Sleep despite taking Elvanse/ Vyvanse?

Hi friends,

I’m at my wits’ end and my psychiatrist isn’t really helping me. I have ADHD (diagnosed as a child, confirmed as an adult) and have been experimenting with medication for the last four or five months.

Instant-release methylphenidate and Medikinet do work, but they make me irritable and short-tempered when their effects wear off. When taken regularly, this builds up to an emotional crash.

Elvanse works best: better concentration, emotional regulation plus I’m finally getting things done. But I can’t sleep at night. I lie awake until 3 am, even though I go to bed at 11 pm. After a few days, my body then completely breaks down.

I’ve tried lots of things: no caffeine (not even green tea), 30mg straight after breakfast (I get stomach problems on an empty stomach), 1mg melatonin plus magnesium bisglycinate an hour before bed. The melatonin helps me fall asleep, but the sleep still isn’t restful; I wake up tired, sometimes in the middle of the night. Without Elvanse, I sleep like a baby, so it’s clearly down to the medication.

My doctor isn’t much help. He barely acknowledges my sleep problems and has only suggested increasing the dose. But 40mg of Elvanse made me feel very jittery and anxious, almost as if I were high.

It’s hard to get an appointment with a psychiatrist in my town.

I like the positive effects, but neither the sleep deprivation caused by Elvanse nor the irritability caused by MPH are sustainable in the long run. Has anyone had a similar experience?

It’s hard to get an appointment with a psychiatrist in my town.

I like the positive effects, but neither the sleep deprivation caused by Elvanse nor the irritability caused by MPH are sustainable in the long run. Has anyone had similar experiences? What helped?

Next, I’d like to try a long-acting form of MPH like Concerta/Kinecteen. I’m also currently trying L-theanine, but I don’t notice any difference at 100mg.