|
|
Please note that any comments expressed in these forum posts do not reflect the opinions of Medical News Today in any way at all. Opinions posted in this forum do not constitute medical advice, which should be sought from qualified medical advisers. Disclaimer.
Focalin XR Side Effect: Trichotillomania--Anxiety Disorder?
posted by Monica on 07 Dec 2007 at 6:28 amMy stepdaughter was prescribed Concerta in the 2nd grade and it made her a little too lethargic. In addition, she experiened decrease in appetite, which of course led to extreme weight loss and she complained of insomnia...This of course was very frustrating and hard for us to see her like this, so for the next school yr (3rd grade) the dr. prescribed Focalin Xr.
In the beginning, the focalin still procduced the side affects w/ the exception of her being lathargic (this totally went away). After a couple of weeks though, it became less difficult to get her to eat and she went from taking 1 hr to fall asleep to about 30 minutes and she no longer was waking up in the middle of the night. She was also complaining about headaches every couple of weeks, but they have also now subsided. She has now been on Focalin for about 18 mths now and is doing well. The only concern that we now have is that she's very anxious and experiecing anxiety (per the teacher) at times. My stepdaughter attends afterschool and when it's was time to transition to the afterschool program, she would become very upset and start to cry. But our biggest concern is that she started to pull out her eyebrows and then a couple of weeks later her eyelashes (she HAD the most beautiful long eyelashes!).
Speaking w/ her biological mom, she stated that she use to pull her hair when she was younger due to anxiety and the disorder was called "Trichotillomania".
A couple of weeks prior to the eyebrow issue, my stepdaughter complained about being the only girl in her afterschool class and the boys wouldn't play w/her (of course) and she was lonely during afterschool...I spoke with the afterschool administrator and she placed more girls in her class...Since then she has not experienced any anxiouxness/anxieity.
Thank God!
Does anyone know if Trichotillomania is a side affect of Focalin?
Monica
| Response To Monica |
| posted by rich on 21 May 2008 at 7:32 pm |
| My son seems to have started pulling his eyelashes on Focalin. Have you heard from anyone else on this issue? |
| My Son Has Been On Foclin XR And Is Having The Same Issue |
| posted by Julie Samuels on 31 Aug 2008 at 6:41 pm |
| I am wondering if Foclin has this side effect also. My son has been on Foclin XR for about 18 months after trying other drugs that had bad side effects. He just started second grade and in the 2nd week he started pulling out his eyelashes and the hair from his head. I am so distaught over this. I have changed his class, since I think the large class was cauing him stress (although he didn't say this). But, I have been wondering if the Foclin XR has this side effect. I was thinking of taking him off, but then he will have other issues in school. Does anyone have good information about this? |
| Focalin XR And Trichotillomania |
| posted by Sherri on 18 Mar 2009 at 6:15 am |
| My nephew is 9 years old and was previously on Adderol. Since having terrible side effects with that prescription, he was placed on Focalin. Since being on Focalin, he has pulled both eyebrows completely off and the bottom row of eyelashes on both of his eyes. He complains of stomach pain and has diarrhea... |
| Focalin Xr Making My Daughter Bald! |
| posted by kats mom on 06 May 2009 at 2:15 pm |
|
My 10 yr old has been on several ADHD meds, and focalin is the worst! Her teacher says her classwork is wonderful, but the second the meds wear off its Dr Jeklly/Mr Hyde! she is mean and nasty! The worst part is since she started on Focalin XR, she has pulled out most of her hair!
I called her pediatrician and he said that it wasn't from the medication! WRONG! Shes been on vyvance (made her a basket case) concerta (was great but wore off too soon) ritalin (she was a zombie) and Daytrana (the ADHD patch-she got rashes and she would pull it off!) I hate this! The more we try to help her, the worse it gets! And when we stopped the meds, she brings home f's on the report cards and we get constant notes from the teacher about her poor behavior!!! She never pulled her hair out before focalin xr! |
| STOP IT |
| posted by pharmacology phd masta on 14 May 2009 at 8:58 pm |
|
Jesus don't give your kids this stuff.
A couple F's in school and bad behavior is something we can all grow out of and forget about. Large, constant doses of amphetamines from a young age is not something you can just forget about. Kids I know who took adderall and focalin from grade school through high school ended up being extremely strange people. They are either on their drugs or they are socially awkward and extremely spacey. I refuse to drive with one of my friends because he will run red lights and stop signs due to amphetamines destroying his brain. He has been on adderall since the age of 10. Don't give your kids f***ing drugs because they act like f***ing kids. The smartest people I know got into the most trouble as youths. |
| Focalin And Trichotrillomania |
| posted by MAYDA BUENO on 17 May 2009 at 5:29 pm |
|
My son is 9 he´s been on Focalin XR for more than 3 yrs. We have to deal with some common side effects like most of the kids that take it, like stomach pain, loss of appetite. But now that some of you mention, I remember seeing him pilling out his eyelashes, but I thought it was just a bad habit so treat it like that, every time I saw him doing that I told him not to do it, and it never got worst. I think that is a common behavior with ADHD kids. Before Focalin he was with Metadate and I just like Focalin better, my son is more focused, not irritated, and very easy to handle with.
That´s my personal opinion, what I really recommend besides you decision, is that don´t just stop any medication without consulting with your Dr. They can always be changing the medication until you feel more satisfied, never completely. |
| Hair Loss On Focalin |
| posted by Jack on 06 Nov 2009 at 1:08 pm |
| I don't believe your kids are pulling the hair out. I think it is falling out. It may appear they are pulling it out because you see them messing with their eyelashes. Have you ever had an eye lash fall out and get caught in the others? You can see it or feel it if it's touching your eye so you try to remove it. My 11 year old son is also losing his hair because of Focalin. It also happened while on Vyvance. When he stops taking the meds the hair loss subsides. I believe it is due to the medication stimulating the part of the brain that regulates hair growth/loss. Has anyone had any luck with other meds? |
Pages of Opinions: 1
