mother who's daughter now has brain damage from taking vyvanse..good luck to all

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can i take my nine year old off cold turkey of 40 mg of vyvanse? i understand the effects that will come with it sleepyness grumpy... etc. but will it hurt her? she is way out of character and doing nothing but getting worse and the doc just bumped it up more to cure that...... whatever... i want my lil girl back..

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Vyvanse is not really all that bad. I'm 18 and I've been on vyvanse about 8 months, it helped a lot. The only complain is sometimes I became very depressed on it. But I can go off 70mg doses any time I want, ill go weeks. I was prescribed bupropion for the depression, that's a bastard drug. That was the mean one so I quit that cold turkey. If you people think vyvanse is hard to stop taking cold turkey, try going cold turkey on daily doses of 150mg of antidepressents. Compare the two and vyvanse is like a child's toy. The trick to quitting a substance cold turkey is mental strength. Bite the bullet, isolate yourself, and prepare yourself for the mental and physical hell about to rain down on you. If you want to quit, then do it, its that easy I guarantee you.

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I have been on Vyvanse for about 2 years. I have heard from a few different people that Vyvanse should not be taken over a long period of time because of the long term side effects on the brain and memory. I am now taking myself off all my meds (paxil and vyvanse) Cold turkey! I am dizzy and tired, my mood is ok. I just want to be done with meds. I only hope that I can get through this without losing my job or something.

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I've been on Vyvanse for two and a half years now (started when I was 17, am now 20). Occasionally, because my mom and doctor live 4 hours away, I have trouble getting my prescription refilled on time and sent to me. On those days that I had to go without, I was extremely sleepy--up to 20 hours of straight sleep at a time. I had little motivation and energy, and just an overall crappy feeling. My parents encouraged me to stop taking it, to see if I could get it out of my system or just get over the addiction. I went for up to a week without taking it before I broke down because the lethargy and hopelessness was too much. I don't know how long it takes to get over Vyvanse, or if anyone has any tips. While the perks (better ability to pay attention, more energy, focus, etc) have definitely helped me out, I don't know if it's worth being so dependent on this expensive medicine.

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So my roomate gets 50mg vyvanse and i usually take it when i study. And only when i study. I will open it and take about half of the capsule for the entire day. So i take anywhere from 20-30mg about 10-12 times a month. It is great for studying but if i take it late in the afternoon i can never fall asleep. It also makes me feel depressed while it is wearing off, and a little the next day maybe. As of now I have no desire to take it besides when i study. I am just curious if more bad side effects will start to occur? I dont want this to turn into me becoming depressed and dependent of the drug. I will be finished with college this coming may, so i feel like i should be okay by taking it moderately until then. Can anyone give me some feedback? thanks

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I was on 40mg's 2x a day, for a month, and just recently quit cold turkey. It has been four days, and I can't believe how exhausted I am. I have gone through opiate withdrawals before, and that obviously takes the cake for chemicals to be physically dependent on, but this was a startling runner up. I can't keep my eyes open if I'm sitting down and trying to focus. I have to constantly up and walking around so it doesn't seem like I'm nodding out to my mom, who will inevitably get the wrong impression. Beware, whoever says it doesn’t have withdrawal symptoms is an idiot. EVERYTHING has withdrawal symptoms caffeine and nicotine have withdrawal symptoms a schedule II narcotic is obviously going to have some kind of withdrawal symptom!

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I've been on vyvanse for about 2 months now and I dont have insurance so when it came time to get my next months supply I had to go a week with out my meds because they are so expensive during that week I experianced many withdraw symptoms I felt horrible and I have never been on any other adhd meds before the vyvanse and I only take the perscribed dose

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Kelsey hit the nail on the head!

Please do not take this med!!! This crap messed up my brain in the worst way. My story is very similar to most here. So if you ended up on this page because you're not sure about the drug or whether it's for you or not, just trust most of us here. Good (or seems like it) at first, then one day you'll wake up with your moral/mental compass so out of wak that you'll decide to stop taking the stuff which in turn will mess your head up even more that you'll come back here to let everybody know how bad this stuff is for you. I'm gonna go back to my post vyvanse life now which I would trade in a heartbeat for the one I had before.

