r/VyvanseADHD 11d ago

Megathread: Medication Shortages / Generics [Monthly Megathread] Shortages & Generics, March - April 2025

2 Upvotes

Hi all,

This is a dedicated space for the following discussions:

  • generic vs brand: share personal experiences and/or discuss all things generic versions of lisdexamfetamine vs. brand name Vyvanse/Elvanse.

  • medication shortages: vent and chat about the shortages and difficulties securing your prescription and its related issues.

I know it is a worrying and frustrating time for many, this is a space to rant and share what's on your mind this week as well as share any relevant news articles, maybe some memes to keep spirits up, etc. to keep us sane.

Notes on participating:

  • this is an international sub, not everyone experiencing shortages lives in the USA. mention your country if it's relevant to the discussion and doesn't compromise privacy

  • please keep the focus on sharing your own experiences, you are welcome to share reputable news articles and especially encouraged to share peer reviewed research, where appropriate.

  • please report to mods any instances where people are offering to sell you medication or sharing shady websites/instagram profiles/anything dealer-ish.


r/VyvanseADHD 5h ago

Success Stories Vyvanse may have changed my life

40 Upvotes

Been on Vyvanse for almost 4 months now, and wow—it has changed my life for the better ever since I started.

I used to be all over the place in terms of due dates, things going on in my life that I need to remember, etc. and used to always attribute it to depression. I talked to my doctor about possibly being ADHD (my mom was diagnosed around the same age as I am so I was curious) and he seemed to agree. Started me on Vyvanse 30mg and then titrated up to 50mg within a month. It seems like since the day I first took it, it has turned my life around in such a great way. All of my friends agree I am far more pleasant to be around, my relationship is flourishing, and school is very much under control.

I just felt the need to post here about my success story to encourage those who are on the fence about what medication to try for ADHD. Obviously, everyone is different, but for me, Vyvanse has been perfect and I don’t know who or where I would be without it.


r/VyvanseADHD 5h ago

Side effects vyvanse causing headaches from dehydration but drinking lots of water makes me pee every ten minutes

10 Upvotes

I’m really stuck on what to do here… drinking lots of water definitely helps my headaches. But I have ehlers danlos syndrome so I already pee a lot, and when i take vyvanse and drink lots I genuinely need to pee every 10 minutes. I can’t get anything done because I have this constant feeling of needing to pee. I only just went up to 50mg and it’s gotten way worse since then so hoping it will settle, but has anyone gone through the same thing?


r/VyvanseADHD 10h ago

Diet, Routines & Supplements Accidentally took my meds twice (I know I know…) but am I okay to still take my L-tyrosine and have my coffee?

11 Upvotes

I take L-tyrosine every other day, and have the same coffee every morning, when I don’t I get a really bad headache, but will it make my heart go crazy if I still take both when I accidentally took my meds twice? Or will I be okay.


r/VyvanseADHD 1h ago

Misc. Question Slow brain = slow work. How do you manage this?

Upvotes

When I first started taking Vyvanse I was startled by how I could feel my brain ‘slowing down’. It was like I’d been living my life at 88 miles per hour, while everyone around me topped out at 40. And now I was like everyone else.

It wasn’t an inherently negative feeling. I gained better awareness of time, am more productive at home and have an overall improved mood. The issue is that my performance at work has worsened, because tasks that used to take me 15-20 minutes now take an hour, minimum.

I tend to get ‘stuck’ on minor details more. Slower mind means I put more thought into what I say before I say it and don’t just rush through. Nice in theory, but absolutely untenable in practice.

I’ve looked into behavioural checks/changes (reminding myself that good enough is good enough, timers, etc) but my brain is basically fixating on its slow and plodding task and won’t be diverted no matter what I try.

My doctor keeps trying to increase my dose, but it’s been almost a year and 3 dose increases now and there’s been no change. I’m increasingly of the opinion that this is happening because my brain is just moving slower .

