Last update: December 23rd, 2019 Purchasing Vyvanse with insurance is easy. Buying Vyvanse without insurance is just as simple – but a lot harsher on your bank account. So, this article will ultimately fill you in on Vyvanse’s current prices, coupons, patient assistance programs, generic alternatives, and the future outlook of Vyvanse prices in the U.S.
You can consider this article a complete guide for all things related to using Vyvanse in 2020.
I’ll even tell you about the 1 easy trick that I use to cut the prices that I pay for Vyvanse by 50% or more (so you’ll hopefully want to read through this article until the very end).
Let’s begin with a simple breakdown of Vyvanse’s prices with insurance:
Contents
Vyvanse prices with insurance
With insurance, Vyvanse is generally an affordable pharmaceutical drug.
The exact price that you’ll pay for Vyvanse with insurance is difficult to pinpoint, as it will depend on a variety of factors. Your specific insurance plan, pharmacy, prescription fill quantity, and the state that you live in can all play a role in the retail price that you pay for Vyvanse with insurance.
I live in Texas, and I’ve purchased Vyvanse with insurance over 12 times. I’ve always used a standard Blue Cross Blue Shield corporate insurance plan to purchase my 30 day supply of Vyvanse. The price for this quantity of Vyvanse (30 pills – 40mg strength) comes to $90 retail. However, $90 is the price I’d have to pay if I didn’t use a coupon.
With a good coupon, and a decent health insurance plan, you may be able to pay just $30 for Vyvanse. $30 is the price that I’ve paid for Vyvanse 90% of the time (except for when I hadn’t met my deductible yet).
Of course, there are many factors at play when it comes to prescription costs, so it’s too difficult to provide a specific amount that you will pay for Vyvanse.
For a ballpark estimate, it’s fair to say that you can expect to pay anywhere from $30 on the low end to $200 on the high end for Vyvanse, including insurance and discounts.
The price of Vyvanse without insurance
If you don’t have insurance, the price that you pay for Vyvanse might surprise you.
As of 2020, without health insurance, you’ll most likely have to pay anywhere from $200 on the low end to $300+ on the high end for a 30 day supply of Vyvanse (retail price).
The exact retail price that you pay for Vyvanse without insurance will depend on the state that you live in, the pharmacy you purchase your prescription from, the quantity of Vyvanse that you’re prescribed, and other factors.
However, there are some ways to reduce the price that you pay for Vyvanse without insurance. For example, you can:
- Find the cheapest pharmacy in your local area
- Use a good Vyvanse coupon
- Apply for the Shire Cares Patient Assistance Program (see the section on this located below for details)
- Cut your Vyvanse costs in half (see the section on this located below for details)
While the price for Vyvanse without insurance might appear to be high, I do believe that with some creativity and extra effort, you can work around the high costs.
Best Vyvanse coupons
The best Vyvanse coupon I’ve used is the official Vyvanse Savings Card that’s available directly from Shire.
Just visit the Vyvanse Savings Card website, fill out your information (make sure that your phone number is correct), and hit the ‘Submit’ button.
This coupon will arrive by text message and/or email, usually within just a minute.
I like to open up the e-mail with the coupon on my iPhone, and just show the Pharmacy Technician or Pharmacist the coupon when I pick up my prescription.
The coupon will enable you to save up to $60 on your next Vyvanse prescription refill. It should work whether you have health insurance or not.
If you’d like to look at other Vyvanse coupon options, I also recommend using GoodRX because they have a convenient mobile app that’s really easy to use.
Pharmacies with cheapest Vyvanse costs
Another reason that I occasionally like to use GoodRX is because they have a useful search tool that can show you the pharmacies in your local area that carry Vyvanse for the lowest prices.
To find relatively low-cost Vyvanse in your area, just do the following:
- Visit GoodRX.com
- Type ‘Vyvanse’ into the search bar
- Look at the top results, which should show the pharmacies in your area that sell Vyvanse at the lowest rates
Keep in mind that GoodRX shows your local prices for Vyvanse after a coupon has been applied.
