Focalin XR and Insomnia: What Users Say

• Chr...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 21, 2025

For ADHD "So my experience with Focalin XR went okay. It had its positives and negatives, let's start with the positives. Of course, it helped my focus a lot, and it made a sense of good feeling after taking the medication. Now, you really gotta watch out for this: when I tell you it was very hard for me to sleep, eat, and after a while after taking the medication, I felt like a zombie and I felt depressed. Now, thank you, I hope my review helped you!"

• Bla...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 6, 2015

For ADHD "I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was about 5, and my experience overall has been amazing. I've been on it for 12 years now. I take 40 mg once in the morning and in the afternoon, and by like 6 pm it wears off (by the way, I'm 6 feet tall and weigh 225 lb thanks to this medication). The only bad parts or symptoms I'm having are that caffeine has no effect on me anymore (probably built up a tolerance thanks to the Focalin), I don't always sleep too well, and ever since I turned like 14, my appetite went from non-existent to out of control (don't know why...). I'm 17 now and am an A- student, whereas I was an F student before. I definitely recommend this, but I should warn you all it's not for everyone. There are alternatives."

• Jon...
• January 18, 2013

For ADHD "I got diagnosed with ADHD, and this is my first medicine. It helps me focus, but the side effects make me miserable. I'm starving right now, but I don't want to eat, and my throat is dry. I can't sleep, and this side effect makes it worse because I have asthma and severe allergies. So, I can't sleep, and I have twitches bad. I twitch my left shoulder blade a lot now, and sometimes it won't stop."

• AJa...
• August 2, 2020

For ADHD "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."

• Nan...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 2, 2022

For ADHD "I've taken Focalin XR for 15 years and started in the 1st grade. It worked well when I was a kid because it would turn my brain on for the school day, then I'd go back to my normal self by dinner. Now that I'm an adult, this window of useful brain time is less effective, but a longer-lasting dose gives me insomnia. The feeling of being on or off gets very stressful and isn't great for my relationships. When the medication wears off, I get exhausted and crash. I loved my meds as a kid when it felt like I had a school mode and a play mode, but as an adult, I'm leaning more towards more subtle non-stimulant options."

• Col...
• February 26, 2020

For ADHD "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."

• Rat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 16, 2019

For ADHD "I took this medicine, it made me have suicidal thoughts. It is awful. It made me irritable, and I could not get sleep. This medicine tore up my stomach, every time I ate, I would throw up. I just got tired of this medication. I wouldn't take this medication."

• exo...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 18, 2021

For ADHD "I took Focalin XR for 6 months, and the first couple of months were amazing. Focalin helped me to get really important tasks done at school and work, but at some point, the drug did not let me sleep. I would get very shaky, I could only think about smoking cigarettes, and if there was alcohol near me, I would be down it. At this point, I was addicted to Focalin, even though I never took more than 20 mg a day. I would need it to survive the day, and here I am going through withdrawal right now. Be careful with this drug, I personally would never give Focalin to a kid or even young adult."