Hum, ok...  My son who is 5 took focalin xr pretty much all last year up until about a month ago when we decided to try the patch.  From our experience Focalin xr did well.  We had a hard time findiing the right does though.  20 mg in the morning (7 am) only last until around 1 max which was not long enough for school hours.  So we bumped it up to 30mg in hopes it would possibly last until 5:30 pm (our goal at the time).  The 30 was too strong.  He was a zombie for the 1st 3 hours or so....  so we went back to 20 mg with a 10 mg around 1.  That worked out pretty well...  but decided we would like it to last longer in the evening for after school activites and time at  home.  So we changed the 10 mg to 20 mg.  After all that we finally settled on 20 mg in the am and 20 mg in the pm.   The only complaint we had was it made his tummy upset for the 1st hour or so and he chewed his nails to numbs from over concentrating.  His appetite was good b/c the 20mg was wearing off just around lunch time...  so he could then eat... and take another pill afterwards to control his afternoon.  All was well.  Having to give the 2nd does was a pain.  Having to remember.. having a teacher/nurse give it to him ect.... So we decided to do the patch.  The patch was a god send!  He was good on a 20mg patch.  It lasted all day!  We got prasie from all his teachers ect...  Well, it ened up not working for us b/c the patch irrited his skin to the point that we had to stop using them, plus his appetite had gone to pot.  Never hungry!    This Saturday he will start 10 mg of Adderall. We are back to square one in finding the right dose and i know it will require 2 pills a day again....  Oh well ...life continues on.  Good luck to you.

My son has taken Focalin for the last 5 years.  We have had to "play" with his meds.  He is now taking Focalin 10mg @ 7am, 12noon, and 3pm.  He also takes Adderal XR 30mg @ 7am.  We had to add Risperidol in the evening to help with sleep and his appetite.  He is 11 years old and is the 6th grade.  He is very responsible with taking his meds at school, and they are good about making sure he does take it.

I wish you luck in finding the right dosage and medicine for your child!

Brandi

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this forum. My daughter has been diagnosed with ADHD and is going to start taking Focalin on Saturday. I am a little apprehensive about giving her anything but the doctor said that she thought it was time to start. We have been going to the dr. since she was in Kindergarten. She is now in 2nd grade. I am starting her out on 5mg a day. I was a little shocked when I read how much some kids were having to take. Should I expect to up the dosage for Nicole?

Thanks for reading my post,

Teresa

My 7 yr. old son has taken Concerta since July '05 and has increasingly become anxious and afraid of everything. He won't even go to his bedroom or the restroom by himself. He is so afraid at night that he lays in his bed for hours and calls out to my husband and I about being scared. We've positioned a chair where he can see one of us until he goes to sleep. This is pretty time consuming for all of us.

We just started him on Focalin last week and it is wearing off by about 1 pm. His teacher says he does great until then. He has always taken a Ritalin at 3:15 after school to get him through the evening activities, so we are continuing that and it seems to help. I just got a prescription for the 15mg today and he is going to try to take 2 of those in the AM and see if they last longer. Two 15mg's is supposed to be the same as 54mg of Concerta which is what he was taking.

We'll see......

I've tried most of the ADHD meds and Focalin XR is still the gold standard for me. I could NEVER express how much I love it and how wonderful it is...  It took some trial and error to find the best dosage, though. I take 20 mg. at 8:00 am, and 20 mg. at 3 p.m. It's never caused any problems with getting to  sleep. Actually, I had sleeping problems for over THIRTY years before starting on it, and my sleep schedule is more normalized in the past year than it's ever been before.

The only thing is that I have co-occurring OCD and Tourette's, so we're still working out the best med combo!! I can tell y'all, though, that the stimulants don't make either one of those conditions worse, so don't be afraid to take them. And once again--- I LOVE FOCALIN and it's been a lifesaver.

I would go crazy if Chase had no meds in his system for homework!  Before he got the meds homework was such a chore.  I would have to sit right there and keep him on task constantly.  Supper was delayed, my daycare kids that were here were not properly supervised, because if they were in the same room as Chase, they were too distracting to him.

