Dexmethylphenidate User Reviews & Ratings (Page 3)

• MTa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 17, 2020

For ADHD "I've tried almost every single ADHD pill from Adderall to Daytrana to Ritalin to Vyvanse to Concerta. Focalin is by far the best for me. I am on the 10 mg dose. Was originally on 30 mg, but my heart was beating way too fast on it. The other meds made me very angry, but this keeps me at bay, yet focused. The only con I have with this is about an hour after I take it, I have a bowel movement. I'm also the same way with coffee. I don't take it every day, and on the days where I don't, I can definitely tell, but I don't have cravings."

• Ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 13, 2023

For ADHD "“I don’t care what anyone else says about this medication, it is the WORST for kids. I started taking this when I was 10 years old, and it was a nightmare. This medication gave me anxiety attacks to the point that I would just sit on my bed and stare at the wall, all zoned out for sometimes even 30 minutes. Focalin XR caused me to act like a zombie, and every day when I was trying to focus in class, I would not be able to listen to the teacher. It would make my eyes feel very heavy and tired, but when I tried to take naps, I could not. Every day, unwanted thoughts would crowd my mind and would make it very hard to function. Once I was sitting down on the gym floor waiting to be picked up, and I started to continuously zone out, and one of the teachers watching everyone asked if I was okay. Whenever I would walk down my school hall, I would almost bump into people because my brain could not process where I was going. DO NOT GET THIS, PLEASE. No one believes me about this."

• gab...
• March 29, 2014

For ADHD "I have been on Focalin XR 10 mg for a week now, and it seems to be pretty good. I have ADHD/ADD, and I was on Vyvanse, but it made me very moody and also made me drop 20 pounds in two months. I also noticed impulses on that medication. Focalin seems to be different, I feel a bit zombish, but I feel it's not an issue. I also have somewhat of an appetite. I feel much more focused."

• hap...
• April 20, 2009

For ADHD "This medication has been a godsend in some ways. I am an adult executive that suffers from ADD/ADHD, and I use the XR version of this on an as-needed basis, usually when I have lots of mundane paperwork to get through that would never otherwise get done due to my lack of ability to naturally focus on tasks like that."

• mat...
• December 6, 2014

For ADHD "I'm an adult who has taken this off and on for 4 years. I've always had trouble concentrating, and Focalin is an effective fix. I do think there are minor side effects, though. It makes me feel much more focused and less worried/panicked about what I need to do. Unlike others, though, I would not say it calms me down, I feel like it actually stresses me out more. When I take this, I'm more serious and easily annoyed, and I can't relax. I have also found that my appetite drops off and that I don't sleep very deeply. Overall, a great medicine, but for me and many ADHD people, our symptoms are brought out due to simply a lack of strenuous physical exercise (1 hr) every day. When on a regular exercise and sleep schedule, I do not need it."

• mom...
• August 7, 2008

For ADHD "My daughter (6 years old) has been on Focalin for 30 days now to control her ADHD. This is our wonder drug. It gives her the control she needs without making her experience ups and downs. She hasn't experienced any problems with sleep, and we can see the medicine leave her after about 6 hours."

• Mac...
• August 19, 2015

For ADHD "My son was diagnosed with ADHD about 6 months ago, he is 7 years old. This medicine works great. He's not zombified. Helps him to really focus and helps with school. The only side effect I noticed is he doesn't have an appetite, and it wears off about 4 pm, and he eats like crazy then. No mood swings. Very satisfied with this medication."

• Iha...
• August 4, 2016

For ADHD "I'm 17 years old and I've taken Focalin XR 30 mg for most of my life, and as much as it helps in school, I would not recommend taking this at all. Like most people with ADHD, I am pretty good socially, and when I'm on Focalin, I become very panicky. You can't eat, and for me, I feel like puking if I try to eat. My body becomes achy, and my mouth gets really dry and mucusy. Sleeping is a nightmare. I have tried to make this work, even took it every single day to build up a tolerance, but it's always the same thing. Sure, I managed to sit down and get my work done, but when the work is done, and school is done for the day, you feel strange, like not in your own skin. A tutor is the best thing that has happened to me, along with B12 vitamins."

