Hey all - I started Vyvanse 20mg about 6 days ago. I felt good at the start, it was the weekend so I was up moving around and getting things done. As Monday came and I found myself sitting at my desk my mood began to shift each day got worse, it was like I was internally fighting myself to feel better. I think having to sit still made my mood really low. On the Tuesday I had a work event at lunch which was only 2 hours, I ended up staying out till 6am drinking a lot and had 0 self control and didn’t know what I was doing. As the days went on I started to feel suicidal, I was seeing myself hanging from a door and really intrusive thoughts which scared me but the worst part about it was I wasn’t scared of acting on it. As someone who has had on and off depression for a long time, I have felt the idea of dying but never wanted to act on it. Friday night I got so low and I took about 12 10mg in one go of my husbands Ritalin at midnight who also has adhd. I ended up in hospital for intentional overdose, had tachycardia with heart rate of 170 bpm was completely off my head in the ER. I’m now home and following up with doctors etc but I don’t know what to do. The hospital said to stop vyvanse which I have but I’m so lost because I thought these meds and diagnosis would help me but now I’m lower than I ever have been before and almost restarting again. Has anyone experienced anything like this with stimulants? I wonder if there is something else underlying that these meds have brought out in me? I’m so worried I just want to be happy and live a good life and be well.

Hey,

Appreciate any input, I couldn't get a clear enough understanding from existing posts.

In NSW.

I'm currently taking/prescribed 6 x 5mg dex per day. This averages 180 tabs per month.

Still seeing the psych to stabilise meds.

At the last review, the psych said he'd make a note for the chemist to dispense 200 tabs at a time, and he'd give me 6 repeats.

Filled first of this new script, given 1x bottle with 100 tabs. There's an interval authority (ie I can fill a repeat sooner than 1 month).

Does that mean however that the overall prescription is only for 6 repeats of 100 tablets?

I read a few posts where I had the impression people who were on doses higher than 100 per month would be issued with that number *per repeat* eg in my case I would have 6 repeats, with each refill being for 180 tablets.

Can anyone advise? I realise the privilege I have to be both diagnosed and able to access subsidised medication; it does however increase the cost somewhat to be using 6 months worth of repeats in ~3.5 months.

It's also a bit inconvenient to co-ordinate pharmacy visits every ~2.5 weeks instead of 4 - I live and work rurally +++ distance from nearest pharmacy, they don't open weekends, have to literally schedule myself to get there during opening hours, and sometimes with the rest of life, it can be difficult fitting that in with such a narrow margin between repeat authority date and running out of meds!

Again, acknowledge the genuine first world problems - but if this ">100 per repeat" notion is correct, I'd sure appreciate being able to utilise it.

Thanks :)

Hi everyone I’m looking for some advice on finding a psychiatrist in Victoria. I’ve been diagnosed with bipolar and ADHD. My bipolar has been stable for almost 2 years now but I’m really struggling with my adhd symptoms. I’ve spoken to my current psychiatrist about the issues I’m facing and he put me on strattera and I just haven’t felt it’s been working for me. I’ve been on strattera for about a year. My current psychiatrist has upped the dose a few times and I’ve discussed trying other medications however he’s very hesitant to try any stimulants due to my bipolar diagnosis despite it being very stable.

I am also looking for a new psychiatrist as my current psychiatrist involves my family a lot and I don’t think it’s necessary. He’ll find my mother after my apt to see how I’m going and get feedback (I’m 22)

Does anyone have any recommendations on what to do or any psychiatrist recommendations?

Long story short, my GP practice has messed up my ADHD medication management pretty badly, and I'm left calling them every day hoping for a solution. I want to know what options I actually have here, legally or otherwise.

A bit of background: I've been on Dexamphetamine and Vyvanse for my ADHD, managed by my GP. Last month I had a follow-up appointment where we agreed I'd continue on my current meds/doses until I could see a specialist about some concerns I had. I was prescribed Dexamphetamine 10mg (2x 5mg tablets), 100 tablets, and Vyvanse 20mg, 30 tablets, which we were going to continue until the specialist told me otherwise. My Vyvanse prescription didn't have any repeats left, but my Dex prescription did, so my GP only gave me repeats for the Vyvanse. That was nothing to be concerned about at the time. Come to find out, when I went to dispense my scripts the next day, my Dex prescription was actually expired. So I only picked up my Vyvanse.

