Has anyone tried either? I know the XR is still new. I'm getting a script for it early next week. Just wondering if it works better/worse or has less/more side effects as race mixed ritalin....thanks.

Cyndi

I will assume no one has tried either or is neglecting to post any useful information they have pertaining to the usage of focalin or focalin XR. I am getting the pre-auth for focalin on Monday, so will starting taking it by wednesday or thereabout. The XR formulation isn't even in medicaid/medicare computer system yet so it isn't covered regardless of any pre-auth. I'll let you know how I react to the focalin. The dose is 10mg t.i.d. but I will probably only take a half tablet for the third dose so I don't crash like I did on ritalin.

Cheers.

I'm also wondering about Focalin XR. My doc just prescribed it to me, with a free 30-day sample coupon. Good thing to know about the medication not being in the Medicaid systems yet, because that's what I have to go through. You said the XR isn't, though, but is the short-acting?

No pharmacy had this medication so it has to be ordered so I will be starting it Thursday or Friday. I'll let you know how it is.

The regular Focalin is in the system, but has been a real pain to get covered. XR isn't in the system at all yet. I got a 30 day free trial voucher for the regular, and am hoping the pre-auth goes through in the next couple of days. It looks like they will only approve it for twice a day, but my doc's secretary is doing what she can about the third dose.

Novartis has applications via the web for drug discounts. Look into that if they give you grief--I already filled one out and gave it to the doc in case the insurance company doesn't pull through.

Good luck,
Cyndi

I moved to Focalin (short acting) with good results. I was able to stay on task with out getting stuck in hyperfocus. I actually started sticking to a time schedule and have been able to stop some of my "driven" behavior. (They don't call me second-hand Joan for nothing) The best thing though was NO REBOUND! And I could get the dosage I needed without my Psychiatric RN freaking out (20 mgs. of Ritalin seemed like to much-10 of Focalin?...yeah, that's better.) I'll be putting in my request for the long acting version myself- I still forget afternoon meds all too often. I'm looking forward to living a full (rather than half) life. i'm worth it...joan
JRJ

Thank you for the anecdote. I'd like to try it myself, and will discuss it with my doctor.

I think we all appreciate the info! :D

Not alot of people have tried focalin, and focalin XR is brand-spanking new so....

Any information on how you have responded, and how Focalin compares with ritalin would be much appreciated.

Good luck!

Well, I started Focalin XR yesterday at 10mg once a day. I also got a 30-day voucher for the med (thanks for the insurance info Cyndi...I'll have to let my doc know). I couldn't really tell how it worked because I was out and about and didn't really have to do any focusing, and I was walking around, so I don't know if it helped the hyperactivity any, but I shall find out today.

I read up some on it, and it says it's the same as methylphenidate, but with an inactive substance taken out of it, which in turn makes it work better and doesn't require as high of a dose. What bummed me out was that it said that it will "last the entire school day." That's only 6 hours. Ritalin LA only lasted 6 hours for me, so I was taking it twice a day, but then I started building up a tolerance to it, and have been trying other meds since. I'm hoping the Focalin XR will last longer than 6 hours, though. *crosses fingers* A cool thing, too, was that it was approved to treat ADHD in adults. I don't think many stimulants have been specifically approved for adults yet...well, at least they weren't when Strattera first came out.

The first med I ever tried was generic Ritalin 20mg TID several years ago. I forget why I was taken off of it, but it was working great (I also have Bipolar, so it could have had something to do with that). But, if all else fails, I'll just see if I can go back to that.

Anywho, I'll keep y'all posted on my experience with Focalin XR.

I had terrible rebound with the regular ritalin, 20 mg TID. I'm taking the focalin 10 mg TID now. Just started and hoping the insurance will kick in for TID instead of BID, or maybe my doc will do that application thing for novartis. Anyway, regular focalin didn't make me crash like the regular ritalin did.

To expand on the inactive ingredient thing: regular ritalin/ritalin LA/concerta is considered a 'race mix' which is d-methylphenidate and l-methylphenidate. d-methylphenidate is the active ingredient and the l-meth is considered useless. So focalin is just the d-meth.

