Focalin for ADHD User Reviews (Page 5)

• Moo...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 4, 2022

"Well, the good! Focus, energy, spirit lifter, energetic, loss of appetite, weight loss. The bad: anger flashes, uncontrollable talkativeness, extreme crash after it wears off, especially if you work in a restaurant environment."

• ell...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 19, 2023

"I am currently on Focalin, and it has honestly improved my daily functioning quite a bit. But, the side effects are pretty inconvenient and suck to deal with. The pros outweigh the cons for me and I've found ways to cope with the side effects somewhat. But I often feel very weak and shaky and get overheated extremely easily. I have to really be on top of hydration because I sweat a lot and get dehydrated very quickly. I've started adding more electrolytes to my intake as well and I think that's been helping. Overall, it's helped me a lot but definitely has its downsides."

• Che...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 10, 2020

"I took Focalin as a kid, and it worked, but it messed me up. I had an erratic and unhealthy sleep schedule, I became anorexic and never ended up ending my anorexia even after I stopped taking it. A lot more happened that I don’t want to go into, but I do NOT recommend it."

• Tom...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 11, 2022

"The way that ADHD medications are marketed to parents for children is morally unjustifiable to me. I was prescribed this drug when I was nine years old and immediately dreaded taking it. I remember going to my father and telling him that I didn't feel like myself very shortly after starting, but my getting good grades in school and doing what he wanted was more important to him than my mental well-being. Over a decade of use, I was unable to function socially, especially during high school years. I battled depression, constant fatigue, extreme anxiety, high heart rates, and the worst was how it impacted my sexual development, shooting my sex drive through the roof by the time I was only 13 and didn't even understand what was happening to me. I tried to stop taking it without my father or doctors knowing when I was 15 and wound up in crisis counseling due to withdrawal. Their solution? Put me back on the pills until I turned 18 and stopped use. That's 10 years I will never get back."

• Cor...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 26, 2022

"This might be the worst med I have ever taken. It slightly helped with ADHD symptoms, but it would wear off after a roller coaster of moods and leave me irritable and annoyed, with a headache like clockwork at 4:30 pm. I would have the worst sweats off of this med and odor, and I couldn’t take it no more. I was a 6th grader and switched meds to a different ADHD med, and it worked so much better without the side effects."

• ayd...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 1, 2022

"I just began treatment with Focalin 10 mg IR and 20 mg XR tomorrow. I like it much better than Ritalin. It doesn’t make me feel nauseated all the time, my eating is normal, and I’m excited to start the XR tomorrow because I know it’ll make me focus much more than Ritalin. I was on Ritalin 60 mg for 7 years, the only two reasons I took it were I used it as a dopamine agonist because I’ve had two TBIs, as well as for treatment-resistant depression, which I have really bad. But Focalin does the same things as Ritalin without the nausea, plus I’ll be able to focus like when I was on Adderall."

• LHJ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 13, 2022

"From my personal experience, Focalin is by far the worst stimulant medication I have tried so far. The side effects I got from it are excessive sweating, bad mood, easily irritated/easily angered, and it makes me feel sad even when I'm on it, which is the only stimulant that has done that so far. On top of this, it makes me feel like I'm tweaking out."

• Pro...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 1, 2021

"Severe ADHD. When I was diagnosed with ADHD, I was about 4 years old, and my doctor prescribed me 10 mg Focalin XR, and it worked great in school. But when I started 6th grade, I had to get new medicine because the 30 mg XR dose wasn't working, but Vyvanse and Adderall didn't work. So I went back to the 30 mg XR dose when I woke up and 10 mg tablets that the school nurse gave me every day. It worked great for 9 years. However, when my dad died, I thought it would be a good idea to start snorting it (DON'T) because I had such bad depression, so it quit working after I almost OD'd on it. Now I have psychosis because of my problems with medication, but I am feeling better after not taking it for a month. Now I take Vyvanse, and I have bad Focalin withdrawal symptoms. TL,DR: Don't snort Focalin."

