ADHD

Vyvanse and Elvanse are identical medications (Lisdexamfetamine), just under different names for UK and American (and possibly other places)

Same! I'm on Elvanse for about half a year now and the first week was insane, I had to force myself to eat, which never happened to me before. I also lost a bit of weight in the first 2 months (which is not a good thing for me), but I got used to it. Now I eat a huge breakfast, before it kicks in and then just eat small amounts over the whole day and have a bigger meal once it wears off. But I definitely had to change my routine a bit. I miss enjoying a lunch break. :D

on both attempts, I've lost my appetite completely. not only that, I've noticed a mild disgust against anything edible. I'm already an incredible picky eater per default, my reaction against food that doesn't taste good is already really strong, which basically leaves me with only a handfull of meals I can eat without strong discomfort. but on that medication, I just could not get myself (nor felt any need) to eat anything. it was actually rather scary.

Co-signing this experience as a Vyvanse 50mg user. The mental effects are… staggering. It’s like the difference between having glasses and not having glasses, it’s that significant for me. I won’t drive my car any sort of major distance unless I’ve taken my Vyvanse for the day, frankly.

But the physical effects? The loss of hunger/thirst? The resulting anxiety and hypervigilance? The feeling like I’ve been running a marathon lately, taking it and then going to my physically-intense job?

Dude, vyvanse made me literally retch preparing my dog’s food for like weeks straight. I’d get up and have my medicine, take the dog out, and then fifteen minutes later come to prepare her food, and it would make me physically ill to smell and look at it. My theory is that I was actually waking up extremely hungry, because I was going to bed without eating properly, and my body simply wasn’t on the same page as my brain because my brain was getting medicine that tricks it into not signaling my body is hungry. So, when I opened the dog food, despite my brain knowing it was for the dog, my body smelled it and rejected it as food, despite having an empty stomach.

The only things I found that helped immediately were, 1). Eating solid food, not just a protein shake like I usually had in the morning at that point (and like I had figured would be fine, because wtf??); and, wildly 2). literally affirming out loud “It’s not for me, it’s for [dog name]”. Which I swear made a difference for me, however silly it must sound.

wishful thinking... They make me piss in a cup and get weighed every time I go into my Dr's office and the needle only goes one way and never the way I want it to go.

Dude. I definitely skinnied up before and I guarantee it'll happen again. I mean, I could use a little less though. So - win win I guess.

Well, yes! But actually no.

It doesn’t make it so you don’t have to eat; it makes it so you don’t feel hungry.

But that’s like the difference between being impervious to damage and not feeling pain.

You’re still physiologically dragged down by the damage, even if it isn’t registering as a “feeling”.

Your ADHD body (if it’s like mine) basically has a warning light flashing all the time, saying HUNGRY SLEEPY GONNA PASS OUT IF NOT EATING HUNGRY inside your brain, even when you’re not THAT hungry, because your brain is desperate for things to do to keep itself awake. And you may think, “well okay, turn off the broken warning light”, but that doesn’t fix that you need proper nutrition, and that you no longer feel an urgent need to eat properly, since the warning light is gone.

You actually have to be more vigilant in a lot of ways. To make sure you don’t hurt yourself or end up nutrient deficient or something—again personally I’m literally grappling with having too little Potassium in my diet presently, I have to be very aware of what I eat.

Usually it’s around the time I’m struggling to catch my breath inside my head that I realize I’ve neglected to intake solids.

Like I’ll be rushing around at work and thinking to myself “okay I have to do this first, and then this, and then, this. and. Whew. I have a lot ahead of me—oh, I must be hungry/thirsty/fatigued”. Does that make sense? I can feel my brain actually start chugging.

Oh I definitely get that too. Did not realize there was another option for focus. Either do all the things or none of the things. I should ask my doc about that.

I know this post is old, but did it help? I originally stopped taking ADHD meds (probably Vyvanse) because they absolutely decimated my already poor appetite. I really want to start something, but I don't want that again.