Cyndi :)

Unfortunately, the Focalin XR is not working well for me, at least not at the 10mg. That would make sense because when I was on Ritalin LA I was taking 20mg and it started to not work well. I tried taking 20mg of the Focalin and that works better, so I'm going to have to tell my doc. I don't find it different at all from the Ritalin LA aside from the dosage differences.

Ritalin gave me terrible sadness when it wore off...I'd be upset, irritible, oversensitive, crying...Focalin gives me a rebound headache, but not all the bad feelings. I just got a voucher for focalin xr and had it filled today. I am going to be taking 20mg focalin xr and 5mg focalin BID if I need it, after I've been on just the XR for a week. So I will keep you updated as I get the right dose of focalin XR/focalin and let you know of any side effects I may get. Everyone is different, but it still helps to be able to ask a person directly instead of (or in conjuction with) looking at the monograph that comes with the pills.

Toodles,
Cyndi ;)

My doctor just gave me a prescription for Focalin XR along with the "Free month" coupon. Told me to start with 10mg but go ahead and double it if needed. I'll post how it compares to Concerta.

My doctor just gave me a prescription for Focalin XR along with the "Free month" coupon. Told me to start with 10mg but go ahead and double it if needed. I'll post how it compares to Concerta.Thanks! We need to accumulate more experiences on this unique formulation.

First day taking Focalin XR. The doctor told me to start with 10mg, and go to 20mg if I need to. I didn't expect much at 10mg, but so far it's working better than expected. I think 10mg Focalin is equivalent to 20mg Concerta. The 18mg Concerta hadn't been doing much for me, I had been taking 36mg.

Anyway, I had been on vacation so I haven't taken anything in about a week, so that could be a factor in why this seems so strong.

First day taking Focalin XR. The doctor told me to start with 10mg, and go to 20mg if I need to. I didn't expect much at 10mg, but so far it's working better than expected. I think 10mg Focalin is equivalent to 20mg Concerta. The 18mg Concerta hadn't been doing much for me, I had been taking 36mg.

Anyway, I had been on vacation so I haven't taken anything in about a week, so that could be a factor in why this seems so strong. 10mg of Focalin XR is equivelant to 20mg of Ritalin LA, especially in terms of pharmacokinetics. Concerta is not equivelant to either because of it's unique absorbtion which affects how it works in the brain. 36mg Concerta is usually considered therapeutically equivelant to 20mg of Ritalin LA, or 10mg b.i.d..

10mg of Focalin XR is equivelant to 20mg of Ritalin LA, especially in terms of pharmacokinetics. Concerta is not equivelant to either because of it's unique absorbtion which affects how it works in the brain. 36mg Concerta is usually considered therapeutically equivelant to 20mg of Ritalin LA, or 10mg b.i.d..
Thanks! I'd been trying to get that information. I suspected that Concerta wasn't equivalent to Ritalin LA mg for mg.

What is strange is that 20mg of Ritalin LA does not work well for me, I've tried that dose in the form of 2 10mg pills (in the morning). The 2 pills seem to cancel each other out or something. 10mg LA seems to have more effect on me. I definately do see results at 36mg Concerta, or based on today, 10mg Focalin XR.

Also the extended release mechanism of the Focalin XR seems a bit different than both the LA and Concerta. Those do a 'jump start' dose in the morning. Focalin seems to build thoughout the day, I hardly noticed it at first, but it felt stronger in the afternoon than in the morning.

Also, it's 8:50pm, and it doesn't seem to have worn off yet, hopefully it does before bed.

So I'm pleased with the results so far, but I know the others have been inconsistant, so I won't get my hopes too high yet.

Also the extended release mechanism of the Focalin XR seems a bit different than both the LA and Concerta. Those do a 'jump start' dose in the morning. Focalin seems to build thoughout the day, I hardly noticed it at first, but it felt stronger in the afternoon than in the morning. Here's the Novartis PDR on Focalin XR (http://www.pharma.us.novartis.com/product/pi/pdf/focalinXR.pdf)
Here's the Novartis PDR for Ritalin LA (http://www.pharma.us.novartis.com/product/pi/pdf/ritalin_la.pdf)
Here is Concerta's (http://64.136.148.48/2pdfs/prescribing_info_hp.pdf) PDR

As you can see, both Focalin XR and Ritalin LA use the same bimodal delivery system, and are even made by the same manufacturer. Your response may be different because of pharmocodynamic differences in the d-methyl molecule as opposed to the racemate. There is some evidence that the d- isomer carries less risk of side effects and may last longer.

