Focalin and Loss Of Appetite: 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?"

• Sta...
• June 9, 2013

For ADHD "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)."

• Bio...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 26, 2020

For ADHD "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."

• Gre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 8, 2016

For ADHD "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."

• Her...
• November 11, 2009

For ADHD "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."

• Swi...
• April 5, 2016

For ADHD "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."

• Mar...
• January 30, 2016

For ADHD "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."

• Anonymous
• April 13, 2012

For ADHD "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...."

• Tex...
• October 6, 2009

For ADHD "My 9-year-old son who has ADHD and ODD has been on Focalin XR for roughly 5 months now after going through 3 other different medicines for his ADHD that produced a lot of side effects. He dropped down to 42 lbs. VERY SCARY, and he would refuse to eat, period. He also takes 1 mg of Risperdal at night. He has a very high tolerance and is given 40 mg of Focalin XR daily. This is the only drug I have found that does not affect his appetite. He eats nonstop when he gets home from school until he goes to bed at night. It has calmed him down, but it seems to wear off after 6 hours. Other than that, this medication is GREAT, and I will continue to give it to my son."

• Ric...
• December 1, 2015

For ADHD "I love how it makes you more focused on one thing. But it has too many bad things to it. First, you have loss of hunger for a longer period of time. Then you get this bad stomach feeling like barely fainting or puking. Your muscles start to twitch, and you feel annoying and hostile. I also feel like crying at random points, and it is pretty embarrassing."

• adu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2023

For ADHD "I was just recently (finally!) given an ADHD diagnosis at 27 years of age. After spending a few months trying Adderall, Ritalin, and Concerta with abysmal results, my doctor switched me to 20 mg extended-release Focalin. The first few days, I noticed random bouts of anxiety and nervousness, which was unusual for me as I am not an anxious person. After around a week of being on Focalin, the anxiety went away, and I was actually seeing increasingly positive results at work, school, and home. It does start to wear off on my 16 hr school plus work days, but my doctor gave me 5 mg short-acting doses for the longer days if I need them towards the end, and that helps. As long as I take it and immediately eat breakfast, I don’t feel any appetite suppression like I do when taking it on an empty stomach. My only complaint is that my heartburn is in full force after starting it, but I’m okay with taking antacids until my body gets used to it, as the results have been more than worth it!"

• 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."

• 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."

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

For ADHD "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."

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

For ADHD "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."

• Kai...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 21, 2022

For ADHD "Makes me feel weak, like a zombie. I'm not hungry, I feel no mood. I don't like it."