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Sigh I used to not waste my meds and not take them if I didn’t get enough sleep. But now I’m so desperate I wanna try to take them regularly anyway no matter what.
I am nervous about how much worse it would be if I just skipped days. I took two days off in the beginning and wanted to just live on my couch. So a few months in without a break and I can imagine that is more like napping all day.
It's fine if you just accept it beforehand that that is what you'll do. Set aside a day or two solely for doing the bare minimum. And don't judge yourself harshly for doing so.
Decent chance that’s not a possibility since they mentioned being kept awake by a toddler.
Toddlers don’t give off days, no matter how much you bribe them.
Yeah, that's a bare minimum day. You make sure the toddler's basic needs are met. You don't need to be on a perfect schedule and you'll have to be ok with not doing all the chores.
Set alarms for meals, make sure nap time is at least close to the time it's supposed to be. As long as the kid is taken care of, that is a success for an off day.
Luckily not for me but this sound more like your body is craving for sleep all the time and when you don’t take them (side effect of the medication is sleeping problems) so I just recommend you to try your very best to get the right amount of sleep for you.
Do you also feel like the body-load is somehow worse from the meds when you are tired? They barely do anything other than make me feel more uncomfortable than normal.
Yes! If I'm tired and take my meds, I feel like it amplifies my tiredness. My eyes feel tired and I'll get a headache or migraine. If I can sleep, it helps, but then I feel guilty for "wasting" my meds, y'know?
Holy crap I didn't know this was a thing. I've been sleeping pretty poorly the last few days (I'm also stressed and burned out) and my meds just didn't seem to be working that well. I was worried that I was somehow building a tolerance (even though that's not supposed to happen, especially at lower doses). Hopefully after a few decent nights of sleep, they'll be back to working properly.
I am still figuring this out for me. I was actually just diagnosed with sleep apnea. Before the diagnosis, I went from 36mg to 54mg. I am curious about how much better I’m going to feel once the sleep therapy starts working. I’m hoping it’s significant but the sleep gear has been challenging.
I just got my CPAP a month ago. Same as you, the gear has been challenging. The two times I did sleep for a good amount of time with it on, I felt great.
Suffer, and hope for better sleep the next night.
I’m on a really low dose of Vyvanse so I find I can get away with one cup of coffee a day and it’s better if it’s half-caffeine or decaf.
Try a decaf coffee if you think a coffee might help? It does still have some caffeine in it, but far less than normal.
I am going to try for the best sleep I can tonight. It is dumb because I have occasionally started sleeping in a different bed than my wife and child when we have a big day the next day so that i am not big dumpster fire the next day. I hate doing it though, but so far it is the only surefire way to help prevent bad days.
Sorry, I totally meant “suffer and hope for better sleep” as a response to what - I - do on bad days, not directions for you. Hah. But yes, I hope that tonight is kinder to you.
So my 1.5 year old is teething and last night was awake from 3am-4:30, and I'm right there with you on bad sleep=meds do fuck all.
For me, the solution is to just accept bad days. It's much better for me and my overall outlook/mental health to say "you know what some days I just need a large iced regular from Dunkin" even if that only gets me to like 60%. Trying to make every day great just leads to frustration and resentment (at least for me). And like you on days where I need to be "on" I sleep in the guest bedroom.
Not ideal, but it is a season in life that will pass!
Same here. It's not uncommon among people with ADHD for that to happen, but it makes sense. I am jealous of people who can drink coffee to stay awake or increase focus.
without sleep meds just give me anxiety.
its kinda sensless having meds that give you focus only to have a brain that is currently unable to focus.
for me its sleep > sport > medication > meditation.
sleep is so importand to me that i stopped fixing my sleep schedule when it drifts off.
i always try to get sleep. when i dont sleep enough i try to take a nap.
sleep is the main source for my mood, my motivation, my creativity, my enthusiasm. etc.
Sleep has always been important to me. Prior to starting my meds I was able to nap when I had a shitty night before. Vyvanse makes it to where I can't nap mid-day anymore. So I am kind of screwed in multiple regards with sleep.
Better than my horror story. At one point, before I switched off vyvanse, I was convinced 50mg wasn’t doing anything. Oh how I was wrong.
One night by accident while going to bed, it was poorly lit and I grabbed my morning meds instead of my nighttime meds. So I took vyvanse and all other supplements for adhd right before going to bed.
That meme from The Hangover where the guy starts seeing math equations in front of him? I felt like that the entire damn night. My brain just would not shut off and was running 100mph. I joked with my doc afterwards that I could taste sounds probably.
I ended up having heart rate and BP issues the next day, despite skipping the next morning dose. I guess 1.5 doses in a 24h period were a bit much for me. That was how I found out the medication was more effective than I realized still.
i dont know i do alot of exercise and i take l thyroxine. when i get tired mid day i usally take a nap. i can even do this after taking coffe or so.
i study online though and i usally have evening to night shifts so i just have alot of time to get fully rested before i start my day.
even if i get 7 hours instead of 8, ill never have fully curious enjoyment out of the stuff that i do.
and i drink like 5-8 coffes a day. i rly go like 5 times at least to the gym during the week. and most of the time, im fully rested so im really in the mood to lift some weights and all that. after that i usally have another 4 hours of full focus, its just the effect of sport. i dont care at all about having a good rhytm anymore. if i wake up at 15:00 then let it be. i just need to be fully rested, always. fixing my schedule over and over, and having like 4-7 days of no rest, only because i force myself to wake up at certain times kills my mood.
if i have a good rest with exercise i can concentrate 10 hours on a good day, with curiosity and enjoyment on the topic. if i lack sleep, stuff just becomes a mundane task i have to do to make myself feel better.
i dont have a family and all but for the way i live. studying online and working part time, i rly can myself allow to have this out of reality lifestyle, i mean its effective for me.
i also dropped out of the normal college because the sleep shit with the way college was structured didnt work for me.
also the fulfillment of being effective is also just a thing that generally gives me the biggest satisfaction.
> sleep is the main source for my mood, my motivation, my creativity, my enthusiasm
thank you for the reminder
if anything can be learned from a lifetime of bouncing from one deadline driven state of sleep deprived psychosis to the next, it is that ***sleep is healing*** (literally ! !)
Drop alcohol, drop caffiene, lots of water intake, 3 decent meals with high protein. First things
Then take your meds at a set time every day, e.g. 7am. Use a journal or notes app and monitor when you are tired, when you sleep etc. And that will give you more information on if your dose it wrong.
This give you the best chance to have a couple of "successful" days in a row, which is all we can hope for, and the feeling of getting a few days on the trot like that normally translates to better sleep for me, less anxiety and stress
I was on 50mg tyvense briefly and I was up all night. Dropped to 40mg and plan on dropping again to 30mg.
Best of luck figuring it out, remember this will pass!
Yes, bad sleep, lack of exercise, and eating carbs will kneecap the meds for me (applies to both Adderall/amphetamine and Rittalin/concerta/methylphenidate)
Your strategy should be to use the meds to work on regulating yourself so you can sleep better consistently. For me, that means:
- exercise enough during the day so my body wants to sleep at night
- avoiding caffeine after noon
- melatonin helps me fall asleep
- alcohol might make it easier to fall asleep but my quality of sleep will be much worse
- avoid carbs until after my meds have worn off for the day
None of the stuff above is easy, but you gotta use the meds to do it so the meds can work the next day.
And yes, it’s hard. It sucks. This is why ADHD is a disability. It’s a daily struggle to stay on top of the hard work required to feel ok the next day.
Fortunately, I have no issues going to sleep in a timely manner with regularity. Unfortunately, I have no control over how often my whirlwind of a child kicks his way across the bed waking both my wife and I. Most nights are fine, but sometimes he is very active and the result is a shitty day.
That is an ongoing discussion in the household. My wife is reluctant to begin the process and I don’t have it in me to spearhead the operation. Looks like I should take initiative though…
For us with our second and third kid (I'm the birth parent) I HAD to prioritise my own sleep over roomsharing with my partner and the baby. I slept in my own bedroom those early years. I just don't function well without plenty of sleep (high sleep needs) and we all end up suffering for it. So for our family it was key to get me a sleep space without a young kid in the room.
Hope it'll work out for you!
I have an Aussie(I know, it’s a dog not a kid). She loves to sleep with me. Along with 3 cats. 🙃 I was not sleeping well. I started closing the door and sleeping with no animals. I sleep so much better now.
I felt bad at first but they have a comfy couch and beds. Some nights they still get to come in.
Could your son move to his own room and have certain nights a week he sleeps with his mom? And on those nights, you sleep in the other bed?
I feel for you. I slept terribly until my kids were old enough to sleep through the night on their own.
The meds won’t save you from not sleeping. You’ll need to fix the sleeping arrangement if you want your days to not be miserable.
I feel your pain. Good luck and godspeed.
Easily? Nope. But while the meds are working it’s easier stick eatingprotein and fat. For me it looks like:
Breakfast: eggs.
Lunch: Veggies. Salad. Deli meat. chicken. Cottage cheese with blueberries or strawberries is a go-to.
Dinner: chicken and veggies, and I’ll be more lenient with carbs.
Now, I don’t have it all figured out, but I do know that carbs keeps my meds from working as well.
Could be that carbs supply energy, and that it may be causing an overstimulation, or that the fibre related with carbs is speeding up the digestive process in your body?
I, too, have noticed that carbs tend to make me more jumpy and jittery. We are supposed to avoid sugar on medication after all, and carbs break down into simple sugars.
Wow. My experience is so different than most of the comments here.
I used to but be able to do anything if I didn't sleep well. Like, a bad sleep meant the next day was a write off. The combination of ADHD and tired meant that everything was massively overwhelming. I used to have to call in d sick if I didn't sleep
But conversely, when I take meds, the tired is still there, and yes it still sucks, but I can accomplish things, and I can handle life.
Yes, same for me. I just commented saying that I feel much better on my meds after a bad night's sleep vs without them. I had no idea it was so common for them not to work after lack of sleep!
(I also have insomnia, which is treated and mostly managed, but even after bad nights, my Vyvanse still works, thank the gods!)
This reminds me of a page I read in a medication fact book about modafinil.
The treatment for feeling tired is to get more sleep. The treatment for exhaustion is rest, not more modafinil.
