Anyone have kids on Focalin XR ?

Jamie - posted on 08/20/2013

My son has been on Focalin XR since October 2012 after trying every other natural remedy there was and years of fighting the enevitable. He started with 10mgs....we saw results for approx 2 months..then "up'd" him to 15mgs. It worked for a few more months, now I find its only lasting between 5-6hrs each day (the teachers/school see the same thing)..i hate to keep increasing his dosage...any suggestions? Also, does anyone see a difference when this medication is giving before breakfast as oppossed to directly after breakfast (or on a full stomach)? Also, any information or thoughts about only giving the medication for school purposes (not on weekends or summer breaks)..Very new to this...need some help from some "seasoned" parents.

Ji - posted on 08/29/2013

Hello all you caring moms. I am not a mother, and I actually don't really have a child, anymore at least. I raised a step daughter from 2-7 and then her mom wanted to split. So I haven't seen her in months, and most likely never will again. Anyway, I may not currently a parent, but I do know a few things. One area is drugs. Both prescription and street. I am currently a drug abuser and have been for at least 15 years (since I was a very young teen). And if you are wondering, it is not why the mom left me, she is one too. But that's a story for another day. The reason I am writing this is not to answer the question, but to give some advice. The advice is this, don't start your children on these drugs. I know it is what the doctor says, and I know how easy a miracle pill is, but please don't start down the psychotropic drug road with your children. Even more so with the ages you girls are posting. 5 years old and taking legal speed? That's a little extreme to me. Oh, and just to clear that up, yes, it is in fact legal speed. Actually it's closer to legal COCAINE!!! Think to yourself....would you willingly give your young, preschool child, or any child for that matter, cocaine?

Let me explain a little about this drug and what it actually is and does and can or will do. First the basics; Focalin is stimulant drug. Other stimulant drugs are Ritalin (Methylphenidate), Adderall (amphetamine), methamphetamine (speed, meth, crank, ice, crystal), cocaine (blow, coke, snow), freebase cocaine (crack cocaine, rocks, crack), MDMA (ecstasy, Molly), and many many more. Focalin is in a group of stimulants called NRIs, NDRIs, SNDRIs. This class of stimulants contain drugs such as Ritalin, Focalin, and also the king of stimulants, cocaine. Focalin is a, lets say for the laymen, variation of Ritalin. Only, Focalin is twice as potent, meaning you need half as much of Focalin to do the same thing as Ritalin.

Clearing the basics up, lets look at why it is not a good idea to start dosing your children on this, or any other psychostimulent drug. First of all health problems. Like with any stimulant there are serious health risks in taking this drug. Stunted growth and waight has been an issue for years. But that is not even that worrying to most people, even though it can be a serious problem later in life. Next is heart problems. Stimulants increase heart rate by allot. For instance, my resting heart rate is maybe 60-70 beats per minute (bpm), but while on a good amount of some stimulant drug, nothing too much more then prescribed, my resting heart rate get jump to 100bpm or more. If you take, or in this case give your child, a small to moderate dose every day for years, just think of how hard the heart has to work to keep pumping at twice the normal rate. You can think of it like this. A 15 year old that has been taking a drug like this for years at a time, has the heart of a 30 year old at best, maybe even more. This can obviously cause heart comications in life up to and including heart failure. There are litterally thousands of cases where people on stimulants, taking no more then proscribed, have dropped dead on the spot from heart failure. The heart is beating so fast for so long that it just stops because it can't go anymore. Also loss of appetite and loss of sleep are problems. And these are just some health risks I can think of off the top of my head. There is a list a mile long of potential health hazards. And who even knows what it's doing to the brain. Newer drugs like Focalin haven't even been around long enough to see what kind of damage they can do long term to the brain and body. And this is just the risks if it is taken as directed. Which takes us to the next and final topic on this drug and others like it, the abuse potential and addiction risks.

