Stimulants Switching from Adderall ir to Vyvanse?

[lookingforanswers1]

Hi everyone!

Thanks so much for reading - I'm hoping someone who has experience with this might be able to help steer me in the right direction.

- First of all, I'm female, 23 years old, 5'3, about 135lbs -

I have been prescribed Adderall ir for Adult ADD and treatment resistant depression for about 3 years now. In the beginning, we started with just 5mg - and it did wonders for me! It was like a switch had been turned on, and I could see clearly again. Work improved vastly, and socially... I was finally able to feel.. "myself"! I could get out of bed, take care of all my responsibilities, enjoy forming relationships/friendships... It was a lifesaver. Anyway, as it sometimes goes, with the doctor's supervision, the dose slowly crept upwards as time went on in order for the medication to maintain it's effectiveness - 5mg to 10mg to 15mg, etc...

Cut to about 3 months ago, I filled my (new) normal script for 30mg ir - With my Doctors guidance, I'd normally cut them in half, and take about 45mg over the course of the day. And... Nothing. I laid around all day. After a very depressing month of this, the Doc and I tried Nuvigil for a month, but I did not like it at all (bad headaches, "awake" but totally foggy, extreme difficulty sleeping... etc).

After a lot of research and thought, I went back to the Doctor and discussed switching to the Brand Name Adderall - thinking that perhaps the generic was just not as effective for me anymore. After going about my normal routine of 15mg x3 to no avail, I stopped splitting them in half, and instead would take at the full, normal dose - 30mg, 3 times a day.

But there's still been no change, and these last 3 months have been pretty horrible. I'm incredibly lethargic, unmotivated, distracted, moody, occasional headaches... you guys know the drill. I work freelance, and i LOVE my job - normally happily moving from project to project, working year-round! These past 3 months... I've managed to finish only one project... I dont know if I'll be able to pay rent at this rate! I guess I could up my dosage, but I feel like maybe its time for a change...

This brings me to my question! At my last visit, the doc mentioned switching meds. In particular, I've heard a lot about peoples positive experiences with Vyvanse. I know that everyone is different, and different meds work for different people, but seeing as Vyvanse is still in the same "family" of stimulants, I'm worried to get too hopeful. I.e have I already ruined my chances with Vyvanse due to my adderall use?

Has anyone who responded positively to Adderall initially, and then experienced a large decrease in effectiveness, had luck with switching to Vyvanse? I have an appointment with my Doctor tomorrow afternoon, and I'd like to go to him with a clear, educated opinion/decision on our next step.

If Vyvanse is a good option for me, I'll be thrilled! Would be so nice to have some hope for my health!

Sub-questions:

- If not Vyvanse, do you have any other/better suggestions that I can discuss with my Dr tomorrow?

- If you think Vyvanse would be a suitable alternative, what dose do you think I should be trying? (My body is now used to 30mg of Adderall ir, 3 times a day = 90mg total)

- Does anyone have any experience with (female) sex drive in relation to these meds? For the most part, with the adderall, my sex drive is definitely on the lower end of the scale... Im curious if maybe Vyvanse could improve this, or at least not "decrease" my sex drive as much!! I'd love to be as excited about sex as a normal 23 year old is!

Sorry for the long post! Thank you for reading - I'm looking forward to hopefully getting some words of wisdom from you guys!

 

[Lorne???]

Vyvanse is simply a pro-drug for amphetamine- it is the same drug entering circulation, with the same effects. Switching is pointless, and that your doctor doesn't know this, is sad.

Speed is a terrible treatment for depression. I'm not really sure what your looking for? If it was the euphoria, that fades quickly.

But there just isn't a magic drug to make life easier, unfortunately.

(Seriously though, I still don't understand the point of vyvanse; fucking ever greening if you ask me)

 

[N0 W4RN1NG]

You are suffering from chronic dopamine depletion, and what you really need is a few months off of all amphetamines to allow your brain to replenish.

Vyvanse is not in the 'same family', it's the same exact thing as adderall (well, dexedrine...but adderall is 75% dexedrine).

Vyvanse just uses a unique extended release system. I'm sure you're shrink would love to switch you to Vyvanse, since it's much more expensive and brand name, but honestly if 90mg of Adderall isn't working for you then Vyvanse isn't going to cut it either, although you may get fewer side effects with vyvanse.