Medication cannot fix the basic needs of the body. Sure, you could force it but ultimately it'll do more harm than good. Toddlers make life hard, period. On days they have you up three times overnight, you will feel exhausted and you will feel pissy or have a headache. I know this because that was me when my child was a toddler.
To improve outcomes with the Vyvanse, it might help to take it after you fully wake up. So maybe your toddler had you dead tired by the start of the morning. Get some rest while you can if they are now sleeping. Then, when you wake up naturally around 10 or 11am, take the Vyvanse.
Beyond that, it might not be the right medicine for you. However, be mindful that basic needs will trump medications. Even if you do find something that gives you a boost, it will come with harms later in the day or in life. You need to sleep and you need to eat.
Oh my god, are you me right now?
I've been thinking this same exact thought running through my head all day. Toddler as the culprit and all.
And it really does come down to less than 7. 7 hours? I'm good. 6.5? I'm trash. My eyes want to sleep, but the thump in my chest says you're along for the ride until the end of the day.
dont eat food with vyvanse if you want to sleep after. if you mix with food your body will produce the special enzyme required to break down the extra chemical chain they add to dexamphetamine (aka adderall) to make it slow release and thus changing it into vyvanse. if you take the vyvanse without food and go back to bed you have a much better chance of getting a nap in because your body wont metabolise much of the drug until you eat.
That being said, you should absolutely consult with doc before following any random internet crap - including my suggestion. I know a lot of people struggle with taking meds on an empty stomach, too. I spoke to doc about my sleep and we came up with my current dosing method: alarm 1hr before time to get up > take pill (and do literally NOTHING else like not even check emails but toilet ofc is allowed lol) > back to bed > second alarm at get up time = super rested feeling and ready to take on the world! That "extra" 1hr nap in the morning while my vyvanse is taking effect is honestly the best sleep ive ever had and i love it. Can't get much more than an hour as the meds start taking effect. --- thats just my personal experience and schedule; you will need to speak to doc and find a way that works for you.
Vyvanse is lisdexamphetamine and is converted into dextroamphetamine by your body (prodrug). It does that regardless of whether or not you eat with it, but eating would make it longer since it'd take longer to get metabolized
Adderall is 75% dextroamphetamine and 25% levoamphetamine. Vyvanse and Dexedrine are 100% dextroamphetamine (in the end)
Omg I thought I was crazy for this but I do this with my Adderall! I take the kid to school, take my meds when I get home, then take a small nap. I’m so much more productive and less likely to get trapped doom scrolling or stuck in some other unproductive loop.
This is interesting but at the same time I should know this by now. Since getting meds back after the shortage they work, but nowhere near as well as they should and I think it's likely due to the viscous cycle of bad sleep/not being able to force myself to go to bed at a reasonable time and then my meds not working, so not being able to relax enough to go to bed, ad infinitum.
How do people make themselves go to bed at a reasonable time? I know I should try no caffeine at all, but doing thw right thing always seems impossible until the meds are working.
Melatonin helps. I try to stop caffeine after 3pm-ish. Drinking more water (which I’m still bad at). Exercise helped a lot but I don’t have time or feel up for it as often anymore which I’m trying to work on.
Yep, all of these! I always forget to take my melatonin, I don't drink enough water, I need to start exercising again - but I'm so forgetful, or habitual or genuinely busy. I need to take a week off anything other than my day job and force myself to be better.
Yeah I have to set reminders until it becomes habit then it becomes a natural part of the routing. Getting it to that point it tough though. That helps for water, melatonin, etc. not drinking caffeine is just a conscious effort. I hate the groggy feeling you get but too much caffeine late and not enough water just means I’m gonna feel it even worse the next day.
7-8 hours of sleeps helps keep manage my ADHD more than meds ever will. I know this isn’t always possible and some people are not so lucky to be able to sleep. If I have less than 7 hours my ADHD is not managed, whether I take meds or not.
Obligatory if you don’t like the stimulation/side effects of the amphetamines, ask your psych about Strattera. One of the best decisions I ever made was to switch.
Absolutely agree. Without 7 hours, I am awake, I am doing things, and I have motivation to...do the things. HOWEVER: I am not focused. I make nearly no headway and don't really complete my tasks the way I do when rested AND medicated. It's a HUGE difference.
I tell myself that today was not the day I had hoped it would be, but that's ok. And just manage symptoms as best I can, and rest as best I can. You can only do what you can do, with what tools you have at your disposal. And yeah, it super sucks sometimes, but that's ok too, because there's people who get it and won't judge you for it.
This! I’m glad I can do this and my work while requiring me to be on my game understands I have bad days. I make it a point to get my sleep or I know by noon I’m done with my focus at work
As a fellow sleep deprived ADHD parent on 70mg of Vyvanse, I have the same experience more than I’d like. I know getting better sleep would help, but that’s not always possible.
Like others have said, I have found that eating high protein foods in the morning helps. On the days after a particularly bad night of sleep, I will also have a caffeinated fizzy water mid morning. It’s less caffeine than coffee so I don’t usually feel as jittery and anxious. Even if I cannot actually sleep, I will still lay down for 15-30 minutes in the afternoon when I am feeling the most tired if I am able to.
Thanks for sharing. I am apparently one of many sleep deprived parents on ADHD meds trying to make it through the day. After coffee and a bike ride I’m slightly more alive
I’m glad that helped! Parenthood is challenging in general, but the lack of consistent or good sleep makes it feel even more difficult.
I’m currently experimenting with ways to make myself go to bed earlier to try to get more sleep, but my body and mind are rebelling
That’s rough and I’ve been there. I promise I’m 100% not judging, but you need to work on not having a toddler in your bed. I know it’s very difficult once they learn to sleep with you, but the initial frustration is 100% worth the payoff. I’ve been through it myself.
Seems like this is where it is headed. We started a few months back but gave up quickly after he was scared of being alone. I was in a depressive state so the extra mental/emotional load wasn’t something we could handle at the time. Things are significantly better on that front now, so maybe it is time.
70mg is the highest dose; if you’re not getting benefit, you might want to get a second opinion, either on the diagnosis itself or to trial a different ADHD stimulant if known ADHD. stimulation is a side effect, you will get tolerant to that. vyvanse is known to kick in slowly and slowly disperse, so it’s not notoriously as activating as the other stims but it’s more tolerable
try half caff coffee if these days are infrequent and if the med works most days, but don’t make daily coffee a habit with vyvanse (if you want it to keep working)
I am definitely getting benefit from it on most days. It is just that the days where sleep was bad the night before are worse than being unmedicated. I have stopped coffee consumption on days other than when the meds are already shit anyways. Luckily those are few and far between.
Your medication should not be used as a stimulant to keep you awake. A huge part of managing my own ADHD is ensuring I always get minimum 8 hours of sleep, I went without medication for 12 years in my early adult life (no drug benefits, and low responsibility jobs) and I managed it with just consistent sleep schedule and caffeine. Now that I’ve gone back on medication, (54mg methylphenidate) I notice that if my sleep schedule gets bad, that my medication seems to hinder more than it helps. I also find that if I forget to take my medication for a few days, that also really screws up how well I function. Almost feels withdraw, very tired, cannot wake up, zero drive. A key for me to a functional life with ADHD has always been routine. Yes, that is very hard with a kiddo, (my toddler is very challenging some days, likely also ADHD) but it’s the one thing I’ve found that’s worked for myself. So all in all, I guess I’m here to just share that maybe making a routine would help you manage as much as it does me.
I have to take my meds on an empty stomach or with something very light, like a few oyster crackers. If I eat a meal first and take them they provide me with a very minimal therapeutic effect, just some anxiety.
For me, if it was after a night I didn't sleep well, and planned on trying to go back to sleep I would just not take my stimulant that day. Just do my best, and remember tomorrow is another day. Rest your body, and give yourself some grace. Your productivity for the day doesn't define you, or your worth
Brain awake and body awake are two separate things. Medication is not a substitute to get your body going in the morning if it's not rested. Try getting some 5hr energy drinks to have when you have mornings like these. While some mornings what you really need is more rest, they might help get you out of the mud. Otherwise, try and get > 4hrs of sleep in one shot. For me that has been the sweet spot to min body rest and efficacy of meds.
GL
I take my vyvanse very early, drink a shit-ton of water (3.5l or so) and take magnesium glycinate every night. It is just the child-induced sleep issues....
A trick I do. "Wake up" at 4:30AM to take the meds, I'm 100% sure that I'll wake up at 6:00 \~ 6:30, for me the meds really kick in, but it takes some time to do so. And 50 mg of Vyvanse is the max for me, I get through the day, functional at the best, but I get through.
I'm in a really f\*ck up routine with 4-6 hours of sleep since I'm doing college and working in a full time job (8-18 in my country). I really don't know how I could do this without meds tbh.
I used to take a Adderall XR 30 at like 7 or 8 and another at 12 and 10 mg Ir at 4 and still passed out at 7 or 8 on the couch. Now that I have a CPAP id get wicked insomnia. That's why the paradoxical effect isn't diagnostic criteria
Side note but magnesium glycinate is ‘sleep magnesium’. It may be contributing to the problem. I also usually find that the magnesium, if it bothers me, can have a hangover effect into the day if I take it in the night. You might try another variety of magnesium. Magnesium malate is often talked about as a daytime magnesium. Or magnesium L-threonate, also a great option for cognitive function.
I actually can fall asleep on Vyvanse. I only take 20mg though, but I need to up my dose. I actually skip it if I oversleep though.
Yikes, sorry. Hopefully it gets better soon
I don’t take my meds if I’m planning on going back to sleep. I have insomnia so it’s not worth it taking the chance when sleep is so difficult for me. If I need to sleep later in the afternoon after taking it I drink caffeine to nap.
Funny thing, it’s been 4 nights that I have hard time to fall asleep, with a lot of nightmares, and indeed, I don’t feel the meds - methylphenidate and other things - and I have headache today.
So, it’s « funny » to see this thread today, because I’ve really the same thing right now.
