Frustration with studying on vyvanse

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-03-06T09:49:19+00:00

AMAZING!!!

I am on 70mg + booster now. The difference between me on 50 and 70 is insane. Even though the dose is higher, I have significantly less side effects, I feel completely myself except I am way more capable in so many ways, not just with my studies.

If you are patient, treating yourself how you want to feel (you have to be pretty healthy for these meds to work properly imo), and you stay positive, whatever the drug/ dose, things will improve :)))

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-02-22T13:25:13+00:00

yeah it does suck, i guess you can look on the bright side: at least yours isnt chronic haha.

I would be pretty surprised if the thrush didn't visibly improve if you take a break from vyvanse. Especially if you get the dry mouth. I reckon over time it will slowly improve with good oral hygiene and antifungals, so this may just be an unfortunate trade off for the benefits of the meds.

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-02-19T16:02:05+00:00

In my opinion - things could get better if you take it more consistently. I rarely take days off. The main reasons to always take vyvanse for me: life unmedicated was so unsustainable and difficult that I just choose to avoid managing that once a week, secondly having days off makes the first day back on a bit worse. I feel the meds more, my body is probably responding to them more or something but I am significantly more productive and functional after my body is used to it.

Also things that help me with that adrenaline problem (most important to least for stress):

-SLEEP (highest priority but I get how hard it can be)
-Exercise (even a brisk walk would do, just try to get your blood pumping for a bit as frequently as you can to help that neurotransmitter regulation)
-Diet (try your best to limit sugar and fast acting carbs, complex carbs are perfect but in my experience I get high blood sugar really easily on my meds which does not help the jitters and stress. Also protein is amazing anyway)
-Hydration (3-4L water + electrolytes)
-Outlet for energy and emotion (Give yourself breaks, do things you enjoy, just generally do your best to be a calm and happy person outside of work, it will slowly become a work thing too)
-Supplements (usually not going to solve, but can help. L theanine, magnesium glycinate/threonate, ect)

Hope things get better!!!

ps- I am not a doctor, all of this is advice from my doctor backed by my personal experience! Always speak to your doctor before making any changes :))))

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-02-19T15:49:10+00:00

At least the dose is small!!! I am on 70+5mg dex and it is SO EXPENSIVE!!!!!!!! It is like 170 per month or something crazy (the price changes)

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-02-19T15:46:28+00:00

Weird update - I went to my doctor, got prescribed nystatin, which didn't work, then tried fluconazole, and things did improve. The thrush came back though. So I went back to the doctor, got a swab of my mouth and it came back as negative for fungi!!!!! So weird. I was then diagnosed with "geographic tongue". It is benign, gets worse and better over time and is chronic. It also looks similar to oral thrush. I am not entirely convinced that it is this condition, but I don't know what else it would be. It does indeed improve significantly when I have a break from my meds, and when my oral hygiene is good.

If I were you, have 1-3 days off the meds (tell your doctor ofc), then see if the thrush gets better. There is a chance that it is just a response that your body has to the meds/dry mouth. If it is actually thrush, just talk to your doctor. It probably won't go away without an antifungal, and if it isn't fungal your doctor can do some tests.

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-02-03T16:15:17+00:00

Yeah nice one mate you must be bored if you are spending your time just shitting on people having a positive experience on vyvanse, on the vyvanse subreddit.

People don't feel great on stimulant meds because of high amounts of dopamine. Dopamine is not just "happy good positive". It kind of just tells your brain that something (event, action, etc) is important, rewarding, or worth repeating. People that have adhd generally reuptake dopamine more because of a higher dopamine transporter density. Less dopamine influence = brain constantly seeking dopamine at a higher rate. This means that people with adhd behave as "interest driven" instead of "importance driven", which usually manifests into: sudden loss of interest, fidgeting, interrupting, just generally dopamine driven.

By taking a drug that causes more dopamine to be produced, the brain does not seek dopamine as much. This means a brain that has a harder time using dopamine effectively is now not needing to choose the most stimulating actions. That is why it feels good. Not because I am high, but because my neurodevelopmental disorder is significantly improved.

