Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD User Reviews (Page 5)

• mother...
• May 14, 2011

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "My 6-year-old son started showing signs of ADHD a year ago. He is in kindergarten, and he has 3 types of days: green - good, yellow - not the best, red - bad day. Every week, he was coming home with 2 yellow days a week for calling out and being disruptive for the last 7 months. He started taking Focalin XR 10 mg and has a green day every day since he started the medication. His teachers say how much better he has been at school, and he doesn't run amok through the house anymore. I'm so happy we found Focalin."

• MamaZ...
• March 10, 2008

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "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."

• AJano
• August 2, 2020

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "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 11pm 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 10mg hoping that more of his quirky behavior goes away. It’s now 11:30pm 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."

• prett...
• January 19, 2018

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) "The doctor started me off with 10 mg seemed to never "fully" kick in, I would feel some effects, mostly just I would stare out into space and daydream. I told my doctor this and he just said I needed to refocus my focus. (He's a hippy Y'all) Then when I finally convinced him up it to see if I would actually feel anything more, it just amps my anxiety and makes me extremely tired. You can forget about taking a second extended-release capsule after that one wears off, it just makes you more tired and amps your anxiety more, makes you jittery and really on edge, also makes your heart beat incredibly fast. Would not recommend."

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

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "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 the my Boss's deputy, which led to all the way to a final write up. Two month 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 3pm. I feel it."

• blakes...
• September 17, 2009

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) "My 7-year-old son has been taking Focalin for a few months now. At first, all was great. Now there is a great deal of explosive behavior. We have made an appointment with a counselor to begin some 1-on-1 and family counseling."

• Mom
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 18, 2018

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "I hate giving my child medicine. Absolutely hate it. My son was doing so poorly in school though without it. With it his grades are so much better. I tried stopping it for two months and had to give it to him again because grades and behavior took a nose dive."

• Captain...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 3, 2018

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "I didn’t get diagnosed till I was 30. I’m 31 now. I was taking adderall XR 25mg. I just didn’t feel it working like it should. So my Dr. switched me to focalin xr 30mg. I read the starting dose is 10mg for adults, I guess since I took a higher dose of adderall my dr felt it was best to get me going on a higher dose of focalin. My job is working on the phones I have to call about 300 people a day. There is no way I would be able to perform my job well if I wasn’t taking this medication. I’m focused and not bored, I’m not day dreaming all day, I’m staying in my seat, I don’t have a messy desk. This stuff works."

• Brand...
• December 10, 2015

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "I never had ADD or problems focusing and staying motivated before I had chemotherapy for Ewing's Sarcoma at 16-17 years old. I'm now 24 and started being treated for those symptoms with Focalin XR earlier this year. It was night and day difference for me. I had energy, yes the first week I was shakey but that stops, I lost weight gained from conituning to eat like a weight lifting football player but had very little movement at all. I felt great, I can get things done now. Motivation is now just lacking from my lack of trying but when I get on something I blaze through it. Negative effects I have experienced are occasional moodiness, especially if I am focused on something and then get interrupted. Caffeine is a no no."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 2, 2012

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "My son has been on Focalin XR for a few years and we started at 15mg once a day and he seemed to do fine for a while and then teachers noticed some problems with attention. We have never had behavior problems and he has always seemed happy in school and at home. We increased to 20mg a day about 6-9 months ago and he just now told me that he is having suicidal thoughts and has been for a while, so will be talking to his doctor about cutting it back to 15mg a day and see if this helps."

• Helpl...
• July 20, 2011

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) "My daughter is 9. She has been taking Focalin for 1 year now, and she is alarmingly thin. The doctor suggests that we should just feed her more food when she wants to eat. My daughter has always been a thin girl, but now she looks sick. But on the upside, this medication works well for her ADHD. She can focus, and she even has friends now that she is not hitting people. My daughter is actually pretty smart, but you would have never known this before Focalin."

• Evano
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 16, 2019

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "I’ve had ADHD for a very long time and didn’t start taking Focalin until (11th grade) I tried other stimulants in middle school but gave up because disliked the way they made me feel. Focalin does its job. It helps me focus and get work done, however, I do get shaky and anxious while on the drug. My appetite is also effected. You just have to decide if the side-effects are worth the outcome."

• Anonymous
• July 28, 2015

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "My daughter was 6 when she started it and her school work has improved dramatically. The only side effect is that she is not hungry, and we have to force her to eat. At 5:30pm when it wears off, she is hungry and distracted."

