Gerard asked
How long does Vyvanse stay in your system?
Answer
Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) is a stimulant medication, similar to Adderall and Ritalin. Vyvanse is a "prodrug" and when taken by mouth, it is metabolized in the body to the active compound, dextroamphetamine.
How Long Does Vyvanse Last In The Body?
Dextroamphetamine, the metabolite responsible for the effects of Vyvanse, has a half-life around 12 hours. It generally takes around 5 half-lives before a drug is considered metabolized and eliminated from the body. Therefore, you can expect Vyvanse to last around 60 hours, or 2 to 3 days in the body. Neither the parent compound in Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) nor dextroamphetamine accumulate in the body with continuous use, as some drugs (e.g. cannabis) do.
After taking a dose of Vyvanse by mouth, peak concentrations of Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) occur after approximately one hour. However, the active metabolite of Vyvanse, dextroamphetamine, reaches peak concentrations in the blood approximately 3.5 hours after dosing.
In terms of the when you can expect Vyvanse to begin working, based on clinical studies, the therapeutic effects of Vyvanse start to occur about 2 hours after dosing while peak effects occur around 5 hours after your dose.
The duration of action of Vyvanse is around 10 to 14 hours per dose. Therefore, it is very important to take your Vyvanse dose in the morning as taking it too late in the day may increase the risk of sleeping problems such as insomnia.
To illustrate the above data regarding when Vyvanse starts working and how long it lasts for, we have included a graph from the prescribing information for Vyvanse that shows Vyvanse effectiveness over time (based on one symptom rating scale):
Source: Adapted From Vyvanse Prescribing Information
In the above graph, higher scores (i.e. numbers) indicated more severe ADHD symptoms. You can see that the effects of Vyvanse begin about 1 to 1.5 hours after dosing and peak effects occur around the 5 hour mark. It is important to note that this is simply one study with Vyvanse but it gives you a good idea of how the drug is working.
Summary
- Vyvanse will begin having therapeutic effect around 1.5 to 2 hours after taking your dose.
- Peak effects from Vyvanse will occur approximately 5 hours after taking your dose.
- The duration of action of Vyvanse is around 10-14 hours depending on the individual.
- Vyvanse will stay in your system (i.e. be detectable) for at least 2 to 3 days.
