Vyvanse and Loss Of Appetite: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Anonymous
• October 24, 2009

For ADHD "I have been taking this medicine for two weeks now. Most of the side effects have gone away with the exception of the lack of appetite, which is not really a bad thing. My life has improved, I have been taking 50 mg. I cleaned my car for the first time in 6 months! The only problem is it does not last for 12 hours, after about 6 hours, I start to crash, then at 8-9 hours, I start to get anxious and OCD. I don't know if I have to increase my dose, but am unsure because of heart issues it causes. Pros: Helps with organization, I am excited about things for the first time since I was a teenager. My symptoms went from more external ADD to internal ADD as I became an adult. Cons: Does not last a full 12 hours, can make me moody."

• ann...
• March 18, 2010

For ADHD "My daughter is 17 and has been taking Vyvanse for 3 weeks. All I can say is 'wow,' her GPA has gone up 1 point!!! Her main problem was taking tests... she could not concentrate at all!!! Homework was ok, but work at school was terrible... now she scores 85% and up in all her classes. She actually enjoys school, her self-esteem grew (she always thought she was not as smart as other kids). I don't know if that's how it will work all the time, but so far it has been great! She has some appetite loss, especially during the day, but it has been coming back slowly, and she started to eat more normally. She does not take the medication on weekends unless she studies. I don't see any other side effects besides loss of appetite."

• Blo...
• February 22, 2012

For ADHD "I started taking this medicine about 2 years ago now. I am on the 40 mg dose, and at first everything was great, my grades improved, and I could focus in public. But now, my loss of appetite is crazy. I'm 13, and I only weigh 82 lbs. I become very short-tempered with my friends, and I get annoyed at the littlest things. It also brings my mood way down. When I'm on my medicine, I feel depressed and anxious constantly. I still get my A's and B's in school, but I don't think it's worth all the side effects."

• Dad...
• February 4, 2016

For ADHD "First, thanks to all of you folks sharing. This is very informative. We are all trying to find something that works. My son, age 10, 5th grade, has had ADHD and been negative overall for years. Finally tried Vyvanse 20 mg. Big help month 1. More talkative, able to focus, get things done. Said it wore off or he got used to it by month 2, so we upped the dose to 30 mg. Same thing, except after school, a lot more sensitive emotionally. He said he didn't see much difference after a few weeks, so we upped the dose to 40 mg in month 4. Still sensitive after school, no appetite, complained that he was grinding his teeth all day, thirsty all the time, and had dry skin. Then one day, suddenly, his wrists and the web between his thumb and finger broke into a red-purple deep dry rash. Stopped it."

• Anonymous
• December 29, 2011

For ADHD "Vyvanse is the 4th medicine we've tried for our 7-year-old son's ADHD. He has been on Vyvanse for close to a month now. With Vyvanse, he still has a personality, it has a more natural, gradual start and end, so he seems more balanced overall. With other medications, he would suddenly switch back to wild and impulsive, as if you flipped a switch. The negative is that his appetite is definitely low. He has no interest in food during the day but gets hungry late at night. He is not falling asleep well at all, still awake after 2 hours of lying in bed. This is definitely due to the medication. He would always fall asleep within about 15 minutes. We've yet to find the right one, but this is definitely the best so far."

• gle...
• May 21, 2008

For ADHD "My son (age 12) has been on this medication for 2 1/2 weeks now. He was on Dexedrine, which we felt he was doing very well on his focus, which gave him better grades, but it lacked in controlling impulsive behavior. We see a noticeable difference in this issue with Vyvanse 30 mg once a day. The only thing that we do notice clearly is a lack of appetite at supper time, and you can actually tell when his medication has worn off. His undesirable behavior is back, he also becomes fidgety."

• Anonymous
• September 3, 2008

For ADHD "My son was diagnosed with ADHD in kindergarten. We have tried several different medicines. Vyvanse has been the best one yet. He is calmer and more focused in class. As with the other drugs, he does experience side effects: no appetite, a little on the moody side. Overall, this has been the best medicine we have tried to date."

