Addicted to Vyvanse
 

Hello my name is Erik, and i'm addicted to Vyvanse.I have ADD,OCD,Anxiety, but when on Vyvanse all of my ADD,OCD,Anxiety go away.Vyvanse is only prescribed for ADD but it's helps my other sickness as well, for some odd reason.My prescripted dose is 40Mgs, It only lasts for 2 or 3 hours.I am only 14, I take 2 pills at a time which make 80Mgs to make the feeling longer.I have no clue how it's helping my other sickness, but leave any feedback please, Thank you.

Hi Erik. I have no expience with this medication, but you are waaaay too young to self medicate. My best advice is go back to your dr and explain that the current dose is only lasting a couple of hours. I'm sure the dr will be willing to work with you to adjust the dose until you find something that works. Please don't take it upon yourself to decide how much to take. It's a very slippery slope you're toying with. Trust me, I know.

Thanks Cassandra.

Hi Erik, Welcome!

You are really smart to look into the possible effect of your meds etc. Even when we have a dr we trust, it is very important to educate ourselves and stay on top of our med situation. Sometimes the doses or meds do need to be changed and tweaked, and our staying aware of how we are reacting to them can help the dr make the most appropriate changes.

Sometimes we do get a dr who is not willing to take our input seriously, or to work patiently with us to find the most appropriate meds and dosages for our situation. That is really frustrating, and it is worth finding a different doctor, because this is our life, the only one we get and we want the opportunity to live it to the fullest.

While the folks here have WAY more experience than we'd like to abusing drugs, we can't suggest how anyone should USE drugs, it's just not what we are here for. Self medicating is how some of us got started on the path to drug abuse.

We thought we knew how to handle what we were experiencing and began playing dr on ourselves. We only meant to make our lives better, and improve our conditions, but we don't have the perspective or knowledge to do it safely. Many of us figured if a small amount of drug helped a little bit, a bigger amount would help more. That is often NOT the case.

Please talk to your dr and any other caregivers about your situation. If you have an appt scheduled in three months, go ahead and tell them you need to see someone as soon as possible, don't wait, your well being IS important.

Some meds, if taken in higher doses, don't work better, but may cause dangerous or deadly side effects. More isn't always the answer.

Let us know how things are going.

Just so addicting..... :(

Hi Erik

I think Cassandras advice was great - please do speak to someone about this - if not a Dr, maybe a school counsellor, or teacher, or your parents.

14 is really young to get hooked on anything - I certainly wish I'd reached out back then - my life may have been a whole lot different, y'know?

keep us updated :)
D

Hi Erik,

It isn't your fault that you were prescribed an addictive drug that even adults would have a hard time managing to control, at least the ones who have addictive tendencies.

The fact that you are finding this out so young is a big advantage for you. Can you talk to your parents about this? At your age, someone should be looking out for your well being besides yourself.

Good for you coming here to ask questions. That shows a great deal of maturity beyond your years, for you to recognize a problem, and then seek to find a solution for it.

I agree also that talking to your doctor is important. I feel bad for you to have to deal with this at all. But since you are, those are the things I think you should do.

FT

I'm in counseling/therapy every week guys, and every month i'm seeing my psychiatrist(He gives me meds). I'll be seeing him on Friday, and I really want to talk about it with him, but i'm afraid they'll stop giving me prescriptions, it helps my ADHD and as well my OCD,Anxiety & Tics in some odd way.That's way i'm afraid of guys.

I think thats a very common fear Erik - but I hope you face it.

You may find your fears are groundless, you may find you get put on soemthing that suits you better - there are always other meds and treatments available :)

The bottom line is things aren't going to get better - they're likely to get worse...unless you do something about it.

Not trying to scare you - it's just common sense - and it fits my experience with drugs for sure.

D

(((NSNErik))) - I'm glad you're going to talk to your doctor. (((Dee))) is right, in time most drugs that we take enough to "work", well they don't continue to work unless we take more, and it's a vicious cycle. I always had the thought of "if one is good 2 (or 3 or more) will be better!" and decades later, I'm in recovery.

I understand the fear, having something that helps your issues and not wanting to be without it, but I really do hope you and your doctor find something else that isn't addictive.

Hugs and prayers,

Amy

I was also prescribed vyvanse and also became hooked on them. Let me tell you from personal experience, any stimulant ADHD med (adderall, concerta, vyvanse, etc) is extremely addictive. When you take it you may feel like your "cured" but like you said it only lasts a few hours and when its over, problems come back but worse. For me, i started out just using it when i had something important to do but then i started takin it more and upping the dose to try to maintain that feeling (which is impossible... what comes up must come down) i started feeling like i needed it to get through normal everyday things. eventually i couldnt even hang out with my friends without taking an abnormal amount of that crap. My advice, talk to your doctor who prescribed it, thats what i did. I doubt he will stop prescribing it to you altogether.

Try asking ur doc about non-stimulant alternatives like strattera.

i am addicted to vyvanse. i was addicted to adderal in the past as well. now it is vyvanse. i went on it b/c i didn't want to go back on the adrenal. i have ocd and awful anxiety. i take 3x as much as i should now on a regular basis to study. i am a perfectionist in school. if it isn't a 100, it is a failure. i hallucinate regularly, and i hear voices. like i said, i am taking about 140-170 mg. a day, but i am prescribed 50 mg. b/c i do not have enough of the cript, i find ways around it. i also take days off, of which i cannot move put of my bed...seriously. i have no motivation w.o it. i just have migraines. i hate this life i have right now. i am so depressed. i never sleep. i drink a lot. it doesn't help. i have panic attacks 5-10 times a day. i am always coughing. i smoke like a chimney. i don't eat. i lost the love of my life. i have serious anger problems. i am starting a new doctor. i started therapy. but i am too scared to tell them i am a drug addict. i want to continue this for the next two years ...until i get my phd. i can't go off this until i graduate. 12 hours of work a day, of intense work, won't happen without it.

Hi Bob
welcome to SR - you'll find a lot of support here :)

I'm pleased you're starting a new Dr but I think you really need to be honest with them and with your therapist, about what's going on?

I know it's scary to do that but how can anyone help you to their fullest if they don't know the full story?

D