ADHD And Vyvanse

Updated on January 08, 2016
E.M. asks from Mesa, AZ
12 answers

My son was recently diagnosed with ADHD and has been taking Vyvanse for two months. We are quite happy with this medicine however recently our perscription provider has changed and the cost is going from $50 to $227, I do have a coupon that will lower the price to $167 but it's still quite expensive. I am looking for alternative medication to Vyvanse. Thank you.

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So What Happened?

Thanks everyone!! I called the pharmacy and they will not tell me how much it will be until I have them fill it!! So I guess when it's time to fill the new prescription I will take it to different pharmacies and see who is the cheapest. I do have a coupon which I received from the doctor but it only gives $60 savings and expires on 1/31/2016. If after all this it is still too expensive I am going to contact the doctor and see if there is a good alternative that has a generic version because on my new plan (Yes - high deductible) it is MUCH cheaper when it's a generic version which Vyvanse does not currently have. Thanks so much everyone - have a fantastic weekend and wish me luck :)

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

I suggest you ask a pharmacist.they know the composting of drugs and how they work. Also talk with his doctor.

4 moms found this helpful

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O.H.

answers from Phoenix on

My son took Vyvanse but a side effect for him was chewing his nails til they bled. =0/

So now he takes Adderall and doesn't have any side effects and it basically works well for him.

You just have to go back to the doc and ask them to try some new meds for your son.

My ex covers our kids on his insurance and screwed up last year. I filled my sons script for something and it was like $365 because everything was going toward the deductible first. Luckily, my ex still could change plans and he did and it went back to the $15 co-pay. Maybe you can check on that too? Good luck.

4 moms found this helpful
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J.B.

answers from Boston on

As others have mentioned, Vyvanse is the same as Adderall but it is delivered differently (fewer highs and lows, more of a steady stream of medication throughout the day). Did just your prescription provider change or did your whole plan change? I ask because the price jump looks like what happens when you move to a high deductible plan, where prescriptions are part of your deductible until that is satisfied. If that's the case, Adderall will be similarly priced, even as a generic. Under our high-deductible plan I have payed anywhere from $150-$300 a month for Concerta and Adderall (depending on the dose). For Vyvanse, we got the first month free, the second month would be at a discount and then after that it will go up to full price until the deductible is paid. I have a health savings account that I use to cover my expenses under the deductible so it's not quite as painful as just paying out of pocket.

Call your prescription provider and ask them what your costs would be for Adderall. If the difference is significant, then ask your doctor if he or she recommends changing your child to that or not and if so, give it a try.

4 moms found this helpful
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G.♣.

answers from Springfield on

My son takes Metadate, but I have no clue what it is vs. Vyvanse or Adderall so that's probably not helpful.

At our doctor's office, there are a few people who are the insurance experts. They are the ones who know the ins and outs of the patients' insurance companies. Whenever an insurance question has come up, the doctor has that person to the research and get back to us with a plan.

I would contact your doctor, explain the situation and then find out what the doctor recommends based on your insurance. The doctor will need to consider which drugs (if any) will be cheaper and which ones will actually work for your son.

3 moms found this helpful

J.S.

answers from St. Louis on

What meds have you tried other than Vyvance? I can take either Vyvance or Adderall and they do about the same thing, I am less hungry on Vyvance if that matters beans to the discussion. The problem with Adderall is for some it makes you very angry. That happens to my younger son so he has to take Vyvance, it is the only med that works.

So you can look into trying Adderall. I take Adderall, three of my four kids take or have taken Adderall, only one has an issue with it.

Hope this helps

3 moms found this helpful
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M.J.

answers from Sacramento on

Adderall is the med closest to Vyvanse. The other stimulants currently available fall into the Ritalin family. However, I would get in touch with your son's psychiatrist about making the switch to get his/her approval and advice.

3 moms found this helpful
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R.K.

answers from Boston on

Also, please consider that pharmacies charge very different amounts for the same medicine. A recent Consumer Reports article compared prices and found that Costco's out of pocket costs are often less than the co-pay with insurance, and you don't have to be a Costco member. Perhaps this is the case with this medication.

2 moms found this helpful
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N.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I would find out if the manufacturer does any assistance programs. My hubby gets a couple of his meds directly from the maker and they're free. He would have to pay a good chunk of money otherwise. He's on SSDI but not super low income.

I think that you need to call every pharmacy and see what the cost is for it there. We can go to Walgreens and pay nearly double for every prescription, go to Walmart and it's almost always cheaper, but one of our locally owned pharmacies has one of his meds and it's just a couple of dollars but at Walmart it's about $20.

Updated

I would find out if the manufacturer does any assistance programs. My hubby gets a couple of his meds directly from the maker and they're free. He would have to pay a good chunk of money otherwise. He's on SSDI but not super low income.

I think that you need to call every pharmacy and see what the cost is for it there. We can go to Walgreens and pay nearly double for every prescription, go to Walmart and it's almost always cheaper, but one of our locally owned pharmacies has one of his meds and it's just a couple of dollars but at Walmart it's about $20.

2 moms found this helpful
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R..

answers from San Antonio on

For sure call around and check with different pharmacy's.

When we had to pay out of pocket Sam's was the cheapest and you do not need a membership to use the pharmacy...just tell them at the door you are going to the pharmacy and they have to let you use it.

Also check and see if your insurance has a prefered pharmacy ours does if we use CVS then the rxs are much much cheaper.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

Check with the company and also with your doctor about any coupons, or cards to help with cost. When my son started on it Dr have us a stack of coupons which have us 12 months free. It will help some. Also ask Dr before just switching. My son has been on vyvance for past 4 years. No other rx has worked as well

1 mom found this helpful
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K.O.

answers from Atlanta on

Has he tried concerta? Concerta is a single med, vyvanse has multiple meds in it. I would tell your doctor about the change in cost and ask him/her what other options are available. He will be the one prescribing.

1 mom found this helpful

D.D.

answers from Phoenix on

My son uses Consorta. It too had an increase in price from $15 to $244. It seems that the generic version was put on a name brand list. Our insurance company changed prescription company's and I found out that we have a co-pay of $60 per person. Since the cost of the medication is more than my co-pay for my son I had to pay the copay plus. Then for the rest of the year our responsibility is $12.00. So I hope what they stated to me on the phone this month come to be true next month.

Consorta works good for my little guy with ADHD with oppositional defiance. He will believe that he is correct for almost everything. The sky is not blue mom, its blah-blah. You get my point. Behaviorally he is night and day. The side effects he has to deal with is low appetite and a little bit of insomnia.

PM message me you email and I will see if I can PDF you this book I read on using some natural remedy

Good luck on your search.

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