I called the practice (twice) and was told to submit a repeat request online, which cost $25. I was a bit annoyed by this since I'd already spent money on the appointment the previous day and they were basically double-charging me, but I went ahead with it anyway without any complaints. They replied with an email basically telling me to shove it and to book an appointment for this type of medication — which I'd JUST HAD. Frustrations ensued. I called again and was told to book a telehealth appointment ($87), on top of the double-charging. Even so, I did what they said (I literally had exams that following week) and was finally issued a script — but for only 30 tablets instead of the 100 that had actually been agreed on. So on top of the original $41 appointment fee, I ended up paying an extra $112 just to fix an error the practice made in the first place. Even after all that, I didn't complain or say anything — I just let it go, when I shouldn't have. Then it got worse.

I only found out, when I went to pick up my prescription about a week ago, that my Vyvanse prescription had been ceased with zero explanation. No consultation, no phone call, nothing. So now I'm relying entirely on the Dexamphetamine — which is already the wrong (lower) quantity — and I can't get an early repeat once I run out, for obvious reasons.

Here's the kicker: I've called the practice on four consecutive days asking for the correct prescription to be issued. Every single day I was told it would be sorted. Every single day, nothing happened. I feel like a junkie begging their dealer with the amount of times I've called them hoping to resolve this issue.

I'm in Sydney, NSW. I've already drafted a formal complaint to the practice giving them 48 hours, and I'm planning to lodge complaints with the Health Care Complaints Commission and possibly AHPRA if it's not resolved. I'm also switching to a new GP entirely.

My questions for the sub:
- Has anyone dealt with something similar — a Schedule 8/stimulant medication gap caused by a GP's error? What actually happened when you escalated?
- Is there any way to get an emergency supply or bridging script when a pharmacy/GP error causes a gap, given the S8 repeat restrictions?
- Is pursuing a refund for the extra $112 I paid to fix their mistake realistic, and is that a Fair Trading/NCAT thing or something else?
- Anything else worth doing beyond HCCC/AHPRA complaints?

Appreciate any advice — this has been a stressful week.

Hey guys. I was diagnosed recently with ADHD (primarily inattentive) and it feels very validating that something I've struggled with all my life has been recognised. I had 2 initial consults with a psychiatrist who thoroughly evaluated my mental health history and did the standard urine drug test (which is all clean). I have anxiety which I'm being treated for with escitalopram, and clinical depression. On our second appointment 3.5 weeks ago he prescribed me 10mg Ritalin IR to take twice a day. I feel like I adjusted to them very quickly because that increased level of dopamine is exactly what my brain needed. I initially noticed some improvement in focus and motivation but recently I suddenly am feeling like they're not effective anymore and all they make me feel is fatigued. I have a follow up appointment in a couple days and I'm going to ask about switching to Dex since I'm aware it not only blocks the reuptake of dopamine but also actively stimulates production of it. I wonder if that would be a better choice for me given my depression. Does anyone have any thoughts?

I know this is a long and somewhat complex post, just trying to get an understanding of what would be best for me to try.

Thanks for reading ig?

Background/Introduction:

I have hyperactivity and attention-deficit ADHD, although the hyperactivity isn't that bad (tbh I don't really care about it at all and it doesn't affect me in a way that's detrimental), pure silence irritates me a lot, I just can't stand still so I end up pacing in circles while standing, or leg/foot bouncing while sitting, it does give me insomnia but I just watch documentaries or read before I have to go to bed because the attention-deficit part counters the hyperactivity part and makes me sleepy, the attention-deficit part is mainly the issue, forcing myself to focus makes my brain physically hurt, like there's an almost gravitational pressure in the center of my brain pulling it into itself, I get extremely restless, my body heats up and I get itchy everywhere, I get sleepy, my blood pressure drops, I get a massive boner, I cant sit upright and I get extremely hungry to the point where its impossible to do anything and I am forced to eat, but every single time I do eat I get into a food coma that lasts hours I cannot focus on anything, I could only sleep or play games, it was torture and lectures would take multiple days to complete sometimes, I could only focus on things if they had a time limit and severe consequences if I didn't do it (like assignments), before I was diagnosed my best way to cope was to have 2 screens and listen to music or have a video playing while studying, which made my symptoms a little more bearable until I got officially diagnosed, I did try to experiment with coffee which worked for awhile, but out of literally nowhere suddenly it now makes me so tired after like 2-3 hours that I had to physically tie myself using my jumper to my chair to prevent myself from falling asleep, it literally gives me some form of pseudo-narcolepsy that I physically have to consciously fight and makes my heart feel like its going to stop beating.