• Texas...
• October 6, 2009

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) "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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 29, 2019

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "I've taken it on and off since I was in highschool (I'm 26 now). Generally 5-10mg has worked best for me. It helps me a lot when there are tasks I need extra focus on, and a lower dose can help in social situations. I found it to be helpful for school, and more recently at work. The worst side affect for me is a loss of appetite. I find that I have to totally guess how hungry I am and force it down so I don't get brain fog. It relieves anxiety in that I can finally do what I need to, but it raises anxiety in general. I try to take it as little as possible, and haven't experienced any issues taking it sporadically. Just keep the dose low."

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

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "I gave my 4 year old his first dose at 7 am on a Friday- by 3pm he was running, hitting back flips off the bed and could not stay asleep. I called the doctor she said discontinue. His heart was beating out 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. "

• George...
• September 26, 2015

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) "Im a 17 year old girl and focalin was the first medication I ever used to treat my ADHD. It was the worst! Like many others, I felt extremely anxious. I also constantly would feel unattached to the world. Even worse, it didn't even help me focus! I was too busy having overwhelming feelings of anxiety to be focused. However, I wouldn't say you shouldn't try this medication as it seems to work for others. I just know that if you feel any sense of anxiety, it's abnormal. I'm on vyvanse now and I have no problems with anxiety. Just a few minor symptoms, but it works great."

• ADDvery...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 12, 2015

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) "I have no insurance and currently back in school for counseling, social worker.... lets say Human Resources. I am 34 years old, can't get insurance with parents, I'm way over 25! I clean homes and babysit to get extra cash for gas and needs and thankfully my parents have extra rooms, also luckily I have no kids. Was getting my 70mg Vyvanse meds paid all for with card, but after renewing was denied due to couldn't read Dr's last name and no proof of income..have none. Was currently taking 30mg Adderall 2x per day, Dr. wanted to try this and luckily about same price, now the Adderall is now half as much, so I must sacrifice. This medicine is by far the best medication I have found for my condition. May just have to pay more for this, best!!!"

• adhd
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 2, 2019

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) "I switched to Focalin after taking Adderall XR for about 5 years. Adderall XR worked but I thought that there must be something better, so my doctor put me on Focalin. Today has been my third day on the new medication and I feel awful. As someone who has acid reflux, Focalin worsened by heart burn and caused me to gag every 10 minutes for no reason. Folcalin barely helped me focus during my class and I couldn't drive because of how weak I was and how much I shook. This medicine has given me diarrhea and constant headaches. Needless to say I will be going back to Adderall XR."

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

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "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."

• Anonymous
• November 3, 2010

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "I am an adult, recently diagnosed with ADD. Probably had it my whole life, but now I am doing something about it. My doctor prescribed this medication, and at first, I was so focused and improving my error ratios at work. The only thing, even after increasing my dose, it wears off. By 1:00 PM, I am tired and can go to sleep. I think I am going to ask my doctor to give me the non-extended so I can take it in the AM and PM. Other than that, it is a great medicine, and I don't have the non-appetite side effect, in fact, it makes me want to eat more."

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

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) "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 min after he takes the pill- 6hrs later. He drinks cyproheptad syrup 2mg to help boost his appetite while on the Focalin."

• nateman
• April 12, 2016

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) " I Have Struggled with adhd for 10yrs an finally my doc did something about it:) However I did have sleeping problems for first few weeks but that was expected with it being a stimulant but after a month or so my sleeping is back to normal and my mind is not spinning out of control so THANKS DOC! "

• Tracy
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 30, 2024

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) "I was on 40 mg extended Focalin in the morning and 2 10 mg instant in the afternoon before it got put on back order months ago and still on there as I write this. The Focalin was amazing for me. It worked so well for my ADHD. I concentrated better, had energy, and it just made me feel good mentally, almost like it had a mood stabilizer in it. I’m now having to take Adderall XR and 30mg instant Adderall and I’m not doing well with it. I just want my Focalin back very soon but not sure it’s ever going to be available again the way it’s looking. I hope this review helped someone out there. God bless everyone!"

• sugar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 8, 2015

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) "I am an 18 year old female with ADHD and my doctor just switched me from vyvanse 30mg to taking focalin 10mg XR and I absolutely hate it. Vyvanse worked for me but would make me bite my lip often in class which was very odd, but something I could work with...Focalin makes me socially anxious (keep in mind I am the most social and extroverted girl), jittery, and worry about random things. I am going to doctor tomorrow after taking it for 2 days and going back to vyvanse."