Vyvanse and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 3)

• CGI...
• August 24, 2010

For ADHD "I love Vyvanse. It helps me concentrate and helps me in school to work faster and harder. When I get home, I immediately start homework and then I just chill with the family until bedtime when I'm tired. I did have insomnia, but that went away within about a week. Now I sleep like a baby again, and it helped me finally start working out, which I have been planning to do for almost 2 months now. Also, I went from struggling to get D's to easily making A's in all classes. I recommend this medicine."

• sal...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 16, 2017

For ADHD "After a few days on Vyvanse, I started sleeping only 2-4 hours a night. Then my doctor raised my dosage, now I was on 30 mg. A few weeks passed, and I started to get really aggressive, yelling at people when I got just a little mad (like if someone accidentally bumped into me while walking down the hallway). And if that wasn't bad enough, I still couldn't focus in school. The longer I took it, the worse my sleep pattern got. I started staying up about 40 hours at a time and sleeping for about 8 hours. Finally, my parents decided to take action and take me off of it. It took me about 7 months to get back to sleeping on a regular schedule."

• Anonymous
• September 16, 2010

For ADHD "I am a 20-year-old female. I have been taking 50 mg Vyvanse for about 3 months or so. I started taking it during the summer, and so my schedule of taking it was rather irregular, which caused me to have insomnia and decreased my appetite. I have started school now, and it works wonders. I am able to concentrate in class, and I have the motivation to actually do my homework. I even wish I were in school longer... strange, I know. I have experienced the side effects from it, more recently though. I have noticed my heart will race for no real reason, I have become more irritable and on edge (although I'm pretty sure I was like that before), and I tend to get kind of agitated at very minuscule things."

• Cof...
• October 10, 2015

For ADHD "Been taking the drug for 2 weeks. The dosage is 70. I have adult ADHD. The side effects I am experiencing are a slight headache during sleep, and I am experiencing insomnia. Probably need to check my blood pressure more often. I am not all that happy with current results."

• Nic...
• April 7, 2009

For ADHD "My grandson was diagnosed with ADHD two years ago when he was 7. We started him in counseling, and they recommended we try medication. I resisted, not knowing much about ADHD. They tried him on a couple of different medicines (without success) before we tried Vyvanse. The first dose, 30 mg, did show a vast improvement, but it didn't last long. We increased the doses several times before reaching his current dose of 60 mg. Like the others have stated, he has loss of appetite and trouble going to sleep. They continually monitor his weight and take blood samples to make sure there is no harm to his liver and kidneys. He still has occasional meltdowns, which we have learned to recognize. In school, he has gone from impulsive to compulsive, but again, it runs in spurts."

• sas...
• February 18, 2012

For ADHD "My son is 9 years old and has been on Vyvanse for about 2 years or so, and I have to say that it's been a miracle medicine. I believe I finally got my baby boy back. He also takes Intuniv as a booster pill, however, my only problem is that he has chronic insomnia, and no over-the-counter or prescribed medicine seems to make him fall asleep and stay asleep."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 9, 2012

For ADHD "I have been able to focus so much more, I feel like my life is back in order. I'm able to do things that I would struggle with in the past. Some of the feelings in my body are numb when I do the activities, which is different. All my anxiety is gone. I don't feel hungry often, and I randomly crash for sleep. This is only the second day on it, so I'll see what happens next."

• Luk...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 31, 2022

For ADHD "The half-life is too long, and the onset of action is too long. At a dose of 20 mg, could not sleep till 1 pm. Felt like torture after 9 pm when you normally want to sleep. The benefits are moderate during the day. It does not increase concentration by a lot. I will try a shorter-acting drug."

• Anonymous
• December 7, 2010

For ADHD "My daughter is 6 years old and was diagnosed with ADHD when she was 4. I just recently put her on medication due to the fact her grades were slipping, and she was in trouble constantly at school. She is on 30 mg of Vyvanse. Although she has improved 100% at school, she comes down off the medication at about 5 pm and is a holy terror. She gets put to bed at 8 and does not fall asleep until some time around midnight. Also, she does not eat hardly anything, but she has always been that way for the most part."

• AZD...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 11, 2018

For ADHD "I just increased to 20 mg daily, from 15 mg. This drug helps me to concentrate, focus better, observe when I become distracted, and have more energy. Some negatives I’ve experienced recently are difficulty getting to sleep and possible diarrhea. Overall, I think the efficacy of this drug is very good."

