Withdrawal From Vyvanse (Page 4) (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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Jack- I was not "alluding" to anything. I was stating the facts, as I know them, about how a prodrug works. I am not a chemist, but I understand the chemistry behind it well enough to know that it is not- as you alluded- baseless. The potential for addiction is still much lower than with quick release drugs, since it does not produce an immediate high. Perhaps it would be better to say that it reduces the chances of accidental addiction.

I have to respectfully suggest that if you were experiencing a "6+ hour high" then either you were put on too high a dose to start with, you have a sensitivity to amphetamine, or it was simply on the wrong medication for you. Or you were misdiagnosed. Stimulants have a very unique effect on the ADHD brain and most of us do not get the "high" feeling you describe at normal dosages. But each individual is unique as well and the same medication and same dosage can have a radically different effect from one person to the next.

I feel almost no effect at all from any kind of stimulant. I have taken instant release Ritalin in the past and I take Vyvanse now. I take Welbutrin as well, for my depression, which is not classified as a stimulant but has a similar effect. And I could take or leave any of them. But I have a friend who has tried every kind of medication there is to treat her ADHD and can not tolerate any of them at all. Another friend in my group takes just 5mg of Ritalin a day, which made me laugh at first because it sounded so ridiculous. But I have since learned that some people are so sensitive to stimulants that the absolute lowest dosage is all they need.

So you can't say that Vyvanse isn't safe based on your experience, any more than I can say that it is based on mine. There is simply no way to tell except to try it.

It is very important, and I can not stress this enough, to get a proper assessment and to rule out all other medical conditions (as much as possible) that could be the cause of the ADHD symptoms (thyroid disease, anxiety, diabetes, and, as mentioned in another post here, B12 deficiency, are just a few of the possibilities). Taking stimulants when you do not have ADHD is much more dangerous. What an ADHD brain needs just to function is too much for a non-ADHD brain to handle.

And this post is too much for my currently unmediated brain to handle. I have spent far too long working on it and I am beginning to get extremely frustrated. Not to mention I should have been in bed hours ago. I don't know when I am going to learn....

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I WENT FROM ADDERAL TO VYVANCE BECAUSE THE ADDERALL STARTED TO MAKE ME SICK 2 THE BELLY,I HAVE ADHD,I THINK IT IS WORKING BETTER BUT ITS ONLY BEEN A FEW MONTHS, WITHOUT MEDICATION I RUN IN CIRCLES GETTING NOTHING DONE,I DON'T THINK U SHOULD BE TAKEN
OFF WITHOUT A ALT. MED ADHD IS REAL AND WILL DRIVE U NUTS NOT TREATED

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hi i am the mother of the 16 year old, i forgot to mention two days after starting vyvanse, she was in a bad car accident and i am wondering if it was because of the medication. it was her fault and she thought she saw the turning signal on of the other car! or was she just anxious and did n ot think clearly i wonder

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Do whatever it takes to stop the Vyvanse and stop it safely! While on it, my son felt good for a few hours in the morning, but felt lousy as it wore off. He also developed a very noticeable tic and bad headaches; he became very angry. He tapered off and became even angrier, threatened suicide and threatened to hurt his family. He was the most docile person before this evil drug. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS!!!!!

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My daughter was switched from her adderall to Vyvanse, and I could not believe the personality change (negative), hostility & anger this drug created in her! Please avoid this drug if at all possible. I am an RN working in Psych, and alerted her to these changes. She could not perceive them in herself. Now that she is back on Adderall, she is her old self. I would like to see her get off of that, too, but she has to be the one to decide that and learn to taper off correctly and safely. Check out the website called The Road Back to safely taper off of any psychoactive medications.

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My 16 year old daughter started taking Vyvanse 40mg. On the third day she developed constant uncontrollable leg jerking. I had her immediately stop taking it and now six days after her last dose, she still has this adverse effect. She'll be referred to a specialist within the next couple of days if these adverse reactions continue. We're hoping this is not a permanent damage. I wouldn't recommend this medication to anyone. She has taken Adderall and Strattera in the past with minimal side effects.

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This post is so helpful! I started taking 50mg of Vyvanse about a year ago. It helped me a lot and I finally finished college after 8 years of quitting and resuming the pursuit of my degree. Graduated last December. I have since had a lot of trouble regaining my footing and structuring to my life. I have had trouble making decisions and become overwhelmed very easily. I have yet to pursue steady work, though I have occasional random jobs. I have very little motivation and direction and assumed that depression must be creeping in.

This month my Dr. increased my dose to 60mg at my request, to see if we could shake this rut. It had the total opposite effect! I felt like a zombie! Could not, and still cannot get anything done! It seemed to exacerbate the things I was hoping to fight. After 2 weeks on 60mg I realized that the increased dosage was the likely cause that turned my lethargy into complete and utter apathy. Somehow my apathy stopped me from considering the increased dose to be the culprit. I thought the creeping depression had finally gotten me.
My Doc is in China right now, so I couldn't call him, but researching symptoms of overstimulation, I remembered he advised me to open the capsule and poor 10% out to return to the 50mg I was accustomed to if I felt that 60mg was too much. I began doing this one week ago. I immediately felt better! I'm still not myself, however.