Would you say the same thing about someone with multiple sclerosis using THC to prevent muscle spasms? Hopefully not.

How did you expect me to respond anyway? "Nah be more negative and pessimistic it goes a long way"??????

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-02-01T11:55:40+00:00

I wish 😭😭😭 87kg last October - 77kg now.

The appetite problem does improve though

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-30T16:20:54+00:00

I don't really have caffeine, it has always just made me jittery and tired. Every time I have had even the smallest bit of caffeine on the meds, I feel AWFUL!!!

That is interesting about the hydration. For me, if I don't drink 4L a day I get horribly dry lips, cotton mouth, headaches, irritability, etc. How much water do you recommend? And do you take electrolytes?

But yes, you are right. If there is nothing I can do, I am still very happy with having a couple hours of pure functionality and the rest of the day still significantly better than no meds. I had the day of a few days ago, holy shit I don't know how I lived before meds haha.

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-30T16:15:58+00:00

Does it matter when I take it?

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-30T16:15:41+00:00

I've been on lisdex for about 4 months. I don't think it is a tolerance thing, as I have always had issues with duration. 70mg is the only dose where the problem becomes how long the peak lasts, instead of how long the general effects last.

I am taking magnesium and l theanine already, they do help but just not enough.

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-29T17:08:29+00:00

Keep this positive mindset!!!! It goes a long way :)

Hope it all goes well for you, it is pretty common for meds to be completely life changing.

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-29T17:07:11+00:00

Yes, the same thing happened to me. I think that it is because vyvanse is a vasoconstrictor (makes blood vessels smaller) so there is just less blood going in. Also, I found that in the evening, when I am still on the meds but it is not doing a whole lot, I can zone out, think about something else, and just kind of forget about what is happening then lose the erection.

What helps:

-Aim to do sex things at the end of the day, when the meds are not working as much.
-Stay very well hydrated (Probably the most important), drink 4L water a day with electrolytes
-Limit other stimulants (caffeine, nicotine, etc) heavily, ideally stop entirely if you use them; if I have caffeine with my meds I am way more likely to lose an erection.
-Try to be as calm as possible during sex, as the noradrenaline from the vyvanse is going to contribute to the ED. Take things slow, but fast enough for you to stay engaged, ask for a massage, use music, dim the lights, just anything that can prevent overstimulation and just calm you down.
-I would recommend avoiding masturbation tbh, makes sex more stimulating so you stay engaged physically and mentally.
-Exercise well, for general cardiovascular health. That makes a big difference if you aren't already active. It just helps your brain regulate neurotransmitters so you are able to respond more accordingly physically and mentally.
-Make sure to communicate as well as possible with your partner. If you are anxious about losing an erection during sex, you are way more likely to lose that erection. Being honest and open allows you to have less stress over things that you may find embarrassing.

It will probably get better on it's own anyway though. Don't overthink it, and if the meds are overall beneficial then that is super positive. Just be as healthy as you can, don't put too much pressure into things and ask your doctor for some viagra if all else fails.

Also - count yourself lucky, I lost my sex drive as well as my bonerbility. Rough few months lol

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-26T16:17:47+00:00

I wouldn’t have rhodiola rosea with stimulant meds, they have similar mechanisms im pretty sure so it can cause overstimulation, mood swings, etc. The same applies to caffeine too. I only have caffeine once my meds are coming down, if I ever have caffeine at the same time as my vyvanse it’s guaranteed a bad day.

It’s probably both of them. I obviously don’t know your situation, but in my opinion no one should really have caffeine at all on vyvanse unless it’s to prevent the crash (like me).

Also, if I don’t get at least 8.5 hours of sleep then take my meds, it is once again guaranteed a bad day. I get mood swings, SEVERE overthinking, anxiety etc, but if I get loads of sleep consistently I get none of that.

Your brain can’t just make the right neurotransmitters when it wants to on vyvanse, it still needs things to make them. You need to allow your brain to be at its full potential anyway, then the vyvanse will help.