• Kod...
• July 27, 2012

For ADHD "Vyvanse has helped me immensely as my focus is much better, and I have had no ill effects whatsoever. The loss of appetite effect has been very welcome with growing older (I am 46). I have struggled with a sedentary lifestyle, and my weight kept increasing. Since taking Vyvanse, I have lost 50 lbs, and that has helped my sleep apnea to the point that I feel much better in the morning, and I am not at the same weight I was when I got married 17 years ago. I am 200 lbs, 6'1', and have worked up from the initial 10 mg dosage to the max now at 70 mg. I have been on Vyvanse for about a year and a half."

• Fvc...
• June 17, 2015

For ADHD "I'm 17 and a junior in high school. The medicine gets the work done for me. I'm so focused and makes me more focused, but there are some things I don't like. It makes my mouth super dry and makes me lose my appetite. Kinda sucks because I want to eat at lunch, but I can't because it makes me want to throw up. I've also lost weight because of the meds. I think the pill is good, they just need to fix the side effect."

• Anonymous
• November 28, 2013

For ADHD "I have a 16-year-old son who was put on Vyvanse for his ADHD 3 years ago. It worked well for a while, made better grades in school. He had less impulsivity and was able to focus more. He had decreased appetite and needed to be put on another medicine to help him sleep. In the past year, his grades went down. He was already on the highest dose of 70 mg. He was becoming aggressive and very hateful. I found out that he was smoking weed and drinking. He told me he felt so jittery from his Vyvanse that was the only way he could relax. I put my son in a rehab and they switched him to Strattera and he is doing a lot better."

• Anonymous
• December 3, 2009

For ADHD "I am a 14-year-old girl, and last year, when in 8th grade, I found out I was ADD. My doctor prescribed me Vyvanse. At first, it took me a couple of weeks to find out what worked for me (when to take it, eat first or after, etc.). My grades at the time were horrible, and they went up after I started taking Vyvanse. I have had a few of the side effects (dry mouth, loss of appetite, weight loss, etc.), but this medication helps me focus a lot more."

• Jes...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 24, 2022

For ADHD "I am so happy with Vyvanse. It has been 3 days now, and I see a difference. I am completing tasks, meaning multiple tasks around the house (with 2 kids under 2 years old) and at work (350 Pap smears and biopsies). I am not falling asleep at work either, nor do I drink coffee. The only thing is I am not locked in, laser-focused, but I am still productive and my personality is still Jessica, lol. I think for the next medication refill, I am able to manage a higher dosage, 50 mg or more, because I am not sensitive. My only side effect is dry mouth, and none other, slight appetite suppression. I just stay hydrated, which is awesome. I wish I had started on Vyvanse first, but with all things through trial and error, we learn. This medication is worth every penny! I'm even prepared to pay for my 30-day supply and include it in my monthly budget. When I was on Adderall, the come down made me a zombie and mad irritable. I have also taken modafinil and Strattera together, and it worked but was less effective."

• Ric...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 4, 2016

For ADHD "Ok, I've been on Vyvanse for 3 years now because I've tried all the other amphetamine-based medications: Adderall, Adderall XR, etc. Vyvanse seemed to address my ADHD issues, but it's almost a year since I've lost my appetite, and most days I'll have a KIND bar in the morning, but I take my Vyvanse. It can be 8 a.m. or 11 a.m., and I still haven't been able to eat. It feels like you have the flu, and nothing seems appetizing. I take a multivitamin, B12 complex, as well as iron. I have lost weight after a year of not eating consistently, but I am tired all day, crabby, and my teeth hurt too."

• hap...
• February 6, 2009

For ADHD "My daughter has been on Vyvanse for about 4 weeks. I have seen the difference in grades, work habits at school, and somewhat at home. My only concern is her not eating as much for lunch, but when she gets home she is ready to eat up everything."

