Adderall Tolerance Against Vyvanse
TL;DR Does Vyvanse as an alternative option need to be titrated to the equivalent 70 mg dosage, or should I self-advocate for the full 70 mg right off the bat? Are Adderall and Vyvanse tolerances the same? What do I do?
Hi. I was diagnosed with severe inattentive-type ADHD relatively recently, about a year and a half ago, so dealing with medication and strategies is all relatively new to me. Before/off medication, I have had paralyzing executive function issues, poor working memory thats become an existential nightmare for me, and general issues with my social life, career, and health because of my difficulties with remaining focused.
I'm currently taking 30 mg of Adderall XR, with 10 mg IR booster in the afternoon, with prior 10 and 20 mg xr doses not being enough to combat my symptoms. Before I reached this point, I had tried Ritalin and Wellbutrin, both with minimal results, even at higher doses/combinations, so I had assumed that Adderall was a good fit.
For the past couple of months, I've been noticing that even with my medication, I'm facing the same problems from when I was unmedicated, and it's really scary for me. I've been taking it as prescribed, avoiding Vitamin C and other acids during the day, getting plenty of sleep, foo, and water to compensate for the effects, and taking anti-acids 30 min before I take my meds to ensure they are absorbing properly. At this point, I'm worried that I'm running into a tolerance problem, and I'm at a critical point in my life where I can't afford to take 1-4 weeks for a tolerance break (I've tried, multiple times, but it's so much worse, especially now that I'm aware of what normal feels and looks like).
My psychiatrist recommended starting Vyvanse, quoting past metabolic issues that I've had with Adderall running its course too quickly as an additional reason to try it. The problem was, she started me with a 20 mg dosage, which did next to nothing. From what I understand, an equivalent Vyvanse dosage to the 30 that had worked for me would've been 70 (???) mg. I'm unfamiliar with how it works, but should I ask my psychiatrist to put me on the 70 mg equivalent dosage? Also, since Vyvanse has similar components to Adderall, am I just screwed with my tolerance, and my only choice is to suffer through a break and hope everything turns out ok? Do they have the same tolerances? What do I do?
I should mention, I'm aware of the difference between feeling high, The Magic" of taking medication after a lifetime, and feeling focused. I already went through that whole routine, it genuinely is my symptoms returning. I thought for a long time, asked around, and tried to do research before asking here.