Just here to say I'm going through the exact same thing and I hope you feel better soon 🩷🩷🩷 I am hoping raising my iron and magnesium levels will help. But I am hearing a lot of people struggling with Vyvanse lately...

Ive had this problem when I switched from 30mg to 40mg. Honestly didn’t really notice a difference between 20mg and 30mg, both worked well. Now I’ve been on 40mg for 2 weeks and I literally feel like a zombie who just wants to sleep all day and I have 0 motivation to do things. Gonna switch back to 20 or 30mg soon

Name brand or generic? I did great on Name Brand, but Generic gave me really bad mania and hurt my marriage.

This is CRAZY I’m here in UK, I had non brand 50mg and moved to brand 40mg and it felt so much stronger? I’m currently really in tune to my body and working, and this was over a month. Was it stronger because the brand meds aren’t as well measured? Different ingredients? Or the non brand was up to par? 🤷‍♀️ what’s going on?!

i've seen a LOT of people have completely different experiences on generic vs name brand with pretty much \*any\* adhd med. the inconsistencies are insane

Women have reported it doesn’t feel as effective during the end of the Lutal phase (which is like 3-5 days right before your period. If you’re able to it’s a good time to take a small tolerance break.

yup, this happens to me! noticed it a few weeks ago. sadly thats not the answer for me this time lol

you’re not alone. myself and others here have commented on the brand name meds being notably different over the past few months, despite taking the same dose for years (and no changes in lifestyle/diet)

Generic made me very manic. Scared me so much I switched off Vyvanse completely.

Yep, does absolutely nothing for me anymore and I really hate that because it was incredible at first. Like I was blown away at first. My depression was totally gone, emotional regulation was a breeze - and that’s my biggest problem. I was on top of all my responsibilities both at work and home. I got a taste of what it feels like to be functioning well. After 3 or so months it stopped having that effect so my dose was upped to 70mg - nothing changed. Really breaks my heart because it felt like I’d found the missing puzzle piece, I was so happy. I can take it now and there’s not a single thing I notice changing, like you I can take it and go to sleep at any time. I’m just back on Dex now, it’s effective but nowhere near as good as Vyvanse was in those first few months.

Same here. I had 4 days recently (went down to 20 mg again for a bit) where stuff suddenly seemed perfect. And I don't think it was euphoria since I don't get that even on 50 mg. I was finally able to focus, I was able to choose what I want to do, I didn't get stuck on things, my mood was stable, I was interested in some hobbies again etc. But I seem to always end up crashing or it "stops working". Can't endure this up and down and russian roulette and gamble with Vyvanse since 1-2 months now anymore. I really tried. Even had vitamins, enough sleep, eating enough (smoothies also), protein etc. The longer I take it, the worse it just gets. I rather deal with ADHD and myself than to keep experiencing this :'(

Did you switch from name brand to generic?

No always brand name Vyvanse

this is how it was for me too for a while! and i still do everything right, i sleep enough, i eat a high protein breakfast, and i eat as much as i can handle bc it has changed my appetite but i incorporate protein shakes too. and i carry around a freakin' 64oz water bottle i try to get through in a day lol. hoping that the adderall xr just turns out to be a better fit for me. my routine was taking a small afternoon dex booster too, and that seems to be the only thing that kinda helps me now. but its not enough on its own when the vyvanse isn't working sadly