Like I stated in the first paragraph, I am a long time drug user. I am not addicted to anything, but enjoy just about everything. I just learned of Focalin and have been expiramenting with it. A quick search online comes up with tons of pages taking about getting high on Focalin. The dose you need, how long it lasts, what it does and how to take it. So, a tech savvy teen, or even preteen (and we all know they all are tech savvy) can find out everything they need to know about abusing this drug, as they can with most other chemicals. Here is the thing about this particular drug. Focalin comes in time release capsules full of little white beads. When taken properly, the capsule slowly releases small amounts of the drug into the body through the stomach lining and into the blood stream. What is not that well knowen, unless you are drug knowledgable, is that you can easily bypass the time release by one of two ways. First way is to simply open the capsule and eat the beads alone. This takes the capsule out of the picture and lets the entire dose absorbe into the blood. So instead of say, 20mg slowly released in a 5-8 hour period, it is the entire 20mg at once. This is a good high to be honest. I currently have 40mg caps that I am currently on, but I'll get to that in a little bit. The other way of abusing Focalin is by far the preferred method, which is crushing the beads up into powder and snorting it. It only takes a few minutes if you know what your doing and have some sort of mortar and pestle like implement to crush the beads. When a person gets the beads all crushed into a fine powder it can be snorted up the nose. This is the same way most people take cocaine, and there is a reason. When a drug is snorted through the nose it enters the nasal cavity where it is absorbed through the mucouse membrains in the nasal and sinus cavities. The mucouse membrains are very efficient at absorbing certain chemicals, and most, if not all stimulant drugs are absorbed very well like this. When taken in this way, it reaches the blood and then the brain vastly quicker then eating it. It may take up to an hour for full absorption through the stomach lining, where is through the nasal cavity it can be fully absorbed in a matter of minutes and can "hit" you in 5 minutes or maybe less. This means you feel the effects almost right away. Another "benefit" of snorting this drug, or any drug that can be snorted, is you need far less of the drug to reach full effect. So, that means you need far less of the drug to get the desired effect and you can reach desired effects almost right away. For instance, say you are using Focalin to get high. You would maybe, by my expirementation, need about 30-40mg of Focalin taken orally (eating it), keep in mind that is without the time release capsule, so I'm talking swallowing straight beads. To get about the same level of effect by ingesting it by insuffalation (snorting it through the nose), you would need maybe half of that amount, say 20mg, maybe even less. And again, keep in mind how much faster it hits you when you snort this, or any drug. Some people, not drug abusers, but regular people, take their medication like this. They crush up their meds and snort them rather then orally ingest them. Although it is generally not advised by the doctors, and most doctors will strongly advise not to take medications like this. Mainly because of the over dose potential (keep in mind an overdose is not nessasarally getting sick and going to the ER and possibly dying, that would be called a massive overdose, or fatal dosing), but also for the nasal and sinus damage snorting drugs can cause in the long run (which is everything from mild to severe sinus infections that are cronic in nature, to killing tissue in the nose and sinuses creating lesions, or holes, in the nasal and sinus cavity). But some people, that are not drug abusers, take their medications this way to conserve their meds, and to get the effect allot faster. But, as a rule, people mainly snort drugs or medication to get high, do to the unpleasant aspects of snorting raw chemicals (general nasal and sinus discomfort, burning of the nasal passage, and of course, the normally very unpleasant post nasal drip. Post nasal drip is your sinuses draining into your throat. Basically when you snort a drug, after awhile the drug, along with mucous or snot, drips down your throat, creating, in most cases, a nasty taste as well as throat irritation). So next I want to tell you what I have found out by trying this drug. First of all, I do snort it, infact while writing this I have snorted it 2 times, each time about 20mg. Last does was about 20 minutes ago. And I'll tell you, it's no joke. People online say its more like cocaine then speed (methamphetamine), except the high lasts longer then cocaine. Cocaine's peak effects last about 30 minutes when you snort it, while Focalin lasts somewhere between an hour or two. And I tend to agree with the comparison to cocaine, except its not as intense to me. Possibly because I been keeping the doses reletivly small, in the 40-60mg range taken in 1-2 hours, while with cocaine I will do line after line as long as its not super pure (which coke rarely is). I would say I would do about a half a gram (500mg) of cocaine in around two hours. But my dosing is dictated by my knowledge of the chemical. Basically I know what cocaine does to me and am cautious when taking something new and even more so if its a drug this powerful and potent, until I have a good understanding of what a new drug does to me and how much it effects me. Like I said before, I am a drug abuser, not an addict, an abuser. So this is my take of this drug. It is widely known that this and all other psycho stimulants are constantly abused. By grown adults like myself, and more recently, by young kids, mainly in their teen years. I remember when I was a kid, not more then 10-12 years old when Ritalin first hit the market on a large scale. I never had any attention problems myself but knew kids that did and were put on Ritalin. Soon after they started taking it they figured out that they can abuse it and get high. Then a short time later they found out you can snort it to get even higher, and soon after it this Ritalin hit the streets. Then came Adderall (amphetamine) and Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine). I first was introduced to Adderall and "Dex" in my early years of high school. Not by a doctor but by friends that souly took it to get high. I did not try either until my late teens because of a family history of methamphetamine abuse and hardcore meth addiction (uncle with a 30+ year addiction to meth). So I didn't rush to try it right away, but new plenty of kids that did use it all through middle school and highschool. It was a big problem in my community, the abuse of these three drugs in schools, as well as the classics, weed, and of course most people's drug of choice and the one drug that kills far more people then any other, alcohol. Now years later I run across this drug, which is being used and abused the same way by children and teens as well as adults, across the USA and I'm sure plenty of other countries. Some of the friends I knew who did abuse ADD/ADHD medications quickly turned into full time junkies. Some ended up in prison for crimes commited while on drugs or in order to obtain drugs. Allot of the people who start taking these drugs like this when they are so very young, end up with life long addictions to these drugs, and more often then not, turn to street drugs such as cocaine or meth simply because its easier to obtain street drugs then it is perscription drugs, obviously, a street dealer doesn't check prescriptions.

So, all you parents who are looking into, or are dosing your young children with Focalin or any other stimulant drugs, I want you to do something. Look into your child's eyes, and ask yourself, is it worth it? Is it worth so much damage, and such a great addiction and abuse potential, to put your young children on a drug like this because they simply do not learn the same way everyone is suppose to learn? Ask your self which is better, spending more time teaching your children in a way they can comfortably learn in their own way, or making them into drug addicts and future junkies? I know what I would do if I had to decide if I should put my child on a drug like this or are asking myself and others if I should continue dosing my children with this and other similar "medications". I would say hell no to the doctors and teachers, and find a learning system that works for my child. There is no miracle pill out there, for any condition. And 9 times out of 10, those miracle pills end up doing far more damage then they are worth. Think about it. Thanks for reading, much love, hope everything works out for all of you sexy moms ;)..... Peace

Christina - posted on 07/24/2015

This is my first time seeing this site. I have a 6year old son with adhd. He was on guafacine twice daily but they switched him to focalin 5mg in preparation for the school year. It's not working. I'm upset and frustrated and so is my son. Tomorrow we are upping it to 10mg and I'm terrified after reading the side affects. Does anyone have any advice to help me?

Chris - posted on 03/22/2013

HI ... I am not a mom but a Dad and this place seems to have alot of information . So I would like to share what I know and I think it may help someone.
I have a 6 year old son who has ADHD .... I have read alot of information about Focalin XR
So after trying mythlin and methyophondate (with no luck) we switched to the Focalin XR.
And it was night and day difference.... went from 3 suspentions, sitting in class with him everyday to him being a leader and helping other out in class...... now he is not perfect
still has ...what they call rebound about 7 pm ......but the days are great..... One thing that I have not read on any of these posts are the use of (Intunive) Its a blood pressure medicen used for ADHD........ It treats the Hyper part. My son take 3mg at dinner and he sleeps all night......then 5 mg of Focalin XR befor school......... I really think this is something that anyone that is haveing problems with Focalin XR ....they should bring up with the DR........Its honestly night and day..... My sons Dr. has delt with ADHA kids for over 40 years and alot of times Stimulant drug are used with another drug to off set the
hypertention........hope this helps someone.......

