Focalin for ADHD User Reviews
Focalin has an average rating of 5.7 out of 10 from a total of 129 reviews for the treatment of ADHD. 43% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 36% reported a negative experience.
Reviews for Focalin
- Coc...
- February 16, 2020
"My son is 12 years old and in 7th grade. He was tested for ADHD in 3rd grade by using the Quotient testing system, which showed that he did not have it. Clinical signs were there. We tried low dosages of 5-7mg of Vyvanse, Adderall, and Guanfacine. The worst 2 years of his life. He did not have problems with good grades to begin with, but just could not focus at school or home. That landed him in more trouble with the teachers. We took him off medication for 5th and 6th grade. 7th grade has been a nightmare. His grades were horrible for the first time, and ALL 6 teachers said he can’t focus and they became aggravated, not because he was disrespectful, but because they were tired of redirecting him. So, back to the doctor we go for the 2nd semester. They put him on Focalin XR and wow, what a difference. He has bumped up to 10mg. He can tell the difference himself. He said, 'Mom, I kinda felt like a genius today instead of saying I can’t do it, it’s too hard.' Focalin has the least amount of side effects by far."
- A...
- May 21, 2020
"I’m scrolling through reviews, and a lot of what I’ve been feeling recently is starting to make sense. This medicine helps me focus, but I feel weak and awful while on it. It makes me shake, and my anxiety spikes. I’ve also been having some depression issues, my moods stoop to a terrible level, and I’ve been in such a dark place at some points. This medicine makes me feel like a zombie, it makes me shake and feel sick to my stomach. I feel bad for any other kids taking this. It helps me focus, but makes me feel awful. I absolutely DREAD having to take them. I have experienced depersonalization, depression, major mood swings, anxiety, derealization, and suicidal tendencies after getting on this medication. I am not self-diagnosing for anxiety and depression. I strongly advise watching your kids before and after having them take these pills. Make sure your child is safe and happy. I’m sorry for my terrible grammar and typing skills."
Frequently asked questions
- Bio...
- Taken for 10 years or more
- March 26, 2020
"To start off, I would not recommend taking this drug Focalin unless absolutely necessary. It definitely helped me pay attention in school, and there was a noticeable difference between days I did take it and days I did not. However, for me at least, the side-effects outweighed the benefits. I'd been on it from the ages of 7-17, and throughout those years, I noticed a complete change in behavior. Muted emotions, loss of appetite, depression, insomnia. I paid more attention in school, sure, but all of those years I'd lost important emotional development time. It's only after being off of this drug for 5 years that I realize just how emotionally stunted it had made me over the years. I'm in college now, and admittedly it would help me get better grades. But I wouldn't take it again if someone paid me to do it."
- Sta...
- June 9, 2013
"My 10-year-old son was diagnosed with ADHD 4 years ago. He has been taking Focalin 10mg for 2.5 years, and it has been wonderful for him. He has steady good grades, and his focus improved greatly. He only takes this during school days, not during weekends nor during the summer months. He understands it helps him even at 10 yrs. It is important, at least for our family, to ensure he's part of the treatment plan and feel in control of this as well. Also, my son communicates with us on how it makes him feel, and the only worry I have when he's taking this is his loss of appetite or not eating enough. So we always have a good breakfast before school starts, and he takes the pill on his own (of course, I watch from a distance)."
Are you taking this medicine?
Your review helps others make informed decisions.- Ali...
- Taken for 1 to 2 years
- October 4, 2019
"Please, please do not use Focalin if you have depression or anxiety, or are prone to addiction. I have severe ADD and I was prescribed Focalin 2 years ago. When I would come down off of it, it made me so unbearably sad and nearly suicidal, so I would take more just to not harm myself. This led to a severe addiction that nearly gave me brain damage. Please be safe. Good grades aren’t worth the pain this drug put me through."
- col...
- Taken for 2 to 5 years
- October 22, 2018
"I am 20 and have been on Focalin since I was about 16. I feel like a robot who cannot socially interact with anyone. Eating food feels unnatural to me. While it is great for focusing on school work, I am anxious about whether I am doing the right thing or not. Talking is a chore. My hands shake when I do homework. It feels like a state of panic with a rapid heartbeat and yet I feel no emotion at all, if that makes sense. I just get from point A to point B. Please make sure this medicine is right for you."
- My...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- January 5, 2013
"My 8-year-old has been on the meds for 3 days now. His teachers say he's doing great at school, and he's a lot more focused and less compulsive. BUT... He complains of being tired the entire time, stomach pains, headaches. I give him the medicine at 7:00 a.m. By 4:00, it's starting to wear off, and he seems to be coming off a high. At moments, he's purely goofy, almost to the point of having psychotic moments. He also talks to himself a lot. I don't know if I should give it a week or two to get in his system or stop it. I understand he needs better focus and fewer compulsive moments at school, but I love him more than to harm him with medicines."
- Mac...