Either way, good luck to you :)

As you can see, both Focalin XR and Ritalin LA use the same bimodal delivery system, and are even made by the same manufacturer. Your response may be different because of pharmocodynamic differences in the d-methyl molecule as opposed to the racemate. There is some evidence that the d- isomer carries less risk of side effects and may last longer.

Either way, good luck to you :)
If it lasts longer, that might explain why it seemed to peak in the afternoon, b/c more is being released before the earlier stuff has worn off.

Now as for side effects, I never felt that 'coming down' feeling I usually get with Concerta or Ritalin LA, so I don't know exactly when it wore off. I did have some trouble falling asleep, so it may have lasted past bedtime.

My son has been on 10mg of Focalin XR for almost two weeks now. He isn't experiencing any of the side effects he was with Ritalin and Ritalin LA. He was getting about 5-6 hours out of the 10mg dosage, his doctor moved him up to 20mg to get longer dosage time, and that has given him an added 2 hours. He has had no problems falling aleep at night, eating well, and no anger issues like he did on Ritalin and LA.

My son has been on 10mg of Focalin XR for almost two weeks now. He isn't experiencing any of the side effects he was with Ritalin and Ritalin LA. He was getting about 5-6 hours out of the 10mg dosage, his doctor moved him up to 20mg to get longer dosage time, and that has given him an added 2 hours. He has had no problems falling aleep at night, eating well, and no anger issues like he did on Ritalin and LA.Thanks for sharing your son's experience, and welcome to the forum! :)

I should also mention that I have periodic sleep problems, so it might not necessarily have been the focalin keeping me up.

But, I still have no idea when it wore off, so it's either the smoothest ADD drug ever, or it lasted more than 17 hours. Hopefully the former :D

I've been taking the 20 mg focalin XR for a short time now, and never added the 5 mg focalin BID. It's pretty smooth and helps with concentration more than the concerta did and I don't have the crash at night like I did on ritalin TID or the max dose of concerta I was taking...I was up to 72 mg of concerta. It actually triggered a depressive episode that lasted about two months. I'm feeling better now that I've been off of it and taking this focalin. :) I think this is the one for me.

Cyndi

My son and I both tried the Focalin XR 10 mg. I didn't work on him at all. I gave it to him for a couple of days on the weekend. Nothing, I wouldn't even send him to school on it because it was like he dind't even take it.

I tried the 10 first , nothing? I felt a little of it? But then it's like it went away, so I took another 10 ...still nothing. I yawned and fell asleep. So I think it's like most meds, what works for one, won't work for another. Of course, if you have the voucher, which we did, go for it. It's free.

The good thing about most ADD/ADHD meds (stimulants) is they work the same day, we don't have to sit around and wait for a blood level like the depression/bi polar meds..So that's just my 2 cents...Take what you want and leave the rest!
Hope

Cyndi and Hope, thank you very much for sharing! It's good to hear subjective accounts because I think doctor's assume focalin will be exactly like ritalin, when that is not the case! Try to tell someone who's tried Celexa and Lexapro that they are both the same ;).

Hope, how's lakewood? I just moved here from N. Olmsted a few months ago, and it's been a hot one down here :D! I don't miss the grey skies up there at all, but man the heat can be smothering sometimes.

Peace

Focalin XR20 has for me been as effective as a placebo, i.e., totally not at all, and I'm actually kind of relieved to know that my experience wasn't unique. Today is day 4 (and probably the last day), and all I can say is that I'm glad I got a coupon and didn't pay. Even Ritalin LA and Concerta had had SOME effect - maybe that racemate molecule was useful after all - although it was for me primarily a 'speedy' one and didn't really help with focus/concentration (however, it really interfered with my love of coffee! ;->). Back to the drawing board....

Hi - just bumping this up as my DD (6.5) will be starting Focalin XR in the morning (5 mg for the first 5 days, then up to 10 if we haven't seen good results). We have been trying Strattera (1 week 18 mg, 2 weeks 25 mg, 2 weeks 36 mg) with less than spectacular results - some improvement in focusing/lack of frustration with some tasks but no improvement on impulse control (she's inattentive ADD) and general attitude.

