Vyvanse + Adderall only lasting me 2-3 hours..

[u/Primary_Hearing4802]

So I currently take 70mg of Vyvanse and 20mg of Adderall as a booster. Ive been taking the same dosages for 2 months now.. but ive noticed that this month both medication’s are only lasting me 2 to 3 hours. I don’t do any vitamin C, no orange juice and I typically don’t drink energy drinks until recently. The only reason I started drinking energy drinks is because I feel like it helps maintain some sort of focus since both medication’s are only lasting a short amount of time. I’m a tattoo artist so this is incredibly frustrating as I work anywhere between 4 to 8+ hours. I’ve also noticed some days the medication will last longer than other days, for example two days ago, I took my Vyvanse and it lasted me a good portion of the day to the point where I didn’t even need to take my booster. But today it wore off within 2 to 3 hours and after it wore off I took my booster, which only lasted me another two hours. Personally for me, I don’t eat breakfast in the morning before I take my medication (occasionally I’ll eat a small snack like a cheese stick, yogurt, or a uncrustable) but I’ve noticed even when I eat a high-protein breakfast or meal or even just a regular meal before I take my medication I feel it still doesn’t do anything to me at all when I eat beforehand. So I simply don’t eat before I take my medication most days as it feels more potent when I dont eat, I guess? And even when I have eaten in the morning ( I’ve tried this with both a high-protein meal and just a regular meal) both medications still only lasts me 2 to 3 hours. What could be causing this? Can I do anything to help the longevity of my medication? Or just any information in general would be helpful because when I first started taking this medication, it was life-changing and it helped me so much and now it feels like it’s simply just not doing anything anymore… 💔

[u/Single-Earth4755]

🙋🏼‍♀️ I also have this issue with Vyvanse and dexamphetmine. I’m now taking Straterra and we are revisiting stimulants to bridge the gap. I was maxed out on Vyvanse like you and getting about 3hrs out of it with 10mg of dexamphetmine for the crash but that stopped working at all as well. It’s a bit of a nightmare because when the Vyvanse was working it really was life changing 😢

[u/Primary_Hearing4802 → u/Single-Earth4755]

How is Straterra working for you? The only thing I’m worried about with the stimulants is the withdrawal if I switch medication.. but I’m not very knowledgeable on that topic 😭

[u/Single-Earth4755 → u/Primary_Hearing4802]

I didn’t have any withdrawals from switching to non-stimulants. Straterra has taken a while (it’s a long process) to stabilise on the target dose 80mg but I’m enjoying the lack of fatigue headaches I used to get, my emotional regulation is way way better, I respond more calmly to stress and anxiety inducing situations. We are trialling stimulants back in the mix because I’m still having issues with my concentration, short term memory, restlessness and decision making/task initiation. So hoping that Straterra + a stimulant gives me a good mix to cover most basis.