Karin - posted on 10/12/2013

Cherie and Jordannah, my son has been on Focalin for many years. He is 15 now. He had first been on Metadate (I think that was what it was called), but it brought out anger in him that I had never seen before or since, and it made him feel depressed. When he went on Focalin, which is supposed to be more mild feeling, he felt wonderful and was back to his loving self. He is happy all the time. He also takes 25 mg. of Strattera every morning (this takes a few weeks to fully become effective). The Strattera gives him a "base" that is always there because it lasts around the clock. But that's not enough for him, so until recently he had been also taking 30 mg of Focalin XR in the morning and another 30 about 6-7 hours later, which was usually while he was at school. This enabled him to focus on homework when he got home. It was working really well until he went back to school in September. It turns out that he's gained 40 pounds since the last time his med dose was changed, so the doctor upped it to 40 mg. morning and afternoon. That wasn't enough, so for two days now we've tried 50 mg. morning and afternoon, and he's still feeling no difference. I suppose we will try 60 soon. But we have LOVED Focalin XR. It's not the dosage that is a worry -- as our specialist explained, it's like a vision prescription. You need what you need. You would not get a lower eye glass prescription if you needed a stronger one to make you see clearly. With ADHD drugs, if it's not the right dosage, it can be almost as bad as having nothing. I was very against putting my son on meds until the first day we tried it, when his teacher said he went from being last in the class to finish assignments to one of the first. He takes 5 honors high school courses, skipped a grade in math, gets straight As, is a boy scout, and is in marching band. Focalin has been a blessing. To answer Jordannah's question, you should see results within an hour or two, when it peaks. There is not ramping up time like there is with Strattera. If you are not seeing results, the dosage is probably not right. It could be too low or too high. It has to be just right, which is determined by trying different strengths. Good luck!

Latorya - posted on 05/02/2017

Dear Zackary as a mother it troubled me,that you are having these sucidal thoughts. I noticed that your post here has me believing that you are asking,for help. I,am not sure of your location nor the root to what you may believe your frustrations are but please please please find someone who,you can talk with it doesnt necessary have to be a counselor,teacher friend or parent. There are annyomus meetings you can visit, churches, it could be a waitress at a restaurant or a volunteer firefighter .

Zackary - posted on 04/23/2017

Hello. I am not a mom. I am not a dad. Heck I am not even a normal kid! I am a 17 year old boy who is in dire need of information, possible life or death. Now, here's the scoop. I know how long Focalin XR lasts for in doses by experimenting. Last night (4/23/2017) I may have been a bit agitated, a side effect of the Focalin, over a little problem. A few months earlier, I had a week-long episode of a pretty bad depression and suicidal state-of-mind. That only lasted a week but somehow at 4:00 am it came back at me. So, I went into my prescribed Focalin XR bottle, which was 3/4 way full of 90 days worth of the 10mg. I took out it until it was about 1/3 full. Know where those went? Into my system. I was having suicidal thoughts prior and I took all I dumped out and down my neck, hoping it kill me. Fortunately, 2 hours later I woke up. I had 3 times like a super quick seizure. I must know, with that amount of 10mg Focalin XR's, will I somehow be in serious danger, possibly death or will I be able to pull through this with little to no damage done to my brain and heart? People are worried sick and I tried looking up if I could die from this huge overdose and not one result helped me. Please Circle of Moms, I must know. It's the matter of knowing if I set my own death trap up or I just am experiencing too much of a rush.

Dawn - posted on 01/24/2017

I have a son who has been on the xr 20 twice and it does not work at all for him both times he told his Dr he felt like he was more hyper and had zero focus. School would call and ask if he had taken his meds. Was changed.

Eileen - posted on 10/01/2016

Hi Sonya, what ended up working for you guys?

Randie - posted on 05/05/2016

Drop the mic. Best.comment.everrrr! Seriously like we haven't done all these things before resorting to this!

Chanel - posted on 03/17/2016

These pills don't work long at all my son's teachers are having trouble with my son after his 4th hour in school

Jimmy - posted on 10/29/2015

We adopted a 6 year old son that just finalized this past July. Super excited and he is such a loving little guy. Dad in and out of prison, mom was a drug addict and he was taken because they were caught at a meth lab. He has extreme ADHD along with other symptoms from the drug use during pregnancy. We first tried natural things, but quickly realized that he needed something to help him. Ritalin and several other drugs did nothing. Finally Adderall showed some hope and then Vyvanse seemed to be very good, but it came with anger issues. So, we are now going to try Focalin XR. His Metabolism is extremely high for these meds, so we are starting him with a 30mg dose, but expect to at a minimum give him a booster dose in the afternoon. It's so difficult to know what road to go down with these medications. I hate the trial and error. He is very hyper, compulsive and is having a very hard time with boundaries in school. All at the same time he is a super loving kid and we and his teachers love him to death. Any suggestions would be Very welcome!

Christina - posted on 10/28/2015

Linda - posted on 09/03/2015

I will definitely be a parent before I use Jobs as a pacifier for my children.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, isn’t contagious. But recent statistics suggest it’s spreading around the world as the diagnosis becomes more and more common. But some experts say the increase has more to do with marketing than old-fashioned medical advice.

The recent growth of reported ADHD diagnoses and prescriptions, especially in adults, isn’t simply due to an increase in the number of people who have the condition, writes Brandeis University social science professor Peter Conrad in a recent paper published in Social Science and Medicine.

“The engines of medicalization are shifting from the medical profession and social movements to biotechnology, consumers and the insurance industry,” he writes.

In the United States, some 11 percent of children between 4 and 17 years old had been diagnosed with ADHD by 2011, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even though the American Psychiatric Association estimates that the condition exists in just 5 percent of children.

While increasing diagnoses of ADHD were once a uniquely American trend, doctors around the world are increasingly labeling patients with the condition.

According to Conrad’s paper, there are more ADHD patients taking medication than ever before in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy and Brazil -- all countries where doctors were once hesitant to prescribe stimulants such as methylphenidate, also known as Ritalin. He argues that much of the increase is due to a surge of support and awareness campaigns often backed by pharmaceutical companies.

“Advocacy groups play an important role in spreading awareness about, and shaping policy around, ADHD diagnosis and treatment,” the report says.