I'll update as we go through this.

pipsmom, good luck! Is she getting any kind of therapy or anything besides the medication? I really think that the combination of medication and behavioral therapy gives the best results for kids. Probably for adults too. I seem to do better with focalin xr and therapy. :)

We've done 5 days at 5 mg and today took her to 10 mg. We have an appt on Friday w/our ped to evaluate (we're about to leave on a trip so we're trying to decide what to do while gone). She's done very well on the 5 mg with minimal appetite change as the key reaction we've seen.

She also seemed very "with it" over the weekend. We had a P/T conference today (she's in K) and she is doing fabulously (she's repeating from last year because of borderline academic performance and major self-esteem issues). She is a "leader" in the class and ahead of the others academically. She was on Straterra for the 5 weeks of the evlaution period and her response to the academic elements was amazing as compared to last year. They're given 5 minutes to write as many words as they can and she did a ton with perfect handwriting and you can tell she was incredibly focused on it.

Of course, we weren't seeing the results at home on the Strattera (impulse-control) so we've now switched but I have high hopes given that it seemed to work at school and since the Focalin seems to be going well so far (I'm more impressed in one week on it than I was on the 5 of Strattera). I'll keep you updated.

We have a counselor and we see her about monthly. She is excellent and provides ideas for us to try at home and for the teacher (who is excellent as well and has an ADHD son so she's btdt with all of this) and we try them all out. We did behavioral modification only from Jan-Aug so I totally agree about the importance of the therapy.

We've been reading the Bob books every night with DD. I last read with her on either Wed or Thurs (my parents were here so they each read one night and we took Fri off).



Today DD went up to 10 mg on Focalin.

Tonight DD read like *nothing* I've ever seen. She literally FLEW through the books (6 in total) and never hesitated on words that a week ago (or less) she had to sound spell on each and every page. In fact, in the first 4 books, she NEVER paused. In the last 2 she had to sound out maybe 3 or 4 words in total between the two books. It took her literally no time to do it in her head (used to be out loud, sound by sound). We would be lucky to do 1-2 of the books per night.

THIS is what I hoped to see as a reaction to the medication. THIS tells me we're addressing the right issue. THIS feels like 100% validation that it IS a focusing issue. THIS rocks.

I am in awe. Complete and utter awe. I can't even think what to type because I am so utterly shocked at the dramatic change. I cannot wait to go to the dr. on Friday and update her. OMG

Day 2 on 10 mg and she continues to do well. She's a bit rough in the morning (but this is normal, she's a heavy sleeper and getting her up/going has never been easy, plus it has seemed harder for her to go to bed at 8, (she gets up at 7)) and she wasn't great right after school (5-ish) but her reading is astounding us and we have no appetite issues at all it seems.

We have a follow-up with our ped on Friday and leave for vacation on Saturday so I'll try to update before we go and definitely once we get back and have been on this for a longer time period.

Pip --

Wow! From everything you've said, this is like a miracle drug for DD. That's great! I'm so happy for you and for her. I hope the progress continues and she keeps doing well in school. :)

Cyndi

Dr. visit today. DD weighed more than last time (hooray) and the dr. is as thrilled as we are. We got a 30 day script for the 10 mg and can try 15 using our left-over 5 mg pills if we think we're not seeing enough improvement as the month goes along.

We're off for a week so I'll update when we return.

I started taking 10 mg Adderall XR about 2 months ago for ADHD, but had to stop after 20 days because of hypertension, severe agitation and was EXTREMELY tired at the end of the day.

Then my doc suggested Focalin XR. I started with 5 mg for 5 days, then up to 10 mg. I noticed I was better focused, could control my impulsivity and more motivated to get things done. I just started 20 mg of the Focalin XR today, and MAN, I am more focused NOW than I can remember in years! I can juggle more ideals and can control my reaction to my surroundings. This stuff is GREAT for me.

My 7 year daughter has also been diagnosed with ADHD (a mirror image of me) through a 4-hour battery of tests at a local neurophysiologist. She's very impulsive and has a hard time focusing in class, but was rated with a superior IQ. MY psychiatrist met with her yesterday and prescribed 5 mg, then 10 mg of Focalin XR.

We just started her medication today, and I'm very optimistic. I spoke with her teacher, the school counselor and nurse, so we can all monitor any changes. I'll report back with her results.

