Taking Vyvanse for Asperger's+ADD combo and THIS happened:

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So I just was prescribed Vyvanse today because I'm not doing well in school and am very unfocused to the point where I can't be in a parking lot without almost getting ran over.
I'm also so physically slowed down my circulation payed a heavy price and am often purple in my limbs. (This is kind of unrelated, but it's caused by the physical slowness and lack of alertness so it counts)

So my mom and I went to the grocery store after the appointment to fill the prescription and I took my very first Vyvanse pill in the line at the grocery store. It didn't really kick in, and I think my alertness was caused by the placebo effect at first, but I did feel more awake. I brought the groceries in, though I did carry a lot more than usual, and then watched a lot of YouTube videos.

Then my mom reminded me I had to turn in my art sketches because I was missing those and that was basically part of my final grade instead of my final exam. I turn my art assignments online because I'm in AP Studio Art instead of regular Art, so I was scanning the sketches. Then I came to the rough draft of the beginning of my comic series and that's when the pills started kicking in. I started talking about the comic to my mom, quickly becoming more and more excited about the canon and how the story was put together. My voice sped up to a point I didn't think was possible, and I started pacing back and forth.

I am used to pacing, because it's one of the very few times I'm faster, but this was not my regular speed. And I don't ever talk when I'm pacing, but I was talking as quickly and non-stop as I was pacing. Eventually the weird hyperactive peak, and I felt physically exhausted. I don't think I took many breaks to catch my breath, to be honest. Also my legs felt like jelly afterwards. My limbs, which usually are cut off from my circulation were not used to this extra blood flow. I told my mom this was awesome but a bit horrifying, because NOW I want to multitask really bad. My friend was like this too on her medication as well (but it wasn't Vyvanse) and she really freaked out the instant she felt she could actually focus. Another one of my friends creeped out my parents when she was on Vyvanse because she suddenly became social. I like feeling this way, yet it is very exhausting. I feel like I can get more done, finally. I just worry about being able to control the pacing.

Vyvanse (Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) is a psychostimulant prodrug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine chemical classes.

Side effects of lisdexamfetamine (Venvanse) use may include:

Discomfort
Erectile dysfunction
Dizziness
Mild agitation (restlessness)
Nausea
Xerostomia (dry mouth)
Bruxism (jaw clenching/grinding)
Anxiety
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Headache
Insomnia
Weight loss (resulting from decreased appetite)
Euphoria
Diaphoresis (increased sweating)
Irritability
Parageusia (unpleasant taste)
Upper abdominal pain
Cold feet or hands
Tachycardia (rapid heart rate)
Severe aggression - some patients have reported sudden mood change, inability to control rage, physical abuse of others
Abnormal muscle weakness or tiredness
Anaphylaxis - a severe allergic reaction with effects including a rash, hives, itching, difficulty breathing, and generalized swelling.
Changes in vision
Dyspnea (shortness of breath)
Fever
Severe headache
Syncope (fainting)
Angina pectoris (severe chest pain)
Blurred vision
Cardiac dysrhythmias - a group of cardiovascular conditions in which the electrical activity of the heart is abnormal with effects ranging from a fast heartbeat to cardiac arrest and sudden death.
Seizures
Tics - sudden, stereotyped, nonrhythmic and repetitive motor movements and/or vocalizations.
Hallucinations
Muscle tremors
Severe irritability
Severe psychomotor agitation
Altered sexual ability or desire such as hypersexuality, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, etc.
Tachycardia (fast heartbeat)
Slowed thinking
Unstable emotions

I was expecting hypomania to be on that list, but don't see it. Because that sounds like what happened. Maybe it's covered under "Euphoria", often a euphemism for other terms.

My oldest takes Vyvanse and has for a while. I've researched it.

Vyvanse is a prodrug and unlike other time release stimulants, it has to be processed through the liver before it has any effects. In other words, you can't override the time release. Because of how it's released, it doesn't even begin to work or have any effect at all for at least an hour and full effect isn't felt until about three hours after you take it. You may have a slight lift in mood after the first hour but you won't feel full effects and focus until at least three hours. It should last 15 hours before it starts leaving your system.

If you felt intense focus quickly, and speedy, it was probably placebo effect.

Vyvanse also doesn't produce the "speed" effect like Adderall and Ritalin does. It does give alertness and focus but the slight euphoria goes away after the first week or so and it's just the ability to focus.

