Dexmethylphenidate and Anger: What Users Say

• MBa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 6, 2021

Dexmethylphenidate 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?"

• KRA...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 28, 2012

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "I am a 60-year-old male with ADHD, who would have ever thought it? I started using Focalin IR 5 mg after cutting it into four (4) pieces. I would take one-quarter piece every three hours. It took me from being nonproductive to productive again with very few side effects. I am now taking Focalin XR, 10 mg in the morning and 5 mg 6 hours later in the afternoon. I think my ideal dose will end up at 15 mg in the morning and 10 mg in the afternoon to reach the optimal dose. The only side effects have been heartburn, a slight headache, and being a little jittery with an occasional outburst of anger. I can handle the side effects, which have subsided somewhat, to get the wonderful effects of this medication! ALIVE AGAIN AT 60 years old!"

• Cam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 17, 2013

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "Our son has been on Focalin XR for about 3 months. He was on regular Focalin for 2 months prior to the XR, but because the medication would wear off so quickly, it was like he was on an emotional roller coaster. The XR has been better for those reasons. I still struggle with having my son on medication and the fact that his appetite is so little while on the medicine. But I'm happy to report he's doing well in school and cooperating. I don't like that he seems so serious when he's on the medicine because I don't want a little robot. But I can't have my son be so impulsive and unsafe. I also don't like that the medication wears off right around the time he gets home and he tantrums and acts terrible and all I do is correct behavior."

• Dsf...
• August 21, 2012

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "My son started Focalin 5 mg when he was first diagnosed with ADHD. He was six at that time. While he did seem to be a bit more focused, the mood swings were VERY significant. He became volatile, reacting with violent outbursts and temper tantrums at the slightest provocation. After a while, his attention span declined, but his mood swings did not. His teacher noted that, even on medication, he was still having problems staying focused and on task. Upping the dosage would only have made his withdrawal worse, according to his pediatrician. I have known other children on Focalin who have had similar experiences with the medication. After six months (giving his body time to 'adjust' to the medication), we took him off. Trying Concerta."

• Zmo...
• February 24, 2009

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "My 8-year-old son has been on this medicine for 1 year. At first, it was great, it helped with his self-control, focus, etc. Now he is having side effects such as chest pain, aggressiveness, irritability, and tics."

• MTa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 17, 2020

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "I've tried almost every single ADHD pill from Adderall to Daytrana to Ritalin to Vyvanse to Concerta. Focalin is by far the best for me. I am on the 10 mg dose. Was originally on 30 mg, but my heart was beating way too fast on it. The other meds made me very angry, but this keeps me at bay, yet focused. The only con I have with this is about an hour after I take it, I have a bowel movement. I'm also the same way with coffee. I don't take it every day, and on the days where I don't, I can definitely tell, but I don't have cravings."

• Kar...
• October 3, 2014

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "We started our 8-year-old son (then) on methylphenidate I think 10 mg. Then we went up to 20 mg. That was disastrous after a few months with the tantrums, weight loss, and anorexia. We had him switched to Vyvanse 20 mg per day for a few months. Anorexia continued, and after those few months, he became yellowish-skinned, almost jaundiced. He got toxic obviously, so we detoxed him with some fish oil supplements and some other herbal remedies. About 2 weeks later, we put him on Focalin XR 5 mg. His focus is starting to dwindle now that school started. We added the Focalin 2.5 mg to the morning regimen to boost the dosage a little faster (that one is faster absorbed also). Have not heard anything negative from the teacher, so we are crossing our fingers."

• Tri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 28, 2017

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "My son is now going on 9. We started out with Adderall 5 mg XR at age 5. As he got older, we adjusted and went to 5 mg twice a day. However, there were massive side effects with the Adderall, mainly moods, anger, frustration, among many others that I noticed at the age of seven. We then started Focalin, however, when we started the Focalin, my son was put on a 20 mg dose to start extended release capsule. He took the medication, went to school, and every day after lunch, when the second dose kicked in, he would constantly have massive rage, massive hallucinations, massive amounts of itching, breakouts, among other things. The 20 mg XR was way too strong for him. We downgraded to a 10 mg XR with a 2.5 mg immediate release for backup. Best decision we've made."

• Tri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 28, 2017

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "My son is now going on 9. We started out with Adderall 5 mg XR at age 5. As he got older, we adjusted and went to 5 mg twice a day. However, there were massive side effects with the Adderall, mainly moods, anger, frustration, among many others that I noticed at the age of seven. We then started Focalin, however, when we started the Focalin, my son was put on a 20 mg dose to start extended release capsule. He took the medication, went to school, and every day after lunch, when the second dose kicked in, he would constantly have massive rage, massive hallucinations, massive amounts of itching, breakouts, among other things. The 20 mg XR was way too strong for him. We downgraded to a 10 mg XR with a 2.5 mg immediate release for backup. Best decision we've made."

