Someones take on vyvanse v. adderall XR

I am prescribed Adderall XR 20 mg, works wonders for me. Soon as it hits me, he can focus and go about his school work, etc. out of curiosity (and discussion with dr) I switched over to vyvanse 30 mg. I take vyvanse but does not feel any of its effects, in fact I find myself procrastinating, and not really focused (not like the vyvanse made me unfocused but kind of like it just didn't even work.) I really would like to know why, because he thought vyvanse was better than adderall (this is based on what other people have told him.) Just really would like someones insight/opinion on this, maybe even someone who is experiencing the same or has had the same experience(?)

Tip #1 - no need to use SWIM here, feel free to tell us all about how you did those drugs, and how you got prescribed them

Do you know if the vyvanse is XR or ER?

haha thanks , still a noobie
>.<
Um says NRP104 white body orange cap so I'm going to say XR(?)

We don't do pill IDs here. Use Google for that.

Vyvanse is a prodrug for dextroamphetamine (aka Dexedrine/Dextrostat). Adderall is a mixture of amphetamine salts, and contains both dextroamphetamine and levoamphetamine. It's easier to compare Vyvanse and Dexedrine for this reason. Vyvanse is converted into dextroamphetamine in your digestive system, which is probably why it takes longer to kick in.

However, in my experience, Adderall XR (and Dexedrine XR) last considerably shorter than Vyvanse. The XR formulation's duration is largely dependent on stomach contents, acidity, and individual metabolism characteristics. I've had experience with all three of these drugs (and even more with IR Adderall and IR Dexedrine) and I can say that it really depends on the person. Vyvanse works much better than other stimulant medications for some people, and for others it doesn't work at all. It gave me horrible stomach pain and took a long time to kick in (similar to what's happening with you, OP).

I recommend speaking to your doctor if the Vyvanse isn't working for your ADD/ADHD and getting switched back to the Adderall XR.

I'm going to edit the "SWIM" stuff out of your original post, as it makes it very hard to read.

According to the Wikipedia article for Vyvanse (Lisdexamfetamine), a 25mg Vyvanse would be approx. equal to a 10mg XR Dexedrine. Going by that conversion, a 30mg Vyvanse would be approx. equal to 12mg XR Dexedrine. Since you're used to Adderall, which is slightly less potent than Dexedrine, I'd say that your 30mg Vyvanse is about the same as a 15mg XR Adderall. Your mileage may vary.

-NT

Thanks, and I'm really sorry about that!
I just don't feel the effects at all from the vyvanse, and I was wondering if that was uncommon? The adderall; I'm really task progressive and for lack of better word- robotic. I actually feel the effects kick in like 15 minutes after taking it (adderall) for example addyXR forces me to focus with a wind of energy to couple aside it.

Not a problem.

It really sounds like Vyvanse isn't for you then. I recommend speaking to your doctor.

(All Vyvanse is XR/ER/SR, because it is a pro-drug, it can't all be released at once. Even crushing up the stuff inside the Vyvanse capsule won't cause it to be quicker-release).

Thank you so much, you've been really helpful!

Vyvanse to me is alot better then adderall, it is indeed as smooth as dexedrine (less side effects wise) Dexedrine just has a little bit more of a kick to it. I can say i enjoy vyvanse its very very smoot and euphoric

25mg Vyvanse is molecularly equivalent to a 10mg Dexedrine Spansule
Dexedrine is dextroamphetamine
20mg Adderall XR contains approximately 72% dextroamphetamine (roughly 3/4ths of Adderall's active ingredient is dextroamphetamine)

That being said

20mg Adderall XR = 15mg Dexedrine Spansule

15mg Dexedrine Spansule = 37.5mg Vyvanse

20mg Adderall XR = 37.5mg Vyvanse (or just a 40mg Vyvanse)

Keep in mind some people respond better to the mixture of Dextroamphetamine and Levoamphetamine in Adderall mostly because of the "kick" it gives you. Probably due to slightly increased activity in the sympathetic nervous system and greatly increased activity in the peripheral nervous system

My guess is it's because 30mg of vyvanse isn't equivilent to 20mg of adderall XR. You'd probably need 40mg of vyvanse. When I was switched from 40mg of vyvanse to adderall IR I was put on 20mg of adderall IR which is approximatly equivilent to 40mg of vyvanse.

How could the doctor forget about equivalent dosages?

I did a simple Google search and although this is an old thread, I feel that I must say this because other people may stumble across the same thread and think they need to switch back to Adderall XR because the Vyvanse isn't working.

The vyvanse isn't working because if we do the math, he just got a dosage decrease. Why? Who knows but what I've found by googling is that 11.8mg Adderall is equal to 30mg Vyvanse or 8.85 dexedrine. Given the fact that his md gave him 30mg Vyvanse when he was on 20mg Adderall XR, it's kind of similar to a slap in the face (dosage wise) because that's only roughly half of what he should be taking (he should be taking 60mg vyvanse). Why do doctors do this? I mean, do they not know anything about the medication they are prescribing?


Again, I know it's an old thread but it needed to be said.

the levo amphetamine in adderall destroys my euphoria and I crash fairly quickly, usually on the second hour. I destroyed my ability to enjoy addersll from frequent abuse, vyvanse corrects this imbalance where I can enjoy myself

I don't take vyvanse or adderall but my son is prescribed both and pretty high dosage (50 mg of adderall xr then switched to 70 mg of vyvanse). I give it to him before he even gets out of bed On school days because it does take longer to kick in. However, it's a more even, longer lasting effect with fewer side effects like lack of appetite and sleep issues (which he doesn't have). So in terms of effectiveness for what it's prescribed for I vote vyvanse. I can't tell you anything about euphoria but vyvanse takes about an hour to really kick in.

I'm sure doctors compare Vyvanse and Adderall as to apples and oranges, and rather not get into the whole technical dosing equivalency