Focalin-Correct dose for 8yr dd at 70lbs? | ADHD Information

20 mg sounds too high to me.  I would have thought they would have done 10 mg instead.   As Vickie said,  the dosing is usually 1/2 of what you'd do the other ritalin based products.

Have you tried Concerta?   We switched from Ritalin LA to Concerta to get extra coverage.  It's worked well for us.  We still use Ritalin LA on days were we don't need the coverage we get with Concerta.

My daughter just started Focalin Xr and I think they gave her too high of a dose.  She was taking Ritalin La 20mg in the morining and 7.5mg after school.  It was effective for her at home but I guess she was having a hard time at school.  The La would wear off after about 4 hours.  Today she started on Folcalin Xr 20mg in the morning and 5mg in the afternoon.  I looked it up and found that 20mg is the max dose.  Did they make a mistake and give her too much?  I am horrified and am afraid she will turn into a zombie.  I just gave it to her about 20 minutes ago. 

Any insight would be appreciated,

Thanks!!

Focalin is about twice as strong as methylphenidate because it is only the more active isomer rather than a mixture of the 2 isomers (it is reported to have fewer side effects because of this but can increase emotional lability). My kids were on focalin for a while because my oldest could not swallow pills and you can sprinkle the focalin on pudding. They were on about 1/2 the focalin as the concerta they took at the time. My youngest was on 15mg and oldest was on 20mg.

It sounds like your daughter metabolizes meds very fast and the doc may have been anticipating an increased dose with this med change or made an error with the numbers. You would have to ask the doc the rationale for the dose.

The good part about these meds is that they are gone from the system quickly so there is no lasting effects if there is a problem. Keep us posted.

My 9.5year old, 96lb son is on 10mg of Focalin XR in the morning and then 5mg of Focalin (short-acting) in the afternoon. We just started the afternoon booster dose and while it's not completely solving the issues we've been having, it's MUCH easier to get things done in the afternoon (his afternoon OT and ST sessions were a complete waste prior to the addition of the short-acting Focalin).

It DOES sound like your daughter is on too high of a dosage, BUT ..... if your daughter metabolizes meds very fast (as it sounds like she does....) it could be that the doctors gave the higher dose to get more efficacy and longer stretch that the meds actually work.

Call the doctor and ask :) 

hissmom,

How did you daughter do yesterday?

I agree, 20 mgs sounds high.  My 9 yr old (65 lbs) started out at 5 mg, then upped to 10 mgs (all focalin XR) after 5 months.  He gets the occassional booster of 5 mgs in the afternoon.  He also takes 1.5 of clonidine at night.  This was our third attempt to find the right med.  By now you realize that it can be a long process to find the best medication and dosage.  Dosing is very individual for stimulant medication and is not determined by weight. This is very important information because the wrong information can make a parent worry needlessly. What is a high dose for one child may be too low of a dose for another as dose is determined by the metabolic rate of absorption, not weight. This is a very common misconception that I have seen on this message board over and over. Straterra, which is a non stimulant is the only ADHD medication in which the dose is determined by weight. Hissmom,  I agree with Vickie but for your own peace of mind check with the doctor if you think they made a mistake with the dose and please let us know the outcome. Luvmykids0239754.9110185185

Hello all,

I may have posted in the wrong area earlier, I was actually looking for those who had used focalin xr. My son starts it in two weeks, 5mg. He's also taking abilify. We tried adderall xr, which led to severe depression. Have been on daytrana since march but it seemed to stop working. So, here I am trying to educate myself because Im worried the doctors wont do the best for him. They're not his mommy ya know?

Thanks for any advice and I sure hope all is going well with each of you.

Hopefully changing to the new psychiatrist will help you get effective treatment for your daughter. A doc with good med management skills can make a big difference in getting the most out of medication.She seemed to be OK, spent a lot more time on the computer than usual.   My MIL said she was a little lethargic on Sunday and was up until 2:00am on Sat night!  She is not eating at all and it was horrible when her meds wore off last night.  She was so obnoxious, I had forgotten she could be like that.  I tried to contact her doctor but they said I had to contact the prescribing psychiatrist.  HIs office will only talk to her pedi.  So the circle goes.  Her pedi is out untill tommorow now. 

Today I sent her back to school on her Ritalin LA 20mg.  I have made an appointment with a psychiatrist who specializes in prescribing meds for children.  It's a lot more inconvient but at least he knows what he is doing.  She was already put on too high a dose of Strattera last year.  This guy allerted me to it.  Her appointment is on Dec 3rd.

I have tried Concerta and it didn't seem to work.  It could have been too low a dose though.  Her Pedi at the time didn't really know what she was doing with the meds.  WE have since switched to my childhood pedi.

I wll keep you posted and please continue to give me any advice or share your opinions.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can go way higher than 20 mg of Focalin XR.  I forget what my child used to take.  I think 50 mg?  He always needs high doses of ADHD medications.  As a pp said, stimulant dosing has nothing to do w/ age or weight.  It's only about how that person's body responds to it.Thank you for sharing that with me.  I panicked when i looked it up and the Focalin web site said that 20mg was the max for children and adults.  My daughter was put on a dangerously high dose of Strattera last year and now I am paranoid.  Do you mind if I ask if you found a good med?  My dd tends to metabolize everything quickly.  The meds work great at 1st then lose there potency after a few weeks.

My child's doing better on Metadate CD than he did on Focalin XR.  We find the medicine is more even.  On Focalin XR, he was too flat for a couple of hours per day.  His appetite also is better than when he took Focalin XR.  Lunch is the difference.  Also, sometimes he wants a snack (though Tenex and Zoloft increase his appetite, so I can't say that's solely due to Metadate vs. Focalin).  Final difference is that, like you, we had to keep increasing the Focalin XR dose every 2-3 months.  He's been on the same Metadate CD dose for a year.

As you know, every person responds differently to different meds., so my child's reaction to these meds. might differ from how your child reacts.  I'm sure you know this, but I feel compelled to write it here.  I'm not endorsing one med. over the other; rather, I'm sharing my child's experience.

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