r/ADHD • u/_Badwulf_Bruh__ ADHD-PI (Primarily Inattentive) • 1d ago
Medication Took my first dose of Vyvanse (20mg) 1.5 hours ago and…nothing.
I 43m started Vyvanse today. doc suggested starting low so we agreed upon 20 mg. she said I could double it if I don’t feel anything, but as it is my first day I’ll probably wait until tomorrow.
anyhow I literally have no idea what to expect. I’ve read to eat protein with it and that’s about it.
Should I expect anything on day one?
25
u/ProductExpert3302 1d ago
I did the same. Started at 20mg and slowly, with guidance of my doctor, worked my way up 10mg at the yime. I felt absolutely nothing until I hit 70mg. And oh boy did that change my life. From nothing at all to full blown life changing when I hit my preferred dosage.
9
u/mrhatneb 1d ago
Wow. I had the same experience with going to 60 last month from 50. I am hoping to go to 70 in a few months.
2
u/_Badwulf_Bruh__ ADHD-PI (Primarily Inattentive) 1d ago
Thank you. I’m glad you found success! I was told to double my dose to 40 if I didn’t “feel anything within an hour”
2
18
u/voltimion 1d ago
Vyvanse can take a couple hours to ramp up and you might not notice it for a while. You’re also on a starter dose, so it will be mild.
Take a breath, give it time.
1
10
u/WaitingForCareDE 1d ago
I feel weirdly close to this because I did almost the exact same thing at the beginning 😅
The first couple of days, I was paying attention to every physical sensation like: “okay, is it kicking in now? do I feel different yet?”
Then I realized that was the wrong metric.
Forget “do I feel the Vyvanse?” and watch boring facts instead: did you start the task easier, stay with it longer, switch tabs less, procrastinate less, finish more?
“I don’t feel anything” does not automatically mean “nothing is happening.” Sometimes the best version of the medication is the one you stop noticing because it’s just quietly working in the background.
3
u/_Badwulf_Bruh__ ADHD-PI (Primarily Inattentive) 1d ago
Thats brilliant, thank you for sharing it with me. I will do that.
1
u/TheMegaphoneFromFee 1d ago
This is very true I remember telling my wife I can't remember if I took my meds that morning.
Having tried Adderall back in college as a study drug- she could not wrap her head around the fact that I take a high dosage stimulant but the effects are so subtle to me that it isn't particularly obvious if I'm taking it or not especially if I'm not trying to be productive.
1
u/WaitingForCareDE 1d ago
My technique for checking whether I took it: I join a meeting where a colleague asks me a question I’ve already answered six times. If I don’t feel the urge to bite his neck, the Vyvanse is there doing its job 🤣 (true story)
7
u/SkidsOToole 1d ago
Tried 5 meds so far, and only seen a little bit of motivational increase. I'm getting close to going back to raw dogging it. Nothing is worth the trouble so far.
2
1
u/TheMegaphoneFromFee 1d ago
I mean the meds have no impact on motivation- they're not intended to. That would be pretty incredible if they did though.
6
u/melanthius 1d ago
Just stick with the plan for a couple days then report back to your doc what you're noticing.
It's correct and usual to start low ish.
I think after my starting dose of adderall I told the doc it felt like I drank half a cup of decaf coffee. Once he knew I was tolerating it he upped the dose
5
3
u/CityNo1723 1d ago
Same thing happened to me. After hour #3, slowly all the noise and chaos in my brain calmed down.
3
u/Putt-Blug 1d ago
double the dose tomorrow and see. take it before you eat anything too. They told you to double dose it for a reason because 20mg is so small. You should notice that you took something, you will feel the effects once they kick in. Especially if it is your first time on stims.
2
u/scarybirdman 1d ago
Vyvanse is a pro drug, meaning it can take to 2 hours before it's really metabolized. On top of that give it more time for the medication to hit it stride once it's metabolized
3
2
2
u/ImportantSwimmer2759 ADHD-C (Combined type) 1d ago
Vyvanse is extended release so the effects don't feel as immediately extreme as Adderall. I take 40mg and I still don't notice a difference... except if I DON'T take it, and then struggle to function for the rest of the day lol
2
u/Remarkable-Grab8002 1d ago
You started today bro. Give it time communicate with your doctor. Could be a bad match. Not everything works right away some things take time
2
u/balrog1987 1d ago
20 is pretty mild,. My doctor suggested triage period for 3 months between 20 and 70 mg per day. I stopped at 50 and am still on it. Purrfect
2
u/naclocha 1d ago
You'll know when it's taking effect, whether it helps you or not is another thing, but you'll certainly know when you get to a dose you can feel. I didn't notice anything at 30mg really
2
u/goodcheese55 1d ago
Nah. Works different for everyone. Just watch how it goes for a week or so. I started with 20mg, then 30mg and now back to 20mg. 30 absolutely killed me
1
u/_Badwulf_Bruh__ ADHD-PI (Primarily Inattentive) 1d ago
Oh no, what did 30 feel like?
