Dexmethylphenidate User Reviews & Ratings (Page 5)

Brand names: Focalin, Focalin XR

Dexmethylphenidate has an average rating of 6.2 out of 10 from a total of 291 reviews on Drugs.com. 50% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 31% reported a negative experience.

Reviews for Dexmethylphenidate

prett...
January 19, 2018

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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."

2 / 10

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21 Report

mother...
May 14, 2011

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "My 6 yr 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 10mg and has a green day everyday since he started the medication. His teachers say how much better he has been at school and he doesn't run a muck through the house anymore. I'm so happy we found Focalin."

8 / 10

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36 Report

Djgrrrl
Taken for less than 1 month
April 27, 2013

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for Auditory Processing Disorder "My son is 9 and was diagnosed with a central auditory processing disorder. He is/was also showing symptoms of ADHD. In trouble in school, refusing to do his work, he was even switched to an emotional support classroom, and after all the tests, we found out that his brain couldn't process what he was hearing, which caused the ADHD like symptoms. We were offered to try Focalin XR...started on 5 mg but just switched to 10mg because my son said it wasn't making much of a difference. He eats well, even on the medication, and has been coming home with almost perfect daily behavior charts at school. This medicine is definitely working out good for us. Side effects are very minimal. My son takes 1mg of melatonin at night for sleep."

10 / 10

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32 Report

Terri...
April 21, 2016

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "My son has been diagnosed by 2 psychiatrists with ADHD. His issue started when he was 4. I thought he would out grow it, but it hasn't happened. He's 7 now. I've tried everything and 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..."

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25 Report

MamaZ...
March 10, 2008

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "My daughter has been taking this for 7 months with almost no side affects. 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."

8 / 10

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42 Report

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

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) 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 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."

8 / 10

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29 Report

chrissy
January 21, 2013

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "My son just started this 2.5 weeks ago. He is 9 with ADHD and odd. The medication works fine for symptoms. Yet I'm concerned because he has developed a tic where he constantly taps his legs and sometimes hits them with his fists pretty hard and twitches his eyes. We are going back to the doctor for management. "

4 / 10

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32 Report

blakes...
September 17, 2009

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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."

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38 Report

Mom
Taken for 2 to 5 years
August 18, 2018

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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."

9 / 10

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19 Report

Brand...
December 10, 2015

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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."

8 / 10

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25 Report

Anonymous
Taken for 5 to 10 years
August 29, 2019

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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."

8 / 10

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16 Report

Helpl...
July 20, 2011

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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 up side this medication works well with 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 knew this before Focalin."

6 / 10

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33 Report

Anonymous
July 28, 2015

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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."

10 / 10

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25 Report

Texas...
October 6, 2009

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "My 9 yr 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 non stop 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."

9 / 10

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36 Report

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

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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."

10 / 10

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18 Report

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

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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. "

5 / 10

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28 Report

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

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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!!!"

10 / 10

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24 Report

adhd
Taken for less than 1 month
July 2, 2019

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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."

2 / 10

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16 Report

Anonymous
Taken for 2 to 5 years
September 2, 2012

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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."

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30 Report

George...
September 26, 2015

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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."

1 / 10

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24 Report

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

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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."

5 / 10

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15 Report

Anonymous
November 3, 2010

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "I am a 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 ratio's at work. The only thing even after increasing my dose, it wears off. By 1:00pm, 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."

6 / 10

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31 Report

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

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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 ticks 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"

10 / 10

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8 Report

Mom...
September 17, 2008

Focalin XR (dexmethylphenidate) for ADHD "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 of 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 is ends up being a very stressful situation when he gets this way. "

8 / 10

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33 Report

Anonymous
August 30, 2009

Focalin (dexmethylphenidate) for Auditory Processing Disorder "I'm a 16 year old female and, I started taking Focalin three days ago, only 2.5. I take it at 7:15 am I notice when it wears of about three hours later. I don't really have trouble falling asleep but I do kind of have trouble staying asleep. All day I have a sore throat and a runny nose, even once I've already felt it wear off. When I stand up I get dizzy and have to stop and hold on to something to keep from falling. I've also experienced high blood pressure from it and headaches that make my eyes water. When I look at a computer or T.V my eyes feel like I'm about to fall asleep but I can't close them except to blink."

4 / 10

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32 Report

Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.