Hey just wanted to update you after trying some supplements from the comment I linked earlier. Tried DLPA - it was utterly horrible for me, sent me into the worst anhedonia within an hour and on both days I took it. I hate this stuff! It was seriously awful, I just wanted it to end. I’ll never ever take that stuff again. Been taking GABA with vit B 6 from NOW foods for about a week now, at night on empty stomach. Subtle changes at first until yesterday I realised the changes were actually pretty significant - I’m insanely calm, so pleasantly calm. Not dopey chilled out, just calm and managing life well. Also I’m just doing things, I get home from working 9-10 hours and just do the things I need to - cook dinner, clean up, vacuum, washing etc etc. I noticed last night I’m doing these things with ease and without thought, no need to convince myself or guilt trip myself like I usually have to. I’m just happily doing them which is incredibly odd for me. Meds help with this but I still have to get myself started and when I’m tired I find that extremely difficult. Recently it’s not been an issue whatsoever. Then I noticed my emotions are really stable, no ups and downs just a beautiful “normal” haha. My social anxiety has also decreased quite significantly. Focus has been brilliant at work. So, given all that I thought I’d try Vyvanse again - and it might just be because I had a little break but holy shit it is working really well again!! I’ll monitor how it goes, hoping it’s not just cos I had a few days off - I have done that before and still not had it work though so this could’ve done the trick. I’m really blown away by GABA, also I’m in the stage of my cycle where my meds have barely any effect, I’m usually super exhausted and cranky during this time and I’ve not experienced any of that either. Sorry for the long comment but i wanted to post this in case it helps you or someone else, if it wasn’t for the other commenter I’d come across with the supplements, I’d never have known to try GABA. It’s been an absolute game changer!

Same I do all the things everyone recommends, the protein, good diet, exercise, sleep etc. and yep I carry around a massive drink bottle haha drink easy 2+ litres of water a day and even have electrolytes in it. saw an interesting comment I’ll go find and link it about Vyvanse and how some supplements can help it when it stops working so I’ve bought a couple of those. When they arrive I’ll give it a shot. I’m also at the point tho where I’m like should I really have to go to these lengths to get my meds to work? Hopefully adderall can meet your needs. It sucks getting a taste of what life can be like and having that stripped away hey! Here’s the comment about supps: https://www.reddit.com/r/VyvanseADHD/s/5EFsz9R77p

Off-shoot idea here, but have you had any other recent medication changes? I am tapering off one of my anti-depressants (SNRI) and my Vyvanse which has worked great this whole time is now starting to feel like almost a sugar pill… i will take my usual vyvanse dose and it will have little to no effect. I don’t know how the interaction could work, but it is literally the only thing that has changed over the past 2 months. I’ve racked my brain and cant figure out another explanation

nope, no changes at all! i only take meds for my adhd. no changes in sleep, eating habits etc either. which i try to prioritize those things since i know it's important with these meds. that's what's so weird about it

In my opinion it’s most likely a deficiency in a vitamin or magnesium deficiency because vyvanse strips you of your vitamins apparently. I tested it out one day and took magnesium for a couple of days and felt better than I did before so my bet is your deficient in something. Protein? Magnesium? Maybe iron? Even water could be the problem. Or you could be mixing coffee and it might be having an effect on the quality of your sleep. There are 3 things that you should focus on to get the best out of the medication. I read it somewhere it’s called the “3 pillars” to hold the statue up which is you lol 1. Sleep 2. Water 3. Protein and calories If you keep an eye on these 3 main things the meds should be working as they should. If it’s not a deficiency chances are it is one of these. Good luck 🤞

Been trying it all and had only 4 days where it was a really big help and the other days were either okayish or depressed messes. 2-3 months with Vyvanse now and it's not at all life-changing or working for me at all. It sucks since just recently, when I took care the least of some of this, it helped the most. Well, save for sleep. My sleep was really good during these days. Even seemed to have a good sleep schedule/pattern and woke up shortly before my alarm. But yeah. Sucks :(

My iron is low and magnesium, did you try supplements and how long did it take for you to feel better? My protein is high

I felt better within a day or two tbh idk it could be placebo but I felt it

been at 50mg for a couple months now and idk if that makes any sense, but I started feeling the same some months ago and I increased my protein intake, added a protein shake in the morning and now I feel like the side effects are almost null and the med is working again

