Focalin & Clonidine vs Concerta & Clonidi | ADHD Information

I feel better about at least trying the Concerta after hearing from Vicki.

On the lower doses of Focalin he still had the same problem and also we
just didn't get coverage for very long. (6 hours, but that' s not nearly long
enough!!)

Yes, that's the whole balancing issue. Getting symptom relief with minimal to no side effects.

Good luck! I still need my husband to tell me to be patient with med changes..............every single time and we have had many .

My son has been taking Focalin XR and Clonidine for almost 2 years now.
he is 7 years old. Current dose is Focalin XR 40 mg in the AM. and
Clonidine 0.1 mg. THREE times a day.

For the first 4 - 5 hours after taking the Focalin he is so uptight. He
doesn't laugh or smile or really even want to play. As the day goes by and
it wears off, he will laugh and smile and be playful and want to talk (and
talk and talk). One day I visited school and I realized that in the morning
hours he appeared to be too uptight to even talk to his friends, even at
recess. By the 2:30 recess, he was able to play and have fun. The good
part was, he studied hard and was the 2nd top reader in his class. That's
great, but I also want him to be able to relax enough to carry on a
conversation. (He answers very quickly if anyone asks him questions
during the morning hours.)

ANYWAY, the doctor said we could try Concerta 52 mg. We will wait til
next week when I will be with him in the morning hours and can assess
for any drastic changes.

I want him to laugh and play and have fun, but we also desperately need
to curb his ADHD symptoms.

Have other people noticed or experienced the "uptight" personality that I
have described seeing in my son?

The doctor asked me if he was treating my son or me.

I said, "I just want my son back."

I think it is worth trying out. Even switching from one delivery form to another of the same active ingredient can make a difference.

Both of my kids went from concerta to focalin. The concerta worked great and was real smooth, but the oldest cannot swallow pills on a routine basis and the youngest was not gaining weight. My kids' doc said the focalin can be rougher on the kids than concerta. It can cause more emotional lability/anxiety and a harder rebound. But everyone is different. When the oldest is able to swallow pills better, we will probably go back to concerta because it lasts longer. We are also looking at increased anxiety with my youngest that may send us back to concerta (after a weight gain break during the summer).

I hear from a lot of people that sort of not happy laughing personality is somewhat subdued on meds. Can he take a smaller dose of the focalin. Sometimes thast helps, just lowering the dose. It won't hurt to try the Concerta anyway, as Vickie says they're all different.My son is on Concerta and has the Clonidine at night to help him sleep.  On the concerta he is the funniest and sweetest kid around.  He also takes Strattera at night as well.  I've never seen the zoned out effect with the concerta.  we did start out on a low dose then moved him up slowly.  that was a nightmare but this is about the best he's been.  Good luck to you!!!yes try another med. My daughter was the same way on both Concerta and Focalin.Diane V39265.0990856482Day one of Concerta and he was uptight and rigid and not smiling or
laughing just like he was on the Foclin. No difference. I don't know what to
do now. Try another med??

Sorry to hear the concerta had the same effect. Unfortunately, finding the right med is like finding the right shoes. Sometimes you have to try a lot of the on to find the ones that fit best, and since your feet are different from each other, the shoes have to fit both feet.

vickie39265.3077546296Great analogy vickie!We're on our way to the doctor's office in an hour.
I hope he has some ideas.
Good luck. Let us know how you make out.

my sonis taking focalin 15 mg and lexapro 10mg...and has had a great experience on them both...he was previously taking Adderall XR and was very agitated....but now he has to change ...my husband is in the military and they dont carry Focalin or Lexapro...so they are switching him to Concerta 18mg...and celexa 10mg....does anyone know what i can expect??

 

Thanks

Lori

Mother of Zachary ADD and Aspergers Syndrom

Jeaniejo,

If my child's doc made a similar comment to me I would rip him/her apart.  How dare he/she challenge your motives as a parent. You want your child to be themselves just with more focus (like putting on eye glasses, they don't change your personality, just help you see).  And yes, you are "treating" your child, treating your child to the best life possible. Good luck.

Lorip,

15mg of focalin will be like 30mg of concerta. The focalin is only the more active form of methylphenidate and it works at about 1/2 the dose of methylphenidates. So starting at the 18mg concerta and working up to the best dose is the normal titration route. You may not see any results until you get closer to the target dose. My kids have done well on both concerta and focalin.

I have no experience with celexa.