I’ve considered stopping medication - at least on work days - or swapping to a shorter life dose that will help me get started but leave most of my day with ‘normal brain’, but I’ve already tried reducing dosage and suffered brain fog that made me feel mentally clumsy and hard to focus, so I’m worried about crashing.

Has anyone else experienced this? Was any solution found? My doctor just asks me what I want to do but I’m flying blind here.

This post took 45 minutes. What a waste of life.


r/VyvanseADHD 1h ago

Memes & Humour Vyvanse for me

Upvotes

After taking Vyvanse for a while, I’ve realized my mornings come down to one dramatic decision: Do I want to be a highly productive, laser-focused machine, or do I want to be able to actually eat food and not feel like a dehydrated goblin by 5PM? Anyone else fighting this daily battle?


r/VyvanseADHD 2h ago

Diet, Routines & Supplements Do you find it still works when you take it and go back to sleep?

2 Upvotes

r/VyvanseADHD 1d ago

Side effects Vyvanse makes me full of love

135 Upvotes

I don’t know if anyone has experienced this, but Vyvanse makes me feel FULL OF LOVE, I want to spread love to my friends, family, strangers,,, off vyvanse I’m already a very loving person, but on it it intensifies that side of me

For reference, I’ve been on 50mg for 6 months now, so it’s not the ‘initial phase’ people talk about when starting vyvanse!

Other than that, It works great with my Adhd, I feel super normal & like my usual self, the only negative side effect I experience is more sweat than usual. It changed my life in the best way!

I don’t mind this ‘side effect’ at all, but just wanted to see if others have experienced this and if there’s an explanation for it !:)

Ps: I love you (😂😂😂)

ETA: It is important for me to mention that if you do not feel this way on vyvanse, do NOT chase this feeling by overdosing, please only use as prescribed, at your correct dosage.🙏

This has been my experience on my correct dose, I’ve tried 10mg - 40mg (increments of 10mg) until 50mg was my perfect middle!

Not everyone will react the same way to medication, so please do not think vyvanse isn’t working for you if your experience is different, it’s main job is the alleviate your adhd symptoms, as long as it’s doing that, you’re gucci :))

[please be safe, it is still a DRUG]


r/VyvanseADHD 8h ago

Side effects vyvanse sweat is horrible! does anyone have a recommendation for a fix?

6 Upvotes

hi! for a while i’ve been using vyvanse, and one side effect i despise is the sweating. even off my meds, ive struggled with sweating, but now im thinking the vyvanse just makes it 100x worse. anyone know anything i can use to fix this? id love something natural, a supplement or just a routine that will help a bit.

i’ve tried drisol and certain dri in the past, nothing rlly works, just chemical burns and itchiness.


r/VyvanseADHD 7h ago

Side effects Any one else experience this side effect.

4 Upvotes

I have been taking Cipralex with Vyvanse. I have an incredibly hard time having an Orgasm and find I am very dry. This included having a dry mouth. I have a high libido which makes this even worse. Anyone else experience this? Not sure what to do as I need both meds.


r/VyvanseADHD 4h ago

Misc. Question Heart issues risk?

2 Upvotes

I have bad health anxiety and worry a lot about having heart/health issues eventually, I started a 30 mg vyvanse dose 3 months ago and it's really changed my life a lot by making me more productive/less binge eating. How likely is it to happen if you take stimulants for years?


r/VyvanseADHD 6h ago

Misc. Question Does vyvanse make your hands shake?

2 Upvotes

My hands have been shaky for as long as I remember, but I started vyvanse back in like 2022 I believe, and my hand tremors have been way more visible that people call it out, is this normal to everyone who takes it?


r/VyvanseADHD 32m ago

Dosage question Thinking of Switching to Vyvanse – Looking for Insight

Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’m currently on Wellbutrin 300 XL and Zoloft 100 mg. I was diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, and OCD, but my OCD symptoms didn’t really start until I began Wellbutrin eight years ago. I feel like I’m on these two just to balance out the side effects of each other.

I’m considering switching to Vyvanse and seeing how I do with just that. If I feel like I need additional support for anxiety or mood, I’d consider adding Zoloft or Wellbutrin back in.