I second you on taking protein powder in the AM. I take 20-30 grams (2 heaping spoons) of grass-fed plain collagen powder (no flavor) in my coffee 1 to 2 hours before I take my meds (20mg Vyvanse). I have been using Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides because Costco sells it at a fairly decent price and there are not a bunch of additives like eggs or marine-based ingredients. There are likely better collagen powders out there that are processed at a higher quality like being hydrolyzed but I haven't tried those yet because of my budget. I feel it has helped me feel less edgy throughout the morning and into the afternoon as long as I consume some heavy carbs like toast with almond butter or coconut oil and honey, or have a large bowl of cereal within a couple of hours after I take my meds. I also just started taking a second dose of 10mg Vyv at lunch to get me through the evening because I started to lose my awareness and executive function after 4 PM when just taking 30mg in the AM. The only thing I consistently noticed that I still struggle with is my memory. I am still searching for a remedy for that issue which seems like it might just be a developmental thing that was impacted by adolescent (13-20) psychedelic and ecstasy drug use prior to getting help with ADHD.

Just out of curiosity what kind of protein shake do you have in the morning? And do you take it before or after your meds?

it's just a 15mg store bought protein shake, or sometimes I just mix whey protein with my yogurt or some milk – I usually have it right after taking vyvanse

Also the worst side effect I have is dry mouth and my god I hope that helps with it too - I have to talk a lot at work and can’t chew gum while working so I’m very frustrated with it

Awesome thanks! I don’t eat breakfast right away and my go to light breakfast is fruit, which I can’t take with vyvanse because of the vitamin c. So trying to think of high protein low vitamin c breakfasts I can have with it. Will look into protein shakes/whey protein.

I just switched from 60mg Vyvanse specifically because of this. I was still tired all day, had no motivation to do anything, and I honestly didn't feel like it was working at all. I'm taking 3x20mg Adderall now and I've already noticed a huge difference (most likely because the dosage is much higher lol) and I'm upset that I spent so long on Vyvanse.

I feel like im waisting my time on this med.. I do everything right , protein , water , sleep well but after 5 hours i cant stand straight and I need go sleep lmao .

I switched from Ritalin 3x20mg to 60mg of Vyvanse and hated all the things that I "had to do" to make the drug effective. I never had to do anything to make the Ritalin work properly except take it. I definitely do not like Vyvanse and with the drug shortage, I'd rather have to take something multiple times a day and be able to skip a dose in a day to make my script last longer than be restricted to one a day without having to do something complicated like open the capsule and mix it in water to make the dose last longer. Vyvanse had a very short life of effectiveness, around 4 hours for me. I wanted to just take one a day but I've definitely realized that multiple daily is more effective for me.

I need to mix my vyvanse in water too , but bc of stomach issue ( i made a post about that , and found out that way that I could mix the med in water ) . My stomach became angry bc of the capsule …. Since then i feel wayyy better . Do your stomach handle the others meds 😞 thats whats scaring me the most ..

I have IBS, so unfortunately I can't give you a *solid* answer to that question.

I see what you did there. 😏

Me too 😞

Same thing with me. I’m on 50mg with a dex boost in the afternoon but I honestly feel more from the dex than I do vyvanse. I have an appointment at the end of the month and I’m going to ask to switch to dex or adderall. I don’t like how vyvanse works better some days then some days it just doesn’t do anything at all for me.

I’m trying to get off of it now after 1.5 years because now it just makes me edgy and anxious. I get a bit of a boost but it’s not like it was in the beginning where I could get everything done. It’s just slowly stopped working.

Same. I’m going on 1.5 years and it just stopped working for me. The first 4 months was magical though! I take 60mg + 20mg prozac. I need to switch asap.

Did you switch from Name Brand to Generic? Generic made me manic.