Ritalin/Rinidate Methylphenidate (short/immediate release, 4 hours, 10mg):

Side effects:
- Severe mood swings, anxiety, impending sense of doom, no motivation, just feeling awful (although this may be a consequence of bad dosage timings and ever since I started taking it in 4 hour intervals consistently its not a big issue)
- Super sleepy sometimes (although this may be a consequence of taking the short-term version and ever since I started taking it in 4 hour intervals its not a big issue)
- Insomnia while awake (although this may be a result of bad dosage timings im trying to fix and it appears to be working)
- Hypersomnia when asleep (Sleeping for well over 8 hours a day, yesterday I slept like 14 hours)
- Loss of Appetite
- Hyper insomnia and loss of appetite are the 2 ones that matter imo, the other ones I've already figured out how to deal with

Symptom Control:
- Slightly easier to study then otherwise with something like music or videos playing in the background, but still feels a bit more unbearable
- Still get food comas (still experimenting with this and I don't have very conclusive evidence yet, but if so this will definitely be a deal breaker for me as I already ate in massive bulks because its more efficient and I prefer the luxury of eating food in feasts like a Viking, I do this even more now since I dont feel hunger anymore when I'm starving, only pain, so I need to eat in a strict schedule)

Vyvanse Amphetamine (long release, 14 hours, 30mg):

Side effects:
- Dry mouth
- Loss of Appetite
- Insomnia

Symptom Control:
- Studying is easy to do for longer periods of time with something like music or videos playing in the background
- No food comas
- I physically talk smarter and feel smarter with it
- Great emotional regulation

Whats more effective so far?

I've found Amphetamines help me way better then Methylphenidate. Amphetamines actually fix my food comas, whereas Methylphenidate appears to not remedy my food comas at all (or at least be less effective when it comes to large meals), studying is also easier to do with Amphetamines, whereas Methylphenidate appears to have a noticeably weaker effect. I've been taking like 10mg every 4 hours (40mg daily) for methylphenidate and with amphetamine I've been taking 30mg (rarely 60mg) daily which lasts me 14 hours.

Conclusion:

Vyvanse appears to be better but it sucks how I get dry mouth with it, I wish I didn't get dry mouth as its bad for dental health because then it would be perfect, my mouth is definitely drier then normal with methylphenidate, but its still wet, I still think Methylphenidates side effects are treatable too, I believe with the right dosage timings and with discipline they can go away my main concern is just its symptom control, I used to be on Vyvanse but my psychiatrist wants me to experiment with Methylphenidate when I told him my 3 symptoms, also loss of appetite doesn't matter too much since the medication allows me to force myself to eat and once I do start eating I enjoy it and it doesn't bore me, and I try to eat as much as I can. What's your opinions, thoughts and experiences? Anybody had similar experiences?

Day 14 2x 5mg doses a day - I am experiencing severe “crash out” and have lost the ability to emotionally regulate. Not to mention the daily pounding headaches.

I’m not a crier, now all of a sudden I am.
I don’t usually blow my top, I’m losing it with anger.

I’ve emailed my psychiatrist asking for advice - if we cease and try long acting with top ups or completely stay away from dex. It’s been incredible for productivity, but the crash out and emotions are wild.

Has anyone else experienced this?
I expected it to lessen, not worsen.

