Focalin XR User Reviews & Ratings (Page 4)

• hma...
• November 18, 2011

For ADHD "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."

• Joh...
• July 13, 2019

For ADHD "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."

• Anonymous
• November 5, 2011

For ADHD "My daughter started taking Focalin XR 15 mg in the morning and 10 mg in the afternoon. This medicine does not seem to be helping at all, and her behavior is worse than ever, to the point that we cannot handle her, and she almost had to be hospitalized for the second time within a 2-week span."

• 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."

• Tal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 6, 2022

For ADHD "My son’s pediatrician prescribed a starting dose of 5 mg. My son is 8 and was diagnosed with ADHD. He was having a great deal of difficulty focusing in school and would not follow directions. I gave him the medicine one time and it did not seem to affect him at all. However, after he went to bed, he woke up a few minutes later screaming that someone was in his room and coming to get him. He was crying hysterically and shaking with terror. This is not typical behavior for him. The website warns that “new psychotic symptoms (such as hearing voices, believing things that are not true, and being suspicious)” have been reported. Please be sure this medication is right for your child. I, however, do not recommend it."

• Kah...
• September 16, 2010

For ADHD "My daughter has been on this drug for a month, and she has been focusing a lot better on homework, and her behavior has improved. I am currently trying to figure out what to do because it helps her a lot but also causes diarrhea sometimes."

• Use...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 4, 2021

For ADHD "I can't find the words to express how terrible I feel on this medicine. I feel like an emotionless zombie. During the first hours on it, you'll feel great. Like a burst of adrenaline, but then it wears off, and it leaves you feeling paranoid, tired, and depressed. You'll start shaking and twitching some days. It just feels awful. Please check if this medicine is right for you."

• Tea...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 30, 2024

For ADHD "My 11-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter are both on this medication. They are both on 15mg XR, and it has completely changed their lives! Both of them are extremely smart. However, in school, they were consistently struggling with short-term memory, recall, and paying attention. They tried to test my son for Gifted and Talented, but because of his ADHD, he couldn't sit for the test. My daughter too had a difficult time learning to read because of her lack of honors classes and being one of the smartest kids in her class. My daughter is reading middle school-level chapter books as a 3rd grader, and they both love school. The only side effect we have experienced is a slight lack of appetite that is made up for at the end of the day when it wears off. My son has experienced slight mood swings when it wears off, but it mostly looks like him just getting frustrated and then crying a little. Other than that, nothing! This has worked so well for us!"

• 9yr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 24, 2015

For ADHD "We had no results on this medication. Granted, we only took the 5 mg, but her emotions were so heightened she would start crying for no reason. The teachers didn't see a difference, and her grades started going down. The side effects were too intense for her on 5 mg, there was no way I was going to go up and have it worse. We are now going to try Vyvanse 10 mg. We will see if this change helps."

• Iam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 15, 2022

For ADHD "I took the first dose of 5 mg this morning, then went back into bed. Thought I was awake, but I was having dreams, so I must have fallen asleep. Woke up two hours later and felt calmer, but it wore off about four hours later. I had some anxiety return with sadness for the next two hours. Too early to tell, but I take an antidepressant and never experienced sadness when the Adderall XR wore off. Will work with the doctor and see what she has to say. I'm on Wellbutrin SR, which I started a few days ago, so I can't really be sure if the side effects are from the Focalin XR or Wellbutrin SR. Wish I had started the Focalin XR without the antidepressant, even though I wasn't that depressed, but the doctor suggested I should take it. Will make another post later after some time passes by. Good luck to everyone."

• Mom...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 7, 2019

For ADHD "My daughter with ADHD has been taking Focalin XR 30 mg, and she has less attitude. Her teachers say it helps her control herself. Without it, she has an attitude toward her sister. She is good when she is on it, but when it wears off, her attitude is back, and she’s hyper. Her grades are better, though."

• 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."

• Ter...
• April 21, 2016

For ADHD "My son has been diagnosed by two psychiatrists with ADHD. His issue started when he was four. I thought he would outgrow it, but it hasn't happened. He's seven now. I've tried everything and am going to start Focalin XR next week. I'm terrified! Mostly of all the side effects. I'm also afraid it's not going to work. Am I doing the right thing?"

• Geo...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 25, 2022

"My issues are TBI, ADHD, ASD, GDD, and GAD. This drug is amazing for me! When co-administered with my SSRIs (sertraline and trazodone HCl) and my dissociative neuroanaleptic (memantine HCl), I noticed a vast decrease in depressive, ADHD, brain fog, and even some anxiety symptoms (especially social anxiety) when it was bumped up to 50 mg/day by my psychiatrist. However, this stuff isn't a toy. Avoid alcohol, foods high in vitamin C, and probably others that I forgot when taking this drug. My focus, mood, and energy feel like I'd never suffered right prefrontal trauma, but if you are well aware of your challenges, you can outthink the godlike feeling it may sometimes give you. Do not take this if you're also on Abilify. Do not take this if you're on venlafaxine, mirtazapine, or bupropion."

