Amazing Vyvanse benefits… but severe afternoon sleepiness?
I’m currently on day 6 of generic lisdexamfetamine after previously being on Adderall, and honestly… I feel emotional writing this because I have never felt this functional in my life.
The improvements have been huge and very consistent:
- I wake up early without fighting myself for hours
- I’m feeding my cats on time again (this became almost impossible before treatment)
- I’m showering twice a day now
- I started drinking water regularly again after weeks of barely drinking any
- I can leave my phone and continue tasks instead of getting “stuck” scrolling/paralyzed
- I’ve been cleaning, organizing, doing dishes, grocery shopping without overthinking every little thing
- I arrive home from work with actual energy left instead of collapsing
- I can hold conversations better and have less constant rumination in my head
- Less impulsive eating/snacking
- No major crash feeling like I had on Adderall
- No heart palpitations so far
One thing that shocked me: for the first time in almost my entire life (I’m 34), I woke up, realized there were no eggs at home, and immediately went to the supermarket without overthinking it. That sounds small, but for me it’s HUGE.
The weird/problematic part:
I’ve been having insomnia since starting it. Some nights I’ve only slept 3–4 hours.
And then during certain moments in the afternoon, especially during long drives (I work driving/delivering packages), I get EXTREME sleepiness.
Not normal tiredness.
I literally cannot keep my eyes open. I start nodding off and apparently even snoring for a few seconds. It’s almost like my brain suddenly shuts down during longer rides or traffic.
What’s strange is:
- I do NOT feel mentally exhausted all day like I used to before treatment or on Adderall
- Mornings are AMAZING now
- I feel clearer, calmer, less paralyzed
- The sleepiness comes in weird “windows”
Also:
- hypersexuality was intense the first few days but has decreased now
- eating and hydration seem to help the sleepiness somewhat
- I recently started forcing myself to eat more protein and drink more water/electrolytes because I realized I was barely eating during the day
Has anyone experienced something similar during the first 1–2 weeks of Vyvanse/lisdexamfetamine?
Especially:
- huge executive function improvement
BUT
- insomnia + random extreme sleepiness/nodding off later in the day?
Did it stabilize with time? Dose adjustment? Better sleep? More food/hydration?
I already know the driving sleepiness is something serious and I’m monitoring it carefully. I’m just trying to understand whether others experienced this weird adjustment phase too.