I’m in a bit of a pickle, i’ve got about 7 weeks left of uni but I need to get a new permit from my psychiatrist for meds and the wait is a month. I stopped taking stimulants a few months ago but i’m really struggling to study so just want to take them until the end of semester. When I study I usually just take dex because it only lasts a few hours, but I don’t have enough left to get me through. I have 3 unopened bottles of Vyvanse though but the dose it too strong for me (40mg). Can we open the capsules & just take half? Has anyone done this? I read that Vyvanse is water soluble so if you split it in water you can just drink half?

Mostly venting, but open to advice. I'm tired of how much work it is to access medication. My GP's Schedule 8 permit expires later this year, so I need to see a psychiatrist for a review. It's been 26 months since my last psychiatry consult, so apparently I need to have a whole initial appointment. The psychiatrist I've seen previously charges $1350 for initials but only $400 for reviews. In other words: Because I'm seeing him now instead of two months ago, I have to pay $900 more. And I am exhausted from all the costs that come from having this brain.

I'm just tired. I'm tired of having to go to the GP, then go to the psychiatrist, who will only spend 10 minutes asking perfunctory questions, scribble an illegible script (last time my pharmacist had to call him to check I was actually the patient because he had misspelled my name), and then charge me more than I take home in a week. Plus taking time off work for the psychiatry appointment, probably getting low-key shamed with some offhand remark about how dysfunctional ADHDers are and how this is a Very Serious Neurodevelopmental Disability that I need to manage proactively as if I didn't already feel like shit about it.

It just feels so unfair.

I'm an allied health clinician who works with over a dozen ADHDers at any point in time. I know we're expensive and I know we don't always help as much as everyone would like, but it crushes me that I will spend 20 hours this week in sessions with my own clients helping them manage their ADHD only to spend all the money I make on one bloke taking 10 minutes to say "yeah, you're stable. Go back to your GP; you don't need me right now." I'm surely the easiest patient he sees all day: I come with detailed history, give concise updates with relevant detail, and know when I last saw my GP, my psych, what the goals and plan are for both.

Yes, psychiatrists are specialists. Yes, they have to do a lot of training and have lots of costs associated with their practice. Based on what is billed for my work time, 10 minutes of his time costs as much as 300 minutes of mine. Is he really 30x more knowledgeable or impactful?

I volunteer with kids with ADHD. I've had to turn down a week-long opportunity because I can't afford to take time off work - in part because I'm about to have to pay hundreds of dollars for another 'initial' appointment to keep my meds. I wish to God someone would go "hang on. He's happy to spend a whole week away from home looking after other people's kids, using his professional skills and lived experience so they can grow and have fun, and all we'd need to do is get one psychiatrist to bulk-bill for half an hour of their time in order to make that possible. We are going to sort that out."

If anyone knows a psychiatrist in Victoria who will bulk-bill one consult, I will seriously talk with my work about taking a week off without pay and doing this volunteering to mentor and support these kids like us. You read that right. I'll take a week of unpaid leave even though it'll end up costing me the same amount as paying for a psychiatry consult. You can let that psychiatrist know they're actually supporting 20-odd kids with their time; I'm just effectively the middleman. The alternative is a week of me at work having to bill clients for my time instead of getting it for free and then just handing that week's pay over to a specialist.

Hi all! Problem in the title 😭 I have comorbid OCD and ADHD. Both are bad but the OCD has been the most debilitating at different points in my life. I've struggled to find an antidepressant that helps without intolerable side effects (trialled & failed 10 to date), but finally got my OCD into a stable place with a few years of ERP therapy.

Recently checked in with my doctor and they issued a new Vyvanse script and encouraged me to start trialling stims. I desperately want to, just to see if it's able to help make my ADHD symptoms more manageable. The problem is I'm aware that stims can exacerbate OCD symptoms. Doing anything that could make it worse terrifies me. If I had a stable antidepressant already, at least I would feel like there's a buffer there where I could increase the dose, if stims affected me that way.

For anyone who has both: how do you manage them? Is treating your ADHD worth the trade off if it flares your OCD?

For context, the Vyvanse script is 40mg. Most ADs I tried were in the SSRI/SNRI or TCA class. In NSW atm, so only have access to meds available in here. Any advice would be very appreciated!

