Vyvanse crash feels worse than being unmedicated
I've been taking vyvanse for a few weeks now, and it hasn't really been fun whatsoever. Now, I'd say my main issue is that I always get an intense emotional peak within 1-4 hours of taking it, depending on my dosage. And then I drop off very hard, after this, and it's to the point where it's distracting, how hyperaware I am of my emotional state. I've tried using l-tyrosine, taurine, and caffeine to help smooth it out, but the transition period just makes it terrible.
I think it mainly stems from the fact that the drop goes below my normal dopamine levels, so I just end up feeling weirdly apathetic, sad, and unhappy for the remaining 6-12 hours it's active in my body. Now, it helps me be more productive than when I'm off it, but that's more due to the fact that, since my dopamine levels are lower, it makes everything I do feel unenjoyable, so I might as well just do my work for a day. Now, taking guanfacine helps me at the end of the day, in terms of getting to bed and feeling better, but also removes a lot of the productivity effects.
So I was curious, do shorter-acting stimulants do this less aggressively? I've tried concerta and adderall IR, but off-label and for a specific exam; however, I don't recall them causing this same feeling of sadness, but it's been a while since I've taken them, so it's hard for me to tell. And I have spread out my vyvanse doses, where I took another 20mg, like 4-5 hours after taking 20mg, and I felt better, but like realistically, it may not have the best effects on my sleep, so I'll need to continue to see.