While on concerta, the med was in his system for homework, in fact it was in his system for too long, not wearing off before bed even, and he was only hungry for breakfast.  Once we switched to ritalin LA, I noticed that if he did not get right on his homework, the med was wearing off, and it became the same old problem, so I talked to the doctor and she prescribed a fast acting short lasting ritalin for homework help.  She wrote on the prescription (and the drug store printed on the label) "For when Chase has lots of homework"

I don't use it every day, but when he needs it, it is here and appreciated by all!

We just got back from the Doctor and she now wants to try 10mg Focalin XR so it may last a little longer and help with the homework.  Once I said that the ADD was beginning to affect the whole family she agreed we must keep searching for a good fit.  Hope this one will be better. 

Will takes 20mg by 7am and takes another 15 mg at noon, both XR.   This is, by far, the best med combo for him yet.  He is doing excellent in school, much better at home, and can now fall asleep at bedtime, usually.   I've always heard this time of year and the beginning of Spring, is when it all goes crazy.

His last dosage was the 20 mg in the morning and 5mg in the 3-4pm.  It took a while to figure it out, but finally I realized that the pm dosage was keeping him up WAY late at night.   Now that he takes his last dosage at noon, it's worn off by bedtime.  And I haven't thought about it in a while, but I guess we aren't having any rebounds.  I really couldn't tell you when the meds are actually wearing off.  I'm not saying he's perfect, he was NOT good at all last night, but things are a ton better.

We are finally able to go places with him without too much trouble..

Hi aesposito

I know what you mean - the Focalin XR works great on my son during the day but it's wearing off as he gets home from school.  I have a prescription for regular Focalin which we use when he really needs it - like for homework or if we have to go out.  But most nights he is bouncing off the walls.  He's older now - nine - and I can get him to sit and settle some nights, but sometimes I can't and he just wears me out!   Let us know how the Vyvanse works.

Hi,

Focalin didn't work for us. We tried it on ds (then 8), form Feb 1, 2006, to Jul 30, 2006. They increased the dose gradually, from 10mg to 20 mg.

In six months, he stopped eating, sleeping and growing. Dropped 1 lb per month. Rebounds were unbearable. His personality would change too much under Focalin. His voice would go flat. He started having obssessive thoughts; by month 5 he said he was hearing voices. Month 5 he threw the cat against the wall with incredible force, and said he had no idea why he'd done it. Got very OCD about germs. If a fly stopped on a table in a picnic, he'd refuse to eat "around all those germs". He'd wake up in a foul mood until meds kicked in. Anxiety was so bad, he'd make his fingers bleed from biting around the fingernails.

Those six months were my first and last attempt with medications. Since then, we've turned to Occupational Therapist and we are extremely pleased with the results, even though it took a whole change of lifestyle for the whole family.

Elegy, I know my daughter's pediatrician had told us that if the Focalin XR 20 mg did not seem effective for her, he would change medications instead of increasing the dosage.  Focalin is the first we have tried and the doctor said oftentimes you have to try several medications before you get the right or best one.  Hang in there and best of luck.

My son was on Focalin for awhile and it worked well, then stopped - we just switched to Ritalin.

My feelings are this - I can tell within 2-4 days if the medicine is going to work.  These medicines are stimulants - they start to work within an hour and then they leave your system within 8-12 hours, giving it for a week or more is NOT going to change anything.  The only exception I have found is side effects - if your only problem is side effects (not severe ones) I would suggest trying it for a week or two to see if the side effects go away.

My other suggestion is this - sometimes doctors have free coupons from the manufacturers for a 30 day supply - when trying a new medicine see if they have one of these free coupons, otherwise find out from your insurance provider if your doctor can write a script for a 7 day dose, if it works they can write a script for a 21 day dose - but not all insurances will let you do this - sometimes it costs more up front for less pills than for 30 days - for some ODD reason.

These are MY opinions only and I have about 3 years and about 6-8 rx experience.

Hope this helps!!!!

