Navigation

Nuvigil vs. Vyvanse

Are Nuvigil and Vyvanse the Same Thing?

Nuvigil (armodafinil) and Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) are used to treat narcolepsy.

Nuvigil is also used to treat excessive sleepiness caused by sleep apnea or shift work sleep disorder.

Vyvanse is used off-label to treat narcolepsy. It is approve for use to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and moderate to severe binge eating disorder.

Nuvigil and Vyvanse belong to different drug classes. Nuvigil is a wakefulness-promoting agent and Vyvanse is a central nervous system stimulant.

Side effects of Nuvigil and Vyvanse that are similar include headache, nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, anxiety, nervousness, dizziness, and difficulty sleeping (insomnia).

Side effects of Nuvigil that are different from Vyvanse include upset stomach.

Side effects of Vyvanse that are different from Nuvigil include decreased appetite, weight loss, irritability, abdominal or stomach pain, vomiting, increased heart rate, constipation, jittery feeling, mild skin rash, unpleasant taste in your mouth, sweating, and restlessness.

Both Nuvigil and Vyvanse may interact with seizure medications or antidepressants.

Nuvigil may also interact with cyclosporine, propranolol, omeprazole, rifampin, sedatives, or antibiotics.

Vyvanse may also interact with ammonium chloride, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), K-Phos, blood pressure medications, diuretics (water pills), antihistamines, chlorpromazine, ethosuximide, lithium, methenamine, phenobarbital, or pain medications.

Withdrawal symptoms may occur if you suddenly stop taking Vyvanse.

What Are Possible Side Effects of Nuvigil?

Common side effects of Nuvigil include:

  • headache,
  • nausea,
  • diarrhea,
  • upset stomach,
  • dry mouth,
  • anxiety,
  • nervousness,
  • dizziness, and
  • difficulty sleeping (insomnia).

Tell your doctor if you have serious side effects of Nuvigil including:

  • fast/pounding/irregular heartbeat, or
  • mental/mood changes (such as agitation, confusion, depression, hallucinations, rare thoughts of suicide).

What Are Possible Side Effects of Vyvanse?

Common side effects of Vyvanse include:

  • slowing of growth (height and weight) in children

The most common side effects of Vyvanse in ADHD include:

  • anxiety
  • decreased appetite
  • diarrhea
  • dizziness
  • dry mouth
  • irritability
  • loss of appetite
  • nausea
  • trouble sleeping
  • upper stomach pain
  • vomiting
  • weight loss

The most common side effects of Vyvanse in BED include:

  • dry mouth
  • trouble sleeping
  • decreased appetite
  • increased heart rate
  • constipation
  • feeling jittery
  • anxiety

Talk to your doctor if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.

These are not all the possible side effects of Vyvanse. For more information ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What Is Nuvigil?

Nuvigil (armodafinil) is a wakefulness-promoting agent used to treat excessive sleepiness caused by sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or shift work sleep disorder.

What Is Vyvanse?

Vyvanse is a central nervous system stimulant prescription medicine used to treat:

  • Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Vyvanse may help increase attention and decrease impulsiveness and hyperactivity in patients with ADHD
  • Binge Eating Disorder (BED). Vyvanse may help reduce the number of binge eating days in patients with BED

Vyvanse is not for weight loss. It is not known if Vyvanse is safe and effective for the treatment of obesity.

It is not known if Vyvanse is safe and effective in children with ADHD under 6 years of age or in patients with BED under 18 years of age.

Do not take Vyvanse if you:

  • are taking or have taken within the past 14 days an anti-depression medicine called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor or MAOI
  • are sensitive to, allergic to, or had a reaction to other stimulant medicines

Before you take Vyvanse, tell your doctor if you have or if there is a family history of:

Tell your doctor if:

  • You have any kidney problems. Your doctor may lower your dose.
  • You are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Vyvanse may harm your unborn baby
  • You are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Vyvanse can pass into your milk. Do not breastfeed while taking Vyvanse. Talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you take Vyvanse.

