submitted 5 days ago by AngWay@lemmy.world to c/adhd@lemmy.world

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Hi, my Dr. just started me on 10mg of Vyvanse, but I couldn't even feel it, so I tried taking 20mg yesterday morning, and I really felt that it made me more focused, slowed my mind down from racing thoughts, and made me more motivated. But I'm going back to 10mg today and talking to my Dr. about moving me up to 20mg on Thursday. What do you all think about Vyvanse?

My Dr. first started me on 15mg of Adderall XR, and I could not handle that. It came on too strong, lasted too long, made me clench my jaw all day, and made me jittery and nervous. Also, my Dr. has me on 0.5mg of Klonopin twice a day, but it's not really doing anything either. Back about 3 years ago, when I lived in another state, my psych Dr. had me on 2mg of Klonopin three times a day, and that did help.

But besides my ADHD, my real problem is anxiety and agoraphobia. I told my Dr. that sometimes I would take one of my mother's 2mg Xanax if I ever had to do anything in public or had an anxious situation. I told her I took one on our first appointment and that I was so nervous I almost cancelled our appointment 10 times leading up to it.

I also just sent my Dr. an email asking her if I could increase the Vyvanse to 20mg and the Klonopin to 1mg, but I have not heard back yet. I see her again Thursday, so maybe I shouldn't have sent her an email. I hate that I might be coming off weird, like I'm wanting more drugs, but that ain't it. I honestly can't even feel I've taken the dose.

But what do you all think about this, and what do you think about Vyvanse? BTW, this is the first time I've used Lemmy, first post ever on Lemmy, too, so please be easy on me lol. Thanks!

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[-] DrakeAlbrecht@lemmy.world 6 points 5 days ago

10mg is a minuscule dose of Vyvanse. The lowest recommended dose is 30mg, and lower dosages only exist to accommodate patients who suffer side effects at that dosage.

[-] AngWay@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

whaat do u mean the low dose only exist to accommodate patients who suffer side effects at that dosage?

[-] ClipperDefiance@piefed.social 4 points 5 days ago

You had noticeable side effects from Adderall, so the doctor is (probably) being cautious with the Vyvanse dosage to let you get used to it before upping it.

Many years ago there was a period (a couple months) where I couldn't get my Vyvanse prescription filled. I had been gradually upped to a pretty high dose at the time (like 60 or 70 mg). When I was finally able to resume taking it I had major side effects since I was coming in from nothing. For days I had a migraine and the felt like I was walking on jelly.

[-] AngWay@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Holy crap really I actually took a bad headache the other day I think it was from the Vyvanse. Did yours go away eventually after you kept taking it?

[-] ClipperDefiance@piefed.social 3 points 5 days ago

The side effects were bad enough that I stopped taking it. I had to get a lower prescription and work my way back up.

[-] Test_Tickles@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Start checking your blood pressure. Vyvanse is a stimulant and will raise your bp. If you are already borderline high on bp, it could be pushing you into bp headache territory.

[-] AngWay@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Well I'm taking a blood pressure med to called Lisinopril. My primary care Dr prescribed it to me. But my psychiatrist also prescribed me clonodine which doesn't make sense since I told her I was taking Lisinopril and clonodine is also a bp med

[-] Test_Tickles@lemmy.world 0 points 3 days ago

Lisinopril and clonidine work differently. It would be like saying alcohol and fentanyl both make you drowsy.

Clonidine is also short lived and only works for about 12hrs (coincidentally just like your Vyvanse). Additionally, clonidine can calm your nerves and help with ADHD.

I actually take 3 different BP meds. None of them, even at their highest dose, will lower both the top and lower BP number. And I have weird side effects with any of them at anything higher than the minimum dose. Luckily, all 3 at the lowest dose for each does the job perfectly.

[-] AngWay@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

oh ok thanks can i ask how old you are?

[-] HappyCatLuvs_U@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I was started on 30mg Vyvanse because I basically went to my doctor and said: "I need meds so I can work again like now or I'm gonna be homeless my guy" and it's been wonderful for me. I take a 10mg booster mid-day also.

It lets me do the house tasks and work 25 hours a week without falling apart. It reduced my anxiety and depression sympyoms to the point I don't feel held back by them. It used to help make it easier to think and make my hobbies enjoyable again as well but now less so.

I asked to go to 40mg in the morning so we'll see how that goes. Hoping it improves my enjoyment of things I wanna do.

As far as side effects it's just a bit hard to empty my bladder at times.

[-] AngWay@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

wow so vyvanse helped your anxiety. stimulants usually make me alittle jittery or nervous

[-] HappyCatLuvs_U@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

I think more than directly chemical, a lot of my depression and anxiety symptoms were due to not knowing what to do about constantly feeling a little physiologically bad at all times.

My ADHD gives me this like, in the same way sadness can hurt physically, physical sense of not being stimulated enough. But I don't really find like stimming helps it so I used to just kinda feel, as I would describe it, that every passing second was like a grinding stone(from like a mill) was turning right between my eyes and on my center forehead. Not painful as that would be, but just a negative and constant awareness of time passing.

So between RSD, emotional dysregulation and whatever that sympyom would be called, I think I was basically just using anxiety/sadness as a more pleasant place to be than that and an explanation for why I felt bad and eventually it became habit/engrained.

Between cognitive behavioral therapy and then the meds, I think I just stabilized enough to realize I was kinda helping rather than fighting the depression/anxiety.

I still have depressed periods of a few days to a few weeks, but they're mild and I notice as I am going through them and when I am out.

And I still catch myself thinking anxious thoughts or worrying about how I am perceived or misunderstandings, but it's possible, even easy often, for me to simply realize I'm having more anxiety that day, and write it all off/stop focusing on it.

[-] RobotToaster@mander.xyz 4 points 5 days ago

10mg isn't a lot, the usual starting dose is 30mg, likely she started you on a lower dose because of your previous reaction to adderall.

Personally I take 20mg dexamphetamine, which is equivalent to 70mg vyvanse, and the effect is only mild.

[-] AngWay@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

well i emailed her and asked if i could take 20mg i see her thursday and i'm gonna ask to be bumped up i really can't even feel 10mg . also the klonopin feels to low of a dose 0.5 can't feel it either.

[-] CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 5 days ago

It’s good that you’re talking to your doctor about your use of un-prescribed medication. But you should stop doing that.

As others said 10mg is low dose but it can cause anxiety for some people. A conservative approach is warranted. Don’t rush the process.

[-] AngWay@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Yea I figured I'd just tell her so she would see how bad it really is. But 10mg really isn't enough do you think I should ask her to increase it to 20mg?

[-] autonomous@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

It goes as high as 80mg I think, so you are being started out at a very low dose. possibly even a lower than equivalent dose to your adderall, it seems a bit low at 10mg. Not sure what your doctor's reasons were.

It lasts up to 12 hours and takes a couple hours to get up to speed but then it's an even/consistent release for much of the dose. It doesn't "peak" the way Adderall does.

[-] AngWay@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Yes I'm the same way

[-] harrys_balzac@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 4 days ago

Vyvanse has been the best for me. I tried Adderall and Ritalin and they were awful.

I take 30mg and it works all day for me. I have to make sure I eat when I take it otherwise I feel nauseous for an hour or so.

[-] pHr34kY@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

I started on 20, and it didn't do much.

this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2026

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