Withdrawal From Vyvanse (Page 3) (Top voted first)

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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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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After reading your post about how to wean yourself from this awful drug, I wanted to assure you it is possible. My daughter who is 32 was given this drug because she worked the night shift, not only was that prescribed for the wrong reasons, she has successfully defeated the side affects and mood swings that came with the withdrawal. Sleeping and eating were also noticed. Vyvance depletes the dopamines in your brain and as long as your on it, they can't re-produce if you will. Do your homework before you make your decision, I do know the longer you are on it, the longer it will take and the more damage will occur. This drug needs to taken off the market, but it's making someone money so I don't see that happening. Good luck to you

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I am so glad I read your post and the other ones regarding the effects of Vyvanse. I have been acting so hostile to others and told my husband we had to go to counseling or the marriage was over. After hearing from others that I seem disconnected and uninterested in others, a warning bell went off and I quit taking this drug, that was supposed to be a wonder drug. I would rather be a scatterbrain that an unpredictable recluse.

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I'm a 22-year-old college student. In June of 2009, when I was 20, I went to rehab for addiction to alcohol, cocaine, and amphetamines -- which were not prescribed. (I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child but never medicated, and again as an adult but my doctor prescribed me Strattera and I wanted stimulants...unfortunately. So I bought 'Addies' and Ritalin on the street.

At any rate, I went to rehab and continued to see my dr. there for follow-ups, meanwhile maintaining sobriety. She prescribed me Lexapro for depression (no complaints there) and Strattera, which I can honestly say didn't work, but as an addiction specialist she wanted to try a non-stimulant first and as a recovering addict I agreed. The side effects were awful, so a year ago I switched to Vyvanse (30mg 1x daily). Like everyone said, it worked great at first, for 6-7 months in fact. But then last December I got a new doctor (also an addiction specialist) who told me to stop taking V. over the winter break as I wouldn't be in classes. As soon as I stopped, the withdrawal kicked in, and I started obsessing over the pills & longing for them. Until this break from the med, I had never thought about it in that way, as it never gave me a high like Adderall did. But I didn't take more than my prescribed dose until last February during midterms, when I became totally overwhelmed by school. And then I did it again a month later...a couple times the next month...long story short, I now have one pill left and won't be able to fill my Rx for exactly one week, thanks to Memorial Day. I can't believe this is happening to me. The worst part is that my friends, family, boyfriend, etc all believe I'm still sober...which I guess I am, since I'm not drinking, but it feels like a lie because I know full well that I am abusing this drug and that I am physically and psychologically dependent on it. I'm too ashamed to confide in my AA sponsor or my boyfriend who is also a recovering alcoholic, and resentful at the dr. who prescribed me this med in the first place, despite my history of amphetamine abuse, and at myself for thinking V. would be different from Adderall because of its absurd claims that it is 'abuse-proof.' Just because I can't shoot it doesn't mean I can't abuse it! Duh!

I would almost rather kill myself than stand up in front of everyone to receive my undeserved 2 year coin at an AA meeting in two weeks, or drink again so it's a "real" relapse instead of this BS. And yet I'm still planning to fill my script next Tuesday and continue ruining my life...we'll see how I feel after withdrawals, though. Maybe on the other side I'll decide to quit for good.

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To Em..you are young and have a full life ahead of you. Do not believe for one second that you can not overcome this. Stand tall and take control of your situation before it takes control of you. Falling short to your family and friends is no reason to sell yourself out. We all fall many, many times before we get it right. This is called success!! Good luck and God Bless You

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I'm 21 and I'm addicted to Vyvanse. I have been taking 50mg for about a year and a half now. I take it every day and I only miss a day when I have to refill. I was prescribed Vyvanse for symptoms of narcolepsy. The medicine helped, but it came with huge side effects. I've lost too much weight, and I tend to become very anti-social and depressed because of the drug. I tried to stop taking the medicine by throwing the pills into a trash can. Sadly, two days later I found myself searching through the trash for each pill. This drug is dangerously addictive. I still take it, because it has positives, but I know I think this mostly because of my addiction. Soon as I find another solution, I want to stop taking this medicine.

If anyone knows another substitute for Vyvanse please let me know.

Thanks.

