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little_eeyore77 said: My son started Vyvanse a couple of months ago. It is working wonders with the ADHD, but he has developed a host of tics since he started taking it. First it was problems with his eyes (blinking, squinting, etc). Now he is constantly clearing his throat and making jerking type movements. The Dr. swears that it is common for kids with ADHD to have tic disorders, but he never had one before. The Dr. is also sure it is not the Vyvanse causing it. If it wasn't working so well for the ADHD I'd pull it immediately, but he's doing SO much better. Anyone else having problems w/ Vyvanse and tics?

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This is some dangerous stuff. My daughter has developed pulling out her hair and causing bald spots. She also picked her eye lashes and brows. Took her off. She started doing poorly in school. She took the meds again without my wife and I noticing and the hair pulling came bac. Hid the meds from her. Be careful with this stuff.

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My son is 11 and has been taking Vyvanse for about a year (he was previously on Focalin XR). He has always had very mild tics while on stimulants but in the last 8 months they have become pretty severe. Our doctor put him on Clondine and we have not noticed much change with his tics. We lowered his Vyvanse dose to 20mg thinking that it might help to have a lower dose to manage his tics. The tics have been out of control lately. I can't help but wonder if lowering the dose of Vyvanse has actually made the tics worse? We are at our wits end and I desperately need advice. My son does very well on stimulants for management of his adhd but the tics are getting very bothersome and I worry about kids making fun of him. It seems we have spent the last 8 months trying to manage the tic problem and so far nothing seems to be working, they seem to be getting worse instead. Has anyone had any experience with this?

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My son also developed a tic suddenly. He has constant hand movements. Our pediatrician says it will go away on it's own. But reading these reports, I don't think it will. He is only 6 1/2 and very small for his age. I am worried that the tic will become permanent if we don't stop giving him the medication. I told the doctor and the schools that I will refuse to medicate him for a side effect of a medication. They may think I'm crazy, but I think they are crazy to want to introduce another medication which brings with it another long list of possible side effects. He has been on the medication for about 6 weeks and it made a big difference for him at school. He does NOT have the hyperactivity component, just the ADD. He has never had a tic before and it's so horrible to watch him. There must be a better way!

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My daughter started on Vyvanse almost 2 yrs ago at age 14. Her doctor increased her dose over time up to 70MG. I DON"T RECCOMEND. She developed severe issues with an eating disorder, was violent, would stay up all night, was obsessed with cleaning her room (not good at 2am), had some wild stuff going on in her brain. Took her off it and went to Concerta. She had the same issues. I then slowly took her off EVRYTHING. It was a nightmare. Of course her ADD was still there so we tried Intuniv. It did nothing but put her to sleep in every class (Freshman in HS). So we went back to Vyvanse and also kept the intuniv. Vyvanse is at 30MG and Intuniv is at level 4. She is also on Zoloft. I am thinking that her Vyvanse needs to be upped to the next step, maybe the Intuniv decreased. My advice is to go SLOW with Vyvanse in any kid under 18. Maybe add a downer like Intuniv or another non-stimulant. Vyvanse works well but you have to carefully watch your kid for a change in personality. I myself am on 30MG of Vyvanse and I LOVE it. My life has changed for the better.

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Hi my name is Darius and I'm a 15 year old male. I've taken Vyvanse for a year and a half and I feel dissatified for lot of reasons. At first the drug was good my grades went up and I noticed that i was able to focus and pay attention to things better. But after a while I begin to get these embarrassing side effects at first i didn't know much about these effects i was getting so i kept taking the drug. Then I did some research and found out that Vyvanse causes many side effects including the ones that i were having which are nervous tics of the neck and eye twitching. So I continued to keep taking the drug because i found out that nervous ticks can stop/end in a way if not stressed and eye twitching can stop if i get enough sleep. Even though I wasn't really stressed at all i continued i continued to have the neck tics. Next I told my mom and she called the doctors office, talked to a nurse, who contacted my doctor, and then she called back and said it was okay for me to stop taking the drug Vyvanse. (BTW) I either take the dosage 20 or 30. My side effects still happen even after I stopped taking the drug can someone SOS me because I've noticed even we i think about something it will just happen the nervous tics of the neck contact me at vanndarius@ymail.com

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im 16 ive been on this for about 8 months i did really well in school with it but the side affects of it are horrible but i cant stop taking it i feel like i NEED it. the first thing i do when i wake up is go and take the pill. -i have lost about 25 to 30 pounds -i use to have very very thick hair now its super thin -if i move to quick and sometimes just randomly when im moving i feel like im gonna black out or faint or something (every thing starts to turn black and i feel super week) -i rather stay home then go anywhere most of the time -i feel depressed -i have majooorrrrrrr mood swings at times -i feel week and its hard to breathe sometimes -i feel tiered but cant sleep and when i do sleep sometimes its not for long -head aches everyday at one point -stomach aches But even though i have all these problems i dont wanna say anything about them to anyone cause i like how the pill makes me feel at the same time. i feel smarter witch i would never have dreamed would happen in my life always being the dumb one who copied 99.9% of my life. these last couple months i have felt either really good or really bad no in between. i have tried other medications before this one they helped a little but had really bad side effects from the start(facolin adderal and a couple others(idk if i spelled those right :P)). if u are thinking about taking add medication i honestly wouldnt its so addicting you ignore the bad things that are happening to you....