What Drugs Interact With Nuvigil?

Nuvigil may interact with cyclosporine, propranolol, omeprazole, rifampin, sedatives, seizure medications, antidepressants, or antibiotics. Tell your doctor all medications you use. Nuvigil should be used only when prescribed during pregnancy. It is not known if this drug passes into breast milk. Consult your doctor before breastfeeding.

What Drugs Interact With Vyvanse?

Tell your doctor about all of the medicines that you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Vyvanse can affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how Vyvanse works. Using Vyvanse with other medicines can cause serious side effects.

Especially tell your doctor if you take anti-depression medicines including MAOIs.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a list of these medicines if you are not sure.

Know the medicines that you take. Keep a list of them to show your doctor and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

Do not start any new medicine while taking Vyvanse without talking to your doctor first.

Do not drive, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how Vyvanse affects you.

How Should Nuvigil Be Taken?

The recommended dose of Nuvigil for patients with sleep apnea or narcolepsy is 150 mg or 250 mg given as a single dose in the morning. The recommended dose of Nuvigil for patients with shift work disorder is 150 mg given daily approximately 1 hour prior to the start of their work shift.

How Should Vyvanse Be Taken?

  • Take Vyvanse exactly as your doctor tells you to take it.
  • Your doctor may change your dose until it is right for you.
  • Take Vyvanse 1 time each day in the morning.
  • Vyvanse can be taken with or without food.
  • Vyvanse capsules may be swallowed whole.
  • If you have trouble swallowing capsules, open your Vyvanse capsule and pour all the powder into yogurt, water, or orange juice.
    • Use all of the Vyvanse powder from the capsule so you get all of the medicine.
    • Using a spoon, break apart any powder that is stuck together. Stir the Vyvanse powder and yogurt, water or orange juice until they are completely mixed together.
    • Eat all the yogurt or drink all the water or orange juice right away after it has been mixed with Vyvanse. Do not store the yogurt, water, or orange juice after it has been mixed with Vyvanse. It is normal to see a film y coating on the inside of your glass or container after you eat or drink all the Vyvanse.
  • Your doctor may sometimes stop Vyvanse treatment for a while to check your ADHD or your BED symptoms.
  • Your doctor may do regular checks of your heart, and blood pressure while taking Vyvanse.
  • Children should have their height and weight checked often while taking Vyvanse. Vyvanse treatment may be stopped if a problem.
  • If you take too much Vyvanse, call your doctor or poison control center (1-800-222-1222) right away, or get to the nearest hospital emergency room.
Disclaimer

All drug information provided on RxList.com is sourced directly from drug monographs published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Any drug information published on RxList.com regarding general drug information, drug side effects, drug usage, dosage, and more are sourced from the original drug documentation found in its FDA drug monograph.

Drug information found in the drug comparisons published on RxList.com is primarily sourced from the FDA drug information. The drug comparison information found in this article does not contain any data from clinical trials with human participants or animals performed by any of the drug manufacturers comparing the drugs.

The drug comparisons information provided does not cover every potential use, warning, drug interaction, side effect, or adverse or allergic reaction. RxList.com assumes no responsibility for any healthcare administered to a person based on the information found on this site.

As drug information can and will change at any time, RxList.com makes every effort to update its drug information. Due to the time-sensitive nature of drug information, RxList.com makes no guarantees that the information provided is the most current.

Any missing drug warnings or information does not in any way guarantee the safety, effectiveness, or the lack of adverse effects of any drug. The drug information provided is intended for reference only and should not be used as a substitute for medical advice.

If you have specific questions regarding a drug’s safety, side effects, usage, warnings, etc., you should contact your doctor or pharmacist, or refer to the individual drug monograph details found on the FDA.gov or RxList.com websites for more information.

You may also report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA by visiting the FDA MedWatch website or calling 1-800-FDA-1088.