I took my kid's ADD med.

[Anonymous]

My BIL did this, OP, and reports very similar to you.

[Anonymous]

I have my blood pressure meds to the dog.

[Anonymous]

Maybe she doesn't have ADD. I would explore other avenues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It shouldn't make her feel that way though. If she truly has ADD, it should sort of calm her down but allow her to focus. People with ADD don't speed on those drugs like people without it do.

This. The response is entirely different if you do not have adhd.

I really think you are oversimplifying. The focusing effect might be more dramatic on someone who is unfocused, and the resulting change in behavior larger, but they have the same effect focusing on everyone, which is why they are abused on college campuses all the time, especially around exam time. And as for the other side effects, don't we all know how variable and individualized these are? My child, who most certainly has ADHD, simply cannot handle the side effects of stimulants so we aren't medicating, at least not at this point. No one ever questioned the diagnosis due to the side effects. For what it's worth, OP, my child has severe anxiety and all of us were very wary about even trying a stimulant and the psychiatrist was quick to pull the plug (on all stimulants) when she saw how it was affecting him. I thought she would suggest trying a different stimulant but she immediately suggested a non-stimulant route.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe she doesn't have ADD. I would explore other avenues.

OP here.

She most definitely does. Suggested by school-I thought they were nuts. I was in the "ADD is over diagnosed" camp.
Had a private neuropsych eval and it's definitive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you told the doc about this? I have ADD and I remember when I first took my Vyvanse, my thoughts were more like, "OMG, I feel calm. My mind is not busy racing with 100 different thoughts pulling me in different directions." I almost cried to know you could feel that centered. And I felt more awake & alert. Prior to the Rx, I would drink about 12 cups of coffee in the a.m.

Yes this was my exact experience too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid has tried a few ADD meds and we are trying to find something that works for her. This is the 3rd med we have tried. (Vyvance).
She took it for 2 days and said what she said about the other two meds: "I hate how this makes me feel".
She's never been able to articulate exactly what this "feeling" is that she hates so much (aside from upset stomach but that's not what she is referring to).

Today I just decided to take one. For better or worse, good or bad, I know it's not right to do but I'm trying to figure out what she's talking about or get some sense of her experience.

Holy crap.

This stuff is strong. And I can't articulate it either but wow...it was like a super fast super high where I could actually feel my body racing up. For about five hours I felt so weird. Good parts, I felt happy and uber focused on getting stuff done. I could clean my whole 3000 square foot house in about two hours. I was chatty and felt good. But part of it was weird-I felt like I was like, "outside myself"? If that makes any sense? I didn't feel like me.
I wasn't hungry at all...in fact, the thought of eating was got tally unappealing. I couldn't imagine eating. I literally wouldn't take a bite of anything. I was incredibly thirsty. My stomach felt awful, nauseous in a way I can't describe.
And then wow, the crash. Hour 6 I literally felt my whole body slow down. Like I could feel it actually slow down like you feel a car slow down while driving. I was so tired, I couldn't stay awake. I laid on my bed for an hour, but my mind was awake (my body was totally exhausted). My head was pounding.
I finally now feel back to normal.

So yeah.... Experiment complete. I don't have any idea whether our experiences were the same, but boy I will never "poo poo" her comments about these meds again. This is serious stuff. And this is the intro dose!!

I don't know how I feel about these meds anymore.

One time vs reoccurring is different. If you take them for a while the body adjusts and compensates for the speedy parts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It shouldn't make her feel that way though. If she truly has ADD, it should sort of calm her down but allow her to focus. People with ADD don't speed on those drugs like people without it do.

This. The response is entirely different if you do not have adhd.

Do we know this or do we assume this? Clearly the OP"s child is reporting some of these feelings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you told the doc about this? I have ADD and I remember when I first took my Vyvanse, my thoughts were more like, "OMG, I feel calm. My mind is not busy racing with 100 different thoughts pulling me in different directions." I almost cried to know you could feel that centered. And I felt more awake & alert. Prior to the Rx, I would drink about 12 cups of coffee in the a.m.

Here's someone with ADD who reports an entirely different reaction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It shouldn't make her feel that way though. If she truly has ADD, it should sort of calm her down but allow her to focus. People with ADD don't speed on those drugs like people without it do.

This is a myth.

[Anonymous]

My thoughts based on my anecdotal experience with family members and friends with ADHD:

Since ADHD is a behavioral diagnosis, I think there are several different causes/sources of the behavior. As a result, different medicines work or don't work for different people. And why it is a hit or miss with the medications and non-drug coping strategies. I also think it is possible for one person to have more than one form/source- so some medicine help a bit but not entirely.

OP- it sounds like Vyvance is not the right medication for your DC, or at least not the correct dose.

Good luck in finding what will work for your DC.

[Anonymous]

My ADD DD said Vyvance made her crazy. She tried Concerta too. Finally settled on a generic Adderall and generic Ritalin booster when necessary (like driving at night). She finds the drugs to be a necessary evil -- doesn't love how she feels with the drugs but knows she can't plan to be productive without the drugs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It shouldn't make her feel that way though. If she truly has ADD, it should sort of calm her down but allow her to focus. People with ADD don't speed on those drugs like people without it do.

This is a myth.

Well it calms me down - I have ADD and I don't speed all over on those drugs.

[Anonymous]

i tried my kids concerts for the same reason (his complaints) and I felt absolutely nothing,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It shouldn't make her feel that way though. If she truly has ADD, it should sort of calm her down but allow her to focus. People with ADD don't speed on those drugs like people without it do.

This was the line of thinking in the 1990s regarding stimulants, but it has since been disproven. Can't site articles because I don't know where any of my old grad school stuff is and I don't have time to do a lit search. Just about everyone (ADHD or not) feels like they can accomplish more on the drugs. Those with and without ADHD report feeling hyped, yet also calmer because they can finally get things done and focus more.

I read some interesting articles a few years ago about the push to make all these substances available over the counter to all, which I think would be dangerous. Back in the 90s we were taught that "It's like drinking a cup of coffee, but more efficient. It is no harder on your body and these substances are not addictive." There's a reason the government regulates stimulant prescriptions these days and yes, they can be addictive. Yes, there can be risks with not medicating too, plus there are many alternatives to stimulants.