My 9 year old son has been on Vyvanse for 1 year now. He was diagnosed with a mild case of ADD, where he can not focus and he gets bored easily in class, especially if he already knows it. He is really fidgety in his class and his teacher said that he would not keep still. I have been dealing with this with him since he was in 1st grade. His teacher told me to bring him to the doctor to see if he had ADD. I started him on the weekend so that I could monitor him at home first.
The first day on Vyvanse 30mg he played a football game and was so focused and made such a great tackle that the coach of the other team found him after the game and told him how awesome he played. When we got home that same day his talent came out, which was building. He found pieces of wood around the house and built himself a wooden car from scratch. He also has become a clean freak, which I love, because I don't have to pick up behind him anymore.
The following Monday at school his teacher told me how she noticed a major difference. She said he was more attentive and asked questions, which was something he did not usually do. When he finished school last year he had made a major improvement. He was basically a "C" student and now he is a "A/B" student. One Friday his teacher posted on edline that they had a social studies test on Monday and she had given them a study guide. Well, my son forgot his on his desk and did not study for the test. I emailed his teacher and told her that he may not do good on the test because he forgot his study guide and he did not have his book. Needless to say on Wednesday the teacher sent the test papers home and he had made a 94%. I was shocked, but his teacher told me that he just pays so much more attention in class.
At the end of the school year she advised me that Colby was her best disciplined child in her class and she wish everyone was like him. HIs biggest problem was he was talkative. When he is on Vyvanse he is alert and does not talk as much. Which has its advantages and disadvantages. He already loved math, but now his interest is so high in math. One day his teacher said he went to details about how to do a simple division problem. At home he does his homework immediately and if anyone is disruptive in the house he is the one who will tell them they either need to be quite or go outside so he can do his work. He has had to go up to 70mg in the past 6 months, because I found that he got so adjusted to the medicine quickly.
The major problem I have with him is that he does not go to sleep until 1am-2am in the morning, because he basically is not sleepy at all. I have read post that says applesauce or apple juice is good for them to take with Vyvanse. He usually drinks kool-aide, which may be too much sugar. I will try the applesauce/apple juice starting tomorrow. Any other suggestions? Otherwise Vyvanse is a miracle drug. For a parent who was against drugging my child, it has definitely helped him in school and even in sports.