Brenda

Hi elegy,

Why don't you start journaling (a few words will do) how you feel every day you take Focalin, and you may ask someone close to you to give his/her impressions. In a few weeks, you'd be ready to decide whether this is working for you or not.

Good luck!

HI-

I just joined. I have a 6 yr old who is going to be the death of me.  I love him so much (as I am crying writing this), and he is sweet and adorable and had so much H (as in hyper...).  To my dismay, we put him on focalin and it has worked.  Really well for the day.  What about the evening though?  Does anyone have any experience on what to do with the huge mood swings I am experiencing?  Thanks.

Kris

Whew, these medicatin dances are exhausting huh?

My 5 year old has fabulous results with FocalinXR 10 mg. at school, but the evenings can be unbearable. Terrible moods swings and anxiety. For those reasons, we are getting ready to start 5 mg. of Ritalin, 2 X's a day. He did great on 2.5 mg of Ritalin, but his body got used to it, so we tried the FocalinXR, with hopes it would last all day.

If the Ritalin 5 mg. 2 X's a day doesn't work out, we will ask about returning to the FocalinXR, and possibly giving something else to help with rebound.

So, I guess I'm not the only one seeing bad rebound from FocalinXR.

We're currently trying to find the right dose of Focalin for our 6 year old son.

Apparently he is very sensitive to ADHD meds because we keep having to decrease the dose:

• Started with Focalin XR 5mg. Becomes zombie-like, introverted, emotional. Won't eat a crumb of food.
• Decreased to Focalin 2.5mg (unavailable in XR). Still zombie, introverted, emotional, zero appetite.
• Psychologist and Pediatrician suggested cutting the 2.5mg tablet in half. (Need to get a pill cutter.)  Awaiting a response from Shire to insure cutting the pill will not affect its efficacy.

(Previously tried low dose Ritalin LA with same problems, as well as Daytrana 10mg.)

The psychologist initially completed a thorough evaluation in diagnosing son's ADHD (predominantly hyper/impulsive). DH and I do not question the diagnosis.  Child is in constant over-drive when off meds!  Has all the classic signs.

Also, he had his enlarged tonsils/adenoids removed to fix his sleep apnea problem, but he still stops breathing repeatedly during his sleep.  Appointment with ENT is in April.

I'm mainly perplexed about how even very low doses of Focalin make such an incredibly drastic change in his behavior (from the "life of the party" to a complete "party pooper").

Leslie

Hi Nicolesmom

My 8 year old son has been on Focalin XR 5 mg a day for well over a year now.  It has helped him tremendously and I see no need to up his dosage.  He only takes one in the morning.  The only side effect - it really supresses his appetite so I'm always pushing food at him.  We stopped taking it during the summer and he grew like crazy, so I also suspect it may be delaying his growth.  We don't take it on weekends/school breaks - which is just fine with our doctor.

My son's doctor also prescribes Clonidine for him to take at night.  This helps him sleep but it takes about an hour to work. On the very few nights we have forgotten the Clonidine it is like 3:00 am before he goes to sleep.  In the days before his diagnosis - when we were on no medicines - it would always be 12:00 or 1:00 before he went to sleep.  I guess this is the hyperactive part!

The Focalin XR (2 15mg in the AM) and Zoloft (PM) combination seem to be working for my son. He is doing well in school and seems less anxious. He is eating better and going to sleep better at night. We pray for this combination to continue to work for him.

I know this thread is old.  I was just wondering if any of your kids are still taking Focalin?  My son was on Concerta for about 8 months and he did great except he wasn't eating much and he was losing weight.  He also had a really hard time falling asleep at night. 

The dr. just switched him to Focalin 2 weeks ago.  He took 10mg for a week and I didn't tell the teacher we switched meds.  When I came to his class to pick him up she asked if something changed.  She said all week he couldn't sit still or focus and he was cutting up his eraser and fidgeting with things.  I talked to the dr. and she said for him to take 20 mg. once a day.  He has been doing that and things are much better. 