OK, a followup about Focalin XR:

It seems to be doing great for myself and my daughter! We both have ADHD. The drug gives me greater "self control" than I had before. I don't "snap" at the wife and kids and can stay focused LOTS better.

As for my daughter, she seems to be doing better in school, especially in the mornings. We have the 9-week parent-teacher meeting early next week, so we'll see what the teacher has to report. However, I suspect that she's doing well.

The only problem I'm seeing with the Focalin XR is that SEEMS to wears off for ME around dinnertime, when the family sits down to eat dinner. Screaming baby, bouncy ADHD 7 year old, tired wife -- you get the idea. My brain gets overloaded and I start shutting down.

Now, we've had a cold ALL week, so it's hard to tell if the stress is from the cold OR from the Focalin wearing off. I'll report back with that.

HOWEVER, I can say that my daughter, who had NOT had the cold this week as bad as my wife, myself and one-year-old, is still VERY hyper at dinnertime on 5 mg of Focalin XR. She starts with 10 mg today, so we'll see how that goes.

SO, I might see if the doctor might offer a suggestion to keep the Focalin XR levels higher for a 15 hr day. I CURRENTLY take 20 mg Focalin XR.

For me, perhaps, take 10 mg at 6 am, and another 10 mg at 11 am. I meet with doctor next week, so I'll report back with his suggestion.

Jury's still out on FocalinXR for me.

My son (11) started taking 20 mg about two weeks ago and getting through school okay, but we had to up it to 30 mg to hopefully get the 12 hours out of it. Not quite there yet. The past few days he's been agitated when he gets home from school. Today we could definately tell when the meds wore off. He just went into a complete meltdown. In fact, he's crying right now. 'sigh' Will have to call the doc back about this.

I started taking 10 mg two days ago. Dull headache, dry mouth and a feeling like I've had too much coffee is about all I feel.Maybe a bit calmer, but I still don't have the feeling like I can focus and pay attention.

The focalin xr makes a bigger difference in me than I thought. My mom and her fiance can tell if I don't take it, or when it wears off. Apparently I am bouncy and don't 'shut up' without the focalin in my system... rebound hyperactivity maybe?

The 20 mg hasn't been helping quite as much lately. I might give the neuro a call tomorrow about that and some other things.

Good luck with your focalin xr trials Fly, Lacy and Pip. :)

Cyndi

I went up to 20 mg of FocalinXR and felt tipsy drunk the whole day. Didn't like the feeling, so I went back down to 10. Today was a good test for me - I taught a Sunday School class of sixteen rambunctious 2nd & 3rd graders, and I actually had the PATIENCE to do it! They didn't drive me bonkers! I'm also finding that I'm getting housework done a little more. I still bounce around between tasks and forget what I'm doing sometimes and I'm sleepy when it wears off, but everything else is an improvement. This is the first drug I've tried. I think I like it, but may try another at my next appointment just for comparison sake.

My son (11) is on 40 mg. It's great for him. No side effects at all except for a little sleepiness when it wears off, just like me. He actually LIKES doing his homework!

We're back from our trip and our DD is now on 15 mg of the FocalinXR and continues to do well. The only side effect we're seeing is some hyperness at night but I can't tell if it's wearing off and it's from that or if it's from the 2nd "up" of the day due to the XR. We can definitely tell in the morning when she's had it because she becomes chatty Cathy every morning telling us long involved stories.

I think we'll keep her here for now and see how it goes.

I tried an experiment today. Since I get so sleepy around 2-3:00 when the FocalinXR (10 mg) is wearing off, I took another 10 mg this afternoon to see me through the rest of the day. If I can get to sleep ok tonight, I think I'll continue to do this.

Lacy, how'd you sleep? I've never tried taking the XR anytime after 11 am.

Cyndi

Neuro - I slept just fine. It wears off around 9:00, and my bedtime is 9:30-10:00 so I have no problems getting to sleep.

Hi all. We called and discussed dosages w/our dd and have dropped back to 10. She was just too hyper on the 15 and too wild each evening and bedtime was a nightmare. The 10 seems to be "the dose" for her so we got a 90 day script and we'll evaluate as we go.

Her reading is continuing to improve and the Focalin really gives here the focusing power to work on it without frustration. We are VERY pleased w/the drug thus far in terms of both results and lack of side effects.