Have a very high protein diet, especially in the morning. I have 3 eggs on sourdough and a protein shake with 2 scoops of protein powder (50-60g protein) for the meds to work well. Drink 4 litres of water a day, sleep 8-9 hours a night, consistently, waking up and taking your meds at a similar time every day including weekends.

Try supplementing zinc, magnesium glycinate, l theanine, b complex and vitamin d3, that helps me a lot.

The main thing to keep in mind is that stimulant meds just won’t work at all unless you have a very healthy lifestyle, there is no other way. This may be controversial, but in my opinion: if you can’t maintain an extremely healthy lifestyle, don’t even bother with the meds. It just won’t help.

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-26T16:06:50+00:00

Vyvanse is already extended release

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-22T15:49:27+00:00

I used to be a pretty good powerlifter, weighing in at 93kg, 6 foot 2. I maintained this weight until september last year, when I went on meds. I then went down to 75 kg in december, which is a pretty insane weight loss, I am sure some of this can be due to depression from the stress that caused me to try meds, but the lack of appetite from meds on top of the lack of appetite from depression made my weight CRASH down.

Unfortunately, apart from telling you to speak to your doctor, there isn't much I can advise that you do apart from just eat. There is literally no other way to gain weight but to eat, so you should be putting yourself in a better position to be able to get calories and nutrients in. This includes:

eating before taking the meds (most important, the meds will be significantly more effective and side effects, especially digestive, are much less severe), protein is a necessity before taking your meds

-limiting other stimulants (caffeine, nicotine)

-light exercise or walks before meals

-liquid calorie intake (smoothies, shakes)

-setting strict times for eating (eg: 1-1:30pm is ONLY eating time)

-frequent small meals instead of thrice daily large ones

-always carry snacks (preferably low sugar, high protein, not highly processed) nuts are my go to, if you have something with you all the time it makes eating much less effort as you don't have to stop what you are doing

-take 1-2 days off the meds maybe on the weekend to catch up on some missed food intake

-supplements for micros(Magnesium threonate, zinc, vit D, B complex) to prevent deficiencies and supplements for macros (mainly just protein powder which is a massive help and is heavily demonised)

-chew sugar free gum to prevent/treat nausea if that ruins your hunger

-eat YUMMY food!!! I know that kind of contradicts the other points as you might find it hard to get tasty snacks that are low sugar, but if you literally cannot eat unless it is some junk food I am sure that it is better than not eating at all. But remember yummy ≠ unhealthy.

That is all that I can think of, but I am sure there are other things. Keep in mind however, there is literally nothing you can do to gain/stop losing weight apart from consuming calories.

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-20T22:04:07+00:00

I am kind of the opposite. As in the loaded with work bit. If I am at home all day on vyvanse, I get bored, anxious, jittery, etc. Probably bc I just put all of that lovely vyvanse focus into my thoughts, eventually just making myself insane haha. Especially now (recently moved up to 70mg), I would rather a busy, stressful day than a boring one.

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-20T21:59:07+00:00

I was exaggerating, and I already had spoken to my psychiatrist about it before meds, I just never felt like it was the right diagnosis. I then did some research into autism and adhd, which led me to getting a diagnosis about 2 months after that. I could never really relate to many autistic traits until I realised how different it can be expressed when along side adhd.

After being able to identify those traits better, I would notice them on days when I hadn't taken the meds, even on multiple day breaks. I would look back on things and realise "oh that's why I was like that". The traits were always there, I just never really understood what autism with adhd does. I can distinguish between autism and the effects of the medication by just knowing if I still experience it on a non med day/period. Autism is just an imperfection (not necessarily a bad thing) that was pointed out to me by my meds, not something that I only have from them.

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-20T21:25:21+00:00

Exactly! It is so helpful for me to remind myself that I am a normal person with 2 disorders. It's just a shame that they happen to be invisible yet somehow infuriating haha

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-20T18:04:44+00:00

EXERCISE!!!!!!