If you live in the USA, the cheapest pharmacies in your area will most likely be Kroger Pharmacy or Costco (membership required). CVS usually offers fair prices as well. But, it’s always nice to find out which specific pharmacies provide the best prices for Vyvanse in your local area.
The Shire Cares Program (patient assistance)
The Shire Cares Program is a patient assistance program provided by Shire, which is the company that makes Vyvanse.
While I haven’t used this service, I’ve looked through the application that Shire provides for the program, and it seems easy enough to use.
If you don’t have the means to afford Vyvanse, you should download the Shire Cares Application (PDF File) and follow the instructions that are listed on the form.
The application basically requires that you fill out a form with your doctor, provide some proof of your financial situation, have your doctor review everything on the form, and submit it to Shire.
If your application is approved by Shire, you could receive your Vyvanse prescription at a much more affordable rate, or even 100% free of charge.
How to cut your Vyvanse costs in half
To cut the costs of your Vyvanse in half, you can do what I sometimes do to make the most of my Vyvanse prescription.
I sometimes use the Vyvanse ‘Dosage Hack’ Titration Method to basically cut my Vyvanse costs in half.
This is an easy method that essentially allows you to make ‘Vyvanse Water’ using a single Vyvanse capsule, which can be split over two days’ time.
By splitting your Vyvanse dose in half, your 30 day supply of Vyvanse turns into a 60 day supply.
This is the equivalent of cutting your dose in half. You’ll also lower your tolerance this way, as you won’t be using as much medication.
If you think that you need more medication (i.e. you don’t want to lower your daily dosage of Vyvanse) then you can ask your doctor to prescribe you a higher dose of Vyvanse, and let them know that you’ll be splitting your doses using the titration method in order to save money.
If your doctor approves, then all should be good.
Cost-effective Vyvanse generics and other ADHD medications
There isn’t a truly cost-effective pharmaceutical alternative like Vyvanse that’s currently available on the market.
I know this is tough news to deal with. This could potentially change in the future. But, it probably isn’t happening anytime soon.
Adderall XR is the ADHD drug that’s reported to be most like Vyvanse. You can check the cost of Adderall XR at your local pharmacy. But, Adderall XR is another designer pharmaceutical drug that’s also owned by Shire. So, it’s likely to cost almost as much as Vyvanse.
According to Pharmacy Times, a generic version of Adderall XR was made available for public consumption late in 2016. At first, this sounds like the best prescription alternative to Vyvanse that’s currently available.
However, an interesting forum thread from MedsChat show a lot of mixed reports about the new Adderall XR generics that are available. A few people claimed to experience positive results using Adderall XR generics, while many others wrote that they couldn’t properly treat their ADHD symptoms using the new Adderall XR generics.
Cost-effective natural alternatives to Vyvanse
I’ve written extensively about all of the natural alternatives that you can use instead of Vyvanse – or even while taking Vyvanse.
To be totally honest, there probably isn’t anything that can fully compare to using prescription ADHD medication to treat ADHD symptoms.
But, I do believe that you can come pretty close to having a clear, calm and focused mind using natural alternatives to Vyvanse.
Check out these articles that I’ve published to learn more:
ADHD Natural Remedies – 15 Holistic Treatments For ADHD Symptoms
The Ultimate ADHD Diet Plan – Top ADHD Foods and Ingredients
ADHD Mental Health – 11 Actionable Tips For Psychological Well-being
If you’re going to treat your ADHD symptoms naturally, the main thing to keep in mind is that you have to develop pure mental resilience.
ADHD is a difficult condition to treat. And, your brain will do everything it can to make you think that you’re ‘naturally slow’, not good enough, a bad person etc.
You practically have to become a mentally tough fighter to overcome the negative thought patterns and habits that can be caused by ADHD.
