Focalin XR- Feedback please! | ADHD Information

So I'm not completely new to Focalin, as it was the very first med we tried
this past January. It was positive on many levels, but we had issues with
him being zoned out, as well as mood dips during wear off. Second doc
prescribed Vyvanse, explaining it was smooth and we'd have a better
chance to avoid the "zoned"out effect. It seemed to be the ticket for a
couple of weeks, but without going into all the details, it was not effective
at the dose he needed.
I saw a third and hopefully final doc yesterday. Based on the
history so far he suggested Focalin XR. I know there are some on this
board whose children are currently taking it, so I'd love to catch up to see
what your experiences, as well as others who have tried & stopped, have
been.
Any tips and feedback would be appreciated!mommatrying40261.3107060185

I've been out of town for the past few weeks, so I'm catching up with all the new messages on the board and noticed yours. I think we have spoken about the Focalin XR before, but just to update, our 6 yr old son started it 3 months ago. He takes 10 mg. and overall, we are pleased with the results. It's not the "magic pill" I was hoping for, but that isn't realistic thinking. He still has days in school when his behavior reports aren't the greatest, but the good days far outnumber the bad. The side effects have finally started to go away. The most problematic was his lack of appetite but that has improved greatly in the past few weeks. He has also "evened out", and although he still is his old "hyper self" in the evenings, the transition is more gradual now. The "flatness" in his personality (not zombie like, but just not completely there) has also subsided.

If I remember correctly, your son had the same issues on the focalin as ours did...not severe, but enough to be noticed. Yet, he also showed improvement in alot of areas, right? My advice would be to stick it out and give your little guy some time to adjust to the medicine, that is, as long as the side effects aren't too bad. Hope this helps, and keep us posted. 

 

Hi Kathleen! Things are going SO WELL on the XR- hope I don't jinx
myself saying that! I was afraid that the side effects from short acting
might be more apparent with the XR but they are non exsistent! No
flatness, has his appetite, no itching, and still has enough of a hyper
spring in his step to put me at ease. The ONLY issue seems to be it's not
lasting 8 hrs, which I recall you experienced as well. We have been giving
him 2.5 boosters in the afternoons, and it's fine. I'm just waiting for him
to get back to school on Wednesday- from this never ending spring
break!- to see what the teachers observe as far as wear off. I'll be curious
to see if in the school environment he will be able to last a little longer
because of all the structure built into his day there. I'm hoping it will last
until about 2 pm until needing a booster, but other than this issue which
remains to be seen, all is well! How many hours after the first dose do
you find yourself giving a booster? Is the 10 mg supposed to last longer
than the 5 mg, or is it just a stronger dose? Thanks so much for
responding and I'm glad to know things are still going well for you with it
:)Hi there, hope things are continuing to go well for you. Our son is on the 10mg and I find that it lasts about 7-8 hrs. Our doctor told us that the 10 mg does last longer than the 5 mg, but I have read here that other doctors disagree...so who knows??? We haven't given him a booster yet, but will be starting to do that since little league T ball is beginning and we are hoping to ward off another disaster like last season! I will give him a 5 mg. short acting pill around 4:30, which should carry him through till bedtime. He takes the XR in the morning around 8. He gets home from kindergarten around 4, and since he usually doesn't eat a big lunch at school, I want to make sure we get enough food into him before the short acting dose kicks in. And he always has an instant breakfast milkshake before bed. I really don't like giving him the booster, so we will only do it when absolutely necessary. Hope this helps, and keep me posted on how things are going.

Hi! We've been MIA, but wanted to say ds is doing better on the 5 mg XR now that we added the 1/2 mg Tenex. I agree w/Kathleen that the side effects are subsiding and even rebound in the afternoon is getting better. I have found that the p.m. dose of 1/2 mg Tenex that I give after school makes him a bit "stoned" and since the rebound seems to be getting better, I just give it as needed. I would like to talk to doc about whether a little 2.5 mg p.m. dose of Focalin would be better that the p.m. Tenex. He was such a limp noodle at karate the other afternoon and it was really hot. He looked like he was going to faint so we sat him down and gave him water. I felt bad for him.

Hope all continues to go well!