Focalin and Anger: What Users Say

• MBa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 6, 2021

For ADHD "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?"

• Zmo...
• February 24, 2009

For ADHD "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."

• Kar...
• October 3, 2014

For ADHD "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."

• Tri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 28, 2017

For ADHD "My son is now going on 9. We started out with Adderall 5 mg XR at age 5. As he got older, we adjusted and went to 5 mg twice a day. However, there were massive side effects with the Adderall, mainly moods, anger, frustration, among many others that I noticed at the age of seven. We then started Focalin, however, when we started the Focalin, my son was put on a 20 mg dose to start extended release capsule. He took the medication, went to school, and every day after lunch, when the second dose kicked in, he would constantly have massive rage, massive hallucinations, massive amounts of itching, breakouts, among other things. The 20 mg XR was way too strong for him. We downgraded to a 10 mg XR with a 2.5 mg immediate release for backup. Best decision we've made."

• Tri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 28, 2017

For ADHD "My son is now going on 9. We started out with Adderall 5 mg XR at age 5. As he got older, we adjusted and went to 5 mg twice a day. However, there were massive side effects with the Adderall, mainly moods, anger, frustration, among many others that I noticed at the age of seven. We then started Focalin, however, when we started the Focalin, my son was put on a 20 mg dose to start extended release capsule. He took the medication, went to school, and every day after lunch, when the second dose kicked in, he would constantly have massive rage, massive hallucinations, massive amounts of itching, breakouts, among other things. The 20 mg XR was way too strong for him. We downgraded to a 10 mg XR with a 2.5 mg immediate release for backup. Best decision we've made."

• adu...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 8, 2023

For ADHD "Started taking Focalin 18 months ago after being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and it’s been a miracle. I deal with anxiety, anger, impulsivity, and sensory integration, but it wasn’t obvious because I was a “good kid” with good grades who hid my extreme emotions to avoid criticism. I’m also physically awkward and uncoordinated, so I often get hurt or break and lose objects a lot. In my 30s, I went from a high-functioning overachiever to barely functioning at all. I became edgy and irritable constantly, cried for hours a day from sheer terror or rage over nothing, then felt exhausted and paralyzed. My nervous system was cranked up to 11 and wouldn’t turn off. After taking the first dose of Focalin, I could think more clearly, regulate my emotions, and am much less clumsy. I take Focalin XR 30mg in the morning and regular Focalin 10mg as needed in the afternoon."

• Anonymous
• August 13, 2016

For ADHD "I'm currently 15 years old, and this is the second ADHD medication I've been on. In high school, I feel that it's very important to succeed. Due to going untreated for my entire childhood, I dropped out. I'm back in school now, and it's been 2 years. If it gets to the point where you want to drop out, I suggest ADHD medication. But if you have a 3- to 10-year-old, I highly don't suggest it. When my brother was 4 to 7 or 8, he was on it. He would always try to kill me and my mother. He would hurt animals and kids at school. He was quiet and had no emotion or expression. He tried to kill himself many times. To this day, he is now 18 and 5'8 when he is supposed to be over 6 feet because of our genes. I highly do not recommend unless this is the last resort for a child."

• BPa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 15, 2020

For ADHD "I have been prescribed this for around 4 years now for my pretty bad ADHD, which has affected my life in many ways. I must say I have never, ever liked taking this, but I had to every school day. It helps me kind of focus, but it makes me feel terrible, as though everything really annoys me. When taking this, even talking irritates me, and no matter what variation I take, it always has the same annoying/negative effects with only a few positive effects."

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

For ADHD "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."

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

For ADHD "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."

• Not...
• January 2, 2022

For ADHD "Quick summary: yes, it helps drastically; but that’s about the only good thing. It’s physically horrible. Long summary: I have taken Adderall for over five years. It made me lose my appetite, so I briefly switched to Vyvanse, but that made me aggressive and violent. So I switched to Focalin, and I have been taking 15 mg for around a year now. I’ve switched on and off between 10 mg and 15 mg since my metabolism gets used to it. Here’s what I’ve found: without a doubt, it helps focus, and overall I am a lot more positive and happy, to the point where I want to make other people happy. However, Focalin has made me have constant side effects of a heavy beating heart, my right ear pops randomly when I’m sitting down, and shortness of breath. I would say just stop taking it. What I’m going to do is just take 5 mg only if I really need to. Because honestly, the side effects are horrible."

• Not...
• January 2, 2022

For ADHD "Quick summary: yes, it helps drastically; but that’s about the only good thing. It’s physically horrible. Long summary: I have taken Adderall for over five years. It made me lose my appetite, so I briefly switched to Vyvanse, but that made me aggressive and violent. So I switched to Focalin, and I have been taking 15 mg for around a year now. I’ve switched on and off between 10 mg and 15 mg since my metabolism gets used to it. Here’s what I’ve found: without a doubt, it helps focus, and overall I am a lot more positive and happy, to the point where I want to make other people happy. However, Focalin has made me have constant side effects of a heavy beating heart, my right ear pops randomly when I’m sitting down, and shortness of breath. I would say just stop taking it. What I’m going to do is just take 5 mg only if I really need to. Because honestly, the side effects are horrible."

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

For ADHD "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."

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

For ADHD "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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 1, 2020

For ADHD "This medicine made my son so sick. He became anorexic and very nauseous. It made him very aggressive, and we had to take him off it."