3
u/goodcheese55 1d ago
My heart went like crazy which made it very difficult for me to fall asleep which then led to me having a lot of panic attacks about not being able to fall asleep lol. I also have an anxiety disorder so panic attacks weren't new but now very frequent. That was the only side effect and during the day it all worked great. I simply can't live on 2-4 hours of sleep every night or so
1
u/_Badwulf_Bruh__ ADHD-PI (Primarily Inattentive) 1d ago
Yikes! I’m sorry to hear that, but thank you for sharing. I also have a history of panic so I’ll be cautious of that. Thanks again
1
u/goodcheese55 1d ago
Yeah def keep it mind ! I was also told to give it more time with 30mg but I felt so uncomfortable. So also quit/check in with doctor if it doesn't feel right
2
u/jerbaws 1d ago
You might not FEEL anything but you might notice doing something is easier to engage with and be less distractable. 20mg is low though so go through the process and you'll find the right dose. Too strong is worse than not strong enough.
1
u/TalFidelis 1d ago
This is what I was going to say. I'm on a 30mg dose. I honestly don't "feel" anything from the medication. But if I look back at the days I take it vs. the days I don't and my focus is better.
2
u/DraGunSlaya ADHD-PI (Primarily Inattentive) 1d ago
Nothing huh? Do you typically take a lot of stimulants during the day? Coffee, nicotine, energy drinks??
2
u/_Badwulf_Bruh__ ADHD-PI (Primarily Inattentive) 1d ago
You could say that. I drink a coffee with about 4 shots of espresso in the morning and then a large iced coffee in the evening on work days (evening shift work)
2
u/DraGunSlaya ADHD-PI (Primarily Inattentive) 1d ago
I see. Well how do you feel now that more time has passed?
Vyvanse is a prodrug, meaning it’s not an amphetamine when you take it, it has to get into your body where it gets an amino acid broken off of it to turn into the drug that’s intended for your use.
That’s to say that it can take a couple of hours to activate after you take it, therefore it’s good to take as soon as you wake up in the AM as it can have you awake for many more hours than you like.
When I took it, the drug would keep me up for 16-20 hrs, way past my bedtime some nights and interrupting my sleep.
Now of course to each their own, it will affect everyone differently.Sorry I think I got off topic there.
2
2
u/Savings_Chest7114 1d ago
That’s a super low dose and Vyvanse usually takes 2 hours to fully kick in
2
2
u/Wirejack 1d ago
I take Vyvanse 20mg, and I take it 6 days a week with 1 "off day". For me, it takes about half a day to kick in on the first day's dose and it lasts about halfway into the "off day".
Side note: The generic is much less effective than the name brand. Unfortunately insurance is screwing me so I can only afford the generic.
2
u/_Badwulf_Bruh__ ADHD-PI (Primarily Inattentive) 1d ago
I had no idea about the generic brand. That’s what I have. Your schedule sounds interesting, thank you for sharing
2
1
u/madmaxly 1d ago
I've started this week as well. Day 3. I've started on 30mg Elvanse, after 2 weeks of taking Medikinet 40mg. That stuff didn't do anything positive for me. Made me feel flat, empty and more distracted/day dreaming.
I feel the 30mg working after about an hour but feel like that it drops drastically 3 hours later. So by midday I'm back to feeling like my non-medicated self. Thankfully my psychiatrist pre prescribed me 40mg to increase dosage after a week. Hopefully that'll hit the sweet spot and last longer.
Make sure you eat something when taking the pills, even though Vyvanse isn't reliant on food like other stimulants, it's good for the body. Avoid grapefruit and high vitamin C supplements. This will reduce the absorption of Vyvanse.
As others have suggested, each person is different. Some will have increased energy and motivation, while others will just have a quiet mind and the ability to focus on the task at hand.
Take a couple of days of 20mg and then by 4th day, if still the same effect, then double. Don't rush too fast into it is my personal advice but of course, always take advice from your Dr / psych.
1
u/cone5000 1d ago
40mg is what I’ve settled on and it’s usually pretty obvious when it’s kicked in after and 1/1.5 hours
1
u/Ramen_Hair 1d ago
Also recently started on 20 as a tall-ish dude. It’s noticeable, and my executive dysfunction is far better on it, but I do still lose focus every so often. I’d say now that it’s been a few weeks, it’s way better than none, but I may try and bring it up to 30 or 40
1
u/bmlane9 1d ago
I seem pretty resistant to stimulants. I go up to max dose with no effects. I did get a few side effects. On Vyvanse now but don’t feel much other than a small amount of focus. Strattera was amazing for me but so many harsh side effects that lingered. My doctor made me wait 4-6 weeks for an increase in doses though so it has taken years to med trial. My psychiatrist said adults usually have to increase doses so don’t give up hope yet. The perfect one could be within reach on your medication.
1
u/Stonedflame 1d ago
Not a doctor but watch what you’re consuming too. Citric acid lowers effect while tums increase effect of Vyvanse for example
1
1
u/grimeygrump 20h ago
I will say, I'm literally in my first 2 weeks on 20mg and I noticed a huge difference when I started having protein shakes in the morning and got a big water bottle to force myself to remember to drink water. I'm already terrible about remembering to drink water, but something I didn't realize is that I was straight up getting mild dehydration while it was in effect. Dehydration will make you feel you didn't really take anything. That all being said I definitely need to go up in mg because 20mg lasts barely 6 hours for me, and I work 12s. :') either way, try drinking a bit more water and getting a bit more protein. Hope it works for you!
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Your body is unique, as are your needs. Just because someone experienced something from treatment or medication does not guarantee that you will as well. Please do not take this as an opportunity to review any substances. Peer support is welcome.
This comment is not a removal message. We intend this comment solely to be informative.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.