• Bla...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 6, 2015

For ADHD "I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was about 5, and my experience overall has been amazing. I've been on it for 12 years now. I take 40 mg once in the morning and in the afternoon, and by like 6 pm it wears off (by the way, I'm 6 feet tall and weigh 225 lb thanks to this medication). The only bad parts or symptoms I'm having are that caffeine has no effect on me anymore (probably built up a tolerance thanks to the Focalin), I don't always sleep too well, and ever since I turned like 14, my appetite went from non-existent to out of control (don't know why...). I'm 17 now and am an A- student, whereas I was an F student before. I definitely recommend this, but I should warn you all it's not for everyone. There are alternatives."

• Anonymous
• October 13, 2010

For ADHD "My son started Focalin 10 mg about 3 weeks ago. He does great in school, but I have noticed when Focalin wears off, his moods explode. He gets aggravated at the drop of a pin. He has also told me his stomach hurts all the time."

• Ema...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 9, 2019

For ADHD "I'm 20 and in college, on a 10 mg dose of Focalin. It has helped me a lot! Focusing was a huge struggle for me before taking it, but now I am very attentive in my early morning classes without issue. I did experience some side effects, namely itching and sweating of the hands and feet, but that went away after a couple of weeks. Other than that, it has been amazing!"

• Mar...
• January 30, 2016

For ADHD "I have taken a number of ADHD medications starting around 6th or 7th grade to help with school. I tried Vyvanse, Concerta, Ritalin, and Focalin. Focalin, by far, has been my favorite. When on Focalin, I could crank out work and was very effective. While many people complain about the lack of hunger you feel, this was almost a plus to me because it gave me one less thing to distract me. The only negative that I experienced was sometimes feeling detached, lonely, or on the verge of tears. They were not severe but did occur. I still loved this brand the most of all of the brands I had tried, but unfortunately, our insurance stopped covering Focalin, and I switched back to Ritalin, which is where I am at now."

• Anonymous
• May 13, 2011

For ADHD "My 7-year-old has been on Focalin for 5 weeks with no side effects. His teacher noticed a difference in him on the first day, which amazed me. I didn't even have a chance to tell her he was taking it, and she commented that he was more focused, better behaved, etc. So far, it's been great!"

• NB9...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 31, 2014

For ADHD "My 6.5-year-old son has been taking this medicine for over a year. A few months after taking it, we switched him to Ritalin, but the Ritalin made his behavior crazy. I don't have much to complain about this medicine. Any ADHD medication is going to make your child zombie-like. My son takes 10 mg XR in the morning, and I can literally see the switch in his personality in about 10 minutes. He is supposed to take 5 mg non-extended release after school, however, I hardly give that to him anymore. I sometimes break the 5 mg pill in half and just have him take 2.5 mg to focus on his homework if I see him struggling. We just had his medication reduced to 5 mg in the morning, 2.5 after lunch, and 2.5 later in the afternoon - waiting to see how this works out."

• Mom...
• November 6, 2008

For ADHD "My 7-year-old, who has had epilepsy since age 1, was diagnosed with ADHD about a year ago. We recently started him on Focalin XR as his first form of treatment. A little afraid of the side effects because he has had severe side effects in the past from various seizure medicines, but once we found the right seizure medicine for him, he's been seizure-free. Our next task was finding an ADHD medicine that would work well with the seizure medicine - this was a bit frightening. He's been on Focalin for about a month, and it really is a wonder drug. I have a goal in life to keep my kids off drugs, but I've accepted that some medicines are needed in children. This stuff is a blessing to my family and, most importantly, to my son."

• Anonymous
• March 19, 2012

For ADHD "My 9-year-old takes Focalin XR during the school day and Focalin for a kick-up at night for extracurriculars. For us, it's been great. He had been on Adderall but became negative, dramatic, and started threatening self-harm. When you hide knives from your 6-year-old, it's a problem! He's in the gifted program now but has always been a good student. All conversations with teachers started out 'He's so smart, but...' We don't hear the 'but' anymore. We just started taking him off the meds more, which can drive us crazy, but we noticed that he was always on the taller side. Now he's one of the shorter kids, and he's underweight. He doesn't eat while medicated, so we're hoping he'll grow more if we take a break."

• Anonymous
• June 25, 2011

For ADHD "Our 11-year-old son is diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type and has been on this medicine for 14 months now. It made a big difference for him. He is on 15 mg Focalin XR. If he doesn't take it for a day, the teacher can really tell the difference. He can focus now and became a part of the class, contributes to the conversation, and also has an easier time with his social life. He doesn't hate school anymore. We don't see any behavioral issues at home when it wears off. He has appetite loss, so he eats a big breakfast before he takes the medication. He also got used to eating sandwiches at school even if he is not hungry. It became a part of his routine."

