Vyvanse

[L8 4 School]

Anyone have any experiences with this prescription? My son was just given a prescription by his dr. (He's 6-my son, not the dr. ) Listening to the list of possible side effects is scary!! I know it is with many prescriptions, but this is my little guy. I want to do what's best for him, and give him every advantage, but I don't want him to have a heart attack or anything else. Thanks for listening. I am very interested to hear what anyone has to say. Thank you!!

 

[yesteach]

New drug

I don't know anyone who is using it, but did some searching around online and found this:

Philadelphia, PA – June 29, 2007 – Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY, TSX: SHQ) announced today that it has submitted a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for VYVANSE™ (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults. This application is subject to a 10-month FDA review period. http://www.shireadhdtreatments.com/pdf/PressReleaseFINAL62907.pdf

*I did find an article that states the drug was approved for children in Feb. 2007.

What would concern me is that "10-month review" and the fact that it says "for adults." While I don't have experience with this particular drug, I did have a student who was put on Effexor (which was not tested in children) and he had terrible side effects (many of which I also saw listed for this, like aggression and mania. This student WAS undiagnosed Bi-polar (he was 11, the Bi-polar was diagnosed two years later); however, if your son is showing ANY signs of mania, depression, sadness, etc. with the ADHD (I'm guessing that's what this is for since it's an ADD drug) - watch for ANY change in behaviour and notify the doctor immediately!
The boy I had in class went from fairly well behaved and manageable to psychotic in a matter of a month! When I finally had all I could stand, and the school was about to refer him to an alternative school (all this within a period of a MONTH!) I called his mom and told her I was no doctor, and I was presuming to tell her what to do... however, THESE are the changes I've seen in your child's demeanor and behaviour in the last month and if it were ME, I'd at least take him for a re-eval for the new meds. She called the psychiatrist he was seeing who told her "oh, yeah.. well, it can cause psychotic episodes in some people... " She was livid no one had told her this BEFORE she let him take it for a month!

Just be VERY observant of ANY changes is his behavior. You might also check around for an ADHD message board and see if there is anyone there who has experience with it. If you don't belong to one, try the one at LDOnline (if it's still there.. not been there in a while!)

 

[flamom]

My dd who is 10 just started this today. We changed from Adderall which she's been on for about 3 years, because she won't swallow the pills, and she was gagging everytime she swallowed it in the yogurt mix I made for her, and often would rinse it down the sink and fake take it if it wasn't on top of her watching. So, this we can mix in water for her to drink.

I'll have to see how she does on it. Our next step is the patch, but the doc is worried about rashes due to sensitive skin/allergies she has.

 

[yesteach]

doctor's blog

I found this blog site with comments from addults and parents who've been using it.. maybe it will be helpful:
http://www.addadhdblog.com/does-vyvanse-work/

 

[N2Teach]

It's good for us!

My 9 year old son has been taking ADHD medications for 3 years now. We have tried about everything. Anyway, in September he started taking Vyvanse. It has worked well for him. It is so nice that it is still in his system at 5:00 when he is doing his homework. Every other med would run out before he got home from school and homework was a nightmare for our family. My son is in 3rd grade and so far this school year, his teachers have only had positive comments to make about his behavior and work. Good luck! It is a big decision to make, I know.