I am dependent on Vyvanse in the same capacity as previous commentators, but I plan to get weaned off as soon as possible with the guidance of a doctor. On Monday I will be seeing a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist with whom I made an appointment when I was a 60mg zombie, due to bouts of depression that swept through the numbness. I am keeping the appointment even though the severity of my symptoms is less. I still need solutions to pursue all of the things I wish to do, and I want immediate guidance in learning to handle my ADD post-college. I thought Vyvanse would continue to help me, but reading these posts and feeling this way has led me to believe Vyvanse is the reason I cannot wrap my brain around my life. ADD is a problem I have lived with my whole life. It has never led to total incapacitation no matter how frustrated it can make me.

I have been pouring a little more than 10% out to see if I can begin the weaning process. I have had 3 nights of restlessness, and last night I did not sleep at all, but managed to nap today from 11am to 1pm. I read that insomnia can be a symptom of withdrawal. Adjusting my dose manually may have brought this on, but with my Doc away, and having to wait til Monday to for my CBT appointment, I have little choice. Today I only took about 35-40mg, hoping it'd help me sleep tonight. This was before before I read about withdrawal insomnia. I hope tonight is not the same as last night. Ugh.
I had no idea how much Vyvanse has been disrupting my life until I increased the dosage and my symptoms went from bad to incapacitating. Though I've decreased the dose and feel a little better, I must say I cannot wait to be off this drug!

Has anyone else experienced insomnia from total withdrawal or from a reduced dosage?

Thanks to everyone who shared their experience! So good to know there is hope!

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I've been on vyvanse for a little over a year now , first started at 50 mg after trying concerta and adderall which didn't seem to help with anything. The vyvanse gives me the energy to do anything I need and get done. It seems me ADD has manifested into OCD. intense adominal pain at times, constipation and dirreaha i first also had sleep problems which dissapated with time. After my abdominal symptoms I went to a gastronologist and recieved both a upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. These tests just showed GERD. similiar to acid reflux, i believe this is the reseult of the vyvanse. I have been taking benefiber ever so often and it has relieved some bowel problems. Withing the first 6 months on vyvanse I lost alost 15-20 pound i never felt better about myself in my life. Getting great grades in school with intense concentration. Still socially interactive ,Now after a year has passed 50mg's no longer has the same effect on me. I am feeling unmotivated and almost antisocial. also I have read in previous post and have similiar symptoms of picking and scratching at my skin. I have been dating my boyfriend for year while I have been on this , and just recenlty switched to 70mgs I felt the same inital help boost i first felt when I took the 50mg when i was first diagnosed. However, I have gained all the weight I had lost back, and extremely quickly. Whenever I do not take this drug I am completly unmotivated and sleep and rest most of the day with not interest in anything. I am alomost through with my BA in college, I feel as if I need this drug to function. WHAT DO I DO?

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wow, i came on here to see how to wean my son off vyvanse after being on it for only 3 weeks - he's been agressively hostile this week and is scaring me, he's only NINE, and now Im thinking maybe it's the drug. Reading all these responses this may be a problem with this drug, I wonder how common it is? He's so angry he's thought about killing people he's told me this week! He will start counseling, but I sure am hoping weaning him off this drug will change this angry child back to my happy one!

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I feel a lot better after having read this post. I completely agree with a lot of the comments made about the subtle side effects of Vyvanse. There is certainly the increased anxiety, which tends to build up over time. I empathize with the couple that is having to attend marriage counseling. I would suggest toning down the dosage as it is almost surely contributing to the hostility. And, from my own experience, I can say that withdrawal should be a slow, and gradual process. You'd have to be an idiot to stop cold turkey. I generally take 100 mg/day. When I get a break, I cut down to 50 mg/day immediately. Every subsequent drop is made on a weekly basis - if I feel I can go lower than I do; if not, then I don't rush it.

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I dont know what the deal is with your son... i take around 40-80mg's usually daily and i stopped taking it 3 days ago and i got the complete opposite effect... i feel energetic and more motivated and more confident off of it so idk what the deal is

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Thanks for the posts everyone. My son, 16, was having increasing school problems, and the doc suggested coming off Focalin (no real negative effects) to Vyvanse. It seems to have been a catastrophe. Within about 3 weeks, he started becoming very dark, very irritated, everything seemed negative to him. He had no affection anymore. I think he may have a tendency towards some manic behavior or something of that nature, and Vyvanse brought out the worst in him. We decided to stop it after a month of use. He's still irritable and defiant, but I do see some of his hard edge starting to come off. I hope this doesn't take more than a couple of weeks. I'd rather he struggles some with schoolwork, than become semi-psychotic. Watch out with this stuff. The doctors don't warn you - but it's all on the warning label!!!