• Bob...
• February 19, 2013

For ADHD "I am loving all these comments about this medication, and I thought I was the only one in the world who had these same issues. My 1 lb 13 oz daughter had to have a tracheotomy in for 4 years, got it removed, and immediately began acting out, which led to ODD and ADHD. Went through all the medicines, I am a nurse by the way. I found this, and I am sticking to it. It does have an appetite suppression effect and only lasts 6 hours peak time. After 3 pm after school, it wears off, and let me tell you it's on until I give her clonidine 0.1 mg tab at night (helps to sleep). I don't know where to go from here. Luck and God bless you all."

• gij...
• October 7, 2015

For ADHD "My 4 yo started taking Focalin today. 5 mg. She is higher than a kite. She talks incessantly. She is licking her chin. She is having mouth tics. She is sweating and scratching her face and arms. Her heart is beating so fast and is crying too. She will NEVER take this med again. ADHD is easier than this. It has been nearly 6 hrs, and it is still going strong. I can't get anything done for fear of taking my eyes off her. I would give it a 0, but wasn't an option."

• 25w...
• May 3, 2008

For ADHD "I had a lot of success with Focalin. I felt like my brain got turned off, which was a good thing! I could sit through my classes and actually get stuff done. I stopped losing things, and I got things done faster and with ease. I lost weight, which was pretty cool. I didn't have too many side effects that I can recall, except for the lack of appetite."

• Jon...
• January 18, 2013

For ADHD "I got diagnosed with ADHD, and this is my first medicine. It helps me focus, but the side effects make me miserable. I'm starving right now, but I don't want to eat, and my throat is dry. I can't sleep, and this side effect makes it worse because I have asthma and severe allergies. So, I can't sleep, and I have twitches bad. I twitch my left shoulder blade a lot now, and sometimes it won't stop."

• liz...
• October 28, 2007

For ADHD "I just started taking Focalin, 5 mg, the long-acting type a week ago for ADHD. My doctor assures me that the drug should be out of my system within 6-7 hours, if that, and I should have no problem falling asleep. I take the medication at 7:30 in the morning and don't try to fall asleep until 11 pm that night, but to no avail, I can't sleep. This is definitely scaring me. I feel I'm developing insomnia...maybe I should discontinue use even though it helps with my ADHD."

• Gra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 25, 2020

For ADHD "Today is my first day on Focalin 5 MG. I am 19 years old and have had ADHD and anxiety my whole life. I was on 50 mg of Adderall and switched to Concerta from second to eighth grade. Adderall was one of the worst experiences of my life. I remember not being able to eat and having no friends, so I would eat in the Special Ed study hall and would basically be a walking zombie. I always told my mom my stomach hurt and would have diarrhea constantly. I was skinny and had good grades, though. So, 10 years later, I am back on ADHD medication as I am back in college and am having a hard time focusing. I only started the 5 MG of Focalin but already notice that I am calmer, my mind isn't racing, I can process thoughts, and more. I haven't felt calm like this in years... I really hope the medication stays well because I am so sick of being on meds that make me lose weight, then gain weight. It all stinks!"

• MyA...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 21, 2016

For ADHD "My son was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 6 years old. He is 7 and in 2nd grade now. After thinking long and hard about meds for him, I decided to put him on at the start of the new year. I do not like it. He takes 10 mg a day, and I see no change. Things seem to be worse. Still hyper, not focused, frustrated easily, crying easily, and more talkative. After a week, the nurse at the doctor's office said to give it some time to work and try it for 2 weeks. I did, and still no change. His teacher sees no improvement in school, and I don't see it at home. As soon as the 2 weeks were up, I stopped. He complained about stomach aches, and as of today, his teacher notices tics with him, and I see the same thing at home. I'm done with Focalin. It's not for my son."

• HLS...
• March 19, 2012

For ADHD "Overall, this medication has been absolutely wonderful. Our 12-year-old son was diagnosed at age 7 with ADHD. We did try another medicine, but it stopped working after about 2 years. We have been on the Focalin XR since. Our son takes 25 mg, 2 times daily about 6 hours apart. It has helped a ton. He does have the appetite issue, but we are sustaining it, and when it wears off at night, he eats great. The mornings are the worst part before the medicine kicks in. Our son has improved so much in school and in his extracurricular activities. He is a total joy when the medication is working. We do try and give him 'drug vacations' on the weekends and during the summer, which helps maintain his weight."