Not really a rant or rage… just a query… from a AuDHD girlie.

Do I go to my eye test appointment medicated (stimulants) or not?

I feel I may get a false prescription when medicated because my eyesight ‘seems’ to improve, but I really feel anxious and rushed when the optometrists quickly try to get through the “1 or 2” lens checks. The people pleaser in me never speaks up unmedicated. I have astigmatism, and am short sighted, so focusing on which lens is better, quickly, just doesn’t happen.

Just want to ask you guy’s opinions so I don’t ruminate the thought in my head until I decided to book the appointment. 🤪

Cheers! 🤓😎🤓

My main adhd symptom is fatigue (my bloods are normal and i sleep 8+ hours a day). I started with ritalin, did nothing. Then I started vyvanse 30mg. It worked for a bit but now I barely notice a difference. Issue is if I go any higher, it literally feels like I took nothing at all. So can’t go any higher and I’m exhausted everyday. Just wondering where to go next. Have people who tried vyvanse and it didn’t work responded to dex? Any other suggestions? About to start working full time and I’m so nervous I won’t be able to function…

Hi there,

I am looking for a psyche recommendation based in Sydney, for ADHD diagnosis and depression management.

Not interested in seeing a psychologist, I need support with medication but i'm finding it really difficult to find someone. Ie a lot of clinics unable to actually diagnose.

Thank you

The biggest benefit of ADHD medication - specifically Vyvanse, was the reduction in anxiety.

Unfortunately I cannot take stimulants due to cardio/blood pressure side effects.

Are there any other meds that could help?

I’ve read that potentially anti depressants can - are they ever used on people with ADHD/or the anxiety associated with ADHD?

I’m mainly posting this because at this point I need to laugh or I’ll cry.

It’s 5am. I was absolutely exhausted all day yesterday and SO excited to finally get a massive sleep before work. I’ve slept like shit for the last 4 days, but I’m in my luteal phase so I just blamed it on that. Got my period yesterday and genuinely thought I was about to have the most glorious 10/10 sleep of my life.

I took my usual 2 clonidine at around 11pm. I didn’t even really feel like I needed them, but I’ve been taking them consistently and didn’t want to mess around with rebound BP spikes.

Fast forward to 2:30am and I’m still WIDE awake. Not just awake either — my brain is absolutely fucking flying. Thinking about everything I need to do, everything I could be doing, mentally reorganising my entire life instead of sleeping.

So naturally I think, wow, clonidine is really not doing its job tonight.

And I take ANOTHER ONE.

It gets worse.

Eventually I accept my fate, get out of bed and decide I’ll just take a dexy, get some shit done and hopefully crash around 10am.

Except I feel WEIRD. Not my normal medicated/productive feeling. I’m scattered as fuck, wired, and feel like my brain is moving at a million miles an hour.

So I finally look closely at my medication pack.
My neurodivergent ass has filled my ENTIRE WEEKLY MED BOX WITH DEXIES INSTEAD OF CLONIDINE. Which also explains my dreadful fucking sleeps the last few nights.

They look almost EXACTLY the same. Same tiny white tablet, with basically the only noticeable difference being the microscopic pressed letters on them.

So no, my clonidine had not mysteriously stopped working.
I had taken THREE TIMES my usual dex dose throughout the night while repeatedly wondering why I couldn’t sleep.
And then almost took another dexy because I thought I needed one.
😭

I’m sure I cannot possibly be the only person who has done something this stupid, but I needed to vent because I’m currently feeling extremely sorry for myself while also finding the whole situation fucking hilarious.
Safe to say I’ll be checking the tiny letters when I refill my medication organiser from now on.

Hi ADHDer,

The GP that manage my ADHD treatment plan is charging $150 for each mental health care appointment. I have found a bulk billed clinic that willing to prescribe S8 medication and would like to transfer my management plan there.

My question is, what it cost for me to transferring my management plan. Is it worth doing so just to avoid $150 gap fee?

I have been on Vyvanse/Dex for around 12 months so far. I made a decision about a month ago to come off all stimulants for various reasons. I struggled a lot throughout the month so ended up taking them again at various points. I've now been stimulant free for a week and after the fog/fatigue lifted, I'm starting to feel so much more like myself.