In Brazil, for example, citizens were once slow to accept pharmaceutical treatment for ADHD, according to a 2011 study by University of California, Berkeley professor Stephen Hinshaw. But today the condition is considered “highly prevalent” and is often seen as a lifelong disorder. Conrad explained that a Brazilian nonprofit organization called the Associacao Brasileira Do Deficit de Atencao (Brazilian Association Attention Deficit) provides support and information about ADHD but is financially backed by pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis, which earned $594 million in revenue from sales of the ADHD drug Ritalin. The group also receives funding from Shire, which made $375 million last year from its ADHD medication Adderall, and recently won FDA approval to test an ADHD drug made specifically for adults.

“Such advocacy groups -- online or face-to-face -- are common in the U.S. and increasingly common in many other countries,” the report says, citing groups such as the ADHD Support Group Cornwall, which also operates in other cities around Britain, where the use of Ritalin, has been steadily increasing, according to a recent government report, which notes that private prescriptions of the drug grew by 7 percent between 2012 and 2013.

And many of these groups have a strong Internet component, which adds to the problem.

“The online presence of many advocacy groups may facilitate pre and/or self-diagnosing, thus increasing the likelihood to seek or obtain a medical diagnosis and treatment.”

Conrad notes that another major factor behind the increase in ADHD diagnoses could be that many physicians are starting to use the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, commonly know as the DSM-5, over the International Classification of Mental and Behavioral Disorders, or ICD, which is used by the World Health Organization. The latter has more stringent guidelines for ADHD diagnosis.

Erica - posted on 09/02/2015

Strategy made my daughter sleep. She would be fine until she took the medicine. She could sleep all day if you let her. She was on a dosage of 40MG (way to high). Then 25 in the morning and 10 at night. Even if she only took the 10mg in the morning she would still be sleepy, I took her off of it myself, then found her another doctor.

Erica - posted on 09/02/2015

I am Erica, my daughter is 13. She has been on several different medications as well. She is now on Focalin and was doing better but she was shaking alot. Her dosage was taken down to 15MG yesterday, but as of this morning she text me to say that she is shaking again. One of the things that I have had to do is become a substitute teacher because of everything with her and my other daughter. It makes things so much easier when I have to leave to pick her up from school because of suspensions or when the school needs me there right away. I don't have any benefits as a sub, but the benefit is knowing that I am available when she or the school needs me. I know your job is important but it is so hard to gave a full time permanent job when are kids go thru something like this.

Krr101882 - posted on 08/21/2015

Hi! I'm Katyln, I'm not a mother and I'm 15... I just wanted to tell you that I'm bipolar, I have ADHD I take Focalin 3 times a day.. Let me tell you about me then I'll tell you have focail works on me.. So when I was in 6th grade I was bullied for my weight.. When I got in 7th grade it got harder, kid was calling me fat, whore and very bad things, now my dads side of the family is big boned and if you know what that is you would understand I was a big kid, when I was being bullied I changed my style and the way I think about everything. My mom got me a appointment with a therapist I have been going to therapy for 3 years, but in the 2 year I stopped I told my mom that it's just worthless for me to talk to someone who don't know anything about me.. When therapy stopped I was already cutting and I tried to kill myself.. Then I went into 8th for only a few months I went into homeschooling because of being bullied.. It helped a lot I'm now getting A's and I'm doing better. I'm trying to keep this short because I have a long story.... Now I just stared focalin 3 months ago.." Focalin is (dexmethylphenidate) is a mild stimulant to the central nervous system. It affects chemicals in the brain that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control" the first day I took the pill I had therapy that morning, I took the pill and 15 minutes later my hands felt like they was losing filling and the tips of my fingers was ice cold, they said I was white as a ghost.. Okay with that being said the doctor who prescribes my medication lives 4 hours away from me so I talk to him over Skype, when that pill kicked it they called the doctor I went in to see my therapist and my hands went back to normal my face had color, I get done with the session and the doctor said "get her to the ER" but I was okay, we didn't go but when I took the 2 pill same thing happend, 3rd pill everything stopped and I was fine.. Now when I take the pill nothing happens but my heart races, but it only happens for 10 minutes then I'm okay!!! I don't really have any advice on how to take this medicine nor have anything to say about it, I can't really even tell you if it works on me or not, but I hope that you all know that medication is not fun, I promise you can deal with anything, you don't need a pill to help, you just need to know what works for you.

Ghosthorseappaloosas - posted on 06/27/2015

This is my first time posting to any group like this, but with what my son is going through I just felt like I needed to. At least 2 of my 4 children have ADHD. They come by it naturally, as I have it too. My 10 year old daughter seems to be doing okay on the Focalin, but think the Dr. and I are going to be having a bit of a chat about it at her next appointment. My 8 year old son had also been on focalin and seemed to be doing alright.
He has always been one to sleep very little, so the sleeping problems were not a big red flag for us. A few days ago my son was again asking about Jesus and God and if they could do (fill in the blank) or if someone would say no one knows, or who knows, etc, he would say that Jesus and Good know. Now my family are Christian and my son was saved last summer, so SOME of this, I expected, encouraged, even.
When he said this again a few days ago, something clicked. Maybe it was his tone, because it was more taunting than awed. I finally asked him if he was actually hearing voices. He told me yes. Okay, little concerned. So, i asked him if the voices sounded like his own inside his head voice or different. He said they sounded different. Big, booming, mean, and scary. Oh, and they'd been telling him to kill his brothers. His 4 year old twin brothers!!!! Oh, and his dad. And me.
Mommas, be careful. Needless to say we went to his therapist's office immediately. She walked down the hall to the doctor WHO GAVE UP HIS LUNCH to see Tommy. Just be careful. All we wanted was to help or sweet, cuddly, smart son to be able to be HIM again and not so "everywhere all the time at the same time" so much that he was getting in his own way.
They believe it is a reaction to the Focalin. The voices, that is. God, I hope so. But, the Dr is starting him on a medicine that's described as an anti psychotic. We're also now facing the possibility of hospitalization if this doesn't help.
I don't want to scare anyone, i really don't, but if I can help keep some other Momma's baby from this, then maybe this journey will be worth it.
Upping the dose isn't always the answer. That's what they tried with Tommy. I just pray that all the other Moms and Dads will read the side effects frequently, and LOOK for them, and that my little boy is actually going to be okay. God bless.

