Focalin XR Day 1 | ADHD Information

My daughter she is 4 started her first dose today of 5 mg. It took about
an hour to kick in. She was telling me her hands were tingly and she
had this toy cell phone in her hands and she kept spinning it for about
2 hours. I know the doc said there will be some tics. Do they go away
at all? I have seen a change in her but some of the things I am
seeing and I'm asking myself if it's worth keeping her on the meds.
She does fine in school it's just at home and in public with me is the
problem. She is a cardiac baby also so if she really doesn't need the
meds the better. I cried for 2 hours today because I hate the thought
of any meds going into my kids.

Hi,

I just joined today as my daughter (6) is also struggling with ADD and we are trying diff meds to see which one works for her. She was on Focalin XR briefly. Her teachers noted that she was clapping her hands repeatedly in front of her face. That lasted about a week and did not return. We had to take her off of it b/c after being on it for about 8 days, her hair started falling out. Then they switched her to Adderall, which lasted about 5 days before her hair started falling out again,,UUGGHHHH!!! So now her doctor just sent us info. on Tenex and Straterra...not sure what we are going to do.I am reading up on both drugs now. I totally relate to how you are feeling. Everytime I give her meds I feel bad and pray that I am making the right decision. She also has mild aortic stenosis and I always worry that I am going to possibly do unknown damage to her heart by putting these drugs in her body.....it is a very tough decision.

Meds are a very tough decision and you definately want to be educated on your options.  Considering your children have cardiac issues in the first place, I can totally understand why you would be hesitant.  Our DS doesn't even have any cardiac issues & we still asked that he be referred to a cardiologist after being on meds for 2 yrs, just to make he was healthy in that respect, so I can totally relate.  That being said I want to point out one good point I've read many times on this board, would you not medicate a diabetic for fear of what harm the meds may cause?  More than likely you would medicate because the benefits far outweigh the negatives.  This is what you have to consider when you make the choice to medicate for ADHD.  As far as tics, I think it depends on the child and the meds whether or not they will go away.  I think some drugs cause some kids tics that just don't go away and there again, is the tic minor enough that the benefit of the med wins?  Or is the tic so extreme that you decide the benefit is worth it & try something else.  Our DS has a tic that is somewhat minor and it only comes around when he tries a new med or has an increase in his dose.  It's an eye twitch that is really annoying but fortunately, it decreases w/time & eventually disappears over the course of a few weeks.  Know that you're not alone...the battle of meds & whether or not we are making the right choice & whether or not they are truly working for them is a constant one.  Good luck!