Vyvanse

SUMMARY

Vyvanse is the brand name for the pharmaceutical stimulant lisdexamfetamine, a prodrug for dexamphetamine. It was reported to be the 7th most prescribed drug recently according to a doctor who writes for WebMD, and is designed to limit methods of abuse such as other routes of administration. Vyvanse, being a prodrug, must be taken orally in order to go through first pass metabolism to become dexamphetamine. Implications of this mean that it cannot be snorted and may not work via IV or other ROA's besides oral. It has nearly identical effects to Dexedrine and Adderall, however has a smoother come up and less of a crash according to anecdotal reports from multiple drug forums and from users within the tripsit community. Being a stimulant it has various physical and mental side effects such as a raise in heart rate and blood pressure, racing thoughts, increased focus, sweating. and many more psychological and physical effects. See the effects section of this wiki article for more information on side effects.

HISTORY

Being is a relatively newly synthesized substance, Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse)’s history is both compact and interesting. Having only been approved on the 23rd of April 2008 by the FDA for usage in humans, the long term benefits and risks associated with consumption of the substance can only be predicted. Vyvanse was developed and rigorously studied by the pharmaceutical giant New River Pharmaceuticals before the substance’s 2008 approval.

Vyvanse was conceived and subsequently developed as a safer, more efficient version of dextroamphetamine (a popular drug used to treat ADHD at the time). Due to the mechanism of chemical conversion from Vyvanse into dextroamphetamine inside of a user’s red blood cells, Vyvanse is longer-lasting and has much less abuse potential than pure dextroamphetamine. This has led to a spike in popularity of Vyvanse on the American continent. Vyvanse is now commonly prescribed in both the USA (Approved in 2008) and Canada (Approved in 2009); both 30mg and 50mg capsules are available. Patients who are prescribed Vyvanse have usually been diagnosed with the condition ADHD, although other uses for Vyvanse have been explored. Recreational usage of the drug is popular in both the USA and Canada, where prescriptions are easy to relatively easy to attain. In February, 2014 Shire Pharmaceuticals announced that late stage clinical trials conducted by themselves had revealed no use for Vyvanse in the treatment of depression. On January 30, 2015, the FDA expanded the use of Vyvanse to be used for the treatment of binge eating disorders after a series of successful studies.

Some European countries (the United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark) may soon see widespread prescribing and usage of the drug; Shire Pharmaceuticals recently announced that it was in receipt of a positive ruling from a decentralized European commission. Effectively, this paves the way for Vyvanse to enter the European market, threatening methylphenidate as the most popular drug to treat ADHD in adults in Europe.

DOSAGE

Oral

Light 40-60mg

Common 60-90mg

Strong 90-110mg

Heavy 110-140mg

Duration

Onset oral:

• 40-120 minutes

Duration oral:

• 8-14 hours

Effects

Positive Effects

• Increased focus
• Smooth come-up
• Increased energy
• Increased motivation

Negative effects

• Racing thoughts
• Insomnia
• Dehydration
• High blood pressure
• Tachycardia (Fast heart rate)
• Peripheral vasoconstriction
• Paranoia
• Increased body temperature/overheating

Pharmacology

Vyvanse is a prodrug stimulant that when metabolized becomes pure D-amphetamine. Studies show that vyvanse is absorbed through the small intestine, by the inner linings of the GI lumen, and then metabolized by the red blood cells into D amphetamine. It was shown that the time to reach peak concentration when taken orally was 1 hour, but when having eaten a high fat meal that time was extended to 2 hours. Once converted to d-amphetamine, the d-amphetamine acts on the brain to cause a catecholamine release, increasing the neuronal firing rate within the cortical section of the brain increasing levels of dopamine as well as noradrenaline (also known as norepinephrine). This is the reasoning behind the physical stimulating effects felt by the use of vyvanse. Along with increasing the function and efflux of those two neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, d-amphetamine also has effects on the reuptake of the neurotransmitters.