Vyvanse and Depression: What Users Say

• Lis...
• December 2, 2019

For ADHD "I am a 50-year-old woman with ADHD in addition to mild OCD. I was prescribed Vyvanse for focus and motivation at a high-stress job. This drug was amazing at first; I felt calm, focused, confident, and organized for the first time in my life. I take 60 mg at 7 am, and it wore off about 4. Six months later, it is still helpful with motivation and confidence. That said, I now get too focused on details, and by evening, I am anxious, irritable, and don’t want to do anything. I have a hard time waking up. I tried on the weekend to not take it and had terrible depression, negative, and crying. I ended up taking it to function. It has started causing anxiety, I’m too talkative, and procrastinate tasks I dislike. I am not very social after work. Without it, I am emotional and want to sleep all day. I tried 5 mg Adderall IR in the late afternoon, but that caused me to stay up late and could barely get up. It was so helpful at first, but now I’m worried and am trying to wean off."

• Tru...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 1, 2017

For ADHD "WARNING: Majority of the positive reviews for this drug are from people that are new to Vyvanse and the problem is that this drug works wonders at the start, but benefits quickly start to diminish and side effects start to get worse. I took Vyvanse for two years and at first, it worked great for ADD. However, after taking it consistently for a few months, I started experiencing anxiety, depression, aggressiveness, negative emotions, insomnia, and isolation... things I never experienced before in my life. You become very dependant on it because if you stop, you feel 100x worse than before you started taking it, but the longer you take it, the higher dosage you need to get the same effect. Eventually, it stops working and you just need it to get out of bed."

• Lis...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 30, 2020

For Binge Eating Disorder "I've been on Vyvanse for almost 2 years now for both binge eating & ADD. I started on 10mg and am now at 60mg. At first, the 10mg worked great. That lasted about 2 months before I saw both my BED and ADD symptoms coming back. Increased to 20mg which lasted about 2 months, the 30mg lasted about 3 months, 40mg worked for 4 months (you get the picture). This was very worrisome for me, because it felt like, at the maximum dosage, it might eventually not work at all. I'm on 60mg now, and have been for the past 5 months, and I finally feel that I'm at a dosage that makes binge eating truly manageable (I no longer have any issues with ADD while the medication is working). So if you're on 20-40mg of Vyvanse and it isn't working, increase the dosage. The 60mg somehow made a huge difference. My psych also added 100mg Wellbutrin SR and that has been a life changer. The two medicines together completely curb my appetite (and the bonus is the Wellbutrin covers both my depression & anxiety as well)."

• Lin...
• November 7, 2019

For ADHD "When I started my treatment with Vyvanse for ADD, it was a blessing: for the first time I felt motivated to do great at school and have better grades because I had never felt so focused and clear-minded in my life, after years of unsuccessful treatments with Ritalin, Concerta, and Adderall. But that's what happens to everyone when they're first introduced to Vyvanse, it fixes your entire life and then suddenly and surprisingly it ruins it in new ways. It's been a little more than a year since I started taking it, and it didn't take much longer for the bad effects of it to hit me: every time I consume this drug, I get depressed, I feel empty and anxious, my head hurts, and I lose all my motivation because the sadness it brings is stronger than any other positive effect it is intended to give its users. I have never been this depressed in my life, and I blame this drug for that, I mostly (if not only) feel this way when I'm on it."

• Lin...
• November 7, 2019

For ADHD "When I started my treatment with Vyvanse for ADD, it was a blessing: for the first time I felt motivated to do great at school and have better grades because I had never felt so focused and clear-minded in my life, after years of unsuccessful treatments with Ritalin, Concerta, and Adderall. But that's what happens to everyone when they're first introduced to Vyvanse, it fixes your entire life and then suddenly and surprisingly it ruins it in new ways. It's been a little more than a year since I started taking it, and it didn't take much longer for the bad effects of it to hit me: every time I consume this drug, I get depressed, I feel empty and anxious, my head hurts, and I lose all my motivation because the sadness it brings is stronger than any other positive effect it is intended to give its users. I have never been this depressed in my life, and I blame this drug for that, I mostly (if not only) feel this way when I'm on it."