I am wondering if anyone has had luck with this? I was thinking of trying it for my son. He has had trouble when his Concerta wears off with the headache and rebound depression/weepiness.....supposedly these side effects are not as bad with Focalin. There does not seem to be much info out there on this drug - I know it's new. Please share your experiences.

thanks!

[QUOTE=neuroangel]Ritalin gave me terrible sadness when it wore off...I'd be upset, irritible, oversensitive, crying...Focalin gives me a rebound headache, but not all the bad feelings.

Are you still taking the Focalin? Is is working out better for you? My son is having those same side effects you mentioned from his Concerta so I am looking to try something else. I feel so bad that he has a headache every day and is an emotional wreck almost every night.

It's just amazing to me how every person is so different on this drug. My son (11) is on 40 mg of Focalin XR with no side effects at all, except his appetite has gone down some. He's been on it for about six weeks. The first week or two he had some sleepiness and a couple days had a headache when it wore off. But it's been smooth sailing since then.

He loves school and is getting good grades. But it wears off shortly after he gets home so we have to deal with him until bedtime. We had considered getting the short-acting Focalin to give him after school, but I'm afraid he'd never get to sleep. It's hard enough getting him to bed!!

Give him some short acting Focalin after school and then 5 to 10 mg of Valium before bed. That should settle him down.

Is it possible to PM the Mods about making a new board for Focalin/Focalin XR? It seems as though it is going to be a new widely prescribed drug for AD/HD especially since they are offering a 30-day free sample.

I was prescribed to the XR version and I'm currently at 10MG once daily and going to work my way up. I notice it definitely improves with concentration and focus for me.


Chris

Thanks! I am 51 and was prescribed ritalin and dextroamphetamine years ago when my husband and his folks insisted I see a psychiatrist about being scattered and unorganized and spinning my wheels. Both drugs worked great the one time I took each, but I hated the crash or hangover and vowed not to take any more. Focalin sounds like a viable alternative. Similar story as I hear on this site. Never finished a book in my life, never sat through a movie, finally got a college degree in my 30s, but it wasn't easy. I do great when I am physically active but obviously have a hard time concentrating when I am stationary. Will a general practitiioner prescribe ritalin or focalin or do you need to see a psychiatrist? My work insurance provides a flat $15 copayment (no deductable) to see my general pratitioner but to see a psychiatrist it's going to cost $200 to $300. Thanks in advance. Sorry if this is off topic.

2 month update for us


DD (almost 7) has been on 10 mg XR since Oct 4. We tried 15 briefly but it seemed to make her too hyper and the 10 worked better. Her weight has remained steady/normal and we have noticed that she is much more of a night-feeder (lol) now. She's never been much of a breakfast eater, but we have to push her to eat. She seems to eat her lunch ok (she may throw it out for all we know) and they have a snack in her K class at 2:15 and another one in Aftercare at 3:30. She then usually eats a HUGE dinner and a snack before bed. So she's focusing her calories on late day eating which we think is partially due to the drug (similiar situation the weekend) but the fact that she's not losing is what's important to us.

Focus wise she seems to be doing fine in school still. Her reading is improving and all reports coming home are good. I'd say the greatest change that we've noticed in the 2 months is that the "coming off" period is more marked and noticeable. She is much more out-of-control (implusivity) at night and harder to manage (bed-time routine) than she was at the beginning. I think this may be due to her being more used to the meds over time? It's still very manageable (albeit somewhat difficult for tired parents to remember to help her focus on getting to bed) but different than it was.

We don't have a planned P/T conference until Spring but dh and I will ask for one in Jan (this will be a year from when we started on this journey) to evaluate her progress and medication dosage levels.

Overall, we are still very pleased w/the Focalin and the (lack of) side effects.

[QUOTE=neuroangel]Ritalin gave me terrible sadness when it wore off...I'd be upset, irritible, oversensitive, crying...Focalin gives me a rebound headache, but not all the bad feelings.

Are you still taking the Focalin? Is is working out better for you? My son is having those same side effects you mentioned from his Concerta so I am looking to try something else. I feel so bad that he has a headache every day and is an emotional wreck almost every night.

I take the focalin XR and it doesn't give me headaches like the short-acting focalin. I sometimes feel sad at night, but I don't think it has to do with the focalin XR. The winter has always been a rough time for me.

