Each child will be affected differently by medications. So it is difficult to say exactly when the side effects will subside.

You might find this article about dealing with the side effects of ADHD medications helpful. It offers useful ideas on how to control some common side effects.

Say No to Side Effects

I hope this helps. Dena

Quote

I will read the article...

Quote

Hello, I have a lovely little girl that is getting ready to turn 8. She has been placed on 20mgs on Vyvanse and has been on it for 5 days now. I am not seeing very little difference. I do see a slight change but she is stil throwing major tantrums, not focusing and out of control. I am ready to call the Dr. to have her meds increased but do I need to wait a little longer?

Quote

It sounds like you need to make a call, but I don't know for sure. From what I've learned about Vyvanse, one of the benefits of the class of drugs it is in is that it gets into your system quickly so you know if it is working without having to wait for it to build up like some other meds. The first day my son took it we could tell a major, major difference in 45 minutes. He is also on 20mg. It was like someone flipped a switch. What we have had to work through is dealing with the side effects, which have improved but are not where we would like them to be yet. There are some sleep issues when it comes to falling asleep. My son was a classic 7pm - 6am sleeper and would all asleep within minutes of being tucked in. There have been a couple of nights where it's taken him until 10:45 and even as late as 11:45 to fall asleep. On a good night it's still 8 or 8:15, which doesn't seem late but his wake time is the same so he is buildin up a sleep deprivation that concerns us a little bit. His appetite has been affected as well. It's nothing alarming yet but we are watching it closely. The most disturbing side effect has been that it makes him very emotional and easily distraught. Simple tasks can upset him. He has had an instance or two where he has been very confused, which breaks my heart. Our pediatrician begged us to try it a bit longer and we have seen improvement. I'm also exploring nonmedicinal treatments as well. I have heard that a diet free of high fructose corn syrup and food dyes helps immensely with attention disorders. Good luck...it's a long hard road!

Quote

My son is six, and started on 20 mg of Vyvanse last October. The first couple of days were rough. He was very emotionally volatile, going from normal to raging in anger to sobbing in frustration back to normal again, over and over and over. Thankfully, for us that only lasted a couple of days. The only other side effect we've really seen is a loss of appetite, and that comes and goes. He may go two or three days without eating a proper meal, which worries me because he used to eat everything that wasn't tied down. But his weight loss has leveled off, and I reckon he'll eat when he gets hungry. He was never a good sleeper, so I can't necessarily attribute his difficulty going to sleep to the Vyvanse. We moved up to 30 mg after a couple of months when he was still having problems focusing in school and still getting into trouble for not following directions, not listening, etc. I didn't see any additional side effects when we increased the dose.

Lisa

Quote

My 6-year-old was recently diagnosed with ADHD (in Kindergarten - constantly in ISS, kicked off bus for 3 days , talking too much and not listening) and was put on Vyvanse 20 mg. The school could tell a difference right away (but it never lasted for 12 hours, so we never saw it). After he'd been on it a week, the school said his behavior was getting more impulsive again. Both at school and at home, he was moodier. The doctor had us stay on the medication for a month to see if the side effects went away. After a month, the doctor raised his dose to 30 mg. The school saw an immediate difference - he brought a note home from his gym coach praising him and he didn't get in trouble at all in school. He is still moody - mostly because he is so hard on himself and is constantly saying he is not a good boy and that he can't do anything. This attitude is much worse than when he isn't on medication. He's now been on the 30 mg Vyvanse for 2 months, and after the first month, he started to display his previous behavior again. Since we typically don't give him medication on weekends, we are going to try giving him the medication every day this month (although I would rather deal with his constant talking and not listening than him talking so bad about himself). It almost seems like he gets "immune" to his medication after a while. I don't know if this is typical or if we need to try something else...

Quote

My 6 year old boy has been on Vyvanse for about 6 months....I don't really think the dose matters in that each child is different and some clearly need more or less than others. We had tried concerta and had MAJOR sleep and eating issues, which are nonexistent on Vyvanse. Our major issues have been morning routine, which is terrible until the hour is up that it takes for the medication to kick in. He is still oppositional and challenging but not nearly as much and it lasts until around 4 pm or about 9 hours, at which point it starts to wane. When we first started, it acted ALOT longer and I wish it still did. We are dealing mostly with ODD type of behaviors now and I try to just get through day by day.

I strongly believe that their bodies develop a tolerance such that they can metabolize the drug better over time....I am hoping that this is now evened out 6 months into it since it still seems to have the same effect every day now. I know I can up the dose to supposedly get a longer effect, but I find he becomes more OCD and labile and it really seems to still last about the same amount of time. I am starting to believe it should be considered a twice daily drug to be honest. That being said, he does fairly well while on it (only suspended once from preschool). I have lowered my expectations though.

Quote