• Anonymous
• August 19, 2011

For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome "I have suffered from narcolepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, and ADHD all my life. The ONLY thing that has allowed me to feel 'normal' enough to participate in my own life again is Vyvanse. Unfortunately, I have recently moved from AZ to CA, and due to different laws, I have been unable to fill or receive a new prescription in CA (even with all of my doctor's records and recommendations), and I have been severely depressed due to all the old symptoms returning. BUT VYVANSE SAVED MY LIFE AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT."

• Anonymous
• April 23, 2014

For ADHD "My 8-year-old daughter has been on Vyvanse for almost 2 years. She started on 20 mg a day. She seemed to be doing better as far as focusing, but very emotional. Her doctor decided to up her dose to 30 mg and now 40 mg. The 40 mg also seemed to help at school, her grades went up, and she was able to pay attention. I'm now noticing that my little girl is not the same person. She has become rude, depressed, emotional, getting in trouble, suicidal, and just out of control. Parents really should keep a journal of changing side effects they notice. Needless to say, my daughter is no longer taking this medication and has not yet found one to replace it."

• Mon...
• August 5, 2015

For ADHD "I have taken Adderall XR and Vyvanse. They both have a similar but not completely similar feeling when it comes to getting work done. But mainly my experience with Vyvanse is quite good but not great. I take whenever I get up to go to school (6-6:30), and it takes an hour to kick in. I have been taking Vyvanse for the last 4 years. It helps you focus a lot more than usual and it gives you the motivation to get work done. But the downside about it is that you feel depressed for a minute or anxiety, but after a couple of minutes you feel back motivated and happy. Also, I love that it gives you the mind clarity that I personally think everyone needs. Overall, my experience with Vyvanse is awesome. By the way, I'm 15."

• Att...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 10, 2019

For ADHD "This medication is really messing with my head. I'm popping Vyvanse once every morning. I started on 30 mg and I did feel the improvement, I felt motivated, active, and less impulsive. After a month, it started to feel like nothing. I felt like it had no effect on me. I saw my psychiatrist, and he prescribed me 50 mg to try out this month. It's been 2 days, and I've already noticed no improvements. It makes me feel depressed, dehydrated, and makes me get angry very easily, like one small thing annoys me like I want to knock someone out. I noticed tonight that people are having trouble understanding me, like I speak normally, and people tell me they don’t understand me. My focus hasn’t improved since I started taking meds again. It only improved for a few days, and since the meds changed up my personality and are making me worse, it's even getting me into trouble at work behavior-wise. I don’t recommend this medication whatsoever."

• han...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 18, 2016

For Binge Eating Disorder "At first, this drug is a miracle drug. No binging, just all the right types of eating that I got to control. However, I felt the Vyvanse crash (extremely fatigued, angry, hopeless, and 'blah') every day once I started moving up in dose (above 20 mg) because the binging was starting to come back in phases. After switching to 30 mg - 60 mg every other month to try to find the right dosage, I finally realized the drug wasn't worth the crash. My psychiatrist told me that the crashes were so intense due to the fact that I did not have ADHD, so the chemical imbalance is what caused the crash. However, if you are on this drug and do feel the crashes, I've tried a lot of things to help combat it, the one that works the best is to drink water. 1 L a day."

• Ema...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 27, 2019

For ADHD "There are some days it works to its fullest, and when I come down from it, I’m great. There are other days where it doesn’t really work, and I get really sad and moody, and my emotions are all over the place. It’s really, really inconsistent. Also, no matter what, it makes my heart beat pretty fast."

• Ban...
• November 7, 2019

For ADHD "I’ve heard so many stories of this drug triggering personality disorders in people. My parents made me take it in high school for a few years, and I was so depressed for those years. It made me act weird. It caused facial tics that I still have to this day and can’t seem to get rid of, even being off the medication for 7 years. I was 95 lbs when I started taking Vyvanse and lost 8 lbs after taking it for 2 weeks. I recently started taking it again for binge eating and immediately felt the depression start by the end of the first day, didn’t take it the next day and still felt depressed. Taking it in school, I got a stimulant high for about an hour or a few hours depending on the dose, but after it wore off I lost all motivation to work, socialize, exercise, etc. I couldn’t fall asleep most of the time. This is my experience with Vyvanse and it may not relate to everyone, but I wouldn’t recommend this drug and can’t believe it’s still legally being prescribed, especially to kids."