• dru...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 17, 2023

For ADHD "Due to a poorly managed pain disorder, I was hospitalized for suicidality at the age of 13. I had a 30-minute conversation with the psychiatrist in the ward, and he diagnosed me with ADHD. He prescribed Vyvanse to be taken the next morning. Almost immediately, I noticed side effects that included a complete loss of appetite and intense anxiety, which I had never experienced before. However, the doctor wouldn't listen to my concerns and insisted that I continue taking it. When I was released from the hospital and returned to school, I felt jittery and restless. My mind was constantly spiraling, and my heart rate would skyrocket. I was a bundle of nerves, and everything seemed hopeless. One day, by accident, I skipped a dose of Vyvanse, and the resulting symptoms were so severe that I had another suicide attempt the next morning. Thankfully, when I saw new doctors, they recognized the issues with Vyvanse and switched me to Concerta, which helped alleviate some of the symptoms. Years later, I still experience anxiety that I know I never struggled with before taking Vyvanse. While Vyvanse may work for some individuals, it is crucial to exercise extreme caution."

• Nee...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 14, 2017

For ADHD "My cousin's son takes this medicine and he is almost 12. They recently increased the dosage to 40 mg. I have doubts on whether he is a better student because he seems to struggle with school regardless of being on the medicine. Apart from school, it seems to have scary side effects - major weight loss, no appetite whatsoever, anti-social behavior, an argumentative attitude that noticeably goes away on the weekends when he is not on the medicine. Is the dosage possibly too much? I wonder if the drug has affected his mental health related to food as well, borderline anorexia? He is less than 80 pounds now, and I want to say something to intervene. Recently, he broke out in sweats at dinner one Friday night with rapid breathing, really scared."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• October 28, 2009

For ADHD "I was originally on Concerta for my ADD and got extremely depressed and almost suicidal. I then switched to Adderall, which I took for 4 years without many problems, until I developed a tolerance to it and my dose got so high that I was getting a bunch of side effects. I tried Strattera, which did absolutely nothing and made me really sleepy. Then I switched to Vyvanse, which worked about the same as the Adderall, but I wasn't as irritable and didn't have the same loss of appetite. However, I did start to develop acne, which I didn't realize until recently was being caused by the Vyvanse. I've also developed a major dependency, if I don't take it, I have trouble doing daily tasks and I'm really tired."

• Anonymous
• October 5, 2009

For ADHD "I used this medication during the last school year, but it didn't help me much. My grades were still failing, and I had no appetite. I was also very depressed. I have been off it for a while now, and my grades have significantly improved compared to what they were."

• cra...
• October 29, 2009

For ADHD "I have been taking Vyvanse 4 mg for a month, and my productivity in my work and school has increased measurably. I have taken several different ADHD medicines through a period of several years, and Vyvanse is by far the most effective. It hasn't caused me any of the side effects caused by most ADHD medicines (paranoia, restlessness, agitation, lack of appetite). Of course, these are just my experiences, but I would recommend Vyvanse to others."

• 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."

• 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."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• November 9, 2009

For ADHD "I'm 29 years old and was diagnosed with ADD when I was about 11 years old. Since that time, I've been on and off a variety of medications from Ritalin, Adderall, and most recently, Vyvanse, which I've been on for a year and am currently taking 70 mg a day. It helps with my alertness and attentiveness, but I have some of the side effects like extremely dry mouth and little, if any, appetite. I am currently working during the day and take graduate classes at night and notice that the medication does not last the entire 12 hours. I've been taking it later in the day so that I'm able to concentrate in class. Since I began taking the medication, I have seen an increase in acne, previously, I had minor occasional breakouts."

• Dar...
• July 11, 2013

For ADHD "I started taking Vyvanse 2 weeks ago, and it has helped with my focus, patience, anxiety, and depression. My doctor tells me I have a mix of ADD/ADHD, so he prescribed me 50 mg. I am worried, though, about all of these side effects I have been hearing about that could happen. The only side effects I have gotten are bruising easily and loss of appetite, in which I force myself to eat because I end up feeling like I will pass out. Other than that, I highly recommend Vyvanse!"