The future of ADHD prescription drug costs
Healthcare costs have been rising rapidly in recent years.
I don’t know what the future will look like in regards to American healthcare, and the costs associated with purchasing prescription ADHD medication.
I just know that high-quality ADHD medication like Vyvanse is prohibitively expensive for too many people at the moment. This is a very tough situation for many people to deal with.
Hopefully, ADHD medication like Vyvanse becomes much more attainable to everyone who needs it.
I can only hope that the prescription medication situation becomes a lot more affordable in America in 2018 and beyond. But of course, we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
Vyvanse patents
According to Drug Discovery & Development, Shire will hold the patent to Vyvanse until the year 2023. This means that other companies can’t create generic versions of Vyvanse until years from now.
I think that Shire is an excellent company, so that’s OK with me.
I just want to see more people being able to afford ADHD medication prescription costs.
This is more of an issue with the greater healthcare system that we’re dealing with in America. The entire system is a little out-of-whack at the moment.
But, I do have hope that the situation will improve, and more people will be able to access the ADHD medication (like Vyvanse) that they need.
Vyvanse prices with insurance, without insurance, and coupons in 2020 conclusion
Overall, purchasing Vyvanse is a priority for many ADHD sufferers – whether you have insurance or not.
If you believe that you need to take Vyvanse in order to successfully treat your ADHD symptoms, then I believe you, and trust that you’ll find a way to get the prescription that you need.
Either way, make sure to take advantage of all of the resources that are available to you.
There are coupons, patient assistance programs, health insurance comparison options, generic medications, and alternative treatment options available to you.
Don’t give up the good fight. Make sure that you do whatever it takes to treat your ADHD today. You’ll be thankful in the future.
It is very naive to think that any drug company is “excellent” and won’t raise the price whenever they can. The price of Vyvanse has increased by $3 per pill in the past 2 and a half years. The quote from my pharmacy for a 30 day supply as of today was $210 and that’s with a coupon. There is no reason for that, but then again the drug companies do not have to provide a reason for price increases in the U.S. In fact with long patent protection and opportunities to extend market exclusivity, the price for Vyvanse will likely continue to rise. With the deregulation planned by the Republicans, not to mention patent law, tax code, and capitalism, the prices will only go up in 2017 and as far into the future as anyone can predict. Sorry, but I am just not as optimistic as you are. http://www.data.medicaid.gov will show you the bleak picture.
So right now as of March 2017 my vyvanse for 30 day supply is $386. I have no insurance and and couldn’t afford it. I got a prescription for adderall xr and then decided on the generic when filling it to save a little money. Generic adderall was $199.99. I don’t feel like I came out a winner at all. Although, pharmaceutical companies will say “you saved almost 50%!” Either way you look at it, I can’t me out of it broke. 😐
Singlecare Card- online. $281.77
In place of insurance- with insurance it’s over $350. I’m like nope.
you mean a company which poured millions into research and development to create the substance which helps you, suddenly should be forced to give it to you at a significantly reduced price? Giving them a profit insures that they will have incentive (and like companies) to continue to develop helpful drugs. Btw, there will be a generic vyvanse in 2023
Ok. Supply and demand. ADHD is not a rare condition. I’m going to go out on a limb and say 10 million people have it. Every month we need treatment or you folks don’t like us. It’s speed. New variations of a drug tested for decades. This is not some breakthrough drug. I’m sure there is cost recovery for design and research. Probably costs 12 cents to make a pill. 300 or more a month…. ridiculous
** Either way you look at it, I came out of it broke. 😐
I refilled mine yesterday, 90 days, $952 dollars. I have insurance but hadn’t met my deductible. My husband is on same, so we’ve paid over $1800 out of pocket just in one quarter. It sucks but I’ve tried everything else and nothing works. It gets worse every year. I’m concerned that since they have no competition for the foreseeable future we may have an epi pen fiasco looming.