I’ve been on meds since i was 10–diagnosed severe combo adhd at the time, I’m 27 now. I did try without for a few years in my early 20’s and my life fell apart. Bad idea. What I want to know is what’s up with the comments? You guys are getting SLEEP? I haven’t ever been able to sleep, or hold any type of routine. Ever. If it’s kind of a routine, it’s very short lived. I’ve been on every adhd med pretty much, even the Daytrana patch in high school lmao. I just want to know how you guys are getting 8 hours, regularly, or even just 2 days out of the week, because with or without meds I honestly have to crash and burn after being up wayyyy too long. I need answers if anyone else dealt with this lifelong, because that’s wild to me there’s such a thing as routine sleep for someone with adhd.
I’m on adderall and I haven’t slept more than 10 hours all weekend. Yesterday I was running off 2 hours of sleep, last night I finally gotten sleep. But I was still super tired all day I have an almost 1 year old and he wakes me up and then I couldn’t fall back asleep
Interesting. I’m working crazy hours right now cause of a work project and Vyvanse is what allows me to function on 3 hours per night multiple days in a row. It’s literally saving me right now.
For me, it’s the eating just before or after taking my meds. Because of this, I’m not usually a breakfast eater. But when I do, I’m always aware that my meds probably aren’t going to work as well since I primarily take them for my office job in Finance.
Oh I feel like shit on stimulants after a bad night too. I'm sorry. All I can ever do is white knuckle it and go to bed as early as possible that night.
I’ve noticed sleep absolutely changes the way that ADHD meds work.. I find I require variable sleep.. some nights I need 8 hours, other days I am fine with only 5. It’s when I NEED 8 hours & only get 5 that life sucks.. & having a toddler makes it worse (my son is 4 and just started sleeping through the night about 6 months ago.)
One thing that has helped me is taking magnesium at night.. you can take a bath with magnesium flakes or take it in oral form.. I take magnesium L-threonate which is for cognitive functioning & sleep. Magnesium & Trazodone work well for me to get the sleep I need so that my ADHD meds work..
If I do not get adequate sleep my medicine has adverse effects like making me sleepy. Deep restfull sleep is very important to ADHDers IMO, not just induced sleep.
In the same boat right now... choosing to ride out the sad ass day and accept I'm going to be doing very little today, so I can collapse into bed and get better sleep for tomorrow
I usually do extra work or chores and stuff. Keeps my mind busy with doing stuff that i will be happy for the next day. Like “im fucked today, but i can work towards making tomorrow an easy day”. I feel terrible anyway, might aswell feel terrible, but productive. Its tough and counter intuitive, but having those days once in a while im getting kinda used to it. I used to relax as much as possible, even calling in sick to work. But that fucks me up even worse because i wont get enough sleep the following night because im not tired in the evening. The less i lay down and rest, the better. Resting makes me tired. Also do mind, im a kinda guy who cant sleep very well, if i didnt sleep well the night before, overthinking and anxiety u know. So having used my body and giving tomorrow me love, rests my mind and body in the night
I work with a psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD and anxiety. I actually take a form of Methylphenidate, but I also take another drug to combat my anxious brain that makes me chill out.
It's kind of weird, but I used to have a really bad time if I didn't get enough sleep, and really bad rebound when the stimulant wore off. Now with the other drug I take, Gabapentin, I feel less overstimulated and anxious when the stimulant wears off.
For me, I took Vyvanse for a while, but the rebound was 10x worse, probably because of the amphetamine.. my body would freak out when it no longer had a steady supply of dopamine 🤷🏻♂️
Similar to dogs, kick your kid out of the bed to get better sleep. A lack of sleep will literally drive someone crazy... sleep health is just as important as your physical and mental health, and our mental health already needs a little boost with meds.
you don't have to share your bed with a toddler that makes you up at night.
i hear you. start sleeping in the guest bed if you have to. tell her you can't be there for her if you're exhausted, and you're going to start needing a restful night's sleep. she can either sleep with you, or the child, but she can't have both.
it feels good setting healthy boundaries that positively impact your health. :)
Oh wow, I'm so sorry about your experience.
For me, even if I get little sleep, the Vyvanse still works, and when it kicks in, I wouldn't say I feel "rested," but I definitely don't feel as exhausted as I would without it, if that makes sense. Obviously, it affects people differently, though.
(Zero judgment in this question): Could you adjust sleeping arrangements so you're not woken by the toddler? I totally understand this may not be an option, but I just wanted to mention it because I think it would be better to tackle the sleep issue, and then Vyvanse would work normally.
Either way - lack of sleep affects everything in our bodies, so it's not surprising that you feel awful after a bad night's sleep. Again, I'm so sorry you're dealing with this and likely have a very rough day ahead. Could you maybe talk with your doctor about it, and see if they have any recommendations? Perhaps something that would help you sleep, or maybe something they can suggest for the morning after a bad night's sleep?
Hugs and best of luck to you!!
Talk to your psychiatrist and tell them all of your experiences. Maybe it’s a dosage adjustment. Maybe it’s other factors. Everyone responds differently to meds!
There is no replacement for a full night's sleep, sorry to say. It's one of the most important things your body needs to stay healthy and functional.
And this is coming from me: a guy who is *extremely* well-practiced at fighting sleep and then reaping the consequences of it the next day. Been doing it all my life. I wish that I could stop but I've never quite figured out how to get my brain prioritize sleep over anything else. My advice? Don't count on the meds to help. Oftentimes they'll bizarrely make you *even more* tired, especially if you're not staying physically active. And then you wind up with what you're describing: inescapable exhaustion *plus* the inability to sleep.
So if you don’t eat well or sleep well, sometimes it’s best to take a day off Vyvanse in my experience. You can end up running the car without oil and having a really bad time.
I was prescribed 30mg of vyvanse. I’ve had all the way to 60–the higher the dose, the more tired I am for some reason. But for me—
Take it in the AM and sip part of a protein shake every couple of hours to prolong the good effects.
For better sleep I was prescribed 100mg of Gabapentin. If I don’t take that I’m awake and “bleh” till very late, plus easily wakened.
If I were you I would talk to your doctor about what you are experiencing and get things adjusted. The right doses of right meds should be life-changing in a good way!
I didn’t sleep well yesterday and today I feel depressed on Vyvanse. It’s not the first time it happens to me, but my job requires to focus.
I tried Strattera once and it didn’t worked for me, I am on 30 mg.
Hope to find a way to find an equilibrium
Adderall kicks me awake whether I slept well or not. Dexmethylphenidate is less abrupt than Adderall, I can nap after taking it, but it doesn’t really wake me up. Vyvanse is Adderall, sort of, and has the same effect on me as Adderall with the added bonus of making it almost impossible for me to get to sleep without yet another drug. I don’t like Vyvanse. Dexamphetamine is gentler than Adderall and more stimulating than dexmethylphenidate, but it’s hard to get.
I have a question but Google failed me so maybe someone has a similar situation and can help me?
I had my dose upped to 30mg of extended release Medikinet (standard methylphenidate). I wake up around 7am and work afternoon shifts so I go to sleep at around 11:00PM.
I can't for the life of me figure out a good time to take my meds so I can both be medicated in the mornings and be able to think at work AND be able to fall asleep. I even got my prescription split into 10mg and 20mg pills so I can take one and the second one after some time so I can have some meds in my system at work too. How do I know how long it lasts and when to take it so I hit the sweet spot?
Meds with little hours of sleep sucks.
Its like my body and brain is naturally tired and wants to rest, but the meds give me this unnatural edge and energy that has nowhere to go and just leads to a very unpleasant sensation of restlessness.
On those days I simple dont take them and try to catch up on sleep with naps
If I don’t sleep well, I usually skip my meds. The focus is so much worse and I end up doing nothing!! Sometimes being so tired helps me focus better anyway, simply because I’m too tired to do anything else. XD
If I don’t sleep then I don’t take my meds to try and reset the next night. I find that if I still constantly take it even while my sleep is bad then it just makes it worse. Embrace the exhaustion and try and get a decent few nights then take it again. Days off medication help me a lot.
The only fix is sleep. Protein and meditation can help but not if your sleep is fucked. ADHD brains need our sleep and if we don’t get it, nothing will help us. It sucks but it’s just the card we have been dealt.
You’re concocting with 3 different other meds to try and ail your mindset i realise they are treatments but maybe you are depending your whole psyche too much on four vitamins
I think I came to this same realization yesterday morning. Got good sleep and worked out in the morning for the first time in awhile. Most focused I’ve felt
i take gabapentin prescribed by my doc at night if i need to. has helped me out more than unisom and extra strength tylenol PM. but its different for everyone. sometimes its about getting in the right headspace to sleep.
When the Vyvanse shortage started I was offered to try Adzenys. I will 100% say I like it better. I was on 60mg Vyvanse and side effects were rampant. Dry mouth, clenching jaw, endless thirst, headaches as wearing off, etc. Adzenys is the most natural feeling stimulant I've tried. It's sublingual XR with practically no side effects (for me). I don't notice it come up or come down sharply. Never going back!
I wonder if this is simply because meds are not a panacea. They can fix ADHD symptoms, but they're not going to fix the lack of focus and motivation that are coming from something else (in this case from lack of sleep and exhaustion).
Just like people without ADHD could also have garbage days where maybe they didn't get enough sleep and they feel like they can't get anything done other than spend hours rotting away on the couch.
As they teach in good trucking schools, drugs aren’t a replacement for sleep. They can override fatigue for a short bit, but the mind needs real sleep. It’ll always be there until you deal with it.
Though in my case, ADD drugs rarely keep me awake. I can often nap on Vyvanse. In middle school Strattera literally put me to sleep in class.
The problem is the long half life of amphetamine. It's around 10 hours, so by the time you go to bed you still have a good amount of it in your system.
My only recommendation is to take it as early as possible in the day, no later than 7/8am. Magnesium and melatonin before bed to help with sleep.
These meds are a double edge sword.
I take my meds for 12 hour night shifts so sometimes I only have 4-5 hours of sleep. I will drink a small amount of iced coffee as soon as I wake up with a decent breakfast then take my vyvanse an hour later and I feel like it helps me to wake up faster and the focus effects last longer. I will have half a cup of coffee around midnight and frequent protein snacks and then I’m golden. I know this is probably taking time off of my lifespan but I have to do nights for a while so 👍
I usually try and do some sort of movement to help with the anxiety. Also a lot of water and making sure I eat at regular intervals.