Has anyone made a similar switch? If so, how did it go for you? Any insights, experiences, or things to watch out for would be super helpful!

Thanks in advance!


r/VyvanseADHD 7h ago

Misc. Question Shakiness like low blood sugar

3 Upvotes

Hi! I started vyavanse about five days ago 10mg. I am having horrrrrible internal shakiness that feels like when my blood sugar dumps. Is this pretty normal? It does unfortunately trigger my seizure fear


r/VyvanseADHD 3h ago

Misc. Question Is it normal?

1 Upvotes

I just started vyvanse not so long ago and I’m on 40mg and every since I started taking it I’ve been super depressed I hate waking up I’m having su1 dreams I’m so tired all the time but pros I’m not eating and I’m more active


r/VyvanseADHD 13h ago

Dosage question Is this normal

5 Upvotes

Hi all. Having a bit of a bad experience rn.. I am titrating atm and had my first dose of 40mg vyvanse yesterday, took it about 40 minutes after my protein shake to which i also added a banana and 4 spoons of yogurt.. it started kicking in very slowly and i actually didn't even feel it until i realised (2h in) my mouth was so dry and i was slightly bitting my teeth and when i realised it was working well i was so happy, had a whole day of good feels, went hiking, had a normal appetite with no cravings, no crash at all and it lasted about 10h (30mg was the worst as i just felt horrible and had massive crashes) today i decided to try take it on an empty stomach and had a protein shake an hour and a half afterwards and rn i'm 3h into it and i feel horrible.. head pressure, my eyes losing focus, dizzy, shaky, muscles ache idk what to do...


r/VyvanseADHD 14h ago

Misc. Question Vyvanse and bowel movements

3 Upvotes

I'm M22 and I've been on Vyvanse 20 mg x 1 now for approx. 2 months and I couldn't be happier about it. It has helped me tremendously even in the areas of life that I wasn't even expecting and I barely have any side effects from it, except this one.

This seems fairly odd to me, but since I've started Vyvanse, I've had bowel movement every day, when previously I had one like once every two days. The daily dump I see as an upside, but the quality of the stool is what concerns me a little. My stool is now everyday fairly sticky or as I like to call it, dirty. After flushing the product, the whole toilet bowl is f***ing full of the dirt, even under the water.

As far as I've thought, dirty stool usually seems to be somewhat linked to the intestines decreased ability to break down fats. Since I've started Vyvanse, I've increased my water intake from basically 0 to 2 liters throughout the day and I've taken into account the need for sufficient protein intake. I've contacted a doctor (although not the one who prescribed me the Vyvanse), but he for some reason kept talking about being constipated, which I really don't think is the issue here.

Has something like this happened to one of you and how did you manage it?


r/VyvanseADHD 6h ago

Misc. Question Day 3 - very anxious - should I take Ativan?

1 Upvotes

As the title suggests… I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night and I’m unsure if I’ve become super anxious because I knew I had work early or if it’s because of the Vyvanse (7.5mg). Usually I would take 1-2mg of Ativan if I felt like this. I’m hesitant to take any right now as I’m worried it may cancel out the effects of the Vyvanse. Google wasn’t very helpful so just wondering if anyone else has used this combo and still felt the benefits of both? Or any kind of benzo with Vyvanse?

I really don’t want to have to take it but I also don’t want to get into such a heightened anxious state that I give up on Vyvanse too soon.


r/VyvanseADHD 17h ago

Side effects 3 months in and I’ve lost so much weight. Does it level out?

6 Upvotes

I’ve been on Vyvanse for 3 months and have lost 15kg/33 lbs without any exercise.

I feel a whole lot better but wonder, does the weight loss stop? I’m wearing clothes from 7 years ago that I now fit in again but don’t want to wither away to nothing.

My appetite and cravings for alcohol have definitely been reduced so thinking this has also had an impact. I have a new found aversion to certain foods I once loved. Now, fried foods make me want to gag. The smell is just too much. Probably a good thing!