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Wow, reading all this has made me feel like less of a freak. I took 70 a day for a year and just stopped cold-turkey 2 weeks again. My doctor never warned me about the side effects of the med or withdrawls.
The first few months on it were great, I was able to work & go to college full-time and still be focused, but then I started becoming angry all the time and crying at the drop of a hat. Felt very disconnected from my body and then began to fantasize about breaking my own arm all the time. So creepy I had never felt that way before. After 2 months of the urges becoming more intense I quit the medicine.
So far the withdrawls have been suck-ish. I'm super tired and hungry all of the time. One thing that makes me feel better is running, I think it's the endorphins?
I would seriously think about how much you want to screw up your life before taking this med.

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I've been on Vyvanse off and on for a couple years. Honestly, I hate medication, especially psychiatric ones, for a variety of reasons. For one thing, I get sick of doctors telling me how "benign" this or that drug is, when we all know that most of these drugs have at least some risk for abuse or dependency, and at the very least, getting off them can be uncomfortable. That said... I have a rare genetic disorder that comes with chronic pain and fatigue, and Vyvanse has really improved my quality of life (unlike the whole gamut of SSRIs and SNRIs, which have all made me feel insane in one way or another). I also have ADD, but that's the least of my worries--I take Vyvanse as a wakefulness promoter. While it is not a panacea, I do get several good hours a day, which is just huge for me.

A few months ago I backed off ALL pharmaceuticals because I really felt the doctors had me overmedicated, and I couldn't discern what was helping and what wasn't. ("But it's all so benign...." You wouldn't believe me if I told you how much crap I was on. I was a pharmacist's dream.) Honestly, aside from some sleepiness, the getting off the Vyvanse gave me less trouble than anything else. Not surprising, since I was taking enough narcotics to kill a horse. However, I don't doubt that others have experienced nasty side effects/withdrawal because I've taken just about everything from adderall to zoloft, and I've been mighty uncomfortable coming off of most of them. But this one I went back on--it really helps me get through the day, and sometimes that's all you can do.

Everyone is different... my best advice to anyone before declaring a drug evil (I know, I know--so many of them are) is to dose yourself down slowly. Cold turkey is generally unnecessary unless you're going into anaphylaxis or something (though it has happened). For a doctor to tell someone there will be "no withdrawal," especially from a drug as relatively new as Vyvanse, is just so irresponsible--they can be so cavalier, but it's YOUR health, so do your own research. I've yet to find any drug of this ilk where there wasn't SOMEone out there who had trouble getting off it, even if the addiction is only psychological. (But mostly it isn't, IMHO...)

And one more thought... I'm 43, and I've been off and on adderall, ritalin, etc. for 20 years, but I never took any of these drugs as a child. I'm not judging any of you parents who have relied on doctors to make recommendations for your children. We've been conditioned to trust doctors and assume they have our best interests at heart. But I would think very hard about the potential effects of these powerful drugs on developing brains. If you've reached the end of your rope and your child is miserable, you may feel you have nothing left to lose. But there are studies suggesting that addictive drugs can radically alter our brain chemistry, perhaps permanently. Given my experience with narcotics, I'd like to believe that neuroplasticity of the brain (especially the young brain) allows for some kind of recovery, but we really don't fully understand how most of these drugs work. There is a reason drug addiction is so hard to kick--our bodies/brains get to the point where they NEED these drugs. The anxiety alone from withdrawal is enough to set my teeth on edge--I can't imagine how an eight-year-old would cope.

I believe glowworm used the word "suckish," which I think is a pretty good description of mild to moderate withdrawal. I've just decided that my life sucked way worse without this drug than with it, so I'm sticking with it for now. I may switch things up and go back to adderall or ritalin for a bit, but I think I'm stuck taking one of them, at least for now. I think everyone needs to decide what their threshold for pain is (that is, how much does your life really suck?) before turning to drugs, whether they come from a bottle or pipe or your local pharmacy. It seems a visit to our family doc is not complete unless we leave with a script in hand, and they've done little to disabuse us of this notion. Not to sound like a crazy conspiracy theorist, but the pharmaceutical industry makes money hand over fist, and they don't do it by discouraging drug use. They count on people becoming habituated to these drugs--and doctors are rewarded in a variety of ways. I'd like to think most of them mean well, but it's easy to get caught up, especially when patients see ads on TV and come in asking for pharmaceuticals by name.