• goo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 14, 2021

"This was supposed to help me with ADHD. Strangely, when I started taking it, I dissociate and get paranoid. I don't know if it's the medicine I take with it, but I've always had slight dissociation, but this medicine makes me dissociate terribly."

• Aut...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 26, 2021

"Focalin… Focalin has been a trip for me if I’m being honest. It was only 10 milligrams too. Within the first week, I was angry and constantly moody after a few hours of it being in my system. My fiancé and I wrote it off because “the first few weeks aren’t supposed to be great,” but they aren’t supposed to be awful either. We had never fought like we did the first two weeks. We got through it. However, the moodiness never got better; less frequent, but not better. I get frustrated quickly and even have high-scale meltdowns like I did when I was a kid. The come down is awful. I am immediately overstimulated by everything. I have also noticed I am less confident and concerned with others’ opinions and find myself discouraged a lot of the time. But “it helps you focus, doesn’t it? It’s not going to fix everything.” They’re upping my dosage to 20, and currently, I don’t think I want to do that if it’s already as bad as it is."

• 5mg...
• October 17, 2021

"I used 5 mg of the tabs. Not the XR. One tab a day. So far, it is amazing. No side effects whatsoever. The only thing is that the effects fade away after maybe 3 hours. I'm pretty sure these tabs aren’t as intense as the XR ones. I wish I could have these prescribed in higher doses or twice a day, but 10 mg is the highest."

• hyd...
• July 5, 2021

"After 43 years, I was diagnosed with high-functioning ADHD and OCD and maybe PTSD from abuse. I am very confident and have made many accomplishments in my life. I am proud of what I have become, but being medicated has changed my life. I started on Zoloft and felt tired, but it helped. I was amazed. But I then went into Focalin 45 mg. I feel like it is not enough as of yet. But I love this med. Honestly, it seems like I cannot be stopped. I recommend this for a try. My only complaint is I haven't received a higher dose as of yet. I was a bit shaky and moody for 3 weeks. After that, things started to click. I recommend not using THC or high doses with this med. Try small THC and high CBD. Remember, without the THC, your ADHD brain will not accept the CBD."

• Joh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 21, 2021

"I have bipolar disorder and ADHD. For ADHD, I've been on and off a few different meds over the years. Adderall and Ritalin had too many weird side effects, like not being able to stop peeing. I switched to Vyvanse at 25, and it had less severe side effects than the other two, but they were still there. Concerta worked well too. My doctor recently prescribed me Focalin as I needed to get back on my ADHD meds. I'd never heard of it before, but it has been the best for me of all. Very few side effects (periodic dry mouth is about it), and the actual effect is not as intense as the others have been. I don't just feel this one all day long. If you've experimented with finding the right ADHD medicine, try Focalin if other stuff gives you bad side effects."

• Dan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 15, 2022

"I take 15 milligrams of Focalin every day. Due to not being able to concentrate, while at school, it does help. But once I get home and it starts to wear off, I'm not the same. Usually, I am a fun guy to be around, but when I take this medication, I feel out of control and scared. Almost every night, I have mood swings. And sometimes, I don't even realize it until my mom tells me. I even say stuff to them I normally would not say. I do not recommend this medicine at all, it is not safe. Sadly, I have no choice but to take it due to reasons I would rather not say."

• Mel...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 30, 2022

"My stepdaughter was on this drug the 2nd half of last school year until Thanksgiving break. She went from 5 mg to 10 mg after a month and began pulling hairs from her arms and picking at things constantly. She went back to 5 mg for the start of this school year. She was also on Intuniv for 27 months. She took weekend breaks from the Focalin, but it seemed to bottom her blood pressure out. She felt cold all the time, nauseated, and unmotivated. In 80-degree weather, she'd complain of being cold, even wearing a hoodie, which I felt could lead to overheating. Over Thanksgiving break, she did not want to take it, so she came off. She complained she didn't feel herself, she had auditory hallucinations in the beginning and, towards the end, started asking about intrusive thoughts. She has a formal diagnosis of ADHD combined with anxiety and depression. She struggles with focus unmedicated, but she'd also not be herself medicated. Probably not a good fit as a combined medication or if diagnosed with anxiety."