• Don...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 14, 2015

For ADHD "My experience on this drug started well but has dropped off, and I'm looking for an alternative. The first couple of months, I went from 20 mg in the morning and another 20 in the afternoon. I'm now at 70 and 40. My therapist rx'd Kapvay with it to help with irritability and quick reactions to situations. While it helped, the combo was making my teeth feel like razor blades, and I was getting abrasions on my tongue. I dropped the Kapvay, and it has helped with the teeth, but I'm now dealing with several cavities to get filled. Also having trouble with insomnia, as I always feel like I need to be getting something done. Over the past couple of months, I've probably had 5 instances in which I've gone close to 44 hours without sleep."

• Anonymous
• July 10, 2009

For ADHD "I've been using Vyvanse to treat my ADHD for about a month now, and I have to say, I could feel the positive effects pretty much instantly. I've accomplished more in a month with this medicine than I had in a year prior to using it. The one issue I did encounter was an increase to my already existent problem with insomnia, but having started taking Trazodone has counteracted this issue. It should be noted that not everyone has the same reaction to any given drug, but as for me, nothing I've tried in the past has been near as effective. In comparison to other drugs I've tried similar to Vyvanse, I've found that it gives me the benefits I need without the overwhelming tweaked-out feeling that others caused for me."

• Gra...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 24, 2023

For ADHD "I started taking Vyvanse last year to treat ADHD, and I experienced the worst side effects I've ever had with a medication. While I understand that everyone's response to these drugs can be different, the effects I experienced were truly bizarre. Vyvanse made me constantly hungry, and as a result, I gained a significant amount of weight. Prior to starting the medication, I weighed around 135 lbs, but I went up to 155 lbs. My doctor found this weight gain very unusual. This drug simply did not agree with my body. Additionally, it caused severe insomnia, leaving me unable to sleep and constantly needing to be occupied. I would often find myself in the kitchen at 4 AM, seeking a midnight snack. It also intensified my anxiety and made me feel awful around the clock. Recently, I switched to Adderall, and since discontinuing Vyvanse, I have lost 20 lbs. While Vyvanse may be effective for ADHD, the side effects are not worth staying on it, in my opinion."

• ava...
• March 7, 2021

"The drug didn't pass the clinical trial for depression. Even though it was only tested in combination with other drugs (probably SSRIs). For me, this was what lifted me out of my black hole. I suffered from insomnia, depression, and anxiety on and off for years. For like 1 year, I was badly sleepless and depressed/hopeless/anxious. Thought my life was over, despite my life being great by all common criteria. Tried everything without success. The breakthrough came with the combo of Trintellix and Vyvanse. I've been on that for over 6 months and never felt better! Sleep 5-8 hours without interruption, happy and motivated. I reduced Trintellix to 5 mg, and it doesn't seem to make any difference. The key to success was also to work on some mental barriers that caused the trouble in the first place. You need to get rid of your inner critic and replace him/her with your inner friend. Sounds trivial, but you have to love yourself. This is the true key to a good life. Never give up. There's light at the end of the tunnel!"

• Anonymous
• August 14, 2010

For ADHD "I'm 24, in grad school and I've been taking the 70mg for about four months. At first, I lost ten pounds, but now I have maintained my appetite. When I don't take it, I do feel an uncontrollable desire to eat a lot. I have difficulty sleeping at night and sometimes won't fall asleep until 3 or 4 a.m., and I take the medicine as soon as I wake up. I think it works best a few hours after taking it. I feel no anxiety and accomplish a lot - but then it wears off by the afternoon. Also, I was prescribed an antidepressant before, but I feel this somewhat takes care of that. I still prefer taking Vyvanse now, but I do think I'll stop for a while after graduating because I'm not sure about the long-term effects."

• Kiy...
• May 30, 2016

For Binge Eating Disorder "This medicine is nothing to mess with, it's very powerful and can change your entire personality. While on this medicine, I lost a relationship with my kids and my spouse. I went from 120 to 98 pounds. I would stay awake for days, have violent mood swings, and worst, I felt suicidal all the time. I was a mess, no one knew who I was. I was sick from losing so much weight and not sleeping. None of this was me. After I got off the meds, I put my weight back on and fixed the relationships I ruined. While on this medicine, I honestly think if I would have continued to use it, I would be dead from either malnutrition or suicide. BE AWARE, VERY AWARE OF THIS MED!!"

• man...
• January 17, 2011

For ADHD "My 7-year-old son was recently diagnosed with ADHD, and I was really hesitant to put him on medicine. But when I took him to the doctor, she said yes, no doubt he had ADHD, so they put him on Vyvanse at 30 mg. The first day, I was ready to cry myself. It was like he had eaten a whole gallon of ice cream, he could not stop talking and did not sleep the first 2 nights. But I am really happy with the outcome. He is so much better. I can hear my thoughts now, so I am a believer in the medicine, it worked for him."