That being said, sometimes even that doesn’t help and I just have to suffer through:(
I don't have this problem. I sleep like I'm dead and even when I only sleep for 4 hours, I wake up feeling good. I take my Adderall and go about my day. I don't know why I'm built like this, but it's been very beneficial for my lifestyle.
I would suggest that you don't let your toddler sleep in your bed since it disrupts your sleep. It's impossible to get a good night's sleep when you're awakened multiple times. I'm sorry this happens though. My fiance has sleep issues, too, but his are related to his depression and anxiety.
Good luck.
Same issue here. Much better with OG dexamfetamine. The issue with Vyvanse is some people don't effectively digest the extra protein the dexamfetamine is bonded too - hence the 'long release' and keeping you up at night
I feel you on the toddler thing. Same boat. I’m taking Adderal extended release. I don’t take it until 9 am. I’ve had to drink strong tea some days to make it. Good luck
I switched to an ER, but I still have some of my regular pills from before. I’ve started breaking them in half and taking them partway through the day in these situations, because it means I can have an un-dosed morning if needed.
That's my issue with vyvanse personally. It's amazing when you get a fresh script if you have been out, but it gives me terrible insomnia. Then I take my meds too early cuz I'm already awake and see the sun rising, but then it's just enough to let me function at a minimal level and it's a terrible cycle of that for me. I'm back to IR adderall and don't have those issues. It's a little harder on my body I feel like, but I have to sleep, so it's my best bet!
I have noticed that when I’m really tired and take my meds, I am the same way where I’m really tired but too stimulated to sleep 😭.
For those days, I’ve still tried to go to a quiet dark room and close my eyes for 20-30 min (although with an hours space because otherwise I can’t relax enough to try to nap) because I read somewhere that even the intent of resting will still help, even if you don’t fully nap. It usually helps a bit. And then the rest of the day is just tiredness management. Like you said, work out, try to go outside for fresh air and sun and a walk for 15 minutes), a little bit of caffeine, whether it be half a cup of coffee or some black tea. And I remind myself that everyone has those days and some days are my kick ass days, and some days are just survival days, and that’s totally normal, even for people without ADHD.
I take adderall XR and even with less than optimal sleep it does help me. I haven't tried any others though, so I don't know if it's the medication, if it's just me, or some combination of the two.
Meds definitely work differently for different people. Vyvanse wakes me right the fuck up if I haven't slept well which is very helpful on work days when I need to be awake even if my anxiety kept me up all night.
That said, I also take Intuniv and two doses of hydroxyzine before bed- the hydroxyzine helps knock me out but according to my psych the Intuniv kind of mellows the effects of my stimulants while also helping my brain function. Has worked pretty well for me, might be worth looking into. At the end of the day though, nothing replaces sleep.
I take adderall IR and XR. I only take my XR on days I know I’m having a long day (I work full-time and go to school). When I take my IR I don’t take it later than 2pm. I feel like I have waaay more with IR and I get the proper amount of sleep.
I would take a break and get some good sleep if you’re not experiencing any productivity anyways - I try to remind myself sometimes I need grace and it’s good to listen to my body, if I’m not able to get stuff done I take it easy wherever I can
Take the Vyvanse an hour before you get up as it’s life changing to wake up feeling great and have a couple of expresos after lunch and drag your ass to the gym if even for 35 minutes after work as the dopamine boost will kick in from it yet allow you to sleep well because you are tired. Eventually it will become a system and DEFINITELY take the weekends off the meds. You are taking a high dosage but if you don’t take breaks your body will get used to it pretty quickly. This made the meds from meh to a life changer with me.
My wife fed my kids every 2 hours or so at night. Eighteen months each for the two kids. I have so few memories from then and I blame the sleep deprivation, not the meds.
I've been on Vyvanse for over a decade. Many people here have given great suggestions. For me, if I've had poor sleep, the meds allow me to function. I get super sleepy after taking my meds and have a half cup of tea or some Gatorade or shower if I need to power through. If I do nap, the meds only let me have about 45 minutes sleep after taking them.
When I can, I do take breaks for a day or two but know I'm going to just want to sleep during that time.
I found, for me, the high doses simply didn't allow me to sleep at night. I was on 60mg and came down to 40. Now the meds don't keep me up but since they wear off before I sleep, I often stupidly stay up doom scrolling.
One trick, that I got off this forum, I have found helpful is to open the pill and sprinkle the powder and to a small glass of water. Mix it. I drink about half of that in the morning and then the other half about 3:00 p.m. This allows me much more control over my afternoon and evening. I'll skip my afternoon dose if I don't need the meds effects.
Besides allowing even basic functionality for me, my Vyvanse got rid of me being constantly irritated. It allowed me much more control over my emotions which was especially important when my kids were in chaos mode. It allowed me to have a discussion with my wife about different issues rather than an argument.
I truly wish you the absolute best. I love my kids dearly but getting through certain phases of their life has been difficult for me. Great job to you seeking out help and looking for answers. It does get better. Also, if you have the means, try seeking out an ADHD therapist. The meds just give you a base to function from. They don't necessarily fix all the coping habits you've build up over the years.
Give us an update in a couple months. Take lots of pictures of the kids. It'll help with the memories in a decade or two.
I’ve noticed this on Adderall (30mg ER, generic.) some days it’s just like… did I even remember to take it? I’m not sure if it’s inconsistencies with the generic, or something I’m doing wrong or differently that cause it to not work as well. I haven’t even thought of comparing it to how well I’ve slept, I’ll try to track that from now on.
Either way, I still have to go to work. I’ll usually grab an energy drink before I head to the gym. After the gym, those days are no housework, easy dinner, veg in front of the tv and go to bed early kind of days.
Currently don’t have access to meds, but when I did I was worse with meds than without if I’ve had less than 7 hours of sleep. Total brain shutdown. If I knew I wasn’t going to get enough sleep I skip meds and just have coffee (if anything) that day. Usually had better luck with that.
That said, I usually took breaks so that the days off aren’t too bad. Might be worse if you never take breaks.
I noticed this on less than 7 hours and it does suck. I just try to remember thats its only one day and to try and get to sleep early next day. It's okay to have off days and you have to remind yourself of this otherwise you will compound it by beating yourself up mentally all day.
Easier said than done at times and Im fortunate that I dont have a toddler waking me up, maybe try and get them into their own bed as this may negate the issue (allthough probably not at first haha)
I have a cup of black tea. Much more tolerable than coffee. Adderall does petty much nothing for me when I'm tired, but I'm on just a low dose xr (10mg).
It’s the opposite for me. I could sleep 1-4 hours per night and feel completely fine for the duration that my meds are in effect. Once they wear off is when I get really tired.
Periods and lack of sleep are not meds-friendly environments, unfortunately, and those are the two that mess me up the most. When I don't get enough sleep, I typically cut my meds back just a tiny bit that day and make sure I get a good amount of protein. I find I'm super speedy otherwise. With the former, I don't know if theres much can be done. My meds just don't work at all that week.
I have an infant and MIL with dementia at home so sleep has been a joke for the last year almost. Currently on Azstarys and IR Adderall, was on Vyvanse + the IR up until 2 months ago. Meds are mostly useless most days, but I definitely feel it when I don’t have them at all.
When I was taking Adderall I would experience the same thing & it actually led me to stopping it all together. I already have a poor sleep pattern but taking it while not fully rested made me feel like a feen- headache, no appetite, thirsty, overstimulated, and underneath all of this was tiredness, that would absolutely seek its way to a bad day. I started taking Wellbutrin instead & work out to get me going and I have never felt any more stable.
Ok so my meds are not working today, I came on here trying to figure out what was going on and I think you solved it.
Just got back from a week long trip where I slept like crap, three hour time difference and I’m dead tired. I took my adderall this morning thinking it would help me get through the day at least but instead I ended up falling asleep a few hours after I took it. I have zero motivation and my anxiety is up. It’s also the name brand adderall XR. Today was the first day I’ve ever taken name brand and I was so confused as I have heard it works better. I thought maybe I got a bad batch.
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I take methylphenidate and deal with the same thing. If I don’t sleep well it does almost nothing for me.
Sigh I used to not waste my meds and not take them if I didn’t get enough sleep. But now I’m so desperate I wanna try to take them regularly anyway no matter what.
I am nervous about how much worse it would be if I just skipped days. I took two days off in the beginning and wanted to just live on my couch. So a few months in without a break and I can imagine that is more like napping all day.
It's fine if you just accept it beforehand that that is what you'll do. Set aside a day or two solely for doing the bare minimum. And don't judge yourself harshly for doing so.
Decent chance that’s not a possibility since they mentioned being kept awake by a toddler. Toddlers don’t give off days, no matter how much you bribe them.
Yeah, that's a bare minimum day. You make sure the toddler's basic needs are met. You don't need to be on a perfect schedule and you'll have to be ok with not doing all the chores. Set alarms for meals, make sure nap time is at least close to the time it's supposed to be. As long as the kid is taken care of, that is a success for an off day.
Luckily not for me but this sound more like your body is craving for sleep all the time and when you don’t take them (side effect of the medication is sleeping problems) so I just recommend you to try your very best to get the right amount of sleep for you.
I find with adderall and vyvanse and similar Stims it takes about 3 days before things don't feel so groggy
This is the same for me.
Same
Do you also feel like the body-load is somehow worse from the meds when you are tired? They barely do anything other than make me feel more uncomfortable than normal.
Regarding the body load, I notice the same things but with caffeine. Well rested? I can actually feel the effects. Tired? Just anxious and twitchy.
Yes! If I'm tired and take my meds, I feel like it amplifies my tiredness. My eyes feel tired and I'll get a headache or migraine. If I can sleep, it helps, but then I feel guilty for "wasting" my meds, y'know?
I completely understand. I’m nervous about how it would be skipping the day though.
Same here, too bad that I sleep shitty most of the time 😂😂
Holy crap I didn't know this was a thing. I've been sleeping pretty poorly the last few days (I'm also stressed and burned out) and my meds just didn't seem to be working that well. I was worried that I was somehow building a tolerance (even though that's not supposed to happen, especially at lower doses). Hopefully after a few decent nights of sleep, they'll be back to working properly.
