Elvanse

[mymindisamuckingfuddle]

Hello ND Mumsnetters.

I was diagnosed with ASD (although no longer diagnosed I was told it is 'classic Aspergers' presentation) and combined type ADHD yesterday. Not surprised. I'm 38, F, with no physical health conditions.

The doctor wants to start me on 30mg Elvanse (lisdexamfetamine) straight away.

Am looking for experiences with this drug please.

Yes, it could just be a me thing. I know others find it makes zero difference whether they’ve eaten or not. I definitely notice a difference, so maybe if others are finding it makes them jittery too they could try upping their food whilst taking it? If that makes no difference, they are probably on too high a dose.

I mean it doesn't do any harm to try, right? I was just pondering about what the mechanism might be for you TBH.

I take Elvanse, I started on 20mg but I've gone up to 30mg.

It's great for me honestly. Much better than Medikinet which is what I had before. I did need the slower start though because I'm quite sensitive to it, I needed to get used to 20mg for about 6 weeks before I moved up, and now I'm on 30mg I'm struggling to time it so that it doesn't keep me up at night.

When I feel jittery, it usually means that I need some sugar, I've started carrying glucose tablets around and this helps to settle me down. Apparently glucose is the "fuel" for the executive functioning system, so if you're using it more than you're used to, you'll burn through it quicker. Sugary drinks were also suggested.

It is important to try and eat regularly but you don't necessarily need to take it on a full stomach.

Hi, bit late to the party here but was supposed to start my 30mg Elvanse yesterday (health anxiety stopped me 🙄) trying to psych myself up to trying it today or tomorrow but just reading through this thread and wondered how people are doing ? Are you still going on this medication? Thanks in advance for any updates

I started on Elvanse about 4 weeks ago. I did a week on 30mg then went up to 50mg for 3 weeks. In terms of side effects, it has been fine (I also avoided starting it for well over a month until I gave myself a stern talking to). My main side effect is having a dry mouth, but that’s ok, it’s just making me drink more water which is not a bad outcome. I definitely got a little jittery/anxious for a while but that settled fine. I do have to remind myself to eat and when I do my choices are a lot less dopamine driven which is a very good thing. I’m about to go up to 60mg, and feeling fine about it.

@LBOCS2thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I’ve set myself a target to start them Sunday when my husband is here to support me. X

For the dry mouth, if water starts to not be effective, I can recommend dry mouth spray which you can buy at any chemist/pharmacy. I get into a state where my whole mouth feels rough inside and kept thinking I had thrush but the spray works better than the thrush cream! And keep a stock in of sweets and gum because having something in your mouth helps trigger saliva production - ideally sugar free to protect your teeth, but xylitol which is often used as a sweetener in these things seems to make the feeling worse for me, so I go for sugar containing when it's very bad. Also beware that some sweeteners have a laxative effect if you eat too much.