Hello All! I am happy that I found this message board! A little background... my 6 year old son was diagnosed last Spring. We tried Adderall and tenex (for anxiety and aggression).... he seemed very moody and quickly became emotional.... we changed to focalin and have been doing very well on it.
I was soooo worried about his kindergarten year and he has done fantastic. No major behaviors except the typical things I would expect here and there. He did and continues to have trouble on the bus (not sitting down, getting carried away, not listening... these are unstructured times and meds are worn off)
In March at his dr appt, I asked about taking him off the tenex. I had not seen any aggression or anxiety and I always struggled with the idea that he was taking two pills (the tenex was 1/2 a pill in the am, lunch, dinner while the focalin was only in the am). I always felt that the tenex gave Adam a "dull" appearance... a little of his personality was gone... not fully... but as a mom I felt there was a difference. Soo long story short, we slowly took away the tenex slowly over 6 weeks and he showed no negative effects at first and just as we were about ready to take his afternoon pill away, he started showing more impulsivness, quick to react, a noticable difference in school and it rolled over to bad impulsives at home (kicking, throwing sand, etc) HOWEVER, I noticed Adam seemed happier for the most part AND the teacher noticed enough to say to me that Adam seemed happier and more talkative. Adam was "happy" before but there really was a dullness to it and not much reaction from him... So I called my dr and I told her the above and we kept the process of taking away the tenex and we went from 10mg to 15 mg of the focalin. That was about 3 weeks ago. Again, his teacher has stated how happier and talkative he is... she really sees a change. He is so empathatic with various situations and very, very loving (not that he wasn't before but it wasn't as apparant as it is now) There is such a difference that I really am not willing to go back to the tenex knowing that it wasn't just me.... The tenex did provide an overall "calmness" and I can see that is lacking now... he is raring to go even at night.... takes longer to fall asleep but all do-able. There are nights and parts of the weekend that I think I may not be able to do this but then he pulls the "loving" card... There truly is a difference in his personality. He is doing well in the classroom with his teacher who really works well with him however, she does notice Adam being more hands on and impulsive (better with the higher dosage) but it is still there.... he has trouble in unstructered areas- hallways, recess, and the bus. Soooo, my question is.... what is the typical dose of focalin... do we go higher? Thoughts? He heads to 1st grade which is a whole other world from k and playtime and I so want him to be successful. Thanks!!
First let me say that there is no usual dosage for adhd meds. Dosage depends on lots of things: a child's metabolism, weight, severity of affliction. Two kids the same age and weight might have two different dosages.
My son has taken Focalin XR for almost five years. He was set at 12.5 mgs for a long time, then over the last year hit a growth spurt and quickly increased to 20 mgs. He's on the verge of 13, so he's learning to control a lot of the impulses that hit hard as a child. He takes a booster of Ritalin if there is an evening activity like a concert. He cycles through tics occasionally, but they don't stick.
I think that you just have to try a dosage and see how it works. It really is a process and always will be. If you have a psych that you feel comfortable with, it makes the whole thing easier.
Rough night here so I will be quick... my son is 9 and is on focalin xr 30 mg a day given in the morning... and also the short acting version 10 mg. in morning and 15 mg in the afternoon.... he is severe ADHD and ODD but has a very fast metabolism...
good luck!!