Focalin XR for ADHD User Reviews (Page 3)

• TJ ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 25, 2022

"Well, I've been on Focalin for over a month now, and I can honestly ask, is this normal for most people? I never wanted to take any drugs for my autism and ADHD, but after it almost costing me my marriage, spending time with my daughter, almost losing my career, and losing my car keys, lol, I decided to take a pharmaceutical approach. I have felt the rush and energy, but I feel more calm and collected. I can actually understand more social situations now, and I don't have a lot of my autism tics when I'm on Focalin. I feel calm, relaxed, and focused. My anxiety is gone now, and my depression has subsided because it was autism-oriented. I have gone from almost losing my job to being someone my company doesn't want to lose. My marriage rebounded, and we are doing great again after therapy, of course, but we are doing great again. I enjoy every second with my daughter without my ADHD, anxiety, or depression kicking in. I have a little withdrawal from it since I only take it 5 to 6 days a week as needed."

• AJa...
• August 2, 2020

"My 7-year-old was on 5 mg of Focalin XR for 2 months. A lot of his quirky behavior went away, but not all. He was up until 10 or 11 pm every night and told us he had too much energy. Per the advice of the doctor, we took a 4-day break, and he went to bed at 9:30 all nights. We are day one of 10 mg, hoping that more of his quirky behavior goes away. It’s now 11:30 pm, and he’s wide awake. My son is perky and his same silly self - I can’t identify with other reviews that said it makes kids zombie-like. I did not have that experience at all. Hoping things get better soon, though. Also, it has not affected appetite either. He eats well, thank God."

• Anonymous
• December 10, 2011

"I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 7. I started with Concerta to treat it, but as time went on, the side effects and the dosage being 135 mg was getting annoying. I have noticed that Focalin XR has fewer side effects than Concerta. Also, I eat a good deal more, and I can sleep when taking it. I also read in the comments that the maximum dosage is 20 mg? I take 35 mg and will probably up my dose. Other than that, it is a very good medication."

• 17...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 19, 2019

"I see a lot of negative reviews, however, Focalin XR is doing very well for me and my ADHD! I have been taking medications since I was in the first grade, and I can definitely tell the difference when I’m on this medication. I think my dose still needs to be messed with a little, but I feel a lot better. The only problem is that I’m losing a little bit of weight. Not a bad thing, but something to keep an eye on."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 22, 2015

"My son was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 4 years old. He is now 7. Before finding Focalin, his doctor started him on Ritalin, he was only on it for 3 days because it made him zombified and depressive with many mood swings. Then he started Vyvanse for a few weeks, but it gave him some kind of allergic reaction in his throat. Finally, he was put on Focalin 10ml, and for the last 3 years, it has been doing him great. He does awesome in school, and also at home he can focus and he is happy. The only bad part is he has absolutely no appetite from 10 minutes after he takes the pill to 6 hours later. He drinks cyproheptadine syrup 2mg to help boost his appetite while on the Focalin."

• Nea...
• December 8, 2016

"My son takes Focalin XR for his ADHD. I like the medicine, but my only complaint is a side effect that is not listed anywhere when I research Focalin. The side effect my son experiences is digging in the ear or the sensation of something in his ear that he needs to get out. The higher the dosage, the worse the digging is. I have talked to the doctors, had his ears checked, and put on allergy medicines, he still digs in his ears. He does really well with the medicine in school and activities outside of school. I have not seen any other side effect for this medication."

• Ame...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 4, 2016

"I've been taking 20 mg of Focalin XR for the past 2 years and have experienced great improvement in mental function and all-around health. Focalin has allowed me to focus and be aware of a situation. I have been more efficient at work, more aware of my health and well-being, and able to process situations more appropriately. My biggest complaint has been with sleep patterns. Some nights I can sleep 6 hours, or I can sleep for 14, and I cannot fall asleep right away. My FitBit has mixed reports, but they are questionable. This is something I have tried to 'tweak' with my doctor, but we have not had any success. My second complaint is nausea, but that we have been able to tweak with food consumption and timing."