• adu...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 8, 2023

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "Started taking Focalin 18 months ago after being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and it’s been a miracle. I deal with anxiety, anger, impulsivity, and sensory integration, but it wasn’t obvious because I was a “good kid” with good grades who hid my extreme emotions to avoid criticism. I’m also physically awkward and uncoordinated, so I often get hurt or break and lose objects a lot. In my 30s, I went from a high-functioning overachiever to barely functioning at all. I became edgy and irritable constantly, cried for hours a day from sheer terror or rage over nothing, then felt exhausted and paralyzed. My nervous system was cranked up to 11 and wouldn’t turn off. After taking the first dose of Focalin, I could think more clearly, regulate my emotions, and am much less clumsy. I take Focalin XR 30mg in the morning and regular Focalin 10mg as needed in the afternoon."

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

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "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."

• Anonymous
• August 13, 2016

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "I'm currently 15 years old, and this is the second ADHD medication I've been on. In high school, I feel that it's very important to succeed. Due to going untreated for my entire childhood, I dropped out. I'm back in school now, and it's been 2 years. If it gets to the point where you want to drop out, I suggest ADHD medication. But if you have a 3- to 10-year-old, I highly don't suggest it. When my brother was 4 to 7 or 8, he was on it. He would always try to kill me and my mother. He would hurt animals and kids at school. He was quiet and had no emotion or expression. He tried to kill himself many times. To this day, he is now 18 and 5'8 when he is supposed to be over 6 feet because of our genes. I highly do not recommend unless this is the last resort for a child."

• BPa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 15, 2020

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "I have been prescribed this for around 4 years now for my pretty bad ADHD, which has affected my life in many ways. I must say I have never, ever liked taking this, but I had to every school day. It helps me kind of focus, but it makes me feel terrible, as though everything really annoys me. When taking this, even talking irritates me, and no matter what variation I take, it always has the same annoying/negative effects with only a few positive effects."

• Boy...
• June 11, 2020

For ADHD "I have a 5-year-old son. He started this medication, dexmethylphenidate, for his ADHD about 2 months ago. It has made him zombified, and he cannot complete a sentence, and he’s very confused when trying to talk. When he does talk, he talks extremely low, and nobody can hear him. When he doesn’t have this medication, he is off the walls with his behavior: hitting, kicking, screaming, telling us no, and just extremely terrible behavior. He does not eat while on his pills, and he barely drinks anything. He also does not like it loud or a lot going on, he’d rather be in his room by himself unless I make him go out, and he’s the same, like a zombie. The dose he takes is 10 mg in the morning and 10 mg in the afternoon. He has lost weight, but not a ton. I feel as if it makes him angry when he’s not on it and like he has no care in the world when it wears off. It’s like this medication has made his behavior worse than when he took no medication sometimes. I wouldn’t recommend this medication, and I’m glad I’m not alone."

• Not...
• January 2, 2022

Dexmethylphenidate 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."

• Not...
• January 2, 2022

Dexmethylphenidate 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."

• Cor...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 26, 2022

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "This might be the worst med I have ever taken. It slightly helped with ADHD symptoms, but it would wear off after a roller coaster of moods and leave me irritable and annoyed, with a headache like clockwork at 4:30 pm. I would have the worst sweats off of this med and odor, and I couldn’t take it no more. I was a 6th grader and switched meds to a different ADHD med, and it worked so much better without the side effects."

• LHJ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 13, 2022

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "From my personal experience, Focalin is by far the worst stimulant medication I have tried so far. The side effects I got from it are excessive sweating, bad mood, easily irritated/easily angered, and it makes me feel sad even when I'm on it, which is the only stimulant that has done that so far. On top of this, it makes me feel like I'm tweaking out."

• Aut...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 26, 2021

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "Focalin… Focalin has been a trip for me if I’m being honest. It was only 10 milligrams too. Within the first week, I was angry and constantly moody after a few hours of it being in my system. My fiancé and I wrote it off because “the first few weeks aren’t supposed to be great,” but they aren’t supposed to be awful either. We had never fought like we did the first two weeks. We got through it. However, the moodiness never got better; less frequent, but not better. I get frustrated quickly and even have high-scale meltdowns like I did when I was a kid. The come down is awful. I am immediately overstimulated by everything. I have also noticed I am less confident and concerned with others’ opinions and find myself discouraged a lot of the time. But “it helps you focus, doesn’t it? It’s not going to fix everything.” They’re upping my dosage to 20, and currently, I don’t think I want to do that if it’s already as bad as it is."

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

Dexmethylphenidate 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."

• Sca...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 11, 2021

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "My heart feels like it is going to explode. I went from being happy and friendly to not being able to smile. I have never been so angry before, and my boyfriend noticed an immediate difference with the medication."

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

Dexmethylphenidate 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

Dexmethylphenidate 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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 1, 2020

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "This medicine made my son so sick. He became anorexic and very nauseous. It made him very aggressive, and we had to take him off it."