Vyvanse is by far the best ADHD medication in my opinion…so I totally agree with you on that, and I understand why you need the meds.
But yeah that totally sucks about the price. I agree that the lack of competition is bad for consumers.
Save your receipts for next years taxes- you can claim –
Your take on sertraline and atomoxetine? I was prescribed so and stood with for 3 years, however atomoxetine cost was killing me. For the last year I´ve been dealing with my adha through a mix of mental resilence, alcohol, and nicotine. Looking for healthy and affordable alternatives. Thanks.
When I first went to see my doctor about ADHD, he actually suggested I try atomoxetine. But, I refused it, since one of my close friends had a pretty bad experience with it. I’ve also seen plenty of questionable reviews about atomoxetine online. So it’s never really appealed to me personally.
I’ve heard somewhat better things about sertraline. But again, I haven’t actually tried the drug, so I can’t really comment there.
Like yourself – I now mostly do my best to practice mental resilience, use caffeine, have healthy relationships, and I’ll use nicotine on occasion too.
Alcohol is one of those things that’s so much fun, but so bad for ADHD at the same time hah. One night of moderate drinking basically wipes out my motivation for a couple of days.
If you’re looking for affordable alternatives, then I recommend focusing on foods, supplements and lifestyle habits that reduce anxiety.
I find that reducing my anxiety leads to the most noticeable improvements in ADHD symptoms.
So, you have…
Exercise
Healthy food
Green juices/smoothies
Probiotics
Fish oil
N-A-C
Ashwagandha
Etc.
You can actually check out this list of my top recommendations for ADHD medication alternatives: Best ADHD Medication Alternatives
At the end of the day, it’s all about experimenting with what works best for your brain and body!
* and lots of caffeine and safe sex (missed on my previous last part)
I don’t understand why anyone came up with this ‘titration’ technique; unless you’re obsessed with taking precisely 50% of you daily dose, simply eating and washing down the powder works fine. LOL, it works like this: Hold the capsule by the ‘bottom’ end (the narrower one), slowly unscrew off the top (wider). Make sure you’re doing this over a nonporous item like a table or plate, in case it spills. Nine times out of ten, the powder will be densely packed in the bottom end, near the top but with a tiny bit of space. If not (like if you accidentally pinched too hard or the capsule has been rattling around a lot), simply put the top back on, and pack it by tapping it bottom-side-down on a table. Next, squeeze an amount that looks about half onto your palm. If you want to make sure you didn’t under- or over- estimate the amount you squeezed out, just use your free hand to gently re-pack the powder still in the bottom capsule, no need to re-top since the remains should be safely far from the rim now. Squeeze out more or scoop a little back in, if necessary. Lick the palm Vyvanse with your tongue. Oh yeah, wash your hands first. There is very little taste but a sip of beverage washes it down fine if you want. A lot less trouble than all this water bottle mixing stuff. And if you think 5-10% difference error from palm-squeezing is too much effects difference to risk, you must not be paying attention to how much things like sleep and food can change the effectiveness.
As for cutting Vyvanse dosage in half as a means to cut costs in half, the way it’s posed here like some sneaky hack to stick it to The Man, I have to say this is about the most depressing tip I’ve found, looking for coupons and such, for Vyvanse. I don’t know about anybody else, but I am prescribed the daily amount I NEED. Saying to cut it in half is like telling somebody to fight gas prices by staying at home, or food prices by starving half the day. Wow. It’s almost like this article was written for the express purpose of lowering morale of people who struggle mentally enough.
And why do I (and probably tons of other people) already know how to take partial doses? Because we’ve already had to do it lots of times when looking into our bottles at remaining capsules and looking into near-future finances means choosing to either live literally half-cocked a while, or know we’ll do completely without a while, when the capsules are all gone.
Thanks for the comment Damian.
Best wishes.
Hello, can you you use more than one drug prescription discount card?
Hi Kevin. Ask your pharmacist if he can apply multiple drug prescription discount cards. I’m sure they’ll be able to try doing it for you. It’s worth a shot.