I thought if he takes 2 pills it should last 8 hours right?  It seems to not last that long.  The teacher said he is better in class, but the last hour he gets restless.  He is really hyper when he gets home. I hate to give him another pill, but it's REALLY hard when he can't even listen to me.  It's as if he is looking at me, but he doesn't hear me.  I am afraid he won't go to sleep with more medication too.  Just wondering if anybody else has had this problem?  Thank you.

My 7 son has been on Focalin since Feb of last year and in that year we have had great success in quieting his behavior problems at school, but are still dealing with acadmic issues. We have increased the dosage and tried combining the Focalin XR with the regular Focalin. The regular Focalin seemed to be too much - led to ultra sensitivity and 'over-focussing' - so we took him off and just increased the XR dosage. We are up to 30 mg per day and if taken at 8am during school days it lasts until around 5-6 and then we can see the symptoms return. From then on, the evening is pretty much chaos from 8-10pm until he finally collapses from exhaustion. Homework has been a real issue. By the time we get home and settled in, it is harder for me to get dinner, take care of the other children and their homework and struggle with his as well. He has an IEP and accomodations hav been made in the classroom and homework has been adjusted too, but it is still difficult.

He has never had any side effects except the racing heartbeat the first few days until he got used to it. He sleeps well through the night and has had some weight loss due to appetite reduction, but nothing else.

His teacher is constantly monitoring his behavior and when she notices that he is more distracted than usual, she will let me know. We usually notice it at about the same time. At that point ,we change his dosage. We have changed it about 7-8 times since he started.

We are now faced with the possiblity of adding Stratera to the Focalin as our next and inevitable step. I am nervous about this an am not convinced that it is the best thing. He has done well on Focalin and have had little side-effects and am a little afraid of giving him too much.

I would like some feedback about Stratera, as well, in combination with Focalin and what I might expect.

My DD has just taken her third dose of Focalin today.  It was her first day of going to school with medicine on board.  She seems to have no side effects or appetite issues so far. I HOPE it will help her at school. Waiting to hear from her teacher by Wed. so when I go back to dr. I can give her opinion.  Crossing fingers big time

My son was prescribed Focalin XR 20mg last week. He is 12 years old, 5'4 and weighs 130 pounds. Does 20 mg seem like too high of a dosage for him? This is his first time taking any kind of adhd medication. I have not started him on it because he is currently on winter break from school and he is only to take it on school days. However, I plan on starting him on the medication next weekend so I can monitor him at home for a few days.

I still feel SO unsure about medicating him, but at the same time I know it might be very helpful to him. He was dx with ADD(inattentive) in the 4th grade. He has had an IEP since that time, but my husband and I were totally against medication. Now he is in 7th grade and really struggling. He has become so frustrated and is really hating school. He is open to trying medication, so hopefully it will work for him.

I welcome any advice, suggestions, and comforting words anyone might have!

Thanks!

Some docs start at the lowest dose and work up (especially with people who have not been on meds before). This can reduce side effects but takes time and you end up with several partial bottles of meds left over. Others will start at a dose closest to the expected effective dose, especially with older kids and adults.

My oldest (11yo, 120lbs, inattentive) is on 20mg focalin and has been doing great. No side effects and she is getting her work done, not losing it and can "hear" the teacher's instructions better.

You should talk to the doc about your concerns. You, your son and the doc are partners in your son's treatment.

Thank you Vickie. I definitely agree that we are all partners in my son's treatment. I'm glad to hear that your daughter is doing so well with her treatment.

spring162. My Dr.  wants my son to only take medication on school days as well. We'll see how it goes. It  takes him a long time to complete his homework in the evenings as well, but I let him take short breaks which helps a bit. Hang in there, hopefully things will get better.

Spring 162

My doctor also asked if we could just limit my son's medication to school days.  He is 8 and has been on Focalin XR 5 mg since the second grade.  He mainly suggested this because my son is so thin and this medicine really suppresses his appetite.  We also have a prescription for a "normal" dose of Focalin - no XR - for 5 mg for those nights when he absolutely needs it to get through his homework, but we try to limit those times

The Focalin works fine for him in school but I can sure tell it's worn off by the time he gets home!