• ona...
• October 23, 2011

For ADHD "I am a 17-year-old female who was diagnosed with ADD about 9 months ago. I had mainly B and C grades, I was scatterbrained, easily distracted, and extremely messy. Since I started Vyvanse at 30 mg, I have bumped up to 40 mg, and I have no complaints. I have all A and B grades, I can focus on my schoolwork, and get things accomplished in a reasonable amount of time. The only criticism I have is the fact that it caused me to go from messy to borderline OCD. However, I like cleaning, and I see it as a plus side to the medication. As is usual for ADD and ADHD medicines, I experience easy mood swings, sudden outbursts of anger, loss of appetite, and lack of sleep. However, overall, I am extremely pleased as a high schooler who was struggling."

• Ws ...
• December 30, 2010

For ADHD "My 7-year-old son started Vyvanse about 3 weeks ago. The first day he took a 30 mg dose, which made him like a zombie all day and absolutely manic all night. He literally stayed up all night and ran up and down the hall and talked incessantly. At the end of my rope at 7 am, I paged his doctor. We lowered the dose to 15 mg. He seemed initially to do better on the 15 mg and was doing well in school. He became more aggressive and started having OCD behaviors of constantly washing his hands (I counted 30 times in an hour) and crying and staying up all night. Last night he stayed up until 4:30 am, and I was at my wits' end. So today his doctor is switching him to another medication, but we may try it in a combination."

• Anonymous
• July 11, 2010

For ADHD "My son has been taking Vyvanse for about a year now, 70 mg, but he was on other medications before this, and although they helped, we had moved, and the new doctor did not want to prescribe him anything but Vyvanse. After some research, I actually found that Vyvanse is one of the best for ADHD. The only side effects he has had were loss of appetite and insomnia, but he is taking something to help him sleep, and he eats well in the morning before he takes his medicine. He just doesn't like eating lunch, so I bribe him: if he wants to go play games, he must eat a snack, just like an apple or something. No more weight loss, just a steady weight now. School has become so much easier for him, with grades, and the teachers see a great change in him."

• Anonymous
• March 1, 2011

For ADHD "I'm a 16-year-old female and was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 6. I was on Ritalin, then something else, then Concerta, and it was hard. I had major depression, lack of sleep, lack of appetite, and the ability to feel any emotion was gone. Yes, I'm an A student, but I was not happy, so I tried Vyvanse. It doesn't last as long, but I am happier. I can feel emotion now, and I'm still getting A's and B's."

• Anonymous
• June 17, 2010

For ADHD "I am 18, and alongside my ADD, I suffer from major depressive disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and major case anxiety. After an emotional breakdown on a school trip, my doctor started me back on my Zoloft, and once I got that stabilized, he started me on Vyvanse. We started at 40, and that worked while I was taking my Zoloft at night, but when I moved it to the morning, we had to up the dose to 60 mg. I have experienced nausea, dizziness, increased perspiration, and a little insomnia, but they don't last too long. I have also been struggling with weight pretty much my whole life. I started on May 2nd, and I have lost a little over 20 lbs."

• Anonymous
• April 5, 2011

For ADHD "I am 24 years old (female). I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 11. Over the years, I tried Adderall, Concerta, and Strattera, none of them really worked all that great. But I spent 8 years on Ritalin. When I was 20, I was taking 60 mg of Ritalin a day and was failing all my classes. My doctor switched me to 70 mg of Vyvanse (started out at 70 mg since I had been on a high dose of Ritalin for so long), and it was like magic! I started getting all A's and became more productive at work. The only bad things about the medicine are some of the side effects. I've noticed that gum helps with the dry mouth compared to just drinking water. I suffer from anxiety and insomnia now but take Celexa for anxiety and Ambien for insomnia. But all is good."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 2, 2023

For ADHD "I was prescribed Vyvanse 70 mg and had horrible night sweats during the day on bus tours during vacation. I could not sleep and was so stimulated and on fire each day that it was noticed by my family while on vacation. I could not focus, which is why my doctor ordered it and no Adderall, which really hasn’t helped in the past. I was up very late the week we were on a cruise while my husband slept alone, going to bed at a decent time. I’m a 75-year-old woman. I also way overate and drank more than usual, causing a weight gain for me. Feeling hot in my body 24/7 was the worst!"

• Jan...
• April 4, 2017

For ADHD "First, diagnosis is mild ADHD. 11 years old. 50 mg. Our experience with my son and Vyvanse. He was on this medication for approximately 9 months. For the first few weeks, he was sort of hyperfocused and had difficulty with transitioning from a task if he was fixated on it. He transitioned well to middle school and achieved great grades. However, he lost a lot of weight, about 15 lbs. He had horrible insomnia. He slowly became very emotional and depressed in the afternoons and evenings. We decided to stop the medication. Within weeks, he was back to himself, and his doctor advised him to stay off the medication."