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so i haven been on concerta very long, and my doctor started me out on 18mg, i hate it, i feel no different on this medication, i want to switch to vyvance, cause some of my friends take it, and they have great results with it, also school is starting soon and i want to have my adhd under control when i go back. so how do i get my doctor to switch me to vyvance? please help.

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Parents please be encouraged.

I am a 50 year old dad with a gifted mind. Graduated from a Big Ten school and secured an MBA from a Top 5 school.

That said, being a student was an awful experience, especially non-recreational reading. Prior to medication, in order to maintain focus while reading I would literally punch my thigh if my mind wandered from the topic within a page. I rolled buttons in my mouth to provide physical relief to the mental anxiety brought about by non recreational reading.

That quick summary comes only after beginning concerta 4 years ago. 72 mg per day, 36 early AM and 36 late AM. A more effective me was created. Prior to meds I self medicated, somewhat and arguably effectively with lots of caffeine.

Unfortunately over time, with the concerta, I came to understand the "come down" at end of day was really unpleasant. As the med wore off, all of the days stresses and unfinished deadlines seemed to physically grab me, each seeking completion in the moment. More on that later. My response was to have a drink. Truly just one or two. That was fine in the moment but the recurring pattern caused me to question the source of the habit and so I stopped it. The resulting 3 weeks was truly unpleasant. Especially since I am the first responder with our 4 children, 9, 11, 15 & 16. Their post school schedules are enough to frustrate two non-ADD parents, let alone this ADDult.

Regarding TICs, I'd invite you parents with ADD to read about Dabrowski's overexcitability syndrome. Dabrowski theorized and observed, some humans have a more than significant connection between physical activity being linked with mental and emotional stimulation. Get us thinkjing and we have to move. Tell us to think and sit still....you want me to do what?

Now take that perspective and translate it from interpersonnel interaction, ADD with outside world, to intrapersonal interaction-inner dialogues, us ADD's within ourselves. This is my personal experience with Tic's and end of day tourette like verbalizations. What you call tic's were simply my inner dialogues leaking to the outside world. I would shake my head to free myself from the perceived physical grip of a "deadline". Perhaps your little one's with Tics are revealing inner dialogues? Maybe something on TV or physically nearby triggered an inner vision or projection, e.g. a truck drives by and they imagine it in an accident, that trauma impacts them and they shudder. Maybe ask them. "What are you thinking about? Were you just thinking about?" etc. You're a parent. Have you ever seen your child near a ledge? or too close to a street? or near the top of the steps? You lunge, retrieve your child and possibly shake for a few moments as you inner dialogue the negative outcomes averted? Perhaps I can say welcome to our world. While it requires a significant trauma to physically stimulate you. Many thoughts, many less traumatic by the outside's world stimulate physical reactions and the desire for us to move. Please know my summary will partially fit for some of your offspring and not for others. A wise man once pulled of his glasses and handed them to me. He said, "these help me see better they'll work for you." Just about everyone can relate to the inaccuracy of that statement. Eye glasses are truly variable and personal in their creation. Please know the same is true for sculting the med prescription for your child.

My 3 week journey through end of day TIC ville was unpleasant enough to mention it to my doctor. He recommended Vyvanse. 14 days and counting. Tic's gone, far more "accessible' to those around me. This new me leaves me able to contrast my inner thoughts with Concerta and the post switch, modality. Here are some observations for the outside world.

My personal coping mechanism was to attempt to leap from task to task quickly enough to race through my days. Unfortunately, if I couldn't foresee the tasks completion it self selected out of my day's work. Short term work on long term tasks were left undone and my work suffered. For me Concerta exacerbated that cycle. I did more short term completions, was presented with more long term opportunities, and left more of those undone, which lead to more deadline anxieties as the undones outpaced the short term dones. These undones, were what "rendered" me physically at end of day.

I recently desribed my inner world as managing the starting gates of the Kentucky derby x's 5. Each task, and each of its myriad sub-tasks is a riderless horse in the starting gate. Each is bursting to come out and be completed. I know if I let one out, 3-6 gates open and those horses follow the one I selected. So I'm torn between riding the optimal one, co riding 2, and forcing three back into the gate. Concerta afforded me the dilusion I could do this. And in some degree of accuracy it worked, but with negative outcomes as well.