The way I used to do it when he was in school, was I'd give my son his dose at 5am when I got up and he would sit up in bed, take it, and go back to sleep. At 6 when I'd get him up there wasn't much of anything going on, but by the time he got to school at 8 it had kicked in. He could eat with it, and also fall asleep at night with it, unlike my other son did with Ritalin when he was on it.

Also, I'm assuming that they started you on 20 mg, right?

One more word of advice. While taking an antacid 30 mins beforehand will increase the bioavailability of other ADHD drugs, it will do nothing to Vyvanse, because of the fact that it is a prodrug. Onset can take up to 30 mins longer if you take it on a full stomach as well.

I am currently on Elvanse (it's the name for vyvanse in the UK) for my recent diagnosis of combined-type ADHD, and I have to say it's been rather useless so far.

Whilst IR ritalin was inconsistent, it's the only medication that has ever managed to alleviate my brain fog/hazy mind. For the first time in my life I felt relatively 'normal' as my sensory system wasn't overloaded by insignificant background sounds. Consequently, my reading comprehension improved, I could remember things people had told me for a change, and I was a lot more sociable. Unfortunately my ADHD team decided to try me on something else after I mentioned nose bleeds and foolishly whined as I was struggling to find a consistently effective dose.

However, Elvanse hasn't been the least bit stimulating, and I have experienced these side effects:

- Return of my dreaded brain fog
- Dry mouth
- Possible hair loss/thinning
- Stomach upsets
- Extreme lethargy
- Withdrawn

I pray to God I am allowed another prescription for ritalin, or I fear I will slump back into another depressive state.

What dosage are you on? It's usually the most intense the first time and lingers a little for a few weeks after, but then your body gets acclimated and much of those side-effects stop.

I hope I never get put on this drug, With the luck I`ve had with other psychiatric drugs I`ll probably get at least three of the more horrible and debilitating side effects.

I'm supposed to be taking 20mg but irresponsibly I have upped the dosage to 40mg as I need to be 'with it' during my interviews tomorrow and on Tuesday.

With the exception of a dry mouth and the fear my hair is thinning, most of the adverse side effects have now seemingly subsided.

I feel a very slight elevation in focus on the 40mg but it's still nothing in comparison to ritalin.

Even though I feel rather guilty for wavering away from my medication plan, I cannot be half-asleep in an interview. I am due to have my next medication review on the 4th December but ideally I will speak to my psychiatrist before that because vyvanse has been extremely underwhelming so far. But she is liable to be rather angry as I was supposed to remain on 20mg until the 4th.

20 is a joke for people who need it. It's okay for the first week, but then quickly tapers off. I used to take 70 (years ago). That was a little rough. I ate very little and slept even less, except during my weekly crash where I'd sleep 15 hours straight. Probably shouldn't have had a cup of coffee each day, but I had awesome results (unwavering focus with a ridiculous amount of productivity). Now I'm taking 30 and still drink a cup or two of coffee each day while occasionally napping after work. (I started at 20, went to 30 the next two months, and have been experiencing the same diminished results for 5-6 weeks as the end of the month on 20.) I should be starting on 40 this week, but I don't have high expectations beyond the first week. I haven't made it into a psychiatrist yet; my PCP seems a little hesitant to up my dosage by too much at a time too quickly, based on my previous problems with side-effects.

Hopefully you can find a dose that's effective for you in the long-term.

I can say with a degree of certainty that I am someone who needs to be on stimulants but it would seem finding the right medication and dosage can be a frustratingly long process. Whilst I've been diagnosed with the combined-type, I do believe my symptoms are a closer match to those with either predominantly inattentive ADHD or the rather inflammatory titled, sluggish cognitive tempo.
Reportedly, those with the P-I subtype only have a 50-60% chance of responding well to stimulant medications.

My personal experience with Vyvanse was that it did... well, absolutely nothing. It works to a degree for my friend who just has ADHD and takes 40 mg (he wants higher dose but his doctor is reluctant), but I took Vyvanse for over a month and worked my way up to max dosage, and nothing changed. Oddly enough, what works best for me is 10 mg immediate release Adderall taken about half an hour before I need to really focus for 4-6 hours. Friend who takes Vyvanse has also gotten his hands on Adderall before, and he says that taking a 20 mg tablet on top of his usual Vyvanse works wonders, but he's scared of layering his medications and only did that because of final exams in college.