The Intolerable Side Effects of Vyvanse and Adderall XR for Adult ADHD

Adderall XR is produced by pharmaceutical giant Shire. It is FDA-approved for treating adult ADHD. It is an amphetamine-based stimulant that comes in capsules that are filled with tiny beads of the medication. There is no set dose for treating adult ADHD, but Shire recommends starting with the lowest effective dose to minimize adverse affects. One of the most common starting dose is 20mg and a 30 day supply of 20mg capsules costs about $120 without insurance. Adderall XR is marketed to last the entire school/work day in adults, wearing off early enough to not cause insomnia. Shire's patent on Adderall XR is set to expire in April of 2019. To ensure Shire would maintain their high-placement on the list of ADHD medications after Adderall XR's patent expires, they bought the pharmaceutical company New River Pharmaceuticals who developed Vyvanse.

As of December 2007, Vyvanse is approved only for children with ADHD. Shire submitted a supplemental New Drug Application to the FDA for its approval to market Vyvanse for adult ADHD. It is currently under review and seems promising to get approved. Until that happens, Vyvanse is prescribed for adult ADHD as an off-label use. Vyvanse currently comes in three doses and is a powder inside capsules. Vyvanse is very promising for success and large profits because it is the first stimulant ADHD medication that is a pro drug. Pro drugs contain a mechanism that only allows the drug to become active once it is in the digestive system. Snorting or injecting Vyvanse will produce no effects, practically eliminating its risk for abuse. Pro drugs are the direction amphetamine ADHD medications are heading in because of the high percentage of amphetamine abuse from ADHD drugs. Shire markets Vyvanse to last longer, produce less side effects, and overall is a better drug than Adderall XR. To ensure their large profits, Shire has launched a brutal campaign towards doctors to switch patients from Adderall XR to Vyvanse, and even changed the content of http://www.adderallxr.com to information about Vyvanse only. Shire provided a "conversion equation" for switching from Adderall XR to Vyvanse: 10mg Adderall XR = 30mg Vyvanse, 20mg Adderall XR= 50mg Vyvanse, and 30mg Adderall XR = 70mg Vyvanse. There is no maximum dose for off-label use, but the maximum dose for children is 70mg. Vyvanse is priced about the same as Adderall XR.

I began treatment for adult ADHD in August from my psychiatrist. I already had my bias for Adderall XR after hearing from my neighbor how well it worked on her. My doctor suggested Vyvanse from the beginning and I refused to fold. I started with 40mg of Adderall XR in the morning, but the dose was increased to 60mg counteracting tolerance.

Adderall XR produced euphoric effects for the first two weeks, but these faded and never returned. I found I could concentrate in a way I hadn't felt in a long time. I was always completing "projects" that I had no desire to do in the past. It drastically reduced my appetite and I began skipping meals for days at a time. I never felt any unwanted insomnia because of another medicine I take that knocks me out at night, but I would easily stay up for days on end just from the normal morning dose.

The only bothersome side effect I experienced throughout treatment was facial acne. In November I began getting horrible headaches, eventually migraines 2-3 hours after taking my morning dose of Adderall XR. I didn't understand why I was JUST NOW experiencing this, and at a friend's recommendation checked my blood pressure. I normally have very low blood pressure but when I tested it while Adderall XR was in my system, it was abnormally high. I couldn't deal with the headaches anymore so in December I gave in and switched to Vyvanse.

Based on the "conversion equation" my starting dose was 140mg. The first day I took it I noticed it was smoother than Adderall XR and didn't feel like the medication was working in waves. It lasted longer, working well into the evening and I had insomnia for the first few days. It tripled the amount and severity of the facial acne I experienced with Adderall XR, and even spread to my neck. Vyvanse increased my bodily functions to remove waste leading to a more than usual amount of trips to the bathroom. It didn't have as much of an appetite supression effect as Adderall XR and I was able to eat while it was in my system without feeling ill. The worst side effect that I still have trouble with is the agitation, moodiness, and irritability I feel when it wears off. I'm clueless as to why I get this with Vyvanse but didn't with Adderall XR.

I have negative feelings towards both medications because of the intolerable side effects they produce. I wouldn't recommend one before the other, but I will give a warning that Vyvanse really does last a lot longer than Adderall XR, so plan accordingly.