Dexedrine spansules vs Vyvanse. Which gave you more usable hours for what you paid?

Dexedrine spansules and Vyvanse are not the same product, and official sources do not support calculating which gave more usable hours for what you paid. On the CADDRA medication chart, duration estimates are approximate, individual, and not to be relied on alone: Dexedrine spansules are listed at about 6 to 8 hours, and Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine, a prodrug) at about 13 to 14 hours. Chart hours are not the same as a person's usable hours, and feeling similar coverage does not prove the products are equivalent. References: https://www.caddra.ca/wp-content/uploads/CADDRA_ADHD-Medication-Chart_May2026.pdf https://www.caddra.ca/provincial-and-federal-public-formulary-overview/ https://www.camh.ca/en/professionals/treating-conditions-and-disorders/adult-adhd/adult-adhd---treatment/adult-adhd---pharmacotherapy

Vyvanse covered later in the day more often for me than spansules, but I still would not call that better value. When generic lisdexamfetamine showed up on the plan, the picture changed again and I could not translate that into hours. Chart durations did not match my evenings anyway. I did not do the math and then change the prescription myself. This is just my coverage experience, not what someone else will pay.

I tried to decide Dexedrine spansules versus Vyvanse by usable hours for the money and I could not. My spansule days were not a clean 6 to 8 hours, and Vyvanse was not a clean 13. I never got a cost-per-hour number that meant anything because the plan, generic, and deductible kept moving. I told my prescriber I was guessing. I did not switch to chase a cheaper hour. Only my messy comparison, not a price table.