Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common childhood disorder in the world. It affects 5% of the general population, yet some estimates show that 90% of adults with ADHD do not have a diagnosis. Canada is no different. Some doctors have seen a 25% uptick in ADHD cases since the pandemic. Still, this increase in ADHD cases does not explain the increasingly widespread abuse of the ADHD medication Vyvanse. People with ADHD can get a Vyvanse prescription. This prescription drug is also commonly sold on the black market, especially to college students looking to get ahead academically. But is Vyvanse addictive? If you are wondering whether Vyvanse is addictive or habit-forming, you have come to the right place.
Keep reading this article for the facts you need to know about this prescription drug’s potential for abuse and overdose.
What Is Vyvanse?
Vyvanse is a brand-name medication used to treat ADHD in adults and children aged six years or older. Vyvanse is similar to other ADHD medications like Adderall, Ritalin, and Concerta.
Doctors also prescribe this medication for the treatment of binge eating disorder (BED). Some people with depression take Vyvanse to boost the efficacy of their antidepressants. And there is emerging research supporting the use of Vyvanse for weight loss.
What Does Vyvanse Do to the Brain and Body?
Vyvanse is a stimulant. Commonly known stimulants include legal compounds like caffeine and nicotine as well as illicit substances like methamphetamines and cocaine.
Stimulants have one primary function: they speed up the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS includes the brain, the spinal cord, and all the nerves the brain and spinal cord use to communicate with the body.
The most noticeable effects of Vyvanse use include wakefulness, alertness, and energy. Some people also report experiencing elevated mood and increased confidence after using stimulants like Vyvanse.
What Is the Generic Name for Vyvanse?
The active ingredient in Vyvanse is lisdexamfetamine dimesylate. Currently, there is no generic version of Vyvanse sold on the market. However, some sources say that generic Vyvanse may be available in 2023.
The interesting thing about lisdexamfetamine dimesylate is that it is inactive. That means it does not do anything to the human brain or body. Instead, our bodies must convert this chemical into dextroamphetamine.
Dextroamphetamine allows for Vyvanse’s stimulant effects. And this ingredient is present in other ADHD medications, including Adderall and Dexedrine.
Is Vyvanse a Controlled Substance?
In the US, Vyvanse is a Schedule II substance. That means it has an accepted medical use (i.e., it can treat ADHD) but has a high potential for abuse and addiction. Other Schedule II substances in the US include:
- Hydromorphone
- Methadone
- Oxycodone
- Fentanyl
- Opium
- Morphine
- Codeine
- Hydrocodone
What Are the Risk Factors Associated With Vyvanse?
Vyvanse presents a high risk of dependency and addiction. But when people with ADHD take this drug according to a doctor’s directions, that risk decreases.
In clinical trials, the most common side effects of Vyvanse, which showed up in greater than 5% of study participants, include the following:
- Lowered appetite
- Insomnia
- Dry mouth
- Weight loss
- Irritability
- Gastrointestinal (GI) issues (e.g., nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation)
- Anxiety
- Dizziness
- Jitters
- Increased heart rate
- Abdominal pain
Doctors have also reported some extremely rare but serious symptoms. For example, some people experience mania from Vyvanse use.
People with heart problems, serotonin syndrome, or who are prone to stimulant psychosis are typically not recommended Vyvanse. That is because these groups are at a higher risk for sudden cardiac death due to Vyvanse use.
Vyvanse also has significant drug interactions. Your doctor likely will not recommend this medication if you use monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). You should also not use it alongside other stimulant drugs, including Adderall.
Is Vyvanse Addictive?
Yes, addiction is a potential side effect of Vyvanse use and abuse. Because of its impacts on the brain, people who take Vyvanse for ADHD can also wind up getting addicted to their prescription medication.
Extended-release drugs do not pump one strong dose of the active ingredient into your bloodstream at once. Instead, they release a steady supply of the active ingredient throughout the day.
As we will discuss later, Vyvanse’s active ingredient has to pass through the stomach in order to be effective. That means people can not snort this drug or use other methods of administration that can increase a substance’s potential for abuse.
For these reasons, some studies suggest that Vyvanse has a somewhat lower potential for abuse than other stimulant drugs. That is because Vyvanse uses an extended-release format.
Yet, despite these protections, Vyvanse still commonly leads to addiction. If you believe your loved one may be addicted to Vyvanse, look out for the signs, which we will talk about next.
What Are the Signs of Vyvanse Addiction?
One of the hallmarks of a Vyvanse addiction (or, really, any addiction) is craving. Cravings happen when your brain gets used to the high levels of dopamine addicting drugs produce.
Cravings lead you to acquire more of that feel-good drug. And those cravings make it extremely difficult to stop using the drug and lead to compulsive Vyvanse-seeking behaviours.
But cravings are not the only sign that someone has become dependent on Vyvanse. Other signs of Vyvanse addiction include the following:
- Uncharacteristic mood swings
- Extreme anxiety
- Depression
- Disinterest in activities or hobbies you used to enjoy
- Feeling unhappy with the way your life turned out
- Lack of concern about the potential negative consequences of your Vyvanse use
Other signs of addiction might include unstable relationships, risky behaviour, problems at work or in school, and neglecting your family or friends.
How Does Vyvanse Addiction Develop?
The active ingredient in Vyvanse interacts with neurotransmitters in the brain. One of the functions of neurotransmitters is to exchange messages from one brain cell to the next.