It sounds really old and tired, but given how out of shape we've become as a society (obese children are especially sad), proper diet and regular exercise do a whole lot more than most drugs. But sadly, these things require a lot more time and discipline and commitment than most of us have. (And kids like pizza and chicken nuggets so much better than salad... just tonight--so I don't have to listen to the whining...)

OK, before I get too preachy I'm going to take my own advice and get the dog out for a walk. Parting advice to those of you suffering--vitamins and hydration are always a good idea (think electrolytes!) but trust me--the best thing you can do is to get moving. I dropped 35 pounds five years ago, and at my most active I was taking no drugs at all. I have lots of excuses as to why I've arrived at this point (I'm in pain, I'm tired, wrestling practice is at 7 and there's no time to steam vegetables....), but... let's face it--we can all do better. Eat less--move more!

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I was doing the same thing with Vivanse, taking my whole month's dose within 2 weeks, then suffering for two weeks waiting for my next refill. After doing this about half a year, I surrendered and knew that the only way I could stop was to report my abuse to my caretaker. I told her I was starting to get addicted to it and had abused it. She immediately stopped prescribing it. I had been without it for two weeks and it was hard to be honest but I pulled within my self a desire to really to the right thing for me, not the easiest thing. It was really hard to have to keep going without it but she is trying to figure something else out to help with my ADD and general fatigue problem. I am doing OK I miss it but know that I did the right thing, because now I can't get it if I want to.

Turns out I may have saved my own life because, recently I had a complete physical and have an small issue with my heart where Vivanse could have been real bad to take and abuse.

Lowering the dosage is a good step. Pick a time where you haven't much responsibility, like a long weekend and just do it, if you find that you can't let go of Vivanse.

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Awesome! Today is day 3 for me off of V, I feel okay...little tired but I was able to get out of bed with my kids before school. Thank you for sharing, that just made me feel even more determined and stronger that, I can do this. Thank you!

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I'm in my final semester at college and take 50-70mg for days before exams and on exam days as well as taking it usually for around 10 days straight as finals approach/during. I don't like the comedown at all at the end of the day and feel like I'm not myself on days while I'm on it so I only take it when I really need to be extra productive, and my doctor is fine with that. After finals it takes around 2-3 days of being hungry and lethargic to get back to normal, and being a guy who was addicted to painkillers a few years ago, can say that vyvanse withdrawal is mild compared to most other drugs.

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It is great you have realized this before things got worse. Vyvanse almost destroyed my life completely.
2 years of doses as high as 2 70 mgs per day proved to be a complete disaster. Pretty much anything over 50 mgs is too strong unless you enjoy feeling like your on meth all day. Anyway, I have been clean from vyvanse for over 5 months now and it has been a battle. Without Faith, it would not have been possible to get off this drug! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phillipians 4:13

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Hi Benniek, I definitely think you are on the right track about these meds. I'm 19 and started vyvanse 2 years ago (50 mg) and they seemed to work really well. I stayed focus and managed to sleep 8 hours a night. About 8 months ago, I started taking them everyday. Biggest mistake of my life. I lost weight, felt sleepy, lost focus, and started avoiding friends and everyday tasks. I left college to attend Mayoclinic and let me tell you... NONE of the doctors here are a fan of this drug. My psychiatrist at one of the best health clinics in the US confirmed: Vyvanse is addictive and does in fact cause withdrawal symptoms. So for everyone who thinks that's not true, you are mistaken. These drugs are not given to us for our best interest. Just strictly for profit. So, do not be fooled into thinking your doctor cares about your ADD when they keep you on it after you are having side effects. I've seen the best physicians and they were extremely disturbed with the carelessness of my former family doctors giving me Vyvanse and Xanax with no long term plan. Im currently getting off Vyvanse and it's been very hard. I sleep at least 12 hours a day. I'm slowly getting the bubbly hyper me back, but it's so much nicer than being a zombie. Good luck to everyone trying to get off and good luck to everyone who "loves" this drug. I've been in your position and trust me, it only gets worse.