Jeannette - posted on 04/01/2015

@ Tam absolutely you need support! As a mom of a daughter 12 yrs old she has been on Focalin and it has helped her. I think everyone wants these kids to be in a nice little medicated package in school and fit in with all the other kids. This is NOT going to happen! These kids are very intelligent and they have alot of energy. I am a 56 yrs old with her being 12 yrs old, single mom and it is hard but once they can get them on the right meds things WILL get better.....

Roslyn - posted on 11/11/2014

Oh tam I'm going through the same thing my boss said I should think of being a full time carer and I just lost it because I need help not a bad opion and yes I told my boss off felt great !but yes so much time off and confused😞

Tam - posted on 09/18/2014

This is my first time posting in this group..i have been reading all these posts about everyone's child and it is heart breaking because we all want to help our children and make them better...My son is 5 years old and have ADHD and been having it for about two years but I have been in denial about this... he has been on 4 different medicines and so far neither one has worked...he first started off on Adderall XR 5mg it helped him for about 2 weeks and after that it was back to war...so the Dr., up his medication to 10mg and again that didnt work...so he went to Methylin 10mg it started off great but we ended back to square one...we tried Concerta that didnt work....so now we are on Focalin Xr we started with 5mg in the morning at 7am and 5mg at 11:30am that didnt work, so now he is taking 10mg of Focalin once a day which is in the morning at 7am...now the morning he is ok but by 10:30am/11am the teacher has call me everyday for the last two weeks to come and get him...he throws chairs, he walks out the classroom, he disturb the class while the teacher is trying to teach, he wont listen, he takes the books and tear all the pages out the books, he jumps from chair to chair ( now all of this is happening because the medication has wore off)...I am sooo tired and dont know what else to do....i thought I was strong enough to handle this but now i am at the end of my ropes...I spank him when get gets home to let him know that what he is doing is not ok, and the next day he does the same thing....after whipping him i go in my room and cry sooo hard because I dont know what to do or how to help him...we are going back to the Dr., this Friday to see what else she can do...i am soo scared that the school will kick him out or i wll end up getting fired because I am always leaving to go and get him....I think I need therapy

Deneice - posted on 06/27/2014

Hello my 7 y/o son was recently diagnosed with ADHD(.in addition within the last year was also diagnosed with absence seziures which he is being medicated and is working great. ) originally they put him on Guafacine. For his adhd. He was up to 2 pills in the a.m and p.m. The medication had him irritable, restless, having nightmares and wetting the bed after 5 years. Amount these things the medication was not showing much behavior change . Needless to say we took him off of that medicine. Today. Our doctors recommend focalin xr. I am so scared for my son. Anyone taking this medication with conjunction with any seizure medicine?

Hancer1124 - posted on 04/16/2014

I have a 5 yr old boy that was diagnosed with ADHD, ODD & mild mental retardation due to slow learning. He was never on medication till he started school last fall. They started him on 5mg of clonidine(which is a blood pressure pill), half a pill twice a day, then it got moved to a whole 5mg twice a day worked for aboutva month but still the behavior & attention was no better. So they started him on Focalin XR 10mg once a day, wasn't lasting, went to 15mg, still wasn't lasting to finally 20 mg that still wasn't lasting into the afternoons. It would take me 3 hours just to do homework & that's not including eating & a bath. So the doctor decides to split the dose to 10 mg in the morning & 10mg mid day. After a few days, he started hallucinating & having nightmares, not sleeping. By the way, forgot that he still takes the 5 mg clonidine at bedtime to get him to sleep, has since he was changed to Focalin XR. So come to find out the Focalin XR is not suppose to be split like that, hmmm. Anyways the doctor now has him on regular Focalin 10mg twice a day and I tell you, the past 2 days in the afternoon has been awful & he got in trouble at school for not staying in his seat. I am at my wits end, I hate to keep going to the doctor & changing medicines with him. My question is can I give him Focalin XR in the morning & a regular Focalin mid day to mid afternoon? Would this be okay & not cause the adverse side effects? I need help.

Desireetipps - posted on 01/05/2014

my son has the exact same problems my sons doctor immediately took him off of it

Brucie - posted on 12/26/2013

My son tried one drug for two weeks and was crying and having a horrible time. We now are trying the Focalin at the low dose of 10 mg. This is the first day and he is sitting in the chair tonight crying. I don't know what to do. He says it makes him feel bad although he took it 9-10 hours ago.
He is 10 years old and really needs help but I don't know how I will get him to calm down and take the pill again.
Any ideas?
Feeling bad

Gwen - posted on 12/06/2013

My son is on the same medication and when that happens I know it's time to up the dose another 5 mg.

Soraida - posted on 12/04/2013

Hi I have a 7 year old daughter she weights 39 pounds she is taking focalin xr 10 mg every morning when she have school I don't give it to her on the weekends she was taking focalin 5 mg but they move her to 10 mg she was also taking a medicine to help her go to sleep but I stop given it to her mths ago. my question is this past 2 nights she hasn't been sleeping at all because she has been having illusion doing at night she tells me she is seeing bugs and many other things sometime at night she starts crying because she is scared because of what she see or because she thinks someone is looking at her. I don't know if the medicine is cousing her this illusions. Is this a side effect of focalin xr?

Karin - posted on 10/21/2013

Update: my son has had to increase his dosage by almost double because he's grown so much in the past year or so. The doctor said it could take several days to fully determine if it is the correct dosage, but I did see an marked change (improvement) in his focus after just 45 minutes or so. So far, so good.

Cherie - posted on 10/11/2013

I am new to this group and my soon to be 10 year old son has been taking focalin xr for some time now. It seems to help with everything for a while then things go back to the way it was before. We were just at the doctors yesterday and they upped his dose to 50 mg a day now. He takes 20mg in the morning, 20 mg at 1pm and now 10mg around 5pm. I was researching the recommended dose for children his age and came across this website. I am a single mother dealing with this and I have a hard time thinking my son needs sooooo much medicine to help with his adhd. My son is also taking Intuniv 5mg in the morning along with the focalin xr. can someone please help me?????

Jordannah - posted on 10/11/2013

Ok i my 9yr old has been on concerta for the past 4 years and now we had to switch to a different medication. Well we ar on folcalin xr 10mg. Yesterday was the firsr day. The school called and said he had an emotional brake down cause he didnt think the meds were working. Should i give it a few weeks to see if it works or should I call the dr and change the meds all together?