• Max...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 28, 2019

"Long story short, I was previously on Vyvanse 40 mg a day, and I decided I wanted to try Focalin XR. Before that, I was on Concerta and absolutely hated it. When I was a kid, I apparently did very well on it, but not anymore. So I decided to give Focalin XR a try, and it works very well! The only two issues I have are the questionable quality of the release beads among certain generic manufacturers and the severity of the crash."

• 44f...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 10, 2023

"Prescribed 20 mg. Gives me terrible nausea and lasts about 3 hours before a huge crash that renders me even worse than before taking it. I really wish my doctor would just fill my old prescription of Dexedrine, but she refuses because “there are better medicines out there.” Been on Strattera, Vyvanse, Adderall, Intuniv, and now this, and nothing has come close to working as well as Dexedrine."

• Anonymous
• April 12, 2009

"My daughter started this medication about 3 months ago. Her grades and reading levels have soared, and we don't have as much trouble getting her to concentrate on homework, but when it comes time for bed, she's a handful and irritable still when confronted with certain tasks to be done, like chores. I am not going to consider another medication on top of this but will instead consider a behavior intervention."

• Mom...
• September 17, 2008

"My son is 13, and he has tried several different prescriptions for ADHD. This one does seem to be the best so far. I have read about the max dose being 20 ml, and that is what he is on. Once the medicine wears off, he can be very difficult to manage with his attitude and behavior. It ends up being a very stressful situation when he gets this way."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 16, 2022

"This is probably the best medication I have been on for ADHD. My first day taking, I feel calm, focused, and able to deal with frustrations at work in a very peaceful mindset. Would highly recommend this medication."

• Col...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 1, 2023

"I've been taking generic Concerta for a couple of years now, but I found out that the manufacturer stopped making it, so I have to try something else. I got prescribed Focalin ER 10 mg, and I was taking Concerta 27 mg. I'd say Focalin makes my brain go faster and gives me racing thoughts but doesn't necessarily make me more effective. It feels as if I drank coffee throughout the day. I definitely don't enjoy life as much on this medication, and I'm thinking of switching to something else. I'm tired of the anxiety and fast heart rate as well. Concerta made me feel more capable and effective as a person, and this medication does not."

• Coo...
• August 16, 2018

"I've always had ADD, but didn't start trying to get help with it until I was about to start college. I tried Adderall for 2 weeks and became unable to eat and felt constantly awful. It was obvious Adderall wasn't working for me, so my doctor recommended Focalin XR, and I really can't recommend it enough. About a week after taking Focalin (10 mg twice daily), I went from that to being able to work without distraction for at least 4 hours. I could focus on all the things I enjoyed for longer periods. I was no longer asking my friends and others, 'I'm sorry, could you repeat that?' like I was before, constantly. It has also helped me with my depression. I feel so much more motivated, and I'm able to finally organize things without it feeling like a chore. Sadly, it's quite expensive unless you have very good insurance. My previous insurance covered it until I turned 19 at about $5, but with my current insurance, it's $170/month with a discount coupon."

• Abb...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 11, 2021

"When I first started, it was great, except that it made me less hungry. Very soon, however, I started to get angry on it, I would shake, I would binge on weekends after not eating all week, and I became depressed. I started it in third grade and finally got off it in eighth grade. Now I take Intuniv (2 mg), Lexapro (15 mg), Adderall XR (10 mg), and Adderall (5 mg). Obviously, I take a lot more medication, but I am stable, and a mixture of these medications works best for me. The only side effects from the Adderall XR and Adderall are slight appetite decrease and some tremors and ticking, but the Intuniv helps a little, and I just make sure to eat before my second dose of Adderall."

• jay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 26, 2023

"Horrible! The first few days of taking it, I noticed a stark contrast in my behavior. I started feeling more irritable, anxious, nervous, and aggressive. It didn't treat any of the symptoms of my disorder and only exacerbated the symptoms associated with my anxiety and bipolar I diagnosis. If you have one or more mood disorders, I wouldn't recommend trying Focalin."