Good luck finding the right med for your son. Extended release seems to have less side effects for me. Concerta didn't have bad side effects until I went up to 72 mg.

Cyndi

My son has been on Focalin XR since August. At first it worked real well but now it only lasts about 5-6 hours. The school sees a different child after lunch. Psy dr. increased from 5mg to 10mg to 15mg and is still wearing off by lunch. Has anyone been prescribed a second dose of xr in one day? I think this is what he needs. This is the first stimulant he has taken because he also has mood disorder and they were afraid stimulants would make him more agitated but so far that isn't the case. Thanks for any input in adavance.

Onygony, I haven't tried 2 doses in one day yet but we're seeing major "withdrawal" symptoms (or whatever it's called) every evening around 6 and it's driving us nuts. DD becomes VERY impulsive, wild and will not remain focused on anything. If anything makes her upset/mad, etc. she flies off the handle and cannot be calmed down. Even tho we know it's the rebound of the meds, it's very frustrating. We have her on 10 mg and are going to try 15 mg this week to see if that helps (we did this before and it honestly seemed worse, but that was 2 months ago) and then we're going to meet with our dr. next week. I've heard taking a "booster" of the non XR version is sometimes a fix for the later day issues. Good luck!

We have had the same issue of the FocalinXR eventually barely getting 5-6 hours a day of coverage and then the horrendous come-down at night when it wears off. We tried the short-acting after school, but the come down was even worse from that one and my son hardly ever slept. He also had a poor appetite.

Our psychiatrist said that's not an acceptable reaction to the drug so he switched Nathan to Adderall XR and Clonidine. The clonidine helps keep him calm and helps him sleep at night. He has NO side effects at all from the Adderall, no come-down effects.

My daughter found Focalin immediate release to be effective, but only for about 3.5 hours at 7.5 mg per dose. HOWEVER the Focalin XR was worse than a placebo.... it did nothing...or perhaps even decreased her ability to focus. Has anyone else had this experience? Any thoughts as to why?

My 14 year old son was on a wide variety of medication from 2nd to 5th grade. All the way from ritalin, ritalin XR , adderall, concerta. I never really saw any improvement, used to feel "obligated" to have him on med. because the school put much pressure on me.Bottom line, I reached the point where I lost all hope in med. Had him med. free for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. No change from when he was on med. the only positive aspect to it was that he was able to sleep well. I had him re-evaluated before he started HS, and was advised to try him on focalin. Academically he has done very poorly until these past grading period. His teachers, his brother and myself can see the difference. His brother has said " he doesn't annoy me as much any longer" meaning picking on him. We both have attended counseling and I continue to keep myself updated and educated on the matter. I want him to grow up to be a succesful adult.

We had our 3 month follow-up yesterday and have decided to try Concerta for DD because of the rebound issues. It's a much more controlled release and should take us the 12 hours but we'll have to watch the side effects. We still like the Focalin in terms of day-time results but the nights were hell. We could have tried a non extended release booster but we were all afraid she wouldn't sleep at night (she needs about 11-11.5 hours and wouldn't get the booster until 5 p.m.).

I'll watch this thread with interest as we talked about pursuing Focalin again if she gains some weight (we had tried going up to the 15 mg but it was too much for her so the dr. thinks a weight gain might make a diff there)

Excercicing and Focalin

I have been on Focalin xr 5mg for about 2 months now and it is working fine. However, I started getting more from this med in the last 2 weeks after I started using my treadmill for about 30 min a day, 4-5 days a week. Does exercising enhance ADD medications?

Hi Adhdman,

I just started the Focalin XR at 5mg a day. I'm sorry I don't know about how excercise effects it because I just started it. Can I ask you have you had any side effects from it?

My doctor told me to take it twice a day, and then to move up to 3 times a day but I recently read that it is the extended release pill and should only be taken once. I'm a bit confused and are going to have to call her on Monday??

Have you ever heard of anybody taking it more than once per day? :confused:

Hi Laurenceann,

I take Focalin XR at 5mg once a day at about 8AM. It seems to work till about 4PM. The only side effect I have encountered so far is feeling sleepy after the med wears off. Just as an FYI , I was first put on Focalin XR 10mg and that did not work at all. I was up all day and all night and felt very strange.