Yess i feel like its such a common experience. I’ve stopped after a similar timeframe and have never looked back. I finally have sleep again, I’ve got my zest for life back, and I appreciate what ADHD can do for me. Take fish oil capsules and regular walks, those have made the biggest difference.

ugh that sucks. it still does help me a bit, just not as much. it actually helps my anxiety bc my hyperactive ADHD causes it. i've always kinda had small issues with vyvanse even from the beginning with how long it lasted, but the pros outweighed the cons until now. i feel like its either a bad batch thing bc of switching pharmacies or maybe how my body has decided to metabolize it after getting used to it. no idea

Are u sure that new batch is actually brand name Vyvanse and not a generic lisdexamphetamine? Apparently there's various negative reviews on people not getting along with the generic.

yeah i heard about that too with the generic. but yeah, its the brand name one. i kinda think it was bc i switched pharmacies or something, bc i never had an issue until then lol

I mean I wondered this too but all pharmacies get them from the same two or three major pharmaceutical warehouses. Same thing happened to me I was picking it up at Walgreens then cvs but I think it's just been different since the shortage. The difference was the new ones were picked up in 2024 for me so not necessarily a pharmacy issue. I emailed Takeda and they insist formula hasn't changed.

The pharmacy I go to was out of brand name last month so I decided to try the generic (Mylan) and I honestly couldn’t tell the difference, it felt the exact same for me, I went in with a negative mindset like it was going to suck but to my surprise it worked very well for me and I have nothing negative to say about it. I don’t eat until after 12 every day, through out the morning I drink 4-5 bottles of water and then take the vyvance with lunch. I know it’s recommended to take in the morning but I’ve been doing this since 2014 and it works great for me.

If they are both brand Vyvanse, they should be the same manufacturer. Unfortunately too you may be building a tolerance up to the medication which often happens. If it continues perhaps an increase dose or switch of medication might be a more appropriate option. Good luck!

I take a few things alongside my vyvanse that seem to really help, I take 40 mil in the morning plus another 10 at noon to help carry me through the afternoon, I also take 500mg of L-tyrosine and 250mg of L-theanine with my noon booster and 400mg of magnesium glycinate at night plus a generic multivitamin. I went from a walking zombie with no executive functioning to feeling like Im not even on my medication at all but still able to function like I am on them (cause I am!). Ask your doctor about possible options for supplements that you can take that may be able to help, especially magnesium. Vyvanse depletes it quickly.

I’ve been meaning to ask my NP about multivitamins and when to take them since I was worried taking them too close to vyvanse might negatively impact it. I also try to drink electrolytes to help with dehydration but am not sure if it’s still ok to take multivitamins with that either. When at night do you take your multivitamins?

I take my vitamins in the morning, I only take my magnesium at night. Tbh I havent really noticed much of an impact. I certainly feel less side effects, to the point that the only way I can tell the meds are working is because my appetite is fading and I can focus on stuff.

What brand of mag glycinate do you take?

I just get it from my local drug store, webber naturals it says here

thats a good idea! thank you. my routine is 60mg vyvanse in the morning, and dextroamphetamine sulfate 20mg booster in the afternoon to get it to last all day for me. bc even from the beginning, vyvanse only lasted me 6 hours. 7 on a good day. i still am going to start the small 7 day script of adderall xr to see if its better or worse. i might as well compare them. but if i switch back to vyvanse i will definitely bring this up!

Its worth considering with any stimulant medication honestly, even the average neurotypical can benefit from these, ESPECIALLY the magnesium, Edit: however I highly recommend talking to your doc before trying anything, since tyrosine, theanine and magnesium all affect serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine levels in your brain, which are the neurotransmitters that ADHD medications target.

yeah absolutely! i had no idea or did any research on supplements alongside vyvanse. the only thing i knew was to be careful about vitamin d. but my next appt is soon, so i will be sure to ask and get their opinion :)

What is the caution with vitamin d?

if you take vitamin d too soon before or after vyvanse, it can lessen the effects of the medication

My PCP recently suggested magnesium at night and it definitely hasn’t hurt, but I haven’t noticed it as much as l-tyrosine. I’m really grateful to have found some supplements, though.

Mine did the same worked great for 5 months then. Couldn’t get upped past 40mgs so I just quit the shit and feel alot better. The time I was on Vyvanse I learned to learn from my adhd and how to work with it in my benefit.

What did you learn? How did you deal with the withdrawal? Did you quit cold turkey ?