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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 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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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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Michael please dont post things as facts if you dont know what your talking about. Shocking that your going into the medical field and dont know what your talking about. Vyvanse is extended release dextroamphetamine which is not as strong as methamphetamine but close to it. No u wont die from cocaine withdrawl or meth withdrawl but I AM IN DISBELIEF that you say it is not possible to become addicted to vyvanse and amphetamine. Amphetamines release an abundant amount of dopamine(feel good neurotransmiter) that can lead to addiction for many people so dont talk about stuff you clearly havent read about. VYVANSE is a schedule 2 drug under the DEA's controlled substances act. Other schedule 2 drugs are morphine, oxycotin and desoxyn(pill form methamphetamine). VYVANSE IS A NARCOTIC. Users who take a small amount of amphetamines orally every now and then to combat fatigue or get "high" usually do not have trouble stopping. However, people with a history of sustained low dose use quite become dependent and feel that they need the drug to get by. These users frequently keep taking amphetamines to avoid the "down in mood" they experience when the "high" wears off. IF YOUR DEPENDENT THEN YOUR ADDICTED, thats like saying so and so isnt addicted to alcohol hes just dependent on alcohol or else he has delirium tremens. Nothing you say has any scientific backing but everything I have said is true, you really should not comment on things as an authority on the subject and misleading people to believe you because your a nurse student. You sound like an employee for Shire(the company who produces Vyvanse and has just posted its best year of total revenue ever).

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It's been almost 2 years since Vyvanse reared it's ugly head toward me. I use to have dreams and aspirations, friends and family are almost non-existent. I am afraid this dark passenger will ride with me to my grave, reality is a blur and nothing seems to matter unless i'm on Vy.

taking somewhere between 350 - 400mg a day I have had pains in my body i have NEVER felt before, objects and sounds jump out at me. I couldn't say my ABC's or count to 10 in front of a crowd if my life depended on it...months fly by..half of which us spent in a whirlwind of Joy, chaos, bitterness, obssession, guilt...the other half in a comatosis/confused state.

I am not who I was 2 years ago, and i find it hard to believe i will ever be. I'm stubborn by nature so asking for "help" in this OBVIOUS TIME OF CRISIS is not going to happen i fear. Someone mentioned people don't like to admit they have failed at things in life and i couldnt agree more...pride is a two-edge sword..

i don't even know why i'm posting this, for it isnt helpful to anybody unless you havent started using yet. DO NOT. there are better things in life to enjoy, being crushed by a sea of overwhelming paranoia and hatred toward yourself is not one of them. Tomorrow is bday...maybe it'll be a good year and i'll cleanse myself of this poison, one can hope...I am not religious nor care for any words of "saving" you may have to share, nothing personal. Although if i were to believe there was a God, than there is surely a Devil who's color in shades of blue and orange is followed by the name...Lisdexampetamine

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I have been prescribed to Vyvanse for around 2 years now and I am in horrible addiction to them. I never take more than I am prescribed, and I don't take them on sundays. When I am off of them I can't think, all I want to do is take the Vyvanse, I become weak and tired all day (an obvious symptom) In the morning before I take it, it is all I can think about until I take it, which at that moment I feel sweet relief. I used to be addicted to smoking and to drinking, I am somewhat familiar with the effects of withdrawal. I take 50 milligrams, but I do not see a day where I will be able to stop taking them. The first year I tought myself German, spanish, calculus, trigonometry and many other things through books and through the web, my social life changed completely (into a better one) and life was euphoric itself. Now, I need them to think. they aren't as potent as they once were. I am miserable with out them. If you do not have incontrollable add/adhd, I do NOT recommend taking Vyvanse. It is a great drug, fantastic, but if you do not need it, it will not treat you nicely.

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I'm happy to hear your decision to try this again..you can do it..replace with healthy things..it will take some time..just as it didn't happen overnight, the recovery will not happen overnight..discuss with your Dr if you feel comfortable about maybe a low dose of welbutrin or something that will not feed fuel to the fire. Pray, pray, alot..it works. Good luck

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I am not an expert on how to combat amphetamine withdrawl. Tyrosine supplementation can be good for helping your body restore depleted dopamine in the brain or if your really dragging ass maybe asking your doctor for wellbutrin to help you through the initial absence of amphetamines could be beneficial for you. I know for me, taking an omega 3 supplement like flaxseed or fish oil along with PS 100 and huperzine A helps with easing myself off my adhd meds as I have gone on and off for the last 8 years of my life and somehow after awhile after being off them and feeling like ME again I somehow convince myself I need the ADHD drugs to help me be a better me but in reality the only thing that happens is I become socially numb and I think people need to start embracing adhd as a positive and not a negative. I think adhd might hurt me in some aspects of my life but it is also what makes me really good at things that non adhd people are not good at. I think ADHD drugs kill any creative or artistic thinking I have and honestly I hate who I am on meds and I would rather take 2 hours to get something done and have my personality rather than take adderall or vyvanse or dexedrine and get the same task done in 30 minutes but then at the end of the day be an emotional zombie who becomes detached and a loner because off my meds I love interacting with people and on my meds I really dont want to socially engage you or anyone else.

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