Andrew - posted on 09/30/2013

my lord to all you mothers out there I've been reading some of this information especially from the gentlemen that was here to give advice about this medication even know he has no child. first off I'm an honest person I want to say I'm 31 years old I live south of Chicago and I have 0 children I am NOT married I have a niece and a nephew that I love very much and I am very close to. first off my niece takes 2.5 milligrams of focalin as a booster in the afternoon but starts off with 5 milligrams in the morning. my niece is 9 years old I don't mind saying that my nephew on the other hand is just starting his freshman year and takes 30mg xr supposedly every morning, only problem with this is bills have to be hidden from him and handed to him and people have to watch him eat them or they get spread out to his friends. to the gentleman that posted about the drug attics first of all I'd like to say there's a reason why my freshman nephew is passing out this drug to his friends because when people truly do have ADD like I do at 31 years old taking 30 milligrams a day the same as my nephew it is not a stimulant like cocaine, if you're reading this I know exactly where your head is going I've been through everything yes I know it is a stimulant I mean it does not feel like cocaine when I take my phone call when it slows me down it allows me to think I'm an adult and I can give an adult opinion on what this medication feels like. I also want to say anybody on Concerta you need to look up the rules and regulations in the United States and Canada about generics and about anything related to an oz MOSIS pump. I don't know why parents don't take the two seconds to take to download a damn PDF and read about the medication pharmacokinetics pharmacology and everything when it relates to their children I'm sorry I had to delete a swear word I get so aggravated if your parents you should be doing more research I'm sorry no you shouldn't rely on a tablet to cure everything but this medication is necessary all you moms out there keep in mind the number one miss diagnose disease in the world is bipolar number 2 is attention deficit disorder. keep in mind everywhere you look that's different the reason why is because the number to attention deficit disorder requiring medication is a different class then attention deficit disorder or ADHD even I keep reading these reports about problem students in children in detention suspension blah blah blah miracle pill blah blah blah, that's trialed me truly have ADD or ADHD but he's got more problems in that and if you have to medicate him just keep my suspension then he needs counseling. You should have started with that. my father side of the family which is not in contact with me or my mother for almost 22 years now taught me to hide my ritalin when they gave it to me in school I waited for my teachers to tell my mother that I was doing better then I showed her all the pills that I was not taking to prove to her I didn't need it. biggest mistake of my life, my father used me tried to get me to believe that she was doping me up but you know what my father was in medical profession just like most of that side of the family and he sees it all the time there are a lot of parents to do that unfortunately I did need to Madison and I did not start taking medication again until I was 30 years old. I pray nothing like that happens to any of your children back to concert au check out the rules for generic medication and you'll realize why it shouldn't even be released to begin with. I do believe concert at is the L half of ritalin left over in many cases when they make focalin they only use half of the medication the other half has to go somewhere I do believe it is going into tablets like Ritalin LA and concerta anyone out there that take this medication sorry not focalin but any form of methylphenidate 50 50 racemic blend aka regular Ritalin or any other form of that seems to not get any relief but all the side effects chances are you're taking what is been taken out of the focalin. I've been plagued with medical issues almost my entire life just before my 21st birthday I was in a motorcycle accident 2 years after being hit head on by a drunk driver I've broken almost everything I've had just about every surgery torn just about every ligament I could go on... well I read medical reports downloaded from universities for fun now I know its weird its just Who I am I also read pikhal & tikhal. I'm sorry for rambling but this is aimed at the person that is the drug addict I don't want any of his battered vice to get rubbed off on the wrong people there are some parents a dad that I read about his child was in suspension etc cetera yeah he needs counseling not medication I don't give a damn how well it helps him you need to cure the root problem first the over prescribing of this medication is why it's so hard to get why its so expensive I'll give you all out there a little a stream Lee amazing surprise go on a research chemical website and you can find something called ethylphenidate. that is basically Ritalin and it actually has a higher affinity to dopamine then Ritalin and you can buy it for about 15 bucks a gram that's a thousand milligrams of Ritalin. first off I want everyone to know that doesn't matter if its riddle in or those assholes that prescribe strattera keep your kids away from strattera anybody giving a child anyone under 21 an SSRI an SNRI an ass DRI etc cetera needs to be thrown in jail for good there is absolutely no good reason and no response a bowl excuse for putting a child on an antidepressant before there are 21 years old veterans all neural pathways from a two way street into a one way only in a fax them for the rest of their life. all you paranoid moms out there read about the warrior gene that means that your child has been bathedin serotonin walling euro now is completely.immune to it. serotonin that is these other drugs do the exact same thing and just keep in mind that just about every violent person in prison and every asshole cop out there has the warrior gene. anything that permanently change the way your brain works at that age parents should be thrown in jail yes stimulants do act as RI'S but they are triple reuptake inhibitors. anybody that truly cares about their kids disregard with that asshole said about being a 40 milligram attic or whatever and do your own research the real research download the PDF from the manufacturer and then download the PDFs from the medical schools about the trials yes too much of anything is a bad thing the Greeks had it right when they said everything in moderation don't expect a pill to fix your kid if he's got the homicidal try it already. a sadist is a sadist I'm sorry a psychopath is a psychopath I'm sorry and unfortunately if your child is a sociopath that's not going to change either if you truly love your kids you'll do a little bit more research before doing any of this and I guarantee you that 99 percent of you mothers quit before you got to the end so if you got to this congratulations I can say you are officially either more bored or chances are you are a better parent than most everyone else looking for a quick fix.

Ashley - posted on 09/26/2013

Same happened with my son and they put him on 5 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon..in your sons case it would be 10 in the morning and 10 in the afternoon :-)not sure if he is still on it considering this post is from 2009 .

TONYA - posted on 09/26/2013

THANKS SONYA, HE IS GOING TO START THIS MED. ON SAT. THE OLD ONE WAS VYVANSE. IT MADE HIM DO HIS WORK AT SCHOOL, BUT MADE HIM CRY IF HE COULD NOT GET THE ANSWER TO HIS WORK . THEY STARTING HIM ON METADATE CD 10MG AND FOCALIN 2.5 MG FOR SCHOOL. MY CHILD IS A VERY LOVING CHILD AND WE WANT THE BEST FOR HIM.