• Mae...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 17, 2022

For ADHD "HORRIBLE! This was the first ADHD medication I was prescribed, and not only was I a minor at the time, but it literally caused me such paranoia that it drove me to attempt to take my life, and I was involuntarily hospitalized. I was switched to different meds, and it was a totally different experience and not only helped my ADHD but calmed me down! I brushed it off thinking that it’s just the risk you take with stimulants and that I needed to find the right one for me until I met someone else who experienced the same, googled the medication, and one of the first things that comes up is a warning about how it commonly causes paranoia but also PSYCHOSIS!! And that 35% of people that take Focalin report having a negative experience over a positive and only 45% having a positive experience! I’d ask my doctor about other options if your doctor is pushing this drug in particular, personally!"

• Cai...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 25, 2021

For ADHD "I tried this medicine after being on Adderall XR and dealing with that medicine not lasting the amount of time it should have, so my doctor tried Focalin XR. I was hopeful at first, the first 2-3 days were totally fine, but by the 4th day I was super anxious, jittery, and felt like my ADHD was worse. I gave it a couple more tries before I had a mental breakdown one day from the anxiety this medicine gave me. I always felt that anxious feeling in my stomach, that never went away. Nothing could calm me down. On top of all that, it made me sweat profusely. More than I ever have in my entire life. I finally was able to switch to Vyvanse and have never looked back."

• 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."

• Dow...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2014

For ADHD "I was properly diagnosed with ADHD after knowing all my life, I'm special. And different from the rest of my coworkers and people I meet and met. I recently lost my job due to a 'rightful' blowup at my boss's deputy, which led all the way to a final write-up. Two months later, it was discovered that I wasn't doing the daily logs, that everyone can do, but I couldn't do it easily. This behavior led to a doctor and conclusion, I have ADHD. At first, I was on Vyvanse 20, then 40, this left me speedy and jittery, almost unable to cope in public. So I changed to Concerta XR 36. Mild and cool enough, but I don't see the difference with my ADHD. So I moved to Focalin XR 25. It's been an hour since my taking it at 3 pm. I feel it."

• Mom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 21, 2013

For ADHD "I gave my 4-year-old his first dose at 7 a.m. on a Friday. By 3 p.m. he was running, hitting backflips off the bed, and could not stay asleep. I called the doctor, she said discontinue. His heart was beating out of his chest. I was so scared I sat and watched him all night, and his heart beat like that through the next day. No more stimulants for him."

• Dre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 22, 2018

For ADHD "18 y/o daughter, 100 lbs, prescribed starting dose of 20 mg daily by primary care doctor. She went nearly out of her mind and out of control immediately. Anger, crying uncontrollably, inability to process, absolutely like she was on crack. Previously on another ADHD medication without these effects. Four days in, we took her off, and she returned to sanity. This scared both her and us. It appears she was prescribed four times the starting dose considering her size, and it is capsules that cannot be split. An epic fail."

• Wou...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 23, 2019

For ADHD "The first day I took Focalin XR, it worked fantastic, and I had so much energy and confidence. I was really feeling like myself again. On the 2nd day of taking it, it was okay, it wasn’t as good as the first day. Then, the third day, I felt no difference at all. It made me feel probably worse than when I was off of it. I was extremely exhausted and had no effects at all. So, I called my doctor, and he told me to start taking 2 (20 mg each), and it did okay. I felt the energy, but literally no focus at all. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone, it may work okay for some, but there’s a good chance it won’t."

• A M...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 30, 2022

For ADHD "Became addictive and caused multiple side effects, including anger. My 9-year-old was on it for over a year. I finally took him off it without telling anyone. A little bit of withdrawal for 2 weeks, nothing too bad. He has been off it all summer, doing FANTASTIC!"

• Tra...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 24, 2022

For ADHD "OK, so maybe you will have someone trying to discredit this, but anyway, my son has been taking this stuff, and for 4 years, his mood is crazy. At first, a little anger at 5 years old, now 4 years later, he is much worse. He lost his want and need to eat and doesn't care about anything. He can't stay still, makes crazy faces. Don't give your child any of these drugs from them doctors, it's all a lie. Just look at the reviews and look at the side effects. Watch your kids, please. With all my heart, I say parents, y'all know best, not a person with a title. I'm sending love and strength to all. Question everything, please watch your kids."

• Nun...
• January 29, 2018

For ADHD "I was placed on this medication after taking a 5-question survey on a piece of paper. That does not determine whether or not you have ADHD. I was on this medication and lost 40 lbs. I also lost several jobs, became very emotionally erratic, and nearly died after arriving at a hospital with a 260 BPM heartbeat. After finding out that I have Mitral Valve Prolapse with regurgitation, I obviously was weaned off this medication. I ended up following up with a neurosurgeon, completing a CAT scan from a previous traumatic brain injury as a teen, and then also completed neuropsychological testing, which proved that I, in fact, do not have ADHD even though I was diagnosed with it twice in my life."

• Dra...
• June 22, 2016

For ADHD "It's amazing, but don't take 5, 6, or 7, you will feel sick and stay up and not eat for a day or two. But if you want a fun, focused high, go small like 2 or 3, then work your way up. If you want to buy, it's not fun with a lot, you start hearing things and seeing things, and you get scared easy. But fun at the end, did my college homework, projects, and essays and other things I had to do for college. Got all done in that 24-hour period, still up and feel hyper and awake, but I know I'm going to crash very soon. But the drug does its job 100% for me when I do 1 10mg or 2 10mg. I do 2 for testing the next day so I know I'm up and ready for it."