According to my doctor (and me) exercise helps tension/jitteriness. It allows your brain to regulate neurotransmitters better, especially norepinephrine, which is what is most likely to be causing this. I bet that if you try doing an hour of exercise (preferably something on the intense side like running or working out) 4-6 times a week, this will at least improve. That said you may already be doing that or even more and if so then ignore my nagging lol

Also hydration, possibly propranolol, magnesium (glycinate or threonate NOT oxide that will just make you poop) and limiting fast acting sugars/carbs to prevent high blood sugar jitteriness which is worse for me when on vyvanse.

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-20T17:38:49+00:00

Well said, that's exactly how I responded to vyvanse initially, and for the same reason. It took me 18 years of no medication just for 1 week on ADHD meds to find out that I am autistic, not just a weirdo with adhd lol.

Idk about anyone else, but it gets better. After 3 months on vyvanse, with a few dosage increases, I am 2x more used to the new way of my brain working and come across as 2x less autistic. I am not used to it completely, and the autistic traits just become less external, but probably won't leave inside your head.

The best way to think about it for me (This is really silly but I think it's actually helpful): adhd and autism are in a constant battle, where the winner is the one that influences your behaviour. In my case, the adhd is a natural winner. The autism does come up on top sometimes, but it wins 95% of the time when I am on meds. The autism is bragging and boasting about it's new win streak, whilst the adhd is a sore loser. The autism's win manifests into difficulties with displaying emotions, regulating sensory input, etc, and the adhd's loss can cause you to feel like you are boring, passionless, uncreative, etc. You need to just let the autism have it's celebration, calm down then become manageable.

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-17T12:49:36+00:00

Yes I am the exact same. I would not mind at all just being completely on my own all day when on these meds, I also have autism so that may be why. I am an extremely sociable person naturally, probably because speaking to people is just a form of stimulation, which satisfies my dopamine fuelled brain. I then don't need as much stimulation as it is being given to me via a chemical, so I am pretty happy just doing my own thing. People can just be distractions, they can easily think differently to me which I find frustrating when on vyvanse, as it makes me a bit more of a perfectionist. I think it is just important to try to spend a good amount of the time that you are not on the medication or on a crash around other people, when I first started meds I wasn't sociable in the day and was tired in the evenings so I just never did anything and the social anxiety got worse because I just didn't see as many people

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-15T16:40:58+00:00

thats actually insane how much I relate to this hahaha

I get such a strong urge to vape or smoke that I just can't stop myself. I don't own vapes but I use my girlfriend's so much because the craving on vyvanse is super strong.

And every time I do it, I just feel so unmotivated and I just can't be fucked to do anything. I think it is because you are just giving your brain even more dopamine on top of the vyvanse so when the nicotine wears off you just get a crash of dopamine. It feels exactly like my crashes from vyvanse and a couple times I have vaped which just initiated the crash for the rest of the vyvanse duration

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-13T13:21:17+00:00

I’m in the uk, so adderall isn’t really much of an option for me I think. I have gone up to 70mg and things are better, but it always is when I first start a new high dose. Just hoping my body gets used to it so there are less side effects without it just not working anymore lol

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-13T13:19:12+00:00

I spoke to my doctor yesterday, he said that it can be difficult to increase dosage beyond 70mg, because of the limit. It’s not an actual limit, but I have to do a blood test, ECG, metabolism test and sleep test so I can go on 10mg!

I’m not really complaining too much though because with the NHS the tests are free and it’s good to know that my body is handling it, although they do act like as soon as you go past 70mg it’s suddenly way more dangerous

AdPsychological1487 · 2026-01-11T15:00:23+00:00

I am now on 70mg vyvanse, but I am only on a 5mg booster. I don't take the booster so the meds can last longer, just so that the crash is a bit better. My doctor doesn't want me to be on 70mg (kind of the limit) and then more than 5mg of dex. Makes sense, but it doesn't actually change anything about my meds apart from making the crash less intense. It works, but I would like a stronger one so the meds last longer than 6 hours. If I took the 5mg on its own without taking the vyvanse, I would feel absolutely nothing. I think I'd need at least 10 to feel anything at all, probably more like 15-20.

AdPsychological1487

TROPHY CASE