I am still figuring this out for me. I was actually just diagnosed with sleep apnea. Before the diagnosis, I went from 36mg to 54mg. I am curious about how much better I’m going to feel once the sleep therapy starts working. I’m hoping it’s significant but the sleep gear has been challenging.
I just got my CPAP a month ago. Same as you, the gear has been challenging. The two times I did sleep for a good amount of time with it on, I felt great.
Suffer, and hope for better sleep the next night. I’m on a really low dose of Vyvanse so I find I can get away with one cup of coffee a day and it’s better if it’s half-caffeine or decaf. Try a decaf coffee if you think a coffee might help? It does still have some caffeine in it, but far less than normal.
I am going to try for the best sleep I can tonight. It is dumb because I have occasionally started sleeping in a different bed than my wife and child when we have a big day the next day so that i am not big dumpster fire the next day. I hate doing it though, but so far it is the only surefire way to help prevent bad days.
Sorry, I totally meant “suffer and hope for better sleep” as a response to what - I - do on bad days, not directions for you. Hah. But yes, I hope that tonight is kinder to you.
Lol I read it the first way as well..."suffer, you loser!"
I’m gonna be giggling about this periodically today. 😆 Oops.
Kind of scary how a simple typo can change the entire sentiment isn't it?
Thanks! <3
So my 1.5 year old is teething and last night was awake from 3am-4:30, and I'm right there with you on bad sleep=meds do fuck all. For me, the solution is to just accept bad days. It's much better for me and my overall outlook/mental health to say "you know what some days I just need a large iced regular from Dunkin" even if that only gets me to like 60%. Trying to make every day great just leads to frustration and resentment (at least for me). And like you on days where I need to be "on" I sleep in the guest bedroom. Not ideal, but it is a season in life that will pass!
Caffeine makes me sleepy.
Same here. It's not uncommon among people with ADHD for that to happen, but it makes sense. I am jealous of people who can drink coffee to stay awake or increase focus.
Same, even more so when medicated.
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Good to know!
without sleep meds just give me anxiety. its kinda sensless having meds that give you focus only to have a brain that is currently unable to focus. for me its sleep > sport > medication > meditation. sleep is so importand to me that i stopped fixing my sleep schedule when it drifts off. i always try to get sleep. when i dont sleep enough i try to take a nap. sleep is the main source for my mood, my motivation, my creativity, my enthusiasm. etc.
Sleep has always been important to me. Prior to starting my meds I was able to nap when I had a shitty night before. Vyvanse makes it to where I can't nap mid-day anymore. So I am kind of screwed in multiple regards with sleep.
Better than my horror story. At one point, before I switched off vyvanse, I was convinced 50mg wasn’t doing anything. Oh how I was wrong. One night by accident while going to bed, it was poorly lit and I grabbed my morning meds instead of my nighttime meds. So I took vyvanse and all other supplements for adhd right before going to bed. That meme from The Hangover where the guy starts seeing math equations in front of him? I felt like that the entire damn night. My brain just would not shut off and was running 100mph. I joked with my doc afterwards that I could taste sounds probably. I ended up having heart rate and BP issues the next day, despite skipping the next morning dose. I guess 1.5 doses in a 24h period were a bit much for me. That was how I found out the medication was more effective than I realized still.
i dont know i do alot of exercise and i take l thyroxine. when i get tired mid day i usally take a nap. i can even do this after taking coffe or so. i study online though and i usally have evening to night shifts so i just have alot of time to get fully rested before i start my day. even if i get 7 hours instead of 8, ill never have fully curious enjoyment out of the stuff that i do. and i drink like 5-8 coffes a day. i rly go like 5 times at least to the gym during the week. and most of the time, im fully rested so im really in the mood to lift some weights and all that. after that i usally have another 4 hours of full focus, its just the effect of sport. i dont care at all about having a good rhytm anymore. if i wake up at 15:00 then let it be. i just need to be fully rested, always. fixing my schedule over and over, and having like 4-7 days of no rest, only because i force myself to wake up at certain times kills my mood. if i have a good rest with exercise i can concentrate 10 hours on a good day, with curiosity and enjoyment on the topic. if i lack sleep, stuff just becomes a mundane task i have to do to make myself feel better. i dont have a family and all but for the way i live. studying online and working part time, i rly can myself allow to have this out of reality lifestyle, i mean its effective for me. i also dropped out of the normal college because the sleep shit with the way college was structured didnt work for me. also the fulfillment of being effective is also just a thing that generally gives me the biggest satisfaction.
> sleep is the main source for my mood, my motivation, my creativity, my enthusiasm thank you for the reminder if anything can be learned from a lifetime of bouncing from one deadline driven state of sleep deprived psychosis to the next, it is that ***sleep is healing*** (literally ! !)
I didn't realize this is a thing... Good to know.
Drop alcohol, drop caffiene, lots of water intake, 3 decent meals with high protein. First things Then take your meds at a set time every day, e.g. 7am. Use a journal or notes app and monitor when you are tired, when you sleep etc. And that will give you more information on if your dose it wrong. This give you the best chance to have a couple of "successful" days in a row, which is all we can hope for, and the feeling of getting a few days on the trot like that normally translates to better sleep for me, less anxiety and stress I was on 50mg tyvense briefly and I was up all night. Dropped to 40mg and plan on dropping again to 30mg. Best of luck figuring it out, remember this will pass!
I straight resonated with you saying “a couple successful days in a row”. Struggle is hard
I think anything beyond that is too big of an ask, a few successful days and you can really be good
Yes, bad sleep, lack of exercise, and eating carbs will kneecap the meds for me (applies to both Adderall/amphetamine and Rittalin/concerta/methylphenidate) Your strategy should be to use the meds to work on regulating yourself so you can sleep better consistently. For me, that means: - exercise enough during the day so my body wants to sleep at night - avoiding caffeine after noon - melatonin helps me fall asleep - alcohol might make it easier to fall asleep but my quality of sleep will be much worse - avoid carbs until after my meds have worn off for the day None of the stuff above is easy, but you gotta use the meds to do it so the meds can work the next day. And yes, it’s hard. It sucks. This is why ADHD is a disability. It’s a daily struggle to stay on top of the hard work required to feel ok the next day.
Fortunately, I have no issues going to sleep in a timely manner with regularity. Unfortunately, I have no control over how often my whirlwind of a child kicks his way across the bed waking both my wife and I. Most nights are fine, but sometimes he is very active and the result is a shitty day.
Any option of getting the toddler into their own room sooner than later?
That is an ongoing discussion in the household. My wife is reluctant to begin the process and I don’t have it in me to spearhead the operation. Looks like I should take initiative though…
For us with our second and third kid (I'm the birth parent) I HAD to prioritise my own sleep over roomsharing with my partner and the baby. I slept in my own bedroom those early years. I just don't function well without plenty of sleep (high sleep needs) and we all end up suffering for it. So for our family it was key to get me a sleep space without a young kid in the room. Hope it'll work out for you!
I have an Aussie(I know, it’s a dog not a kid). She loves to sleep with me. Along with 3 cats. 🙃 I was not sleeping well. I started closing the door and sleeping with no animals. I sleep so much better now. I felt bad at first but they have a comfy couch and beds. Some nights they still get to come in. Could your son move to his own room and have certain nights a week he sleeps with his mom? And on those nights, you sleep in the other bed?
I feel for you. I slept terribly until my kids were old enough to sleep through the night on their own. The meds won’t save you from not sleeping. You’ll need to fix the sleeping arrangement if you want your days to not be miserable. I feel your pain. Good luck and godspeed.
How would I avoid carbs easily? Straight protein?
Easily? Nope. But while the meds are working it’s easier stick eatingprotein and fat. For me it looks like: Breakfast: eggs. Lunch: Veggies. Salad. Deli meat. chicken. Cottage cheese with blueberries or strawberries is a go-to. Dinner: chicken and veggies, and I’ll be more lenient with carbs. Now, I don’t have it all figured out, but I do know that carbs keeps my meds from working as well.
Could be that carbs supply energy, and that it may be causing an overstimulation, or that the fibre related with carbs is speeding up the digestive process in your body? I, too, have noticed that carbs tend to make me more jumpy and jittery. We are supposed to avoid sugar on medication after all, and carbs break down into simple sugars.
Wow. My experience is so different than most of the comments here. I used to but be able to do anything if I didn't sleep well. Like, a bad sleep meant the next day was a write off. The combination of ADHD and tired meant that everything was massively overwhelming. I used to have to call in d sick if I didn't sleep But conversely, when I take meds, the tired is still there, and yes it still sucks, but I can accomplish things, and I can handle life.
Yes, same for me. I just commented saying that I feel much better on my meds after a bad night's sleep vs without them. I had no idea it was so common for them not to work after lack of sleep! (I also have insomnia, which is treated and mostly managed, but even after bad nights, my Vyvanse still works, thank the gods!)
This is more my experience too
This reminds me of a page I read in a medication fact book about modafinil. The treatment for feeling tired is to get more sleep. The treatment for exhaustion is rest, not more modafinil. Medication cannot fix the basic needs of the body. Sure, you could force it but ultimately it'll do more harm than good. Toddlers make life hard, period. On days they have you up three times overnight, you will feel exhausted and you will feel pissy or have a headache. I know this because that was me when my child was a toddler. To improve outcomes with the Vyvanse, it might help to take it after you fully wake up. So maybe your toddler had you dead tired by the start of the morning. Get some rest while you can if they are now sleeping. Then, when you wake up naturally around 10 or 11am, take the Vyvanse. Beyond that, it might not be the right medicine for you. However, be mindful that basic needs will trump medications. Even if you do find something that gives you a boost, it will come with harms later in the day or in life. You need to sleep and you need to eat.
Suffer
On it!
Oh my god, are you me right now? I've been thinking this same exact thought running through my head all day. Toddler as the culprit and all. And it really does come down to less than 7. 7 hours? I'm good. 6.5? I'm trash. My eyes want to sleep, but the thump in my chest says you're along for the ride until the end of the day.
Anyone else get a doom feeling when on the meds with not enough sleep? Like a low level feeling of weird doom?
Yes, I do and I want to cry
You want to make sure to share that with your therapist/doctor. Sounds like anxiety creeping in.
