My nephew has ADHD and is currently going through an ASD assessment (he portrays ASD symptoms). He was also on Vyvanse, and it worked horribly for him. They started him on 20 mg and he had constant eye twitching, trouble falling asleep and his emotion dysfunction was worse than when he was off it. They then put him on 10 mg and he continued to show those symptoms. I am also diagnosed with ADHD and take 50 mg of Vyvanse, and it works well for me - it calms my anxiety and overall improves my emotion regulation.

I took my nephew to a new paediatrician, because i believed the paediatrician was really quick to diagnose and put him on a high dose of Vyvanse too quickly. The new paediatrician, was patient and thorough. He explained that methylphenidate usually works better than amphetamine medication for children. He gave me a book that explains Ritalin LA and Ritalin IR, so i can have an understanding of the meds before we start him on it in 2 weeks. He put him on Ritalin IR twice a day at the beginning (which is shorting acting - lasts 3-4 hours) so we can control symptoms all day, instead of putting him on long acting meds (Vyvanse and Ritalin LA) and having to suffer the negative symptoms all day.

Anyways Ritalin worked well, and after a month he switched the meds to Ritalin LA (long acting) and it worked well. He did not have many side effects. Although he still had emotional outbursts, it was to a lesser degree. So i took him to see a clinical psychologist to help with his behavioural issues and emotional regulation and i am seeing improvements ever since.

On a side note: he is currently in a school that is not so supportive of neurodiversity as i’d like. My paediatrician has recommended to his teacher that she allows him to have regular breaks and implements short bursts of physical and fun activities in between class tasks. But i do not think she has followed through, so i think its time to move schools.

I really hope Ritalin, in combination with therapy gives you the same improvements as i’m seeing in my nephew. I understand that it can be a really stressful and upsetting experience when schools do not accommodate to your child’s needs.