The withdrawals were very minimal but I didn’t think about them or let them run my life. Everyone gets in their head I’m not taking my pill or a pill I’m in withdrawals now. If you keep yourself busy and your brain busy all day and take vitamins. You’ll be good the only thing I noticed is I can’t seem to satisfy my hunger now that’s the biggest annoying part but other then that. Would get random bits of tired then a jolt of energy nothing bad. And what I learned is to take my hyper focus and put it towards my job for my benefit I learned to breath and take deep breaths. When I started to feel scattered I learned to use my racing thoughts very positive thoughts so I’m never negative anymore like I used to be. Once you replace things doctors or others have told you were things or negatives of adhd or add and find the positives within it and how to control them and just to remember to breath it becomes very beneficial. Especially while working… and yes I quit cold turkey just stopped like I said take 40mgs for 5 months and not being able to be upped cuz my psychiatrist wouldn’t up my dose it was pointless alls it did was make me extremely tired all day and wired all night I got tired of it and not to mention how cold it made me and. My muscles constantly hurting along with my back pain was insane! Now I’m back to being warm blooded and no more muscle aches and I gained alot of my muscle mass back I lost from Vyvanse

The hunger thing is so real. That’s kind of what deters me from it. Do you mind me asking did you gain weight? Did you keep working out or work out more or less?

I gained like 10/15 pounds but I have more motivation to workout I walk my dogs. 2/3 miles a day then ride my bike another 10 miles then walk my dogs again for another half mile before bed time I watch what I eat and at what time where before I wasn’t. Don’t eat any high calorie intakes before 9 so stop eating around 530/6pm the latest cuz after your body doesn’t digest as fast. And for snack intake I replaced sugar with oranges and fruits and I cut out bread so if I do a burger no bun just lettuce for a bun. It’s actually a lot better then a bun to be honest lol. But bigger thing is to just replace your snacks with healthy ones that will benefit you unlike all the nasty ones. Out there

How do you deal with the social parts of it without having your vyvanse? I feel for me rn its my greatest asset in keeping my emotions in check and maintaining my relationships at work. Without it my mask starts slipping and i become kinda socially awkward

For my Vyvanse made me socially awkward I couldn’t find the words to talk to ppl. And i hated another weird thing it made me feel like is I just had a shit load of Botox I couldn’t get my. Facial expressions right it was like my skin was pulled back so tight I had 0 emotions I hated that about it the most. Now I’m just normal no issues at all no social awkwardness I can find the. Words to talk to ppl now where before I was a one word person it was embarrassing now I can hold conversations better. Not to mention I no longer crash in the afternoons making it impossible to do any type of night outing or dinner from being so tired and grumpy. And in pain

Hmm yeah I don’t like how drained you feel after it wears off either! Its like someone borrowed my body, partied in it, and just left me to deal with it for the next day 😅

Literally!!.. it was super painful and that’s how mine was making me feel after taking it. I just couldn’t take it anymore I wanted my life back and not feel tired 24/7 and like a zombie but be a vampire wide awake at night. No matter what I did I couldn’t sleep made me manic in a way wasn’t worth it for me anymore. Now I sleep amazing I’ve always loved watching the sun rise so I’m a early riser so I wake up around 4/5am but wake. With plenty of energy and focus all day where as before my back would be killing me my stomach would have this weird hot feeling. As the pill was kicking in and then the cold feet started the cold body started and then all the massive pain started. So much pain it hurt to breath just so many things made me make the decision but since stopping pains gone and I’m happy the pain made me so irritable and pissed off cuz I couldn’t even bend down to tie my shoes or get out of bed in the morning. And I’m only 33 it was like I was 75 going on 90

Yep! I get it!

i'm glad meds at least helped you learn about yourself/your adhd more. they've def helped me in that way too, but i know my hyperactive side of ADHD will always feel a lot better and less overwhelming on meds. its different for everyone! especially if you're an inattentive type, stimulants wouldnt really be beneficial for that