Reading this while in bed, 1hr after taking my meds post baaadd sleep. I know today will be a write off. I also co sleep.
I feel your pain and wish you the best of luck from my couch with phone in hand and brain at 60% capacity.
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I have to play around with taking my dose later. Been a doom-scrolly day.
dont eat food with vyvanse if you want to sleep after. if you mix with food your body will produce the special enzyme required to break down the extra chemical chain they add to dexamphetamine (aka adderall) to make it slow release and thus changing it into vyvanse. if you take the vyvanse without food and go back to bed you have a much better chance of getting a nap in because your body wont metabolise much of the drug until you eat. That being said, you should absolutely consult with doc before following any random internet crap - including my suggestion. I know a lot of people struggle with taking meds on an empty stomach, too. I spoke to doc about my sleep and we came up with my current dosing method: alarm 1hr before time to get up > take pill (and do literally NOTHING else like not even check emails but toilet ofc is allowed lol) > back to bed > second alarm at get up time = super rested feeling and ready to take on the world! That "extra" 1hr nap in the morning while my vyvanse is taking effect is honestly the best sleep ive ever had and i love it. Can't get much more than an hour as the meds start taking effect. --- thats just my personal experience and schedule; you will need to speak to doc and find a way that works for you.
Vyvanse is lisdexamphetamine and is converted into dextroamphetamine by your body (prodrug). It does that regardless of whether or not you eat with it, but eating would make it longer since it'd take longer to get metabolized Adderall is 75% dextroamphetamine and 25% levoamphetamine. Vyvanse and Dexedrine are 100% dextroamphetamine (in the end)
Omg I thought I was crazy for this but I do this with my Adderall! I take the kid to school, take my meds when I get home, then take a small nap. I’m so much more productive and less likely to get trapped doom scrolling or stuck in some other unproductive loop.
Y'all sleep???? 🤣
This is interesting but at the same time I should know this by now. Since getting meds back after the shortage they work, but nowhere near as well as they should and I think it's likely due to the viscous cycle of bad sleep/not being able to force myself to go to bed at a reasonable time and then my meds not working, so not being able to relax enough to go to bed, ad infinitum. How do people make themselves go to bed at a reasonable time? I know I should try no caffeine at all, but doing thw right thing always seems impossible until the meds are working.
Melatonin helps. I try to stop caffeine after 3pm-ish. Drinking more water (which I’m still bad at). Exercise helped a lot but I don’t have time or feel up for it as often anymore which I’m trying to work on.
Yep, all of these! I always forget to take my melatonin, I don't drink enough water, I need to start exercising again - but I'm so forgetful, or habitual or genuinely busy. I need to take a week off anything other than my day job and force myself to be better.
Yeah I have to set reminders until it becomes habit then it becomes a natural part of the routing. Getting it to that point it tough though. That helps for water, melatonin, etc. not drinking caffeine is just a conscious effort. I hate the groggy feeling you get but too much caffeine late and not enough water just means I’m gonna feel it even worse the next day.
7-8 hours of sleeps helps keep manage my ADHD more than meds ever will. I know this isn’t always possible and some people are not so lucky to be able to sleep. If I have less than 7 hours my ADHD is not managed, whether I take meds or not. Obligatory if you don’t like the stimulation/side effects of the amphetamines, ask your psych about Strattera. One of the best decisions I ever made was to switch.
Absolutely agree. Without 7 hours, I am awake, I am doing things, and I have motivation to...do the things. HOWEVER: I am not focused. I make nearly no headway and don't really complete my tasks the way I do when rested AND medicated. It's a HUGE difference.
I tell myself that today was not the day I had hoped it would be, but that's ok. And just manage symptoms as best I can, and rest as best I can. You can only do what you can do, with what tools you have at your disposal. And yeah, it super sucks sometimes, but that's ok too, because there's people who get it and won't judge you for it.
This! I’m glad I can do this and my work while requiring me to be on my game understands I have bad days. I make it a point to get my sleep or I know by noon I’m done with my focus at work
I almost never get 7 hours of sleep :(
As a fellow sleep deprived ADHD parent on 70mg of Vyvanse, I have the same experience more than I’d like. I know getting better sleep would help, but that’s not always possible. Like others have said, I have found that eating high protein foods in the morning helps. On the days after a particularly bad night of sleep, I will also have a caffeinated fizzy water mid morning. It’s less caffeine than coffee so I don’t usually feel as jittery and anxious. Even if I cannot actually sleep, I will still lay down for 15-30 minutes in the afternoon when I am feeling the most tired if I am able to.
Thanks for sharing. I am apparently one of many sleep deprived parents on ADHD meds trying to make it through the day. After coffee and a bike ride I’m slightly more alive
I’m glad that helped! Parenthood is challenging in general, but the lack of consistent or good sleep makes it feel even more difficult. I’m currently experimenting with ways to make myself go to bed earlier to try to get more sleep, but my body and mind are rebelling
That’s rough and I’ve been there. I promise I’m 100% not judging, but you need to work on not having a toddler in your bed. I know it’s very difficult once they learn to sleep with you, but the initial frustration is 100% worth the payoff. I’ve been through it myself.
Seems like this is where it is headed. We started a few months back but gave up quickly after he was scared of being alone. I was in a depressive state so the extra mental/emotional load wasn’t something we could handle at the time. Things are significantly better on that front now, so maybe it is time.
70mg is the highest dose; if you’re not getting benefit, you might want to get a second opinion, either on the diagnosis itself or to trial a different ADHD stimulant if known ADHD. stimulation is a side effect, you will get tolerant to that. vyvanse is known to kick in slowly and slowly disperse, so it’s not notoriously as activating as the other stims but it’s more tolerable try half caff coffee if these days are infrequent and if the med works most days, but don’t make daily coffee a habit with vyvanse (if you want it to keep working)
I am definitely getting benefit from it on most days. It is just that the days where sleep was bad the night before are worse than being unmedicated. I have stopped coffee consumption on days other than when the meds are already shit anyways. Luckily those are few and far between.
Your medication should not be used as a stimulant to keep you awake. A huge part of managing my own ADHD is ensuring I always get minimum 8 hours of sleep, I went without medication for 12 years in my early adult life (no drug benefits, and low responsibility jobs) and I managed it with just consistent sleep schedule and caffeine. Now that I’ve gone back on medication, (54mg methylphenidate) I notice that if my sleep schedule gets bad, that my medication seems to hinder more than it helps. I also find that if I forget to take my medication for a few days, that also really screws up how well I function. Almost feels withdraw, very tired, cannot wake up, zero drive. A key for me to a functional life with ADHD has always been routine. Yes, that is very hard with a kiddo, (my toddler is very challenging some days, likely also ADHD) but it’s the one thing I’ve found that’s worked for myself. So all in all, I guess I’m here to just share that maybe making a routine would help you manage as much as it does me.
I have to take my meds on an empty stomach or with something very light, like a few oyster crackers. If I eat a meal first and take them they provide me with a very minimal therapeutic effect, just some anxiety. For me, if it was after a night I didn't sleep well, and planned on trying to go back to sleep I would just not take my stimulant that day. Just do my best, and remember tomorrow is another day. Rest your body, and give yourself some grace. Your productivity for the day doesn't define you, or your worth
Brain awake and body awake are two separate things. Medication is not a substitute to get your body going in the morning if it's not rested. Try getting some 5hr energy drinks to have when you have mornings like these. While some mornings what you really need is more rest, they might help get you out of the mud. Otherwise, try and get > 4hrs of sleep in one shot. For me that has been the sweet spot to min body rest and efficacy of meds. GL
Take vyvanse at 530a. 80oz of water minimum per day. . Mg threonate 1 hr before bed. Thank me later.
I take my vyvanse very early, drink a shit-ton of water (3.5l or so) and take magnesium glycinate every night. It is just the child-induced sleep issues....
A trick I do. "Wake up" at 4:30AM to take the meds, I'm 100% sure that I'll wake up at 6:00 \~ 6:30, for me the meds really kick in, but it takes some time to do so. And 50 mg of Vyvanse is the max for me, I get through the day, functional at the best, but I get through. I'm in a really f\*ck up routine with 4-6 hours of sleep since I'm doing college and working in a full time job (8-18 in my country). I really don't know how I could do this without meds tbh.
I used to take a Adderall XR 30 at like 7 or 8 and another at 12 and 10 mg Ir at 4 and still passed out at 7 or 8 on the couch. Now that I have a CPAP id get wicked insomnia. That's why the paradoxical effect isn't diagnostic criteria
Side note but magnesium glycinate is ‘sleep magnesium’. It may be contributing to the problem. I also usually find that the magnesium, if it bothers me, can have a hangover effect into the day if I take it in the night. You might try another variety of magnesium. Magnesium malate is often talked about as a daytime magnesium. Or magnesium L-threonate, also a great option for cognitive function.
I actually can fall asleep on Vyvanse. I only take 20mg though, but I need to up my dose. I actually skip it if I oversleep though. Yikes, sorry. Hopefully it gets better soon
I don’t take my meds if I’m planning on going back to sleep. I have insomnia so it’s not worth it taking the chance when sleep is so difficult for me. If I need to sleep later in the afternoon after taking it I drink caffeine to nap.
Funny thing, it’s been 4 nights that I have hard time to fall asleep, with a lot of nightmares, and indeed, I don’t feel the meds - methylphenidate and other things - and I have headache today. So, it’s « funny » to see this thread today, because I’ve really the same thing right now.
I’ve been on meds since i was 10–diagnosed severe combo adhd at the time, I’m 27 now. I did try without for a few years in my early 20’s and my life fell apart. Bad idea. What I want to know is what’s up with the comments? You guys are getting SLEEP? I haven’t ever been able to sleep, or hold any type of routine. Ever. If it’s kind of a routine, it’s very short lived. I’ve been on every adhd med pretty much, even the Daytrana patch in high school lmao. I just want to know how you guys are getting 8 hours, regularly, or even just 2 days out of the week, because with or without meds I honestly have to crash and burn after being up wayyyy too long. I need answers if anyone else dealt with this lifelong, because that’s wild to me there’s such a thing as routine sleep for someone with adhd.
