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Focalin XR side effects- beware!
posted by Miriam Whitehouse on 23 Jan 2006 at 12:32 pm
My 14 yr. old son, who has ADHD, was on Focalin XR for over 1 month. We recently had to stop it, because he developed muscle spasms, joint pain, had severe insomnia, anxiety, irritability, and worst of all, became severely depressed. We were about to consider anti-depressants when he told us that he suspeced the Focalin. Once he stopped taking it, all symptoms disappeared. Watch your child carefully!
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| Focalin XR adverse side effect |
| posted by Betty Black on 07 Feb 2006 at 8:35 pm |
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I have a 6 year old grandson who has been taking the Focalin XR for about 3 months and he is now out of control, emotionally and physically. He has now complained of headaches and has now experienced insomina, anxiety, irritablity and major behavioral issues and again he is only 6 years old. His doctor says there is no way he can be experiencing this, but as his grandmother, I know better. Trouble is my daughter (his Mom) swears by the doctor's adivice and has continued to keep him on the medicine even though she clearly sees the same issues as me. She says she just doesn't know how much more she can take or for that matter, how to proceed. | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin - advice for Grandmother |
| posted by MIriam Whitehouse on 09 Feb 2006 at 11:47 am |
Dear Betty Black,
Please have your daughter read my posting - Also have her research the side-effects of Focalin on the web and compare those side effects to what she is seeing in her son. If her doctor blows her off, she needs to find a new doctor. Every kid reacts differently to medications and one kid will react differently to different medications. You can never assume anything. If her child is having all those problems, then common sense tells you that something is wrong. One more message to your daughter: Don't let the school tell her that her son HAS to be on medication. This should be a decision that the family and the doctor make. Your daughter may benefit from talking to other parents who have kids with ADHD. It's always a comfort to know you are not alone. | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin XR 10mg, ADHD borderline Autism - I See Results |
| posted by Christine Haines on 09 Feb 2006 at 5:03 pm |
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I have a 7 year old son who is borderline ADHD and autism. We started him on Focalin XR 10mg. 2 weeks ago, and we are seeing a totally different child!!!! No more constant reprimands for not paying attention, no more becoming angry when he can't concentrate on what you're saying!! They're now saying they don't think he needs the aide he's had since he was 3!! I am thrilled with the results of this medication, but I will keep my eyes open for any symptoms mentioned above. Thank you for bringing those to my attention! | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin XR. Good and Bad results. |
| posted by Gilayn Halil on 13 Feb 2006 at 10:36 pm |
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I have concerns about Focalin, due to 6 weeks of confusion since my 12 yr old son started it. The GOOD is, increased focus, calmer and no decrease in appetite, which was a major problem with other stimulants. The BAD is, increased Oppositionally defiant, increased OCD and denial of reality. Of course we are dealing with hormones at 12 also. | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin - guess we will wait and see |
| posted by Kryste Tilson on 18 Feb 2006 at 2:55 am |
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We started Focalin XR 5mg then moved to 10mg three days later back in Dec. 2005. So far I have found that it seems to be really helping my daughter. She is still struggling quite a bit with learning disabilitys when it comes to math but we are working on this. I do notice that her mood swings and her "anger" phases have just about stopped. I have tested not giving her the meds over the weekend and it was pure terror. Just trying to get readjusted was very hard. My main concern with this med as with any of the 5 different ADHD meds that we have tried is that she never wants to eat. I am worried that she will start to drop weight and they will take her off of it. She's 9yrs old and weighs 57 now. Overall though, this medicine seems to be doing the trick, so for right now, guess we will just wait and see. | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin XR |
| posted by F Pinkston on 20 Feb 2006 at 8:00 pm |
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My 11 year old son will start taking focalin XR on Tuesday (02/21/06). He was taking Adderall since he was 7. I am currently having problems with him in school (behavior/academically). The doctor recommended Focalin XR. I am so scared. It was so hard for me to put him on Adderall. Adderall did help him function/focus better in school. But it is not working anymore. I'm terrified of the long-term effects. The doctor says not to worry, He's not a mom. I guess I just have to wait and see how the new medication does. | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Starting Focalin XR tomorrow |
| posted by j schwinn on 07 Mar 2006 at 10:33 pm |
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Our 10 year old son will begin taking Focalin Xr tomorrow. Over a year ago he took Concerta for a number of months. He began to get so thin and unhealthy looking that I became worried and through the medication out. Now he is having such difficulty again focusing at school and getting along without being obnoxious in class that I had to consider medication again. The Dr. suggested we try the Focalin. I would be curious to know what other people thought of it compared to the concerta. | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin is great |
| posted by Lisa on 23 Mar 2006 at 2:31 am |
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Focalin has been a miracle drug for my 17 year old. We have been through every medication for ADHD with nowhere near the results I have now. He is doing so well. He has been on stimulants since he was 6. The doc used to ask me if I fed him...you could see his ribs, but he ate enough to stay healthy. He is 6 foot 3 and 170 lbs now. He has no ill effects from years of use. When the drugs are needed and you find one that works, don't sweat the rest of it. You'll know if your child needs a change. | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin - Thanks Lisa |
| posted by j schwinn on 31 Mar 2006 at 12:26 am |
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Thank you Lisa for your post. Our son has been on Focalin for almost 4 weeks now and it is working really well. No terrible side affects or anything. What a relief. | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin - Question for Lisa |
| posted by Allison on 04 Apr 2006 at 8:44 pm |
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Lisa - I have a 15 yr. old son who is 6'2' and about 160. He just started Focalin about a month ago. We are trying to get the dosage correct and I would be interested to know what dosage your son is on. Thanks | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin XR - HELP |
| posted by Samantha Williams on 10 Apr 2006 at 4:48 am |
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My 3 year old son is about to take Focalin XR. My mom is worried that it may not help him. I want to give it to him because he goes to school and is very hyperactive. It's very hard on me because I have sickle cell disease myself. When I am ill I need the rest, and I don't get any help from anyone. Someone help me and tell me what to do. | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Attention j schwinn re: Focalin XR |
| posted by Wmc on 15 Apr 2006 at 11:13 am |
My 9 year old son (who was 8 when he was diagnosed ADD/Inattentive/Impulsivity), was prescribed Concerta initially. He was 130 lbs when we began medicine - the doctor instructed me to give him 18mg for the first 7 - 10 days; then increase to 36 mg and after a number of days to increase to a total of 54 mg/daily.
