Focalin and Anxiety: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Dak...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 30, 2021

For ADHD "Honestly, I like the effects of I'm on 20 mg Focalin. When I was on 5 and 10, it didn't seem to do much of anything at all. But on 20 mg, my dysthymia has gone away. I've been dysthymic for as long as I can remember, and being on this medicine totally motivates me to get work done and be genuinely happy. However, this motivation comes with the effect of hyperactivity, which can kind of translate to anxiety. I can't rest as well as I used to, as I'm just thinking about the things I still need to do. I also cannot sleep as easily, and I wake up once or twice during the night. I've always had a low appetite, so I'm not sure how much the medication is affecting my appetite versus my own brain. Despite these side effects, I prefer my mental state when I'm on the medication over my mental state when I'm off. It's helped me get so much stuff done and not just lay down thinking about it and feeling crappy."

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

For ADHD "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."

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

For ADHD "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."

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

For ADHD "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

For ADHD "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."

• Cac...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 5, 2021

For ADHD "Helps with focus, but my anxiety has increased tenfold."