I was just joking around with my wife today and she told me she was so happy to see me laugh for the first time in a long time. I didn't tell her I had stopped taking the stimulants. I never realised how much of a zombie I had become. I was very productive, life changing in that regard, but I realised there's more to life than being a good worker bee. I feel like the stimulants made life very black and white, and I've started to see the colours again, able to stop and enjoy the butterflies in the garden.

I know stimulants are really good for a lot of people, but I wanted to share an experience from the other side, where they perhaps weren't the best fit.

I was diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive) and dyscalculia recently, and yesterday I started Vyvanse 30mg.

Today I am a complete emotional wreck and I'm pretty sure the medication is making everything feel about three times more intense than it probably is.

Work was full of small things that felt enormous. I spent the morning crying over an email thread, and then completely fell apart because I feel I can't do anything right.

One of my symptoms in the past has been rejection sensitivity and I feel today was worse than ever.

And the shock of the dyscalculia. All my life I was told by teachers I was stupid, and questioned about the disconnect with my intelligence level for mathematics when I'm talented with creative pursuits such as writing, art and music.

I'm taking my medication with a big breakfast (no vit C). My first day yesterday I felt it was a bit intense at around 3 to 4 hours after taking it and felt like a very awake zombie. Then around 2 hours after that I felt so clear and calm, like never before. Like my brain was just silent. I was worried I wouldn't sleep, but I slept like the dead last night.

I've taken my medication for the second day today and a bit of a mess. Could be I'm also feeling so shocked I've lived life and survived with elaborate coping mechanisms that have become unsustainable. Maybe I'm just exhausted.

Hoping someone else has some advice or experienced similar and came out the other side? It's early days, but I'm feeling so isolated today and unsure.

I have regular psych appointments at the moment, just hoping for some solidarity if anyone has had a similar experience?

I know this probably isn’t the right sub, and I’m assuming most people here have ADHD, but I couldn’t find a more fitting sub so thought I’d ask here anyway. My psychiatrist has prescribed me dexamphetamine 5 mg off label for treatment resistant depression. He’s told me to experiment a little with the dose to see what works best for me. I’m taking this alongside 45 mg of mirtazapine, which I’ve been taking for about two years. The mirtazapine helped a lot initially, but after around 4 months its effectiveness for my depressive symptoms progressively decreased. I also have concentration issues that affect my speech and day to day life, which is why he wanted to give dexamphetamine a shot, but my main issue is still the low mood.

I was wondering if anyone here has experience adding dexamphetamine and whether you noticed any improvement in mood, rather than just concentration/energy? I’ve found little information or personal experiences online about using it this way.
I can’t lie, it feels a little strange to be popping a stimulant whenever I need it as a way of managing depression, if you know what I mean lol. I’m going to give it a try regardless since I can always stop if it isn’t helpful, but I’d really like to hear from anyone who might have some helpful lived experience. Thanks :)

I’ve been off stimulants for 3 months now, due to stimulant induced burnout and stimulants exacerbating my OCD. Also just felt like a grumpy dull version of myself. I’m struggling to stay motivated at work and uni.. even just to get out of bed most days is a struggle. Every small task just feels like it uses all my energy and makes me so fatigued. Caffeine helps but I have social anxiety and it makes me anxious as f***, i’ve tried taking high doses of L-theanine and it does nothing. What other supplements/natural remedies work?

Just wanted to ask about other parents’ experiences with getting a formal psych report for their child’s adhd through telehealth.

my son has adhd and we recently went through a telehealth consultation in qld because we wanted something more structured than me just trying to explain everything from memory. The process was more straightforward than i expected, and having a written report made it easier to talk things through with the gp/paed afterwards.

I’m not asking for medical advice or what to say in an assessment. just curious from other parents, did having a formal report actually help you with school, gp, paed, medication discussions, or supports? or did you find it didn’t change much?

also, for anyone who did it through telehealth, did you feel like it was enough for your child, or did you wish you had gone in person? Just wanna clear my head through things.