• Kay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 5, 2021

"I do not recommend this medication at all. It made me irritable and unhappy all day, and didn’t help me focus my mind. I was on 10 mg. Unless you want to turn into a horrible person, it made my heart race so bad, and I was constantly nauseous. Don’t take Focalin."

• Fga...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 9, 2021

"I’ve been on Focalin for a few months. I have ADHD and absolutely cannot concentrate at work, and I fall asleep most of the time. At first, it was okay, but I did notice that I would feel like a zombie after work. No appetite, no energy, and depressed! It kicks in, and sure, you're focused and alert for about 2 hours. But boy, when it wears off, it is awful. I have an appointment tomorrow because I cannot take this medicine anymore. I feel about as bad as I did when I first started treating myself for mental health. I used to be on generic Ritalin, and I do not remember the come down being this awful."

• mar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 23, 2022

"Makes my heart beat too fast, and I get shaky and extremely anxious. Someone else said talking feels like a chore on these meds, and I agree. I feel so strange on Focalin, I don’t think I’m going to continue."

• Tin...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 24, 2021

"I take a 30 mg in the morning and a 30 mg in the afternoon. I have been on this medication for 14 years, and it has had its ups and downs. I find that it has recently turned me into a zombie, but every day for 14 years, every morning, I have diarrhea and extreme stomach cramps. This medication makes my heart beat fast. It definitely helps with my impulses. For me, the withdrawal symptoms of this medication make me exhausted. It is so hard to get this prescription refilled, several times, I have had to go through withdrawal. It’s a pretty complicated situation."

• Ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 9, 2020

"Like all ADHD medicines, there are side effects. But Focalin is the one with the least side effects that is at an affordable price. The few side effects experienced are heightened heart rate, but I believe this is due to my breathing, so once I take a few deep breaths, I am no longer short of breath and my heart rate goes back down. I really appreciate the no hyper-focus that I got on generic Adderall and brand Adderall."

• Gre...
• July 2, 2021

"My son was on Focalin for a year. At first, the medicine helped him focus and his grades improved, however, he lost his spark. He had zero energy, he was way too quiet, almost zombie-like. His doctor switched him to Ritalin LA, and I feel like we have our son back! I know Focalin works for some people, but it was not the right medicine for my son."

• Sca...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 11, 2021

"My heart feels like it is going to explode. I went from being happy and friendly to not being able to smile. I have never been so angry before, and my boyfriend noticed an immediate difference with the medication."

• vik...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 5, 2022

"I was diagnosed with ADD (I just say ADHD now) in 1st grade and started medication in 2nd grade, stopped taking it halfway through 7th grade year. I am a senior in high school now. I first started on 5 mg of ER till about 5th grade. Then 10 mg of XR. I don't really remember the 5 mg days, as I was young, but from what I remember about the 10 mg days is that when I took it, I didn't really feel a difference. The only difference was I zoned out more and had no emotions. If I took it on a weekend or during a break, I felt like a zombie, almost like my body was on a schedule. I stopped taking it because I just didn't feel the need to."

• sha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 10, 2021

"I have tried a lot of stimulants for my ADHD, and Focalin XR did not work well for me. It makes me feel extremely shaky and anxious, and my heart pounds so hard I can hear it in my ears. It also gives me migraines to the point where my head feels like an overfilled balloon. It makes my hands shake so badly I can’t grip things properly. Obviously, when it comes to ADHD meds, they can affect everyone in different ways, but this one is a no from me."

• Foc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 14, 2022

"This drug did help me focus in school better, but does give me anxiety, not gonna lie. I also suffer from extreme hyperactivity, so it didn’t help with that. I take this drug with an antidepressant, Lexapro. I already have really bad depression, so I wouldn’t say it made it worse or gave me symptoms. If you have a hard time focusing, I think it’s an okay option, but I really don’t like the anxiety it’s giving me."