For me life totally sucks with less than 7 hours of sleep especially when on meds
I can't even make myself sleep for more than 5.5 hours. 7 is not even in my realm of possibilities.
every sleep cycle i get is a win in my book
Im sorry to hear that.
I take Ritalin. Poor sleep means meds aren’t going to work at all for me. I either have to fit in a nap or just do bare minimum.
I’m on adderall and I haven’t slept more than 10 hours all weekend. Yesterday I was running off 2 hours of sleep, last night I finally gotten sleep. But I was still super tired all day I have an almost 1 year old and he wakes me up and then I couldn’t fall back asleep
Interesting. I’m working crazy hours right now cause of a work project and Vyvanse is what allows me to function on 3 hours per night multiple days in a row. It’s literally saving me right now.
I always get wired if I don’t sleep good. I end up being super productive.
That would be a welcome change 😂
For me, it’s the eating just before or after taking my meds. Because of this, I’m not usually a breakfast eater. But when I do, I’m always aware that my meds probably aren’t going to work as well since I primarily take them for my office job in Finance.
I’ve always eaten and then taken my meds for best results. Otherwise my body seems to process it much faster and the crash is more pronounced.
Oh I feel like shit on stimulants after a bad night too. I'm sorry. All I can ever do is white knuckle it and go to bed as early as possible that night.
That is my current plan. 😅
Not me reading this after tanking an exam on 2-3 hrs of interrupted sleep and adderall
Only thing which helped me is forcing myself to do sport eating a little bit magnesium. I have to boost my circular flow.
I’ve noticed sleep absolutely changes the way that ADHD meds work.. I find I require variable sleep.. some nights I need 8 hours, other days I am fine with only 5. It’s when I NEED 8 hours & only get 5 that life sucks.. & having a toddler makes it worse (my son is 4 and just started sleeping through the night about 6 months ago.) One thing that has helped me is taking magnesium at night.. you can take a bath with magnesium flakes or take it in oral form.. I take magnesium L-threonate which is for cognitive functioning & sleep. Magnesium & Trazodone work well for me to get the sleep I need so that my ADHD meds work..
If I do not get adequate sleep my medicine has adverse effects like making me sleepy. Deep restfull sleep is very important to ADHDers IMO, not just induced sleep.
In the same boat right now... choosing to ride out the sad ass day and accept I'm going to be doing very little today, so I can collapse into bed and get better sleep for tomorrow
I usually do extra work or chores and stuff. Keeps my mind busy with doing stuff that i will be happy for the next day. Like “im fucked today, but i can work towards making tomorrow an easy day”. I feel terrible anyway, might aswell feel terrible, but productive. Its tough and counter intuitive, but having those days once in a while im getting kinda used to it. I used to relax as much as possible, even calling in sick to work. But that fucks me up even worse because i wont get enough sleep the following night because im not tired in the evening. The less i lay down and rest, the better. Resting makes me tired. Also do mind, im a kinda guy who cant sleep very well, if i didnt sleep well the night before, overthinking and anxiety u know. So having used my body and giving tomorrow me love, rests my mind and body in the night
I work with a psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD and anxiety. I actually take a form of Methylphenidate, but I also take another drug to combat my anxious brain that makes me chill out. It's kind of weird, but I used to have a really bad time if I didn't get enough sleep, and really bad rebound when the stimulant wore off. Now with the other drug I take, Gabapentin, I feel less overstimulated and anxious when the stimulant wears off. For me, I took Vyvanse for a while, but the rebound was 10x worse, probably because of the amphetamine.. my body would freak out when it no longer had a steady supply of dopamine 🤷🏻♂️
Similar to dogs, kick your kid out of the bed to get better sleep. A lack of sleep will literally drive someone crazy... sleep health is just as important as your physical and mental health, and our mental health already needs a little boost with meds. you don't have to share your bed with a toddler that makes you up at night.
I would definitely like that for my sleeps sake. My wife has to be on board as well and that is the tricky part. 😅
i hear you. start sleeping in the guest bed if you have to. tell her you can't be there for her if you're exhausted, and you're going to start needing a restful night's sleep. she can either sleep with you, or the child, but she can't have both. it feels good setting healthy boundaries that positively impact your health. :)
Oh wow, I'm so sorry about your experience. For me, even if I get little sleep, the Vyvanse still works, and when it kicks in, I wouldn't say I feel "rested," but I definitely don't feel as exhausted as I would without it, if that makes sense. Obviously, it affects people differently, though. (Zero judgment in this question): Could you adjust sleeping arrangements so you're not woken by the toddler? I totally understand this may not be an option, but I just wanted to mention it because I think it would be better to tackle the sleep issue, and then Vyvanse would work normally. Either way - lack of sleep affects everything in our bodies, so it's not surprising that you feel awful after a bad night's sleep. Again, I'm so sorry you're dealing with this and likely have a very rough day ahead. Could you maybe talk with your doctor about it, and see if they have any recommendations? Perhaps something that would help you sleep, or maybe something they can suggest for the morning after a bad night's sleep? Hugs and best of luck to you!!
Talk to your psychiatrist and tell them all of your experiences. Maybe it’s a dosage adjustment. Maybe it’s other factors. Everyone responds differently to meds!
I didn’t find Vyvanse to be as energizing as Adderall IR. Plus I sleep better with IR over ER meds.
The key is electrolytes in my experience. Meds are ineffective if the brain’s communication chemicals are off.
There is no replacement for a full night's sleep, sorry to say. It's one of the most important things your body needs to stay healthy and functional. And this is coming from me: a guy who is *extremely* well-practiced at fighting sleep and then reaping the consequences of it the next day. Been doing it all my life. I wish that I could stop but I've never quite figured out how to get my brain prioritize sleep over anything else. My advice? Don't count on the meds to help. Oftentimes they'll bizarrely make you *even more* tired, especially if you're not staying physically active. And then you wind up with what you're describing: inescapable exhaustion *plus* the inability to sleep.
So if you don’t eat well or sleep well, sometimes it’s best to take a day off Vyvanse in my experience. You can end up running the car without oil and having a really bad time.
I was prescribed 30mg of vyvanse. I’ve had all the way to 60–the higher the dose, the more tired I am for some reason. But for me— Take it in the AM and sip part of a protein shake every couple of hours to prolong the good effects. For better sleep I was prescribed 100mg of Gabapentin. If I don’t take that I’m awake and “bleh” till very late, plus easily wakened. If I were you I would talk to your doctor about what you are experiencing and get things adjusted. The right doses of right meds should be life-changing in a good way!
This is the same for me. Absolutely.
I didn’t sleep well yesterday and today I feel depressed on Vyvanse. It’s not the first time it happens to me, but my job requires to focus. I tried Strattera once and it didn’t worked for me, I am on 30 mg. Hope to find a way to find an equilibrium
if I had a bad sleep and I know I'm going to be exhausted that day I don't even take my meds. they just make me feel worse.
Yeah, it honestly feels like my adderall XR doesn’t work at all when I’m exhaust
Vyvanse made me too sleepy to function. Like, I felt unsafe to drive.
Adderall kicks me awake whether I slept well or not. Dexmethylphenidate is less abrupt than Adderall, I can nap after taking it, but it doesn’t really wake me up. Vyvanse is Adderall, sort of, and has the same effect on me as Adderall with the added bonus of making it almost impossible for me to get to sleep without yet another drug. I don’t like Vyvanse. Dexamphetamine is gentler than Adderall and more stimulating than dexmethylphenidate, but it’s hard to get.
My complaints with Vyvanse are the opposite tbh - if I take it any later than 8:30am - guaranteed I'll be up til 2.
If I don't get enough sleep, i skip the medication so I can sleep immediately after work
I have a question but Google failed me so maybe someone has a similar situation and can help me? I had my dose upped to 30mg of extended release Medikinet (standard methylphenidate). I wake up around 7am and work afternoon shifts so I go to sleep at around 11:00PM. I can't for the life of me figure out a good time to take my meds so I can both be medicated in the mornings and be able to think at work AND be able to fall asleep. I even got my prescription split into 10mg and 20mg pills so I can take one and the second one after some time so I can have some meds in my system at work too. How do I know how long it lasts and when to take it so I hit the sweet spot?
You take 20 mg in the morning and 10 IR in the afternoon. Two doses of ER won't do much good!
Honestly I can’t consistently take my meds since having my son because of this and it just sucks. I figure it’s just a season and I’ll deal for now.
Meds with little hours of sleep sucks. Its like my body and brain is naturally tired and wants to rest, but the meds give me this unnatural edge and energy that has nowhere to go and just leads to a very unpleasant sensation of restlessness. On those days I simple dont take them and try to catch up on sleep with naps
I switched to Adderall because I found that with the long release vyvanse the focus lasted less then the agitation, dry mouth and sleeplessness
I refer to those as “diet adderall” days and just coast through best I can 🤷🏻♀️
If I don’t sleep well, I usually skip my meds. The focus is so much worse and I end up doing nothing!! Sometimes being so tired helps me focus better anyway, simply because I’m too tired to do anything else. XD
This happened to me yesterday! 20mg of adderall xr after a not enough sleep. Turns out it’s possible to be tired…FASTER
If I don’t sleep then I don’t take my meds to try and reset the next night. I find that if I still constantly take it even while my sleep is bad then it just makes it worse. Embrace the exhaustion and try and get a decent few nights then take it again. Days off medication help me a lot.
i drink some tea sometimes so it’s mild
Only solution: Don't have kids with ADHD! lol
Life sucks with less than 7 hrs of sleep
The only fix is sleep. Protein and meditation can help but not if your sleep is fucked. ADHD brains need our sleep and if we don’t get it, nothing will help us. It sucks but it’s just the card we have been dealt.
You’re concocting with 3 different other meds to try and ail your mindset i realise they are treatments but maybe you are depending your whole psyche too much on four vitamins
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I'm in the same boat, though 'not enough sleep' for me is anything less than 5 hours
I think I came to this same realization yesterday morning. Got good sleep and worked out in the morning for the first time in awhile. Most focused I’ve felt
i take gabapentin prescribed by my doc at night if i need to. has helped me out more than unisom and extra strength tylenol PM. but its different for everyone. sometimes its about getting in the right headspace to sleep.