TONYA - posted on 09/25/2013

HEY MY CHILD WAS PUT ON METADATE AND FOCALIN TODAY. HAS ANY OF YOUR CHILDREN TAKING BOTH .

Rita - posted on 09/19/2013

"My son is 9 and he takes on empty stomach."(He takes a booster at lunch time.) -as for weekends, "I don't give the lunch time booster."(summertime -rarely ever use unless he is so hyper and we're going to Church."My son does well and is a 105 percent top of class student."(One more tip; if child has "trouble sleeping" get he or she to read a book, or you sit with them and read;I do this at times, when i think my son, is restless and it works,hope all goes well for all.) "Mom of 9 and 8."

Gina - posted on 08/20/2013

My daughter has been on regular Focalin and XR combo for over a year and before that different variations of focalin since age 6. She is 13 now and the XR given at 7am and then a booster regular dose in the afternoon at 3 helps her finish the day on task. I do see some ODD symptoms developing since puberty started but with behavior intervention strategies, I have had success with her.

Kathy - posted on 06/28/2013

My son is 13 he has been on focalin extended release for 2 yrs at first it seemed to help. It was to help him concentrate in school and to help his manic depression , it got worse.he missed 52 days of school . Since school has been out I tried him for 1 month without it no tempers ,well focused does what is asked and goes to bed when needed.

Rosa - posted on 06/24/2013

I have been hearing a lot of things about this medication but is it safe for my son.

Glendora - posted on 05/30/2013

My 7 year old has just been diagnosed with ODD. He has been given a prescription for Focalin -XR, 5 mg. He has every single syptom that is defined when you look up ODD. My concern is his personality (when he is behaving) changing. With 5 days left in school he is on the verge of them asking me not to bring him back. I have been dealing with this for quite some time and although it is breaking my heart I feel I have to try it. He seems to understand and has a better outlook. I think I need re-confirmation that the Dr. I have trusted him with all his life is moving in the right direction. P.S. 1 year ago he had this problem - minimal to now - and I didnt do anything hoping he would grow out of it. We have not had any other stratagies such as therapy but once that I felt was not going in the direction I thought he needed. Thoughts and suggetions appreciated.

Jolie - posted on 04/25/2013

Wow Mkay the way you talk about your child is disturbing (not to mention your grammar and spelling). If your child only plays video games instead of going outside that does not make them a boring loser and I wouldn't blame meds I would say to take away the video and interact with them. Kids like relaxing tv time but I know I have to get my DD up out with me & then we have fun together. And so what if he needs glasses, didn't understand what that has to do with anything unless you think that's bad too? I'm not saying the meds are working for him or perfect but to cuss and talk like that is shocking. Sorry but couldn't hold that in.

Anyway, my DS started taking Focalin XR 5mg about a month ago and I have seen some improvements at school and home. She still has some tantrums and problems listening and focusing but getting better and about to try 10mg and see how that goes. I was that it didn't take away all her personality and "zombify" her. I'd rather have an over active child than a shell of a kid. I'm very new to this and was very nervous about putting a 6yr old on meds but after reading some posts I see she's not the only one and does help me feel better about it. Thanks!

Chris - posted on 03/22/2013

read above post........also I am told that the dose isnt something that is base on weight or size of your child ......there are adults that are one 5 mg and kids on 20 mg.............I would look in to intunive along with the Focalin XR

Bridgette - posted on 03/19/2013

MY 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER IS ON FOCALIN XR BUT WE JUST FOUND OUT LAST WEEK SHE HAD ADHD BUT IN THIS SHORT OF TIME I CAN TELL IT DONT LAST A LONG TIME. I WISH I KNEW MORE ABOUT IT BUT I DONT. SHE HAD A FEW GOOD DAYS ON IT THEN ITS LIKE SHE WAS ON NOTHING. SHE IS ONLY ON 5MG THE LOWEST DOSE SO I CALLED THE DR TO LET THEM KNOW AND IM WAITING TO SEE IF SHE CAN GO UP TO 10 MG. IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFORMATION ABOUT ADHD PLEASE FILL ME IN THANK YOU

Tracy - posted on 03/12/2013

My 12 year old son has been on Focalin XR 15 mg for over 5 years. He is quiet in school but is failing most of his classes. He is defiant when it comes to homework and lies about assignments to get out of doing them, as he would rather be outside with friends. Today we started Focalin 25 mg Xr. He is like a zombie & has not moved from his bed all day., barely talking. I wonder if it's going to take time for his body to get used to the dosage. His Dr said to give it a few more days.. It makes me so sad to see him this way. Has anyone else had a similar experience?I would love to know.
Thanks
Tracy

Tiffany - posted on 03/10/2013

Calcium before bed helps with sleep naturally, but if not well enough they have clonodine or kapvay meds which help the kids with getting restful sleep

Tiffany - posted on 03/10/2013

If the Focalin he is taking is the XR type, then yes the body can distinguish how much of the medication needs to be released over the period of time stated. It is different for each individual as to how fast or slow the body breaks down the medications, but the extended release (XR) formula is designed for release the right amount over a period of time till the medication is no longer there to be released.

Tiffany - posted on 03/10/2013

The length of time the medication lasts depends on how fast the body breaks it down. If the medication is not lasting a long enough period of time the dosage may need increased, to give the body more to have to work with equaling the longer length of dosage time frame. My daughter is 13 yrs old, she takes 40 mg @ 6 am every day and it has worn off before 12 (noon). She has to take a non-XR Focalin to help her get through the afternoon in school.

Loretta - posted on 03/05/2013

The Focalin did not work for my 8 year old. Made her too anxious and did not last long enough. The Straterra is not that great, but her grades are coming back up and the anxiety is better. She takes 18 mg in the AM before school, and 10 at about 5:30 in the afternoon. I was giving her 10 in the am and 18 in the pm, but because she was not sleeping well, I switched it around. She sleeps much better now.

