Hi,
I'm new to this site & Focalin XR!
Today was my first day. I took 20mg of XR at 9am this morning. I was on 20mg of Ritalin t.i.d. It took about a little over an hour for it to kick in (which is a little long for me). When it did kick in it was great. Lots of focus, clarity, attention, not easily distracted (I don't have the hyperactive part). Minimal side effects (big plus). Felt really smooth. I had food around 11. The downfall for me was the second dose release. There was a lag time between the ending of the first dose & the beginning of the second. This could have been because of food (but I do have to eat). Also, the second release was significantly weaker than the first. Barely noticeable with ADD symptoms present.
However, I really liked the effect of the first release so I'm planning on taking 30 mg tomorrow morning since I was taking 60mg of Ritalin over the course of the day (half of that is 30) I have permission from my md to do this. Does anyone have any other suggestions, perhaps staggering the dosing?
Gensho, Male 31

This is my fourth day on Focalin XR. Overall, I like it. It has the effectiveness of ritalin with minimal/almost none of the side effects. For me XR lasts for 6 hours. I'm taking 20mg at 7am & 20mg at 1pm. If you have a 12-14 hour day, as I do, I must take it twice. I'm also using 10mg of Ritalin as boosters twice a day as well. Overall this is 40mg of Focalin XR & 10mg Focalin (10mg of Ritalin is 5mg of Focalin). Essentially this is 50mg of Focalin for my longest days. When I read some of these posts, people write I took 5mg of Focalin XR and felt nothing, I'm going of this. In my experience (always consult with your doctor), if you are new to stimulants, yes start at the lowest dosage. However, if you have been taking stimulants for a while there is no need to start at the lowest dose, of course you wont feel anything. Start at a comparable dose to what you were previously using. (Always consult with your MD).
If you read the pharmaceutical insert for Focalin XR, it states that it has a bioavailability of 22-25%. That is very low. It means that generally people only absorb 22-25% into their bloodstream. It needs to be absorbed in order to work.
In addition, Focalin XR is most definitely affected by food. You eat, effectiveness goes down. Thus, the boosters. It is impossible for me to organize my eating schedule around an extended release formula. I'm too busy & eat when I can.
For me, the second release of Focalin, four hours later is weaker than the first. If you read the insert, you will see that indeed the release of the second dose is weaker than the first (too avoid peaks). Thus the second booster.
For now, I'm going to stay steady where I'm at, although I'm going to get an RX for Focalin IR (to replace the Ritalin).
With my experience with stimulants the more you take them, the less you "feel them". This is a good thing. Many times people "feel" (you feel the side effects) that the stimulant is not working, when it is. Don't just trust yourself, ask your partners, friends, or parents if they notice a change. Also, go off of it for a couple of days, is their a difference?
Please, again, you must discuss all of this with your physician. I am not an MD. THis is just my experience & what I've worked out with my doctor.
I'll keep you posted.
Cheers.
Gensho
31, male with ADD/Inattentive type.

I'm going to be starting on Focalin XR tomorrow. I've been on Strattera, at 80mgs the last month and it was not doing a thing for me, so my Dr changed me today. Of course he messed up the script and didn't specify XR and I asked them to just fill it as written and they were out of the IR and they have the XR... so tomorrow I'm trucking over to the office to get them to add that XR on the end.

He wrote for 5mgs so that I can ramp it up to 10, 15, or 20 etc to find the proper dosage for me to start out on. Starting of course at just 5mgs. I've never been on stimulants before (other than trying my daughter's Metadate CD 10mgs.. I took 20 and worked fine) She wasn't able to tolerate it due to fast and hard heart palpitations and had 29 of the 30 pills left so I thought I'd try a couple to see how it'd work on me. That's the first time.. and the last until it was made legal for me today. But I learned officially that I needed a stimulant for my ADHD (combined type).

Welcome (a delayed one) to the forums Gensho. Do you have any updates?

Hello,
I'm back & yes I'm still on Focalin XR. Well I can tell you it's a mixed bag. When the dosage is right it is quite effective. However if it's too little or too much it can be pretty troublesome.
I have two types of days. One where I'm up at 6:30am & going until 10pm. The other waking around 9 and retiring around 10pm. On the longer days I have been taking 20mg XR (with a 5 mg IR booster). Then another 20mg XR around 1pm. The odd thing is is that sometimes it feels right & soemtimes it feels like it's too much (esp the second dosing at 1pm). When it's too strong it's really uncomfortable. It get's harder for me to focus, my speech get slower (oddly enough) & I feel weird. I don't feel well. Almost, like I'm coming down with something, but I'm not. I'm meeting with my MD next week & may have him prescribe me 10mg XR for the afternoon.
I definitely need a stronger dose in the morning then in the afternoon. It takes a little more to get me going in the AM.
On the shorter days I take the 20 mg XR upon awakening and then supplement with 5mg IR boosters for the rest of the day.
Overall, the pluses, I don't really have any problem with insomnia, even if I take an IR around 5pm. I had horrible insomnia with adderall. When it's the right dosage, it's pretty marvelous.
The negatives, if the dosage is off it can be terrible. I get occasional headaches, but not as much as others, but I can get shaky & unfocused & a feeling of malaise. Also, there is a rebound with Focalin. It's a little smoother than the sharp drop off of Ritalin, but it's just as bad in some respects. I get depressed, irritable, antisocial and the brain fogginess comes back twofold. It's frustrating that ADD doesn't go away. It comes back at night, just like it was never gone. I feel bad for my partner sometimes because he only sees me when the meds are wearing off (during the week). Not a pretty picture.
Also, I've definitely lost weight. I don't have a scale, but I know I have. Pants that used to be tight on me aren't anymore. My belts need to be a tighter now. I seem to eat as much as I used to, though I use to drink alot of alchohol & I don't drink as much anymore. Also, I think these drugs drugs speed up your metabolism.
Anyhow, that''s it for now.
Best,
Gensho