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I hae been taking Vyvanse for 6 months now and I can tell a big diffrence. I have ADD as a child and stoped my medication at 21 and now at 34 I started back to school again I started medication again. I did not realize what a diffrence it was untill now. I dont take my medication everyday only the days that I have school and the days that I am going to study because I do remember the withdraws. When I take it this way it is not so bad going a few days without it. I have not decided to stay on my meds after i graduate but I am more productive with it.

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Hi, I'm a 19 year old female college student. I want to share with people the dangers of this drug. I am very frightened by how it has affected me, and how quickly I was put on this drug that truly has addictive properties.
I was put on Vyvanse a year ago after my first semester in college by my psychiatrist (she's been my doctor since I was 8 years old, after my dad died). I have been treated for depression and anxiety since 8 years old on Paxil, then Prozac (said to be safer than Paxil), then Prozac and Bupropion (for fatigue symptoms), and finally Prozac and Vyvanse last year.
I did poorly my first year adjusting to college--I hit an all time low in depression due to major life events. My doctor put me on Vyvanse because I was exhibiting signs of ADD in not being able to focus on my work, procrastinating, etc. Also my fatigue was awful. She said ADD symptoms could have been masked by my anxiety when I was younger. I was desperate for a cure--I've never done so poorly in school and can't afford to because I'm shooting for med school. So I jumped on it. It was the worst mistake of my life. Vyvanse was a miracle at first--I wasn't falling asleep in my classes or during the day and could focus for hours straight. It was the craziest thing and I loved it. I knew instinctively that it was not good for me, however. I couldn't sleep at all at night and ate hardly anything the first week or so on Vyvanse. Then those side-effects started to taper down and I just had trouble getting to sleep at night.
I've never done recreational drugs or even had a drink of alcohol because I'm afraid of the addictive properties and addiction runs in my family (my dad, a doctor, had depression/anxiety and died of a narcotics overdose). I tried to make this drug right in my mind because my doctor, who I trusted, told me it was formulated to not be addictive and be unable to abuse. But I felt high when I took it--my mind and heart would race, and I felt overall elated. It was all fake though--that's where you get in trouble. I totally agree with some of the previous posters about feeling this psychological numbness. It creeps up on you and you don't notice it until you're far gone--totally out of the world. I started isolating myself from others and became more depressed. My self esteem started plummeting incredibly. I felt worthless and like life didn't have meaning. I've been feeling this way for so long--it's scary. I can definitely see how someone could hurt themselves or others on this drug because it changes you--it induces a kind of psychosis, an unrealistic, unattached view of the world.


I thought Vyvanse was helping me focus and do better in my classes, but it actually backfired. My study habits were no better on Vyvanse in actuality. In fact, I was more apt to be distracted and focus for hours on something unrelated to my studies--like social justice, or news events. Time flew by really fast and I could waste it away without realizing it. Then I started picking at my skin and pulling my hair. It became an addiction and I could spend hours pulling my leg hair with tweezers without realizing it. I had so much pent up energy on this drug that had to go somewhere--into something consistent and mindless. So I became addicted to pulling my hair out. I was also picking at my face--I started to look like a meth addict. That scared me. I tried to stop Vyvanse 6 months into it when I realized how bad it was, but the withdrawal symptoms brought me back. I was sleeping all day long, and I was angry and frustrated at everything. This time aroud I've decided for sure I'm quitting. My psychiatrist is dying of cancer so I have a new doctor and it seems like time for change. I can't keep going on like this. And two days into withdrawal, I do feel tired, I do crave the drug somewhat, but when I do--I have to remind myself what it was like on the drug. I haven't felt true happiness since I started Vyvanse. I've been mentally numb for so long, I didn't know how it felt. The first day off the drug I felt that happiness when the water hit me in the shower and I feel alive again. I just pray to God that Vyvanse didn't permanently affect my brain. I used to be so smart and creative. I hope I can get that creativity and true will to live and better myself every day back. Please think hard before taking this drug, and especially putting your child on it. My heart breaks for them. Why would any child need to be on this drug? They are children--they are supposed to run around and be happy. They are supposed to be creative and slightly impulsive. On Vyvanse, I fear they will be numb and disappear just like I did. I fear for these children. Please, please realize the dangers of this drug and the proximity of its effects to recreational, addictive drugs like amphetamines. Because that's what it is.

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