Amber - posted on 03/05/2013

HELP!!!! My 6 year old us on focalin xr 30 mg it works at school he DOESNT SLEEP i lay both boys down at 730 he will sleep for 4 hrs and then he is up and ready to go go go he is on 2 different meds to sleep dont work any ideas

Loretta - posted on 02/26/2013

We tried the Focalin with my 9 yr daughter. It made her extremely anxious. We have tried many different meds, but all have had some sort of side effects. Concerta worked the best of all, but when they replaced it with the generic form, it to resulted in bad side effects for her. She has been on Straterra for about 3 weeks, starting with just 10 mg a day, then increasing to 10 mg 2x day. Progressed to 18 mg 2x a day.This caused her to develop issues with meltdowns. ...becoming very reactive, angry, moody. Grades began to fall, she was having trouble with getting along with her classmates. I reduced it to 10mg in the am and 18 in the pm. So far, this is working a lot better.
Has anyone else had any experience with Straterra?

My hope is that she can stabilize with Straterra, at least until after FCAT.

Jennifer - posted on 02/26/2013

My son was taking that when he was first Dx. His pediatrician split the dosage to 15mg in the morning @ and then 10mg at 1 it lasted him about a month then again same issue focalin was not helping him but the first 2 hours of taking the med.So then she switched him to adderall xr from 5mg up 10mg he was lasting from 8am-1:30p then it would ware off again, his growth in 2-3yrs was only 2lbs & 2inches, she referred him to clarity guidance center where is now being seen by a psychiatrist n therapist. Medication is still bejng fluctuated but seems like we almost have him stable. I hope things work out for yall :)

[deleted account]

hello. My son is 8 years old and he was perscribed adderall xr but after 4 weeks we see that he is not quite the same. At school his grades are getting better, but he cries at the drop of a hat and is edgy at times. I didn't want medicine to change our son but it has. After I got the
call today from his school that he was sad and crying which never happens at school it happens at home I called his psychiatrist and asked for help on what we should do. Tomorrow morning we are going to try focalin xr. Which means 5mg like the last one for teh first week then 10 for week 2 and week 3 until the next appointment in April. UGH! I am stressed. I am glad he sleeps through the night and eats still but nevertheless he cries so much and it was the kicker when it happened at school. Is this medicine any better???

Casey - posted on 02/25/2013

Thanks to everyone who responded to me. It's really nice to hear about other people's experiences, I feel less alone....and for that i am grateful. I real was not comfortable with 20mg and so I called the doctor and he has switched to 10 mg. The blinking is not gone, but it is a lot better. I have decided that I am going to let this go for a couple more weeks while he completely adjusts and then look at it all again. We are in a better place than we were and he seems happier. Thanks again.

Carrie - posted on 02/25/2013

In Reply to Casey: Hello all....this is my first time posting on circle of moms. I need help, advise, or whatever you can offer. My 6 year old son started on Ritalin LA about three months ago, originally at 10 mg and was up to 20 mg. It was working so great and he was having such a turn around at school. About a month ago he developed a blinking tic that has gotten progessively worse and kids started saying things about it to him, that was it for me. 3 days ago I dropped him down to 10 mg and we went to see the doctor. While on 10 mg the blinking was better but not gone. The doctor prescribed Focalin XR 20 mg - does this seem like the right dose? Everything I read says he should be on 1/2 of the dose he took with a prior ritalin drug. Today is his first day and the blinking seems to be in full force. I'm so upset and frustrated. Does it take time on the new medicine to determine if it will go away? I just want him happy and adjusted. I can deal with the rough nights at home, but I cry when I think the thing I am using to help him is also hurting him. I can't handle watching him be down on himself. If someone has experience, can you help me understand all of this?................
My son developed a rapid blinking/eye rolling tic when he was around 4 years old. I never thought anything of it until he was diagnosed with ADHD 3 years ago. The first medication described was Ritalin and at the lowest dose his tics were so bad he had to be sent home from school, plus he was so emotional...crying constantly. The doctor then prescribed Dexedrine and his tics almost vanished, except for the normal times when he was nervous or extremely tired. He was on Dexedrine for 2 1/2 years and we switched physicians, so we had to do the whole re-evaluation and his new physician decided that Dexedrine decreased his appetite too much. He is thin, but he is usually running around so he's constantly burning what little calories he consumes. Anyways, she put him on Vyvanse and he also done well with this for a few months, appetite increased, his tics weren't off the wall and he was doing well in school, but he had headaches at least 4 times a week. A month ago we went back to the doctor for an ADHD follow up and again she wants to change his meds due to the headaches. This is when she tells me that my son has Tourette Syndrome also, and it's made worse by Ritalin (Methylphenidate). So we are limited on medication choices and she suggests Focalin XR. We were concerned because it contains somewhat of the same drug as Ritalin so we started him on 5mg of Focalin XR and he did great with it. His tics were under control for the most part, and his focus was good until a week ago. So we are changing the dose to 10mg and hoping his tics don't get any worse. Your post caught my eye, because when his tics and emotions were out of control due to the medication it broke my heart. It hurts to see your child go through these things. It seems maybe your child is having the same reactions my son did to the Methylphenidate in the medication. There is another type of medication containing Dextroamphetamine..common names are Dexedrine, Vyvanse, Adderall... Your son might not have the same reaction to these types. Hopefully his physician will get things straightened out. It can be a long road to find the right dose of the right medication. I hope this helps. Best of luck.

Rita - posted on 02/10/2013

Take him/her off the XR and give the reg dosage split through the day. Half in morning half at lunch. School nurse can help with that issue at lunch. My son stopped taking all meds when he was 12. It was giving him too much anxiety. Its been a struggle throughout high school but he has done well with support from me a a few good teachers all the way. He is now in 12th grade with electronics as his major. He is highly intelligent with a sense of humor but its that focus factor that is still an issue. I'm the same way. He understands fully that no one is perfect and he has this to deal with the rest of his life. He was also diagnosed with autism, only 2 points out of 10. He has overcome those 2 points. I also started out his diet without all the junk food. Fresh veggies and fruits. Cook from scratch. No food dyes or additives like Reds, Yellows, BHT to name a few. Apples and grapes can make them hyper. Anything over processed like hot dogs, premade foods etc... Cleaning products, clothing soap.... be careful with the chemicals. Hope this helps.

Leslie - posted on 02/10/2013

Yes and my daughter has same issue