Specifically, Vyvanse leads to an increase in the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. Dopamine, in particular, is strongly associated with addiction to Vyvanse.
Dopamine is sometimes called the “reward molecule” because our brains release it when we do something that makes us feel good. Drugs, for instance, make us feel good and lead to an increase in dopamine.
Over time, our brains start to crave the higher levels of dopamine that drugs like Vyvanse release. And to keep dopamine levels high, the brains of people who are addicted to Vyvanse encourage them to keep using the feel-good drug.
What Is Tolerance?
One of the first signs of developing an addiction is increased tolerance to a substance. Tolerance refers to the phenomenon where you need increasing doses of a substance to feel the same effects.
This phenomenon happens because drugs lose their potency the more you use them. The same thing occurs with legal substances like alcohol.
Drinking one beer may get you drunk if it is your first time. But over the years, you will have to drink more and more beers to feel the same way you did the first time you consumed alcohol.
With abuse or long-term use of Vyvanse, tolerance is common. You will have to take increasing doses of Vyvanse to achieve the desired effects.
Are There Any Risks Associated With Stopping Vyvanse Use?
There are two main risks associated with Vyvanse cessation: Vyvanse crashes and Vyvanse withdrawals.
Vyvanse crashes occur when your prescription ADHD medication wears off in the middle of the day. You may experience crash symptoms of tiredness, irritability, or anxiety. The only way to get rid of these symptoms immediately is to take another dose of Vyvanse.
Vyvanse withdrawals occur when you stop using Vyvanse cold turkey. Most doctors do not recommend the cold turkey method. Instead, they will prescribe less and less of the drug for maximum reduction of withdrawal symptoms, a strategy known as tapering.
What Are the Withdrawal Symptoms of Vyvanse?
Speaking of withdrawals, you are probably wondering: how will I feel if I stop using Vyvanse? The most common Vyvanse withdrawal symptoms include the following:
- Sweating
- Shakiness
- Insomnia
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Depression
Withdrawal symptoms from quitting Vyvanse typically go away after a couple of days. But if you have been using or abusing Vyvanse for many years, your withdrawal symptoms could last much longer.
This is one of the many reasons why it is better to seek treatment for a Vyvanse addiction sooner rather than later.
What Are the Treatment Options for Vyvanse Withdrawals?
Unfortunately, there are currently no known medical treatments for Vyvanse withdrawals. But people concerned about withdrawing from Vyvanse can consider medical detox.
Medical detox is also called medically-assisted detox because it occurs under the supervision of a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional. These individuals help support your detox journey.
Medical detox helps you understand what to expect while you detox. Plus, a medical professional can administer symptom-specific treatments to help you stay comfortable and feel safe until you are on the other side of your withdrawals.
Is It Dangerous to Snort Vyvanse?
Snorting some drugs gets the active ingredient into your bloodstream much faster than ingesting it. For this reason, many recreational users and abusers choose to snort drugs. But can you snort Vyvanse?
However, Vyvanse is not a drug that has stronger effects when snorted. Why? Because the inactive main ingredient has to convert to the active ingredient, dextroamphetamine, to act as a stimulant in your brain.
But the compounds that produce dextroamphetamine from Vyvanse’s main ingredient, lisdexamfetamine, are located in your gastrointestinal tract. That means Vyvanse will not work as a stimulant unless you take it orally.
Still, if you or someone you love is snorting Vyvanse, this could be a sign of abuse, whether of ADHD medications or other drugs.
What’s more, snorting Vyvanse can still be dangerous because snorting anything up your nose can cause complications, including:
- Nasal pain
- Nasal congestion
- Sinus drainage
- Difficulty swallowing
- Hoarseness
- Nosebleeds
- Earaches
- Septal perforation
- Palatal perforation
- Sinus infections
- Facial swelling
Snorting Vyvanse in powdered forms can also lead to respiratory damage. Asthma, respiratory infections, and even lung disease are more common in people who have a history of snorting powdered drugs.
Can You Overdose on Vyvanse?
Yes, people can and do overdose on Vyvanse. Overdose can occur when someone takes more than the prescribed amount of Vyvanse. And in some cases, a Vyvanse overdose can lead to death.
It is also important to know that combining Vyvanse with alcohol can increase the risk of overdose. In this case, Vyvanse’s stimulant effects can mask the depressant qualities of alcohol, leading to overconsumption and overdose.
What Are the Symptoms of a Vyvanse Overdose?
There are a wide variety of symptoms associated with stimulant overdose. Vyvanse overdose symptoms include but are not limited to the following:
- Chest pain
- High blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Hypothermia
- Hyperhydrosis (increased sweating)
- Seizures
- Renal failure
- GI problems
- Rapid breathing
Behavioural symptoms of Vyvanse overdose are also known. For example, the person may experience paranoia, extreme anxiety, confusion, suicidal thoughts, hostility, agitation, and even hallucinations.
Vyvanse Treatment Options for Lasting Recovery
So, is Vyvanse addictive? Yes, Vyvanse does present the potential for addiction and fatal overdose, whether someone takes it as a prescription or abuses it recreationally.
Luckily, there are Vyvanse treatment options to help you or a loved one recover for good. At Simcoe, we offer prescription drug treatment programs, including trauma therapy, medically-assisted detox, aftercare, and more.
If you are ready to get help for yourself or your loved one, we are here for you. Contact us today to learn more about our Vyvanse treatment options and finally get the help you need.