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OFF VYVANCE NOW FOR ALMOST 2 MONTHS NOW, FEELING AWFUL, NO ENERGY, CONFUSED DIZZY, HOW LONG DOES THIS LAST, I TOOK THE MEDS FOR 2 YEARS, I AM DEBATING WHETHER TO GO BACK ON IT OR TRY SOMETHING ELSE, I REALLY NEED SOME ADVICE, I AM LOOSING IT WITHOUT IT. I REALLY DON'T WANT TO GET BACK ON IT BECAUSE THE SIDE EFFECTS WHERE HORRIBLE, NOW THAT I AM OFF IT, I FEEL LIKE MYSELF, BUT I AM TIRED, SLEEPY AND HUNGRY. I THOUGHT ABOUT CONCERTA, I AM SEVERELY ADD AND IN KNOW I NEED SOMETHING TO HELP ME WITH IT, BUT IN KNOW IS NOT VYVANCE, ALSO VYVANCE INCREASES MY ANXIETY SEVERELY AND NOW MY ANXIETY HAS DECREASED CONSIDERABLY, BUT I AM NOT ABLE TO CONCENTRATE OR DO ANYTHING EFFICIENTLY, EVERY TASK TAKES FOREVER TO COMPLETE. PLEASE HELP ANY SUGGESTIONS. THANKS.

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There is a lot of garbage comments here, mostly anti vyvanse. That's fine, except that many of you are also admitting to taking your entire script within two weeks.

Vyvanse, if used wisely, is great for hyperfocus/motivation. If you overdo it, that's on you.

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I highly reccomend getting him of meds over time his body will not be able to function with out them , " hints the word, customer for life"... I am now 23 yrs old and was put on every adhd/ add drug out there since i was 8 yrs old please spread the word because even though i am off of it as of 4 weeks, deppression and lack of energy comes along with trying to get off of these and i mostly always resort to just getting perscribed again so that i can acomplish life... If i would have gotten off of these meds from the start i woudnt have all these negative sideeffects ( it also creates you to make compulsive decicions later down the road especially in highschool) please just approach his differences in a dif way hes going to need more one on one attention and visual fun learning techniques, but i promise you wont regret it! - Natalie

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I would like to know if anyone else on vyvance has there feeling and emotions stripped away? I am on 50 mg and have been for over a yr, I'm 43 yrs young and I have no emotions or feelings and was juSt wondering if any one else experiences this. Thank you for your replys

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If you had that experience with Vyvanse, it's not that it's a bad medication,it's just that your body and mind don't agree with the medication. There are a large sum more positive reports on Vyvanse than negative ones. Vyvanse has done everything to me that it did to you at first, and continues to. I have never had this depression or thoughts towards life that you had when you were on the medication. Simply put: Medications act differently on different people

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Hey bud , I did pretty much this same taper off and it ended up going good. It will be hard for the first couple weeks but you will make it and you will be fine! I took 2 70 mg pills for a very long time and eventually got completely off the drug at somewhere around 30 mg per day. I feel great now and I owe it all to God for helping me see the light on the other side of this darkness called vyvanse. You can be assured that Jesus will help you to get your life back on track if you will turn to him during this time. I battled with this drug for way to long, and for a while I thought I would never be right without taking it but that was all a lie ! Life is so much better without vyvanse bro and you will soon see that ! Hang in there and be strong! God has your back, he will get you through this ! You can holler at me anytime on here as well if you want, I have been posting in here for about 2 years and you can go back through the old posts and read what all I went through! You will be ok! I'll be praying for you!

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I am 27 and have been taking 50mg of Vyvanse for nearly 4 years and there have been pros and cons. The positives (intended and unintended) include increased productivity, ability to complete tasks consistently, weight loss, increased organization, and increased confidence-most likely do to better performance.

The negatives include anxiety, agitation, depression, teeth grinding, social withdrawal and awkwardness, and lack of caring about personal relationships. I have always been a well liked, outgoing person, but the consequence of being hyper focused on one task means not caring or worse, being irritated, by anything or anyone that is getting in the way of completing that task. Additionally, part of my job is presenting to clients and partners which was much more difficult when I took Vyvanse. I had a very difficult "getting my words out".

I am 5 weeks pregnant and stopped taking Vyvanse 4 days ago when I found out. As someone mentioned below while I recognize that first trimester fatigue is rough I feel that the Vyvanse fatigue is what is really killing me. All I have wanted to do is sleep, watch netflix, and up until today I have had an insatiable appetite. Honestly, I am panicking about how I am going to continue a successful career without Vyvanse and wouldn't have the "courage" to stop if it didn't affect my unborn child.

I will post again when I feel the withdrawal symptoms have subsided.

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