I have United Healthcare PPO(high deductible). My son’s 40mg 30 day Vyvanse is $387.00!!!! In the 7 years my son has been on this drug…only one year did we meet our deductible so we got 6 months of Vyvanse for $25.00!!! This drug is ridiculously expensive. With the manufacturer coupon I get it about $60.00 off!!!
Sorry to hear it’s so expensive with your insurance plan Mary. $387 is absolutely too expensive. I wish the coupon was helpful in your situation.
Juuuuust wondering, how much your monthly supply cost when you HADN’t met your deductible?? I know everyone’s insurance is different but… seeing the MOST people have had to pay would make me feel a lot better about my own ridiculous costs right now even after insurance and coupons etc.
Wrong. These are not the prices for 2018. I cant get it for under $200. with insurance and the best coupon brought it to the same. RIDICULOUS!
Wendy I made it clear that the price of Vyvanse will vary depending on many factors. I’ve done the best that I can with this article.
Anyone had experience cutting a chewable vyvanse in half? Any thoughts on that?
I have not dealt with that! But hopefully someone else here can chime in 🙂
FYI : CVS will not honor Shire Medical’s Vyvance Savings Card because it does not have a scannable barcode. Good thing there are lots of other pharmacies out there to check with.
Great tip J.H. I wasn’t aware of that!
I have Texas BXBS- silver HMO plan. I got it through the marketplace, though, as I don’t have access to corporate insurance. I have the “same” exact plan I had last year, but last year I got Vyvance with the coupon for $15 a month and now the coupon doesn’t work anymore with my insurance plan. I’ve been on generic Focalin since Febuary, and at first I thought it was ok, just not as good as Vyvance, but now I feel it’s not working for me at all and I’m falling apart. AAAHHHH!!!!
How much does your Vyvanse cost without the coupon Tricia?
Thank you for this post. I have to ask though, how is anyone able to fill their Vyvanse WITHOUT insurance? I live in Maryland. I took my most recent prescription to CVS over the weekend and asked them to run it without my insurance because my dad gave me a savings card that only works when you don’t use your insurance. I handed the pharmacist the prescription and tell her to not use my insurance, she immediately hands it back and says we can’t do that because it’s a narcotic.
That’s an odd situation Corey. Pharmacies should be able to give you your prescription medication without insurance. I’m honestly not sure what’s happening with your situation.
Dear Boss,
As a former mediocre Marketing Director (pre-ADHD diagnosis) to a currently awesome stay-at-home-mom, artist, carpenter and plethora of other things (post diagnosis), you can imagine my panic when my husband was laid off. We lost our insurance and the thought of going back to not being able to organize my thoughts like the first 35 years of my life was almost unbearable, so I just want to say THANK YOU for a website with actual information that isn’t just an underlying ad! I was almost positive I wouldn’t find one until I found a unicorn. You’ve given me hope.
Thank you so much for the kind words Amber. I really appreciate hearing from readers like yourself. I wish you and your beautiful family the very best.
Glad I found this page. I have been taking vyvance for more
Than 8 years. I am the poster adult for ADHD. I take 2-50mg tabs in AM another 50mg tab about 11am and 20mg adderal mid afternoon PRN. (Adderal is used Because insurance will not allow 4 50mg tabs a day, even though dosing
Schedules are based on children’s needs, not a 200lb adult.) My last Preauthorization was processed last September by insurance company for 3 year period. Use CVS and for over 8 years, Meds are
Filled monthly, never had an issue, other than perhaps an expired preauthorization, which is easy fix.
Today, I drop off scripts at CVS go back an hour later to pick up and I’m told that insurance will not authorize my vyvance, as Anthem believes dosage is too high. This was a unilateral decision by Anthem, without warning, after years of
Filling scripts without problems. They filled the measly 20mg adderal (generic which it has always been, and we all know the effiacecy of generic ADHD meds. But, as a PRN for long work days, it’s better than nothing.