• Ban...
• November 7, 2019

For ADHD "I’ve heard so many stories of this drug triggering personality disorders in people. My parents made me take it in high school for a few years, and I was so depressed for those years. It made me act weird. It caused facial tics that I still have to this day and can’t seem to get rid of, even being off the medication for 7 years. I was 95 lbs when I started taking Vyvanse and lost 8 lbs after taking it for 2 weeks. I recently started taking it again for binge eating and immediately felt the depression start by the end of the first day, didn’t take it the next day and still felt depressed. Taking it in school, I got a stimulant high for about an hour or a few hours depending on the dose, but after it wore off I lost all motivation to work, socialize, exercise, etc. I couldn’t fall asleep most of the time. This is my experience with Vyvanse and it may not relate to everyone, but I wouldn’t recommend this drug and can’t believe it’s still legally being prescribed, especially to kids."

• Gin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 12, 2019

For ADHD "Honestly, I have unbearable ADHD that I have never treated in my 30 years of life. Finally took action 6 weeks ago - Vyvanse, 40 mgs morning for the last 6 weeks. Now I am also 'fine-tuning' with 20 mgs 12 pm due to severe crashing, causing me to slur my words because of how bad the drowsiness is. I told my doc I have also had diarrhea for 4 weeks, apparently, it's anxiety causing this. I am so depressed. I had my first nervous breakdown ever during week 2, I feel disassociated - like I am seeing my memories as someone else's. I have lost 25 pounds in the 6 weeks. I feel nauseous, can't get up in the morning, headaches, incessant thinking. So many cons. Only pro is that I am less impulsive. That's it. My quality of life is even worse now. Everything seemed great the first week, though. Will try taking 20 mgs in the morning like week 1. If this doesn't work, getting a new doc that actually listens to me."

• Nex...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 8, 2021

For ADHD "It made me go crazy. I was convinced of all kinds of conspiracies. Making connections that are not there. To me, it felt so real. I didn't seek help because of paranoia. It ended in me getting into a bunch of legal trouble because I thought people were out to get me. My life was completely ruined. I lost everything, and I mean everything. I lost the love of my life because I threatened her family, thinking they were replaced by robots because I thought AI was taking over and messing with me. I thought the craziest stuff. After coming off it, I spent months wanting to commit suicide. I ended up homeless because of my depression. I slept in my car. One night, I got drunk, wanting to commit suicide. I woke up to cops. Impounded vehicle and DUI. I tried to get help everywhere. I never got the help I needed. Keep this in mind when you decide to take this drug. You will be the one suffering alone. There is nothing in place if something like this happens. It has taken me forever to recover from."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 12, 2015

For ADHD "I can focus so much easier now, my thoughts are manageable and I can keep them straight in a way I never have before. The only downsides are I am basically emotionless, and it's difficult for me to let loose and have fun. Also, another problem is when I miss a day, I turn into a lunatic, like I am hyperactive, running on pure energy and unable to control what comes out of my mouth (thank God my teachers are cool!)."

• ang...
• August 23, 2017

For ADHD "A client who is a psychiatrist recommended that I go in for testing. After 3 days of tests and my history, the doctor concluded I have suffered from ADHD most of my life, and I've developed coping mechanisms to get me through. But the untreated issue was contributing to my depression and social anxiety. Vyvanse is the most amazing thing to happen to my life, I feel normal for the first time ever! I'm productive, healthy, focused, active, and social. I had to stop taking it for a year due to insurance issues, and during that time I gained an unhealthy amount of weight, was depressed, binge eating, and completely lost. Since I'm back on it, I've realized that it's not something I should be removed from my lifestyle if I want to remain happy and healthy."

• Ver...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 18, 2016

For ADHD "When I first started on Vyvanse (30 mg), I thought it was a miracle. I was social, energetic, and losing a lot of weight. After about 6 months on it (40 mg), things started to change; I began having horrible crashes where I would experience depression, OCD-type behavior, and thoughts of suicide. Trying to get off it brought about terrible withdrawal symptoms; I gained a lot of weight, was lifeless, and extremely depressed. I really wish I never started this drug. I noticed a lot of people loving this drug have only been on it for a short amount of time, so come back and update your review when you have taken it for 6 months to a year. The rebound effect of stopping it has been awful."

