Vyvanse
Ranked 3 of 9 adhd medications by recommenders
People recommend it as a longer-lasting ADHD stimulant that many find easier to tolerate than Adderall. The most common caveats are sleep disruption and health complications at higher doses.
People recommend it as a longer-lasting ADHD stimulant that many find easier to tolerate than Adderall. The most common caveats are sleep disruption and health complications at higher doses.
24 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 13
- criticize it
- 11
- approval share
- 54%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 1 year
Median of the 3 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 13 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 1.1 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Better focus for work
“Still, I can get much more done. I get less stuck on stupid stuff.”
Comment from 23 Oct 2026 in “Mortality Among People with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder” “I now take Vyvanse to keep sustained focus in my work.”
Comment from 9 Feb 2026 in “ADHD and Methylphenidate Use in Prepubertal Children and Adult BMI and Height” More tolerable than Adderall
“At least for me, Vyvanse is much more tolerable than Adderall XR.”
Comment from 14 Jan 2026 in “ADHD. How do you manage the constant stream of thoughts and ideas?” “Vyvanse treats ADHD much better and has fewer side-effects”
Comment from 6 Dec 2025 in “Coffee linked to slower biological ageing among those with severe mental illness”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Disrupts sleep
“None of them really helped my focus and all three really screwed with my sleep.”
Comment from 1 Aug 2026 in “Dubious research tied to Red Bull has shaped energy drink policy” “vyvanse consistently put me to sleep”
Comment from 24 Dec 2025 in “Addiction, ADHD, Discipline and Obsession” Effect faded or temporary
“Vyvanse didn't do anything for me after day 1.”
Comment from 23 Oct 2026 in “The Other Epidemic: Trying to get off benzodiazepines” “Temporary, only when I'm on Vyvanse it seems”
Comment from 20 Jul 2026 in “Sensing warm and cool: how the body detects temperature changes”
Other adhd medications people recommend
The four most recommended other adhd medications, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adderall | 38 | 26 | 59% | 11 | 3 yrs4 owners | — |
| Ritalin | 18 | 19 | 49% | 8 | 11 yrs4 owners | — |
| VyvanseThis page | 13 | 11 | 54% | 7 | 1 yr3 owners | — |
| Methylphenidate | 10 | 8 | 56% | 8 | — | — |
| Concerta | 9 | 6 | 60% | 6 | — | — |
What people said
27 of the 28 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“my prescriber did not know or care what she was doing and when there was an Adderall shortage she gave me Vyvanse and said it "wasn't as effective" and almost tripled my dosage”
“Still, I can get much more done. I get less stuck on stupid stuff.”
“Vyvanse didn't do anything for me after day 1.”
“It's been life changing for me in my normal therapeutic dose.”
“man I can only do >40hr weeks for maybe 2-3 weeks before I burn out hard”
“then get scripts for Adderall or Vyvanse to handle the perceived insurmountable workload”
“fixed by curing depression and taking vyvanse for adhd”
“None of them really helped my focus and all three really screwed with my sleep.”
“I had an absolutely terrible time with that for the same reasons”
“Temporary, only when I'm on Vyvanse it seems”
“basically the same downsides to both”
“It helps, but mostly just covers my work hours.”
“Vyvanse helped a ton, but it was producing health complications”
“I now take Vyvanse to keep sustained focus in my work.”
“I consider "better" meds like Vyvanse”
“occasionally have periods where I take what I consider "better" meds like Vyvanse”
“concerta and vyvanse were find if I took them first thing”
“would be a similar nightmare for me”
“The XR mechanism is shit compared how vyvanse and concerts manage theirs.”
“At least for me, Vyvanse is much more tolerable than Adderall XR.”
“the upside is it lasts all day instead of a few hours”
“What's worked for me: Stimulants: caffeine and Vyvanse.”
“I also couldn't go above 20mg Vyvanse without feeling uncomfortable”
“vyvanse consistently put me to sleep”
“Vyvanse treats ADHD much better and has fewer side-effects”
“With Adderall (or Vyvanse) good protocol is to get small dose, like 5-10mg early morning once every one or two weeks.”
“The only things I’ve foung that actually works, is a daily combo of Vyvanse and dexis”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.