How can an insurance make a unilateral decision without notice and/or discussion with insured and DR? I cannot function without my meds. This threatens my job -Sr Marketing Budget Analyst. The loss of productivity for the next week or more while arguing with Anthem will be very difficult to manage. Have you ever heard of an ins company pulling something like this? I’m totally screwed. Thanks for your help. KG
Thanks very much for your comment Kathleen and I agree insurance problems are unbelievably frustrating. In the future I would opt for the best health insurance plan possible, which isn’t easy (or cheap) of course, but it tends to help with these super frustrating insurance issues.
Thanks very much for your comment Kathleen and I agree insurance problems are unbelievably frustrating. In the future I would opt for the best health insurance plan possible, which isn’t easy (or cheap) of course, but it tends to help with these super frustrating insurance issues.
I switched to my husbands insurance after our son was born because he works at a hospital and they have amazing health insurance… except now that I am no longer pregnant or breastfeeding I needed to go back on my vyvanse because it is impossible for me to function like a normal adult without it and I’m just trying to be the best mom I can be. It is really hard to do that when you forget EVERYTHING. The new insurance is refusing to pay for my vyvanse prescription until I try the generic Adderall for 3 months and some other medication for another 3 months. I’ve been on vyvanse since I was 17 years old. I am now 28. That is what works. This is what I’ve told them and they still want me to try Adderall again?? Adderall gives me headaches and makes my brain feel so foggy. It seems as if it makes my ADHD worse. I was on Adderall before vyvanse and I never liked it and it never worked. It makes me feel like it can’t possibly be good for you. Vyvanse never gave me any side effects. It just helped me be more aware and focused on the tasks at hand. When I was first prescribed vyvanse it was like I finally felt normal. People weren’t mad at me all the time for forgetting everything everywhere. I’m super pissed about this. I don’t see how they can deny covering a prescription for a medication you’ve taken for years successfully and make you take a prescription that you already know doesn’t work for you.
Has anyone tried CBD oil/capsules to treat their adhd?
I was only paying $30/month with insurance and the coupon, now with a change in our insurance, vyvanse (or any other add/adhd drug) is no longer covered and would cost me just over $300/month. Outrageous. I just cannot do that. It’s such a huge disappointment too, vyvanse had mad such a big difference in my life.
I’m on a Medicare Advantage plan that doesn’t even list Vyvanse on their formulary. I was using a Shire discount coupon and paid $30 a month for my 70 mg prescription when I had employer based insurance but it won’t work now that I’m on a “government” health plan. I’m still working fulltime and NEED my Vyvanse! Any ideas on how to work around this dilemma?
– Would have stayed on employer insurance but they went with a new plan/insurance company that pays $0 for ANYTHING until you hit your deductible. With all my scrips I’d have had to pay over $1800 a month for the first 5-6 months, which is almost my entire take home pay.
Here is a fun one for ya! Had BCBS insurance last year, 2018. This year my company switched to Paramount. I was given vyvanse by my doctor for Dec 2018 with no problems with insurance and it only cost me $30 and it was going to be my saving grace. Now that I have paramount, they would not refill the script and I was denied. I am appealing it, but they require that I see a shrink, which I do not have the time nor the money to do. And would cost the insurance company more that way anyways. Without getting into my medical BS, I just want to know how the insurance company can play GOD when I am paying them??
Hm that’s really tricky Carrie. I hope you manage to find a good solution. I’ve never heard of Paramount but I bet you can find a way to get the medication you need.
I’m on BCBSKS through the Marketplace and post-insurance is $50, but my medication manager that fills the prescription gives me a discount card that reduces it to $15 a month for 30 capsules that doesn’t expire until 12/31/2019. It is a godsend. $50 is nothing compared to what others are paying, but it’s still not as good as $15.
That is awesome to hear Myra. I agree the discount card is great.