• Ver...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 18, 2016

For ADHD "When I first started on Vyvanse (30 mg), I thought it was a miracle. I was social, energetic, and losing a lot of weight. After about 6 months on it (40 mg), things started to change; I began having horrible crashes where I would experience depression, OCD-type behavior, and thoughts of suicide. Trying to get off it brought about terrible withdrawal symptoms; I gained a lot of weight, was lifeless, and extremely depressed. I really wish I never started this drug. I noticed a lot of people loving this drug have only been on it for a short amount of time, so come back and update your review when you have taken it for 6 months to a year. The rebound effect of stopping it has been awful."

• Kp9...
• November 7, 2017

For Binge Eating Disorder "I’ve been on Vyvanse for 6 months and have slowly increased from 20 mg to 40 mg. I’ve lost 24 pounds and plan to lose more. I had the hardest time changing my eating habits after pregnancy and continued to eat more than I should have. I gained the 34 pounds back that I had lost after giving birth to my son. I ate large portions and didn’t realize it until after it was gone. Vyvanse has changed my eating habits much more than I expected. I eat very little, and when I look at food, nothing looks appetizing, not even crackers. I’ve started to experience issues with anxiety and depression and am worried that it is being brought on by Vyvanse, as anxiety and agitation are side effects. Vyvanse works, but listen to your body for signs of trouble!"

• Jac...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 14, 2016

For ADHD "Be careful. I was prescribed this at 20 mg for my depression and ADHD last February. For the first few months, it was a miracle. It took care of all my symptoms and even obliterated my social anxiety. As the drug became less and less effective over the months, though, I became more and more depressed, and that's when the miracle pill suddenly became a burden. The doctor prescribed me 30 mg, worked for two days, then nothing. Not to mention at that dose, the crash was awful, some days I would cry over everything and wish I was dead, thinking there was no point to life. That's where abuse came along. Some days I was taking up to 60 mg just to feel normal (without doc's approval). I overdosed on 400 mg and almost died. Be careful, please, always think twice."

• Ean...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 1, 2019

For ADHD "I’ve been on Vyvanse daily for the past 8 years (recently, my doctor has added 10 mg of Zenzedi in the afternoon). Vyvanse has truly been a godsend for my ADHD. I also have anxiety, which causes even menial tasks to seem unbearable. With Vyvanse, daily life tasks are not only easier to complete, they are easier to begin. Prior to Vyvanse, I tried Ritalin and Focalin (gave me horrible anxiety and agitation), Strattera caused me to lose an unhealthy amount of weight, Adderall gave me headaches and plunged me into a depression as it would wear off."

• ADD...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 10, 2024

For ADHD "I really want to like Vyvanse because it definitely does help me focus, skim read without losing comprehension, multitask, listen, and it lasts for a good 11 hours. But, unfortunately, more often than not, it also seems to make me moody/irritable, anxious, paranoid, a little socially awkward, sometimes suicidal thoughts (so, depressed), and I absolutely HATE the heart palpitations I experience on it. I've also experienced mania on it a few times, like I felt high. It was strange. Oh, and I'm way too talkative on it! It feels like a really strong medication, like I'm on meth or something (I only take 20mg - 30mg. Tried 40mg once. It was fine - not much of a muchness between 30 and 40mg). Strangely, I don't experience nearly as many bad side effects when I take dextroamphetamine. So I suppose, be aware of these more worrisome side effects when taking Vyvanse for ADHD. And remember to take days off from taking it to ameliorate tolerance!"

• Sta...
• April 26, 2014

For ADHD "It's good during the day for my attention, but I have to force myself to eat. I've had bad headaches, probably from not eating enough. Also, as the evening progresses, I notice I start feeling moody and depressed. I sometimes cry over the silliest things. I also notice my appetite comes back later in the night as well, which could turn into a bad thing with weight gain. Normally, I can't fall asleep till around 2-3 a.m. every night. I know there seems to be more cons than pros, but overall, I rate Vyvanse a 7 due to the fact my mind isn't all over the place, when someone is talking to me, I'm actually listening. I seem to be in a better mood during the day, nighttime is my downfall!"

• Con...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 6, 2016

For ADHD "My 13-year-old son was put on Vyvanse for his ADHD and started at 20 mg, 30 mg, and for the last two weeks has been on 40 mg. He's had the usual not much of an appetite and off sleeping patterns. However, I've noticed in the last two weeks a drastic behavior change in him where he is extremely emotional, very anxious, feeling like everyone hates him, depressed, and wanting to hurt himself. His pediatrician advised me to stop this medication."