Each request is seen in my head from the moment of request or inception. You say feed the kids breakfast, my mind spins from cabinet, to fridge, to stove, to sink, to drawer, to dishwasher and I either move or opt out. Changes of path were unwelcome so I micromanged compliance with the kids. "here's the routine, let's not digress." This became less effective as they grew. I bore the disconnect. I became less accessible to my more "feeling" children.

Attention Deficit is truly a tongue in cheek mis-label. We don't have attention deficit we have Volitional Deficit. (Unfortunately that acronyn is taken so I'll contract to v-def.) In some respects, we aren't deficient in attention, we pay attention to every thing! The sounds, sights, stories, back stories, etc. We simply don't have the volitional control to self select what interests us most. Our world is Direct TV's 735 channels and we dance on the remote for the next engaging show, inner or outer world. Not effective from a task list perspective, but it is our world, and in some respects enjoyable. We see more of the world than single minded people and can make connections sooner because you haven't been there and back as many times. One colleague once persisted in telling me "You think too much!" He said this repeatedly for about 6 months. One day I replied, "you breath too much" he replied "I can't help it. I have to." I replied..."there you go." I never heard it again.

As I matured to 50, I started unmasking my inner self and simply learned to self select to venues that rewarded my fast moving attention. I left corporate america because 50 minute meetings that slowly revealed conclusions I had in the first 5 minutes were torturous. School may be similar for some of your offspring. Find the right garden for them to blossom, don't box them in the typical k-12 scenario, no disrespect to same. It works for so many, but is torture for us.

As you can tell many topics and perspectives leak or pour out. This may be a foreshadowing of life with your adult child?

With respect to the Vyvanse, I find I'm more patient with others and can work on longer tasks, it has quieted the horses in their gates. Frankly some even graze waiting for me to call. Physically, it has allowed far better and deeper sleep. It has significantly altered my taste for alchohol. I was historically, through college and there after a chronic to occasional binge drinker. The other night I reached for nice merlot to accompany lasagna, it was bitter and chemically unpleasant. I poured out the bottle. I attended a college football game, walking through miles of tail gaters. Not only did I not have but didn't even desire a beer. Wayyyy not like me..even on the concerta.

I am also finding my caffeine habits, 4-7 cups per morning, are unwelcome as they combine with the Vyvanse and result in stomach upset, gerd like throat discomfort and some breathing hypertension. Decrease the caffeine and these maladies subside.

This is a long post. It is intended to help you gain some hopefilled inner window of the world inside your ADD offspring. We're okay in here, we frustrate you alot. ( My elementary school report cards were full of "DADD can't stay in his seat." and "talks with those nearby too much" That was the 70's. ;-)

By the way, here's the kicker. My oldest is ADD. Even with my insights he's really frustrating. Whoops gotta run. I shoulda checked in with the office 90 minutes ago, but I gave priority to sharing with you and now my 15 year old just texted me I need to pick her up for her ortho appointment.

My oldest and I have coined our own motto. When we have a failing, ADD related we sigh and share. "It's not easy being us....but it is still good." For those of you around us. It isn't easy. But ultimately you can still share the later observation..."it is good."

Keep probing, find what works. I leave you with an encouraging phrase I developed. "Almost all good ideas arrive hiding behind a bad idea."

Maybe Vyvanse is the answer, but maybe it's less? Maybe if metabolized too quickly, lower the dose and take two to span the day? Hard to say.

Be assured we really enjoy the world, and often strive to enjoy more of the shared world you offer.

In time and with patience and lot's of a parent's love, the right balance for all can be found. Keep looking. Keep loving.

DADD

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I am the mother of 4 boy's in which 3 have adhd... They have been on many medications but recently my 8 year old was put on Vyvanse he has been taking it for the last 6 month's and his attitude is awful and he has developed three different tic's on the med's which were getting worse so we decided to try something else . Well now he is on clonadine . This med lower's the blood pressure and is supposed to calm down the attitude and also help him to focus without being so anti social... In the last two day's of stopping the Vyvanse cold turkey my child has been having horrible headache's and stomach pain and very very bad mood swing's like his body is in detox mode !! I am to the point that I am considering taking him off med's in general and letting him be himself . This hurt's as a parent to not know what to do next!!!??? All I know is I love my children with everything that I have but yet I do not believe there are enough studies that show an adhd med that doesn't have short and long term side effect's and also there need's to be a specific mandatory program at school to help children suffering from add and adhd!! And not just an IEP !!!

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My eight year old was first experiencing hand flaps like flapping them very fast when he was nervous or excited . Then he started these very weird neck popping tic's that he would do even more then it resorted to the eye blinking that were extremely bad. All within 6 month's of taking Vyvanse 40 mg.

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