Well ----- after being on the initial dosage, he was doing 'ok'; his appetite did decrease but he would eat something for breakfast and something light for dinner. However, when I increased the med to 36mg he began to have problems -- anxiety increased; appetite was almost obselete; he complained of being dizzy, weak, etc; he even got to the point where it would take him at least 3 - 4 hours to finally fall asleep following bedtime - what made me cry was when I observed my son literally weep because he was so tired but could not sleep. At this point, he rapidly lost weight ... he was wearing 20+ in jeans but now he is wearing size 14/16. His waist size was 32/33 - he is now 28/29 in the waist.
After several attempts at the increase the doctor decided to try another medicine -- Focalin XR.
So far, he is doing much better. He takes 20mg/daily now. He still have episodes of not wanting anything to eat but not as frequent as when he was on Concerta.
The Focalin XR is time released and doesn't last as long as the Concerta but it keeps him on task from what the teacher states...
Hopefully you will see a positive change for your child as well...
One thing my doctor told me when we began our journey was that we were going to try the meds out to see what worked for my son ... that it varies from patient to patient and he also reminded me that it was going to take a team effort to help my son ... home/meds/doctor/and the school.
God bless,
Wanda | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Stopping Focalin XR |
| posted by Victoria on 17 Apr 2006 at 8:39 pm |
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My sister has been taking Focalin and she has experienced inappropriate outbursts, hallucinations and other adversive symptoms. The doctor, upon hearing of these symptoms told her to immediately stop the medication. I am concerned about her abruptly stopping. Has anyone heard about problems abruptly stopping this medication? | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin xr - Has any one experienced this?? |
| posted by tina on 26 Apr 2006 at 4:48 am |
My son was on Adderal for a year. After months of frustration over his loss of appetite, and recent depression, the doctors decided to switch to Focalin xr. We started with 5 mg, and gradually increased the dosage to 15. Besides the increase in appetite, we do not see to much of an improvement.
My son's teachers told me that since he started this medication that they have seen a decline in his ability to focus and concentrate. Has anyone experienced this?
Do you think it is just a matter of increasing the dosage? We don't have a very good doctor and are in the process of looking for a new one. I was so happy to find this site with the hopes of getting some feedback. We really like how my son seems like his old self again. But we are very worried about his behaviour and concentration at school, while on Focalin xr. Please respond if anyone has experienced the same thing.| previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin XR Working Well |
| posted by JAF on 30 Apr 2006 at 8:38 pm |
We started our son on Focalin XR last summer when he turned 6. Initially, we did have some side effects - extreme dry mouth, noticeable rebounds, insomnia worse than normal.
After about 3 weeks, everything normalized. Eight months later, he still has difficulty going to sleep (which we had issues with before meds as well) and one ear gets very red at night when the Focalin totally wears off. But otherwise everything is great.
He's the same wonderful child, except now he can focus, stay on task, get along with everyone, etc. He knows the difference and is very proud of himself. I have heard horror stories about a lot of ADHD meds and we have been pleasantly surprised by how well Focalin has worked for our son.| previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Answer for Victoria on 4/17/06 |
| posted by Miriam Whitehouse on 03 May 2006 at 6:05 am |
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Victoria, I posted the first opinion in this forum on Focalin. As you can see, my son had an extremely bad reaction to it. In response to your question, he stopped taking it abruptly and showed immediate improvement- no ill effects at all! He continued to improve steadily, and within 3 weeks, the psychiatrists he was referred to because of severe depression and suicidal feelings due to the Focalin, could no longer find any sign of depression. He has been feeling great ever since. Of course, he can't concentrate, but after this experience, he has flatly refused to take any more medication and I can't blame him. | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Advice for Samantha Williams re Focalin xr HELP |
| posted by Cindy on 08 May 2006 at 6:18 pm |
Samantha,
You asked for advice concerning your 3 year old being put on Focalin. I am not totally opposed to medication, I have 2 kids with ADHD on medication, however 3 years old is awfully young to be placed on a stimulant.
