Yes, I believe that our son is not doing well on this new "miracle drug," either. He is 13 years old and is on the maximum dosage. His ability to focus has diminished significantly, and his short-term memory is non-existant. He sleeps less, which is also affecting his memory, mood, and attitudes. He is also, in my opinion, more irritable and emotionally labile. He was on Concerta before, and I will be discussing the other options available with his doctor at the next visit.

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karisha said: Yes, I believe that our son is not doing well on this new "miracle drug," either. He is 13 years old and is on the maximum dosage. His ability to focus has diminished significantly, and his short-term memory is non-existant. He sleeps less, which is also affecting his memory, mood, and attitudes. He is also, in my opinion, more irritable and emotionally labile. He was on Concerta before, and I will be discussing the other options available with his doctor at the next visit.

Well, I am no expert, but my ds is 14, was dxed over the summer, and started with Concerta. It didn't seem good for him at all with stomach problems and lack of appetite, not to mention zombie like behavior. So we tried Vyvanse. At first it seemed really smooth and helpful. But as time went on and he had a few increases of dosage, he became very negative, hda bad rebound, and couldn't remember much of anything he had learned or been told to do in class. He got angry with the whole thing and refused to take meds anymore!

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My son's dad and I decided today that our son is not getting Vyvanse tomorrow. He's been on it for approx 6 weeks, has had a dosage increase already, and not only is it not helping him in school, but in just the past 3 days or so he's developed tics, severe mood swings, horrible temper tantrums ranging from mild to full-blown meltdowns, severe loss of appetite, racing thoughts and actions - his hands looks like they're moving 50 mph - close to an hour to get to sleep, and other side effects. He said he feels sad, nervous, and jittery. He's a totally different child than he was 6 weeks ago, and I want my little boy back!

Calling the doc in the morning!

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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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My 9 yr old son has been taking vyvanse for about a month and 1/2. It is the first drug of a long list that has done any good. He is doing better in school, is listening and following rules at home, even enforcing the rules with his little brother. He loves to color and write, something he never has liked. He is doing things without being asked. HOWEVER he is constantly, non-stop chewing his finger nails. The poor little guy has chewed them down to nubs. He also has the eye twitching and lately clearing his throat that others have mentioned. His appetite is deminished, but that has been with every drug we have tried. I have decided to take him off of the drug until our next Dr. appt. Pretty much have figured out we have to figure out a different way to handle things, not medication. Anyone have any success stories there?

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My just-turned 12-year-old son had a miserable 5-day experience with Concerta (crying and hiding under the desk at school); switched to Adderall, with increasing doses for two years until he said it stopped working. We tried 30 mg Vyvanse and he's now getting honor roll grades, falling asleep and staying asleep, and his appetite is much better. He's still on the initial dose and it's working great six months later. He had a lot of throat-clearing with Adderall, but none to speak of right now.

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My son has been on Concerta just about 2-years with success. We definitely went through the appetite issues and insomnia, but they did clear up at the 4-6 month point. We have increased his dose, without any return of those side effects, although we are still below the recommended for his weight because we supplement with neurotherapy. I do see some benefit to what I've read here about daily exercise. It seems to help burn off the excess energy from the meds to allow them to fall back into a more normal sleep and appetite pattern. And, when my son gets moody, I always suggest the same thing that relaxes me, a nice shower and maybe a few minutes alone. It doesn't always work, but alteast it removes him from whatever is stressing him out.

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we switched from adderall xr to vyvanse 50mg. it helped him with the impulsivity. His appetite came back slightly until we increased the dose to 70 mg. He has started picking at his lip and constantly wiping the corners of his mouth. I have actually been giving him drug holidays when we have nowhere to be. He eats like a horse on those days and sleeps very good. Vyvanse has helped him in school but I am choosing not to give it to him this summer unless we have to be somewhere like church or camp!

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We have 4 adopted children with ADD/ADHD. Three were switched from Adderal to Vyvanse with really good results. We wish we could put the 14 yr old on it but Vyvanse is not approved for children over 13 (not sure how the mother with the 14 yr old is getting it but would like to know). Kids haven't developed any tics or behaviors they didn't have previously. I can't say there's been any change at all, actually, other than the Vyvanse is longer lasting so they don't have to take ADD meds as often. We do still need to give them a small dosage of Adderal after school, however.

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Our 8 year old (now 9) had been taking Adderall for 2 years, increasing the dosage regularly until it no longer worked. Always in trouble at school. We switched to 30 mg of Vyvanse 3 months ago, and had to increase to 50mg within 2 weeks. Since that increase the behavior has improved dramatically. No more notes from school. In fact, he scored at the top level on standardized math & reading tests! We also continue to work with a psychologist with behavior therapy which has helped tremendously. Our goal, of course, is to have our son be medication free some day! Good luck everybody!

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