- April 18, 2016
"My 7-year-old son started taking Focalin XR 5 in December after I had him tested for what I was sure going to be Asperger's. Turns out he was suffering from ADHD. He is currently on 15 mg XR, and I can honestly say for him it is a miracle drug. He went from not being able to read and barely writing his name to reading whole books. He also went from making 20s and 30s on spelling tests to averaging 90, we even had 2 100s. He has lost some weight, but right now, he is still average so it is not much of a concern."
- Sno...
- November 15, 2016
"I am 20 years old and I've been taking Focalin for a year now. I have been on every ADHD medication under the sun since I was in second grade, and this is the only medication that helped me get on track right away. The only adverse side effects I experience are a faster heart rate (most ADHD meds do that) and trouble sleeping. If you are having trouble sleeping on this drug, here's what you do and here's what I did: prior to now, I was taking my medication at 11 am or 10 am. Often I would spend nights awake and panicky, just begging for sleep to come. This is a simple fix. Just wake yourself up at like 6 am every day to take it, and you shouldn't have any problem sleeping. That's what I did, and I sleep very soundly."
- Ann...
- Taken for 6 months to 1 year
- March 12, 2018
"My 6-year-old was placed on Focalin XR after a lot of stress on whether we should even use medication. We thought we would give it a try when my daughter was diagnosed with ADHD combined type. My daughter was not a behavioral issue, but was extremely 'floppy' and would twirl, lay on the ground in public, and leap around. It was like she could not control her body at all. She also could barely look you in the eye when you were telling her something—it was like she was always in another world. She also only ever felt satisfied by TV and videos, while all other activities were too boring to hold her attention. I was stressed that she felt so 'out of control.' We tried Focalin 10 mg and saw an instant change with very few side effects. We had to move up after about 2 months to 15 mg because the inability to control her body came back—but focus was alright."
- Gre...
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- December 8, 2016
"I waited a couple of months before I wrote a review because I wanted to make sure it worked. My son, 7 years old, has been on Focalin for 3 months. He is doing wonders with it. It helps him stay grounded to get all his daily tasks done, and his concentration in school has been applauded by teachers and peers. The only issue is loss of appetite, which in turn made him lose 13 pounds in 3 months. With the help of his pediatrician and the staff at the school, we're on top of him now with a high-protein diet and snacks throughout the day."
- Anonymous
- September 27, 2011
"My 7.5-year-old son has been taking 10mg Focalin for nearly a year. Immediately, it was a 'miracle' for us. He had good behavior marks in school, could finish his work, and we were getting along better at home too. About a month ago, it seemed like maybe he had outgrown his dose, so we upped it to 15mg. Immediately again, great results. But, we spent 4 hours in the ER tonight getting 2 EKGs & x-rays because of his chest pains and irregular heartbeat. Final diagnosis: stop taking Focalin. As much as I loved the behavior and focus improvements he had from the drug, I love him more and can't risk damaging his heart."
- Gan...
- Taken for 6 months to 1 year
- November 16, 2020
"Focalin does what it is supposed to, but this medication makes my heart beat fast and also makes me super nervous and agitated all the time. I hate this medication. It makes me feel like a zombie, and it makes me feel cold all over. The worst part is that I can barely eat without feeling sick and that it makes me constantly shake. This medication also makes my mood stoop to a terrible and very low level. After it wears off, I feel weak, tired, cold, and nauseous."
- kat...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- April 27, 2020
"Focalin 40 mg XR. I found that this medication was mostly ineffective. If anything, it has an initial kick and wears off extremely fast. I thought it would be like Adderall XR, which I could feel the effects come and go throughout the day at 30 mg. With Focalin, it's just one burst of euphoria/adrenaline, and then you crash and feel nothing except for the physical side effects like chest pain, rapid heartbeat, muscle tenseness. I took a nap 2.5 hours after taking it, which is ridiculous. It is frustrating because you don't feel the sense of focus that Adderall gives. I only took it for two days before I called it quits because I did not see a benefit and decided to go back to Adderall 20 mg IR. This medication did not suit me as a 27-year-old grad student. I felt anxiety and panic attack symptoms with the second dose I took, and I did not want to continue. It actually had a negative impact on my work input for those two days."
- jes...
- December 28, 2012
"My 6.5-year-old son takes 5mg XR on school days only. He has been on it for 30 school days. He does great in school, and it appears to be a miracle help to him. It does seem to wear off too early, so I will talk to the doctor about that next week. When he comes home from school, and we try to do his homework, it is a nightmare. He has a very mild case of ADHD. He eats well so far. He sleeps better and longer now than he did before starting the medicine. But a few weeks ago, he told me he feels his heart beating fast and pains in his left side in physical education. I took him for a complete cardio check with EKG, ultrasound, and all kinds of other tests. He checked out in perfect condition. So we will keep an eye out and see."
- Mom...
- Taken for 1 to 2 years
- March 12, 2017
"My son started taking Focalin and started to complain that he could not see the board at school. At first, I figured, well, maybe he is just a kid who needs glasses. His prescription was very low. Now, a year and a half later, his principal from his school called me because he failed the state eye test. With his glasses on, he has 20/50 vision. So, I took him back to the doctor, and they could not correct his vision with the strongest prescription. Everything is blurry and out of focus, he lost all peripheral vision in both eyes. The doctor's first question was, 'What medication is he on?' So, I advised him Focalin 10 mg. He advised me to immediately go to the doctor who prescribed it because it is a severe side effect of Focalin. Grrrr."