If you absolutely cannot afford to take a medication holiday (break), I suggest going with Focalin XR - it only shares partial tolerance to amphetamine users.

EDIT: Well said, Lorne, as usual.

 

[Lorne???]

Thanks man.

But I assumed her doctor was ignorant(and he might be), but you're right; I'm sure he would love to switch her to a very useless, very expensive medication like Vyvanse.

 

[d1ahp]

As far as I know, and I've never been actually prescribed any of these but I have pretty good experience with them, Vyvanse is lot smoother than Adderal. If I'm not mistaken, 70mg of Vyvanse equates to about 30mg of Adderal. However, Vyvanse has twice the duration of Adderal.

On the recreational side, people seem to prefer to Adderal because it's speedier. But for the purpose these 2 drugs are prescribed for, there are quite a bit of people who prefer Vyvanse because of its long duration which allows them to get things done and the fact that there is no crash like there is with Adderal.

With all that being said, Vyvanse is weaker than Adderal mg per mg. But if you equate the dosage, Vyvanse isn't bad at all. It's hard to say whether Vyvanse will work out better for you or not, hopefully someone with a similar experience to yours can chime in.

 

[N0 W4RN1NG]

^ Vyvanse is no smoother than Dexedrine XR, and I'm talking from personal experience.

 

[Lorne???]

... I don't how No Warn!ng and myself could have been more clear. Vyvvanse IS dexamphetamine. Amphetamine can't possibly be any more effective than amphetamine.

If you want an extended release version of adderall... Then get fucking extended release adderall. Vyvanse is just throwing money away.
In any case, amphetamines clearly aren't working fur the OP. Unless she wants to take the next step up and start taking meth, then her only choice is to find an alternative, or, take some time off, as No Warn!ing suggested. It actually wouldn't take that long.

 

[Lorne???]

Now that I think of it, her doctor would probably be happy to prescribe her Desoxyn(dextromethamphetamine). I am pretty sure there is no generic, so a nice, expensive drug for him to profit on. It will undoubtedly help the local economy as well, when she starts going to her friendly neighborhood meth dealer, for "breakthrough medication".

 

[N0 W4RN1NG]

^ Ha I'm not sure, my pdoc has flat out told me "no way" on desoxyn xD

 

[Lorne???]

Haha, yeah, I think as soon as you start asking for meth, all cooperation goes out the window.

"Well, I heard about this drug, and it's done wonders for my friend, he's never depressed. It's called... Dex...met... Amfetamine? Ever heard of it???"

(Oh hell, I keep misspelling(?) your name. I'm just gonna refer to you as NW...)

 

[DementiaSavantPlus]

I went through a period of heavy Adderall IR use. I took about 6 moths to a year off and then became intrigued by Vyvanse in the same way you are.
I tried it and the first dose worked pretty well, with a standard amphetamine effects profile. On the second day, and second dose, I was put into a fog and my head felt almost paralyzed. The rest of the month's worth of Vyvanse continued like this, with none of the medicinal amphetamine effects.

I recommend that you take a long break and then go back on an IR preparation of Adderall.

 

[mastersofine]

It sucks that adderall has stopped working for you I too am prescribed adderall for treatment resistant depression and adhd. I have noticed that adderall can just stop working no matter the dose. When this happened to me I just took a little break and then started back up. If this doesn't work for you I would recommend trying ritalin instead of vyvanse. It sucks that there isn't more treatments available for depression not related to serotonin. Hope you feel better.

 

[tmuliosis]

I've had bad experiences with Adderall IR but have had very good experiences with Adderall XR (both therapeutic use only, not recreational). In the past, I me been switched from Adderall IR to Vyvanse and didn't find it very effective (and was only trying because insurance at the time wouldn't pay for Adderall XR). Unless you're looking for recreational value out of these drugs, I would recommend giving Adderall XR a shot. You might not get a speedy energy boost, but it will help with ADD symptoms very well (I take 2 x 30mg XR a day and find it to be the perfect amount for not being or feeling strung out, and a dose that I don't build up an enormous tolerance to where it becomes ineffective very quickly)