• Jan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 26, 2019

"I was prescribed this as my first treatment for ADHD when I was (finally) diagnosed at age 18. It helped me calm down a little, I could go to work and not feel the urgent need to go home. But then I would start crying at work, in public. I would cry to my parents until they couldn’t handle me anymore. The comedown from when it wears off was horrible for me. I have GAD, but the anxiety I experienced was nothing like that. It was acute fear and dread that came rushing in for the next 4-6 hours after the meds wore off. Also, I should mention I lost feeling in my hands and feet. I tried taking it for about a month, but it wasn’t worth it. Four years later, I still haven’t found something that works."

• Mam...
• March 10, 2008

"My daughter has been taking this for 7 months with almost no side effects. Her reading level increased from 3.1 to 4.5 in 6 months, and her grades overall increased to A's. Our only problem is that we are having behavior problems with her at home as the medication is wearing off and prior to taking it in the morning. We are currently adding another drug to see if it helps with this issue. Her behavior at school has not changed."

• Foc...
• March 8, 2016

"My son started having behavior problems in preschool. We had some teachers put up with it while the next year another wouldn't. They'd go out of their way to discipline him, 'cause face it, they're human and just didn't like him. He still got straight A's and B's. We decided, hey, he's just hyped, he has good grades, we're not gonna dope our kid up. Well, we moved, he went to a new school where teachers didn't know him, and they started letting him fall behind. In the principal's office every day. Then we found Focalin, it was night and day. They put him in special class the last three months of the year. By the end of three months, they had already decided he didn't need the classes, and for three years now, a little baby talk, no incidents or trips to the office."

• Anonymous
• June 4, 2010

"My son started taking this at 6. He was violent with family members and would not pay attention in class, refusing to do homework and sometimes hitting other kids. He had never been on any other behavior modification medication before. We noticed a big difference when he started taking Focalin XR. His teacher started sending home good notes. He was doing well in school, but by the time he got home, the medication had worn off, and we were dealing with the same problems. Now he has been on it for 2 months, it seems as though his body has just gotten used to the medicine and his former behavior had taken over. Now we are consulting his doctor to see if the medication needs to be increased or where to go from here."

• Joh...
• July 13, 2019

"Whenever I take this medication, I feel bored of everything. I will just sit and do nothing instead of doing things I normally enjoy. I am not hungry and become unsociable. Sometimes I get shaky. Grades seemed to improve slightly. Not worth it at all."

• Col...
• February 26, 2020

"I am a 19-year-old female in college, and an athlete with extreme ADHD. I usually take Adderall XR 20-30 mg, and it has helped me so much in college. I used to drink 6 cups of coffee a day just so I could focus enough to remember where I left my keys and sit down to take a test, but now Adderall does that for me. Focalin, however, was possibly the worst experience of my life. Focalin took every bit of anxiety and sadness and threw me into several panic attacks. I am a very happy and energetic person, I have never experienced depression or anxiety like this. I didn’t sleep all night, and I spent most of the night sobbing uncontrollably. My heart was beating out of my chest, and I couldn’t think about anything but how sad and stressful everything was. I suggest to NEVER take this medication, the side effects FAR outweighed the purpose of the medication. I never felt focused or honed in."

• Anonymous
• January 27, 2010

"My child has been taking this for a few months now. We tried Concerta, and after only the second dose, he was having severe tics. Focalin has fewer side effects, but his behavior is worse when he misses a dose than it ever was before he started taking this medicine."

• hma...
• November 18, 2011

"We started our 10-year-old daughter on this medication last year and had terrific results. She doesn't have any behavioral issues at school and never had, but by the time she got home, she was so worn out from trying to focus and be good that she was having emotional breakdowns. We started last year on 5 mg and after 8 months increased to 10 mg. She is saying she doesn't notice a difference between taking it and not recently, so we increased to 15 mg. She has been emotional again some days, but not sure whether that is because she is an 11-year-old girl, medication-related, or not enough medicine. She has had a problem falling asleep since she was born, and last year seemed better after being on medication, but has come back this year. We give her melatonin occasionally."

• A...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 25, 2022

"I take 15 mg of Focalin (extended release) in the morning before I go to college, and it helps me focus and stuff, but once lunchtime comes, it's starting to wear off. So I think I'm going to get an immediate release afternoon dose of Focalin that's short-acting to take in the afternoon and that short-acting so I can still sleep at night."