- Mom...
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- January 1, 2020
"I am a mom of 2 kids with ADHD. They used to take Vyvanse, it worked awesome for a while, but then they couldn't sleep at night, and it started making their ADHD worse. They can't even watch a five-minute show. They are fighting in public, they'd run off, hit me, scream, have tantrums, and one of my sons broke a vase at Walmart. Now one takes Focalin, the other Ritalin, and the son on Focalin is a lot nicer. I can rest now, I can manage them. If they don't take it, it's a hard day for all of us."
- Tre...
- December 18, 2016
"My son (11) was put on 10 mg of Focalin for ADHD. We have been trying different meds to treat his ADHD without making his anxiety/trichotillomania worse. This med, by far, was the worst! It did seem to help at school for focus, but he had extreme rage issues. It got so bad that we called the police to find out what our options were if he were to actually hurt us or his little sister. He never hurt us, but did break a window, the screen door, and throw objects. Needless to say, we stopped the meds, and thankfully we have our sweet son back (although he can't focus and is annoying to other kids in his class). Please beware of mood changes with this drug."
- jan...
- August 27, 2019
"For me, Focalin has had way more negative effects than positive. My doc started me off with 10 mg in the morning and then another 10 mg in the afternoon. Now I’m on 20 mg in the morning, 20 mg in the afternoon. It helps my concentration and ADHD issues for maybe the first 2 hours or less after each dose, but then from there, it causes terrible anxiety, depression. It makes things worse than actually helping when it starts wearing off (which is very quickly). Overall, I don't like Focalin at all. It not only comes with mental side effects like I mentioned but also physical side effects as well, such as: shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, constant feeling like I have to urinate but can’t, fatigue, etc. It’s been over 3 months, and it hasn’t helped my ADHD consistently or effectively anywhere close to stabilizing and treating it. Please consider other ADHD meds before going with Focalin for you/your child’s ADHD problems. It certainly hasn’t been the answer for me."
- The...
- October 22, 2019
"45-year-old male with depression and ADD. I started with Focalin 20 mg XR once a day, then 5 years later my doc added a regular 10 mg dose in the afternoon. This has been a fantastic medicine for me. Would not be able to perform at work without it. Two negative side effects (but the benefits outweigh them): 1) Intestinal discomfort and bowel movement like clockwork about 60-90 minutes after I take it in the morning. I have to avoid scheduling meetings for that time. 2) 'Meth dick' or 'meth penis,' which basically is caused by reduced blood flow to appendages. Get cold hands and feet, too. Luckily it doesn’t impact the size of an erection since blood is flowing then. It’s just ego bruising when shrinkage occurs. On the weekends, I skip the 20 mg dose and take 10 mg around noon so I don’t have to take two doses, also giving my body and brain a rest from the stimulant. My appendages feel warmer, too. But I am happy my doc prescribed this to me. Absolutely huge life-changer for me."
- gij...
- October 7, 2015
"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."
- Swi...
- April 5, 2016
"I have been off and on Focalin XR 10 mg, debating whether I like it or not. I HATE IT. It increases my attention by a little bit. I like the loss of appetite because I need to cut down on eating, and this does it for me. But it is not worth it. Seven hours of school (9th grade) the whole day was terrible. I was scared about nothing and constantly had fear throughout the whole day, apparently, feelings of crying are very common. I can't talk to anyone either. I get so scared that I'm gonna mess up somehow talking to someone that I stutter and over-explain, and in the end, just make things more confusing. This is just not for me."
- Her...
- November 11, 2009
"My daughter (6 years old) began on Focalin (10 mg) a month ago. We noticed she suffered from no ill side effects; rather, she became more 'in tune' with others' feelings and emotions, slept even more soundly at night, and did not have a loss of appetite. Unfortunately, it did not stay in her system long enough to get her through school and homework, so her doctor adjusted her dose (20 mg). Now she is loving it! For the first time, she is receiving high marks on her behavior at school, is able to communicate better with her friends, and (in her words) 'stay focused and in control'. The beauty of this is that it leaves her system after about 10 hours (she takes it at 7 am), and we are able to practice behavior modification procedures at home with her."
- Zmo...
- February 24, 2009
"My 8-year-old son has been on this medicine for 1 year. At first, it was great, it helped with his self-control, focus, etc. Now he is having side effects such as chest pain, aggressiveness, irritability, and tics."
Learn more about ADHD
- 12 ways to improve your symptoms if you’re an adult with ADHD
- ADHD Medications and Alcohol Interactions
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"10mg Focalin once a day. I feel shaky and cold after taking it. Very angry, moody, and depressed often after it stops working. It helps my focus but not the hyperactivity. Decreased appetite, so I try to eat before taking it. Anyone else experiencing these symptoms and found another med that has worked for them?"