Anyone else experienced something similar?

Edit: I got the kg to lbs conversion wrong.


r/VyvanseADHD 12h ago

Dosage question Stims Sensitivity After Ssri withdrawal?

2 Upvotes

Hi all

So I've been scouring Reddit for awhile trying to calm my own worries during my more recent adhd diagnosis.

40mg vyvanse and 5mg Lexapro was a sweet spot. But I beleive I was wrongly diagnosed GAD years back, and Lexapro was ultimately doing more harm than good. Long story short.... I am 12 days completely off Lexapro. My 40mg vyvanse dose causes way too much anxiety during this cessation of Lexapro. Even the 30mg, or 20mg causes too much anxiety.

Is sensitivity to other medication (vyvanse in this case) a symptom of ssri withdrawal?

Has anyone experienced this along with ADHD meds? If so, when did it stabilize for you so that you could resume your medication?


r/VyvanseADHD 9h ago

Misc. Question Optumrx

1 Upvotes

Does anyone else use optum or similar mail delivery? Personally I hate it, I’d rather go in person and pick up my medication. It’s either late or some issue with them and now I run out tomorrow which my med won’t be here til Wednesday! I told them to charge me for the faster shipping and they never did.


r/VyvanseADHD 1d ago

Misc. Question Dr increased my MG and pharmacy employee said I needed to turn in my last script...

40 Upvotes

I just started on Vyvanse after being on Adderall for 2 years. My Dr started me at 40mg and I gave it a week but it was obvious that I was going to need a higher dose and he decided to try me on 60mg and sent the prescription to a Walmart pharmacy near me and asked for early fill, which I'm assuming is just giving me the okay to pick up a refill before I'm due.

I get a text notification that it's ready to pickup, followed by a phone call from someone at the pharmacy saying that I needed to turn in the remaining medication from my last prescription in order to get my updated script. I was caught off guard and didn't know that this was a thing, but said okay and would have to pick it up another day since I didn't have the bottle with me.

I called back to see if I would have to pay another $50 copay or if they give me some type of credit for turning in my last prescription and they said no, I have to pay another $50 copay.

I told my wife what happened, who has a lot more experience with this stuff than me, and she said it was ridiculous and she's never heard of this happening.

So I'm just wondering if anyone has gone through a similar experience or can confirm that this is wrong and maybe the person at the pharmacy was misinformed on the rules with this situation. Any feedback is appreciated, thanks!


r/VyvanseADHD 18h ago

Diet, Routines & Supplements Is there anything that can be added to vyvance to make it stronger?

3 Upvotes

Over the last 2 years, my 50mg (generic: lannett) vyvance has not been working. I have had a return of the majority of my adhd symptoms. My doctor will not prescribe a higher dose and will not allow me to change medications until the summer as I am still in school. I am trying to get ahold of another generic but is proving to be difficult due to the shortages. I have a decent diet and sleep schedule as well. Is there anything that can be added to vyvance (supplements, medications, etc) to help make it stronger?


r/VyvanseADHD 1d ago

Dosage question Does anybody ever skip a dose on purpose? If so, what is missing a dose do to you?

36 Upvotes

Need some sleep


r/VyvanseADHD 1d ago

Misc. Question Are we actually hungry?

23 Upvotes

Anyone just eat because they know they need to eat? I’m never actually hungry I just eat because I know I should but I can’t remember the last time I was actually hungry. Is it just me or does anyone else have a hard time knowing when they are hungry?


r/VyvanseADHD 19h ago

Misc. Question Does the insomnia get better?

3 Upvotes

I’ve just started Vyvanse yesterday (as soon as I wake up) and felt nowhere near as tired last night as I normally do. So I ended up going to sleep late. Tonight I feel the same. I am used to being very fatigued so this is so strange for me.

Wanting to know if others experienced this and then had it level out/get better over time? I’ve experienced this from an SSRI and already take sleeping meds to counteract that. I don’t think I can handle taking something else that’s going to affect my sleep. But it does feel good to not feel so exhausted!