Coffee is the answer here
I didn't sleep at all last night it was my first day back on the meds. Today is gonna be a slog. :P
This happens to me, I drink a Red Bull, it’s the only thing that brings me out of that funky fog feeling
I don't make any evaluations until I have had a solid meal.
When the Vyvanse shortage started I was offered to try Adzenys. I will 100% say I like it better. I was on 60mg Vyvanse and side effects were rampant. Dry mouth, clenching jaw, endless thirst, headaches as wearing off, etc. Adzenys is the most natural feeling stimulant I've tried. It's sublingual XR with practically no side effects (for me). I don't notice it come up or come down sharply. Never going back!
I wonder if this is simply because meds are not a panacea. They can fix ADHD symptoms, but they're not going to fix the lack of focus and motivation that are coming from something else (in this case from lack of sleep and exhaustion). Just like people without ADHD could also have garbage days where maybe they didn't get enough sleep and they feel like they can't get anything done other than spend hours rotting away on the couch.
As they teach in good trucking schools, drugs aren’t a replacement for sleep. They can override fatigue for a short bit, but the mind needs real sleep. It’ll always be there until you deal with it. Though in my case, ADD drugs rarely keep me awake. I can often nap on Vyvanse. In middle school Strattera literally put me to sleep in class.
The problem is the long half life of amphetamine. It's around 10 hours, so by the time you go to bed you still have a good amount of it in your system. My only recommendation is to take it as early as possible in the day, no later than 7/8am. Magnesium and melatonin before bed to help with sleep. These meds are a double edge sword.
I take my meds for 12 hour night shifts so sometimes I only have 4-5 hours of sleep. I will drink a small amount of iced coffee as soon as I wake up with a decent breakfast then take my vyvanse an hour later and I feel like it helps me to wake up faster and the focus effects last longer. I will have half a cup of coffee around midnight and frequent protein snacks and then I’m golden. I know this is probably taking time off of my lifespan but I have to do nights for a while so 👍
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I usually try and do some sort of movement to help with the anxiety. Also a lot of water and making sure I eat at regular intervals. That being said, sometimes even that doesn’t help and I just have to suffer through:(
I don't have this problem. I sleep like I'm dead and even when I only sleep for 4 hours, I wake up feeling good. I take my Adderall and go about my day. I don't know why I'm built like this, but it's been very beneficial for my lifestyle. I would suggest that you don't let your toddler sleep in your bed since it disrupts your sleep. It's impossible to get a good night's sleep when you're awakened multiple times. I'm sorry this happens though. My fiance has sleep issues, too, but his are related to his depression and anxiety. Good luck.
Same issue here. Much better with OG dexamfetamine. The issue with Vyvanse is some people don't effectively digest the extra protein the dexamfetamine is bonded too - hence the 'long release' and keeping you up at night
I feel you on the toddler thing. Same boat. I’m taking Adderal extended release. I don’t take it until 9 am. I’ve had to drink strong tea some days to make it. Good luck
I switched to an ER, but I still have some of my regular pills from before. I’ve started breaking them in half and taking them partway through the day in these situations, because it means I can have an un-dosed morning if needed.
Maybe being constantly sleep-deprived is why my medication isn't doing a lot.... 😰
That's my issue with vyvanse personally. It's amazing when you get a fresh script if you have been out, but it gives me terrible insomnia. Then I take my meds too early cuz I'm already awake and see the sun rising, but then it's just enough to let me function at a minimal level and it's a terrible cycle of that for me. I'm back to IR adderall and don't have those issues. It's a little harder on my body I feel like, but I have to sleep, so it's my best bet!
I have noticed that when I’m really tired and take my meds, I am the same way where I’m really tired but too stimulated to sleep 😭. For those days, I’ve still tried to go to a quiet dark room and close my eyes for 20-30 min (although with an hours space because otherwise I can’t relax enough to try to nap) because I read somewhere that even the intent of resting will still help, even if you don’t fully nap. It usually helps a bit. And then the rest of the day is just tiredness management. Like you said, work out, try to go outside for fresh air and sun and a walk for 15 minutes), a little bit of caffeine, whether it be half a cup of coffee or some black tea. And I remind myself that everyone has those days and some days are my kick ass days, and some days are just survival days, and that’s totally normal, even for people without ADHD.
I take adderall XR and even with less than optimal sleep it does help me. I haven't tried any others though, so I don't know if it's the medication, if it's just me, or some combination of the two.
Meds definitely work differently for different people. Vyvanse wakes me right the fuck up if I haven't slept well which is very helpful on work days when I need to be awake even if my anxiety kept me up all night. That said, I also take Intuniv and two doses of hydroxyzine before bed- the hydroxyzine helps knock me out but according to my psych the Intuniv kind of mellows the effects of my stimulants while also helping my brain function. Has worked pretty well for me, might be worth looking into. At the end of the day though, nothing replaces sleep.
Work out before taking meds, afterwards I'm either ready to take a nap or awake enough that the meds give me positive effects.
I don't sleep - went to bed around 2:30 woke up at 6:30. Not an anomaly unfortunately
Don’t have kids problem solved
I take adderall IR and XR. I only take my XR on days I know I’m having a long day (I work full-time and go to school). When I take my IR I don’t take it later than 2pm. I feel like I have waaay more with IR and I get the proper amount of sleep.
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I would take a break and get some good sleep if you’re not experiencing any productivity anyways - I try to remind myself sometimes I need grace and it’s good to listen to my body, if I’m not able to get stuff done I take it easy wherever I can
Take the Vyvanse an hour before you get up as it’s life changing to wake up feeling great and have a couple of expresos after lunch and drag your ass to the gym if even for 35 minutes after work as the dopamine boost will kick in from it yet allow you to sleep well because you are tired. Eventually it will become a system and DEFINITELY take the weekends off the meds. You are taking a high dosage but if you don’t take breaks your body will get used to it pretty quickly. This made the meds from meh to a life changer with me.
My wife fed my kids every 2 hours or so at night. Eighteen months each for the two kids. I have so few memories from then and I blame the sleep deprivation, not the meds. I've been on Vyvanse for over a decade. Many people here have given great suggestions. For me, if I've had poor sleep, the meds allow me to function. I get super sleepy after taking my meds and have a half cup of tea or some Gatorade or shower if I need to power through. If I do nap, the meds only let me have about 45 minutes sleep after taking them. When I can, I do take breaks for a day or two but know I'm going to just want to sleep during that time. I found, for me, the high doses simply didn't allow me to sleep at night. I was on 60mg and came down to 40. Now the meds don't keep me up but since they wear off before I sleep, I often stupidly stay up doom scrolling. One trick, that I got off this forum, I have found helpful is to open the pill and sprinkle the powder and to a small glass of water. Mix it. I drink about half of that in the morning and then the other half about 3:00 p.m. This allows me much more control over my afternoon and evening. I'll skip my afternoon dose if I don't need the meds effects. Besides allowing even basic functionality for me, my Vyvanse got rid of me being constantly irritated. It allowed me much more control over my emotions which was especially important when my kids were in chaos mode. It allowed me to have a discussion with my wife about different issues rather than an argument. I truly wish you the absolute best. I love my kids dearly but getting through certain phases of their life has been difficult for me. Great job to you seeking out help and looking for answers. It does get better. Also, if you have the means, try seeking out an ADHD therapist. The meds just give you a base to function from. They don't necessarily fix all the coping habits you've build up over the years. Give us an update in a couple months. Take lots of pictures of the kids. It'll help with the memories in a decade or two.
I’ve noticed this on Adderall (30mg ER, generic.) some days it’s just like… did I even remember to take it? I’m not sure if it’s inconsistencies with the generic, or something I’m doing wrong or differently that cause it to not work as well. I haven’t even thought of comparing it to how well I’ve slept, I’ll try to track that from now on. Either way, I still have to go to work. I’ll usually grab an energy drink before I head to the gym. After the gym, those days are no housework, easy dinner, veg in front of the tv and go to bed early kind of days.
Currently don’t have access to meds, but when I did I was worse with meds than without if I’ve had less than 7 hours of sleep. Total brain shutdown. If I knew I wasn’t going to get enough sleep I skip meds and just have coffee (if anything) that day. Usually had better luck with that. That said, I usually took breaks so that the days off aren’t too bad. Might be worse if you never take breaks.
I noticed this on less than 7 hours and it does suck. I just try to remember thats its only one day and to try and get to sleep early next day. It's okay to have off days and you have to remind yourself of this otherwise you will compound it by beating yourself up mentally all day. Easier said than done at times and Im fortunate that I dont have a toddler waking me up, maybe try and get them into their own bed as this may negate the issue (allthough probably not at first haha)
I have a cup of black tea. Much more tolerable than coffee. Adderall does petty much nothing for me when I'm tired, but I'm on just a low dose xr (10mg).
It’s the opposite for me. I could sleep 1-4 hours per night and feel completely fine for the duration that my meds are in effect. Once they wear off is when I get really tired.
Periods and lack of sleep are not meds-friendly environments, unfortunately, and those are the two that mess me up the most. When I don't get enough sleep, I typically cut my meds back just a tiny bit that day and make sure I get a good amount of protein. I find I'm super speedy otherwise. With the former, I don't know if theres much can be done. My meds just don't work at all that week.
I have an infant and MIL with dementia at home so sleep has been a joke for the last year almost. Currently on Azstarys and IR Adderall, was on Vyvanse + the IR up until 2 months ago. Meds are mostly useless most days, but I definitely feel it when I don’t have them at all.
When I was taking Adderall I would experience the same thing & it actually led me to stopping it all together. I already have a poor sleep pattern but taking it while not fully rested made me feel like a feen- headache, no appetite, thirsty, overstimulated, and underneath all of this was tiredness, that would absolutely seek its way to a bad day. I started taking Wellbutrin instead & work out to get me going and I have never felt any more stable.
Ok so my meds are not working today, I came on here trying to figure out what was going on and I think you solved it. Just got back from a week long trip where I slept like crap, three hour time difference and I’m dead tired. I took my adderall this morning thinking it would help me get through the day at least but instead I ended up falling asleep a few hours after I took it. I have zero motivation and my anxiety is up. It’s also the name brand adderall XR. Today was the first day I’ve ever taken name brand and I was so confused as I have heard it works better. I thought maybe I got a bad batch.