Focalin for ADHD User Reviews (Page 2)

• Jen...
• October 13, 2016

"My son was so hyper that he couldn't even sit still to eat. I would like to respond to the person who questioned her thin 6-year-old being put on this medicine. My son was actually able to put on some weight as he was able to focus and finish his meals. Within a year, he was at a normal weight for his height. My son's doctor was able to explain that people with ADD or ADHD do not abuse this drug because it has the opposite effect on them than people without the disorder."

• gab...
• March 29, 2014

"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

"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."

• mom...
• August 7, 2008

"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."

• Iha...
• August 4, 2016

"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."

• Anonymous
• October 13, 2010

"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

"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

"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."

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

"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."

• Anonymous
• May 13, 2011

"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!"

• Mom...
• November 6, 2008

"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

"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."

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

"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!"

• 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."

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

"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."

• liz...
• October 28, 2007

"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."

• Anonymous
• April 13, 2012

"This was the sixth medication that my 6-year-old son tried. Loved Daytrana, but the rashes were terrible, and it took forever to kick in. Hated Focalin. He had no better appetite on it, and most importantly, even though his symptoms were not resolved, he was a zombie on the lowest dosage - hyperfocused, irritable, no sense of humor (and this is the kid that was always called 'a one-man show' in school). On to number seven now...."

• Mon...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 23, 2017

"I take the smallest dose of 5 mg Focalin XR. I've been on the same dosage for years now. I find it's like a small cup of coffee in how stimulating it is. I find that it also has a side benefit of being a mood stabilizer as well. It also helps me with my mild OCD behaviors, which I notice as the meds wear off. I never noticed my OCD before, but as it wears off, I do now, and can at least be aware of them when I'm not on my meds. I've accidentally taken 2 pills before, and it felt like my head was floating above my body. Strange and not recommended. Also, don't go for the big dose right away."

• Anonymous
• March 11, 2009

"My 6-year-old grandson has been on Focalin for 2 months. We noticed an immediate behavior change in that he is so much more focused in school, with fewer outbursts and getting daily 'Perfect Day' behavior charts. He is so much happier now, and although we are still watching, we haven't seen any side effects."

• jai...
• April 9, 2019

"We started my son on Focalin once doctors felt his anxiety was under control with Prozac. Big mistake. His grades were great, but anxiety went through the roof. Wish we had never gone down that road, still trying to put him back together and get through this 6 months later."

• ada...
• January 31, 2010

"My 9-year-old son has been on various medicines for ADHD since he was 6. We just switched to Focalin 10 mg about 2 weeks ago. We are noticing that by about 1:00 in the afternoon it is completely out of his system and there is no focus. We are going to try a booster dose of 5 mg in the afternoon. I'm going to talk to our doctor about lowering his morning dose because he feels shaky and tired, which I thought would have subsided by now. His focus is terrific, but I wonder if we can get the same results by knocking down the dose a bit and adding the booster. Other than that, his sleep and eating habits are the same. Whew!"

• Cha...
• December 14, 2014

"My 7-year-old son has had ADHD since he was a toddler. He started taking ADHD meds at the age of 3-three months before turning 4. He was already threatened to be taken out of preschool for his behavior. He's always had an I-don't-care attitude, very destructive unintentionally, couldn't even sit down to watch any TV show longer than 5 minutes. We had the hardest time finding a punishment that he actually feared until a therapist gave us 1-2-3 Magic to watch-it worked! We started him on Vyvanse, but he had 6 side effects from it. He got switched to Focalin as he grew, he's now switched to Focalin XR and now up to 40 mg in the morning and at lunch 5 mg to get him through the day. We love it, but it doesn't last long."

• gre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 15, 2018

"My dose of Focalin is 10 mg. A few hours after taking it, I start to feel very depressed and down, like I can't do anything at all. Makes me feel like I'm going to throw up, feel tired, and have to go poop a lot from it."

• Kar...
• October 3, 2014

"We started our 8-year-old son (then) on methylphenidate I think 10 mg. Then we went up to 20 mg. That was disastrous after a few months with the tantrums, weight loss, and anorexia. We had him switched to Vyvanse 20 mg per day for a few months. Anorexia continued, and after those few months, he became yellowish-skinned, almost jaundiced. He got toxic obviously, so we detoxed him with some fish oil supplements and some other herbal remedies. About 2 weeks later, we put him on Focalin XR 5 mg. His focus is starting to dwindle now that school started. We added the Focalin 2.5 mg to the morning regimen to boost the dosage a little faster (that one is faster absorbed also). Have not heard anything negative from the teacher, so we are crossing our fingers."

• Tra...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 30, 2024

"I was on 40 mg extended Focalin in the morning and 2 10 mg instant in the afternoon before it got put on back order months ago and still on there as I write this. The Focalin was amazing for me. It worked so well for my ADHD. I concentrated better, had energy, and it just made me feel good mentally, almost like it had a mood stabilizer in it. I’m now having to take Adderall XR and 30mg instant Adderall and I’m not doing well with it. I just want my Focalin back very soon but not sure it’s ever going to be available again the way it’s looking. I hope this review helped someone out there. God bless everyone!"