Has your child had a thorough evaluation? Sometimes there are other conditions which can have similar symptoms, such as a sensory processing disorder. Does your child attend a public school where an Occupational Therapist could possibly screen him to see if he has problems with sensory processing?
Most of the children I work with that are as young as your child and that are hyperactive are placed on clonidine rather than a stimulant. Good Luck! Cindy| previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin - This is all new |
| posted by Rita Augustin on 09 May 2006 at 6:00 pm |
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My daughter 14 has just recently been diagnosed with ADD and put on Focalin. We had her tested for years for different things trying to find out what the problem was. No one seemed to know. She had problems at school with reading, testing, and was constanting losing her papers. I knew something was wrong but had no idea it was this. It's only been 3 days but I've been noticing her behavoir is different. She's seems to be more talkative and silly. Not sure if this is a normal teenager or what? | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin XR - Good and Bad |
| posted by Missy on 10 May 2006 at 9:12 am |
My 7 yr old son had ADHD and has been on FOCALIN XR 20mg for about 5 months. He went from a .05 reading level to 2.0 in two months by the forth month he is reading at a 3.1.
Spelling went from 0% to between 90-100%. Handwriting improved 110%. It was AMAZING!!
He has had really bad mood swings and crying spells while taking this. By the Fifth month it isnt working at all. Handwriting is bad again and he cannot concentrate at all. His reading is still at 3.1 but spelling went back to under 40% The doc wants to start him on adderal xr now.| previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Rita Augustin Focalin |
| posted by Kim Craver on 11 May 2006 at 1:24 pm |
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Your daughter sounds like she has the same struggles as mine. I've always thought something was wrrong - she seemed to work around it in middle school. This is her first year in high school and her grades have dropped and she feels bad about herself. She was diagnosed with ADD we're just starting Focalin. I'm a little scared of the medication. I would love to hear about your journey with this also. | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin--more good and bad |
| posted by Leslie on 05 Jun 2006 at 6:51 am |
After having tried multiple meds over the past 1.5 years we put my almost-7-year-old daughter on Focalin the beginning of April (after she began struggling a bit with discipline at school on Concerta--nothing terrible, just getting antsy on a daily basis).
Initially, Focalin seemed wonderful--she started getting perfect marks for behavior and went from B's to A's in several subjects. We thought we'd found the solution. But after the first month things went downhill. She started getting more and more anxious (has always struggled with it, but it became pronounced). More important, she began to get VERY defiant and rude.
Her teacher, who has many, many years of experience and is an inclusion teacher who knows how to work with special kids, finally took me aside and said she didn't know what to do--that my daughter has become so markedly different from her usual sunny-if-a-bit-wild self that they were concerned. I had noticed the same at home--very defiant with me. It was very discouraging after such a wonderful first month, but after a horrible second month I just switched her back to Concerta.
She might still struggle a bit with self-control on Concerta, but she's definitely much, much happier and nicer than when she was on Focalin (and, by the way, Aderall and Metadate did the same sort of thing--very agressive behavior!). I'm glad Focalin is helping some kids, but it sure didn't help mine! Oh, and although my daughter usually doesn't eat much on other ADHD meds, she was ravenous on Focalin!| previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| At the end of my rope!!! ADHD |
| posted by Dawn on 08 Jun 2006 at 8:03 am |
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My 5 year old son has shown severe ADHD since age 4. We initially started him on adderall XR but that just made things worse. The beginning of this year he started taking Focalin XR first 5 mg. and now up to 10 mg. He has been on 10 mg. since The beginning of January and everything seemed GREAT, until the last couple of weeks! Does anyone know if he may have built a resistance to the effect of the meds, or could it be that now he just may need a higher dosage. He is about 56 lbs. Is 10 mg too little? I really don't know what to do anymore! | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin XR - Bizarre Initial Reaction |
| posted by viv on 25 Jun 2006 at 2:30 pm |
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My 16 year old son has been taking Focalin XR 20 mg for the past two weeks for ADD-Inattentive Type 1. He was not taking any meds prior. He also has a pervasive developmental disorder as well. At first, he appeared to be very jittery and paranoid. I even saw him staring in space and mouthing words (out of the blue) as if he were talking to someone on more than one ocassion. He claims that he was just mouthing lyrics? I am not sure if he can identify if he hears voices or if he is reacting to thoughts. I didn't know if this was due to the medication? He is much improved after two weeks, no more mouthing except when something triggers his occasional anxiety. Has anyone else experienced this? Should I take him off this medication? | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin XR - Nightmares? |
| posted by Tony on 25 Jun 2006 at 11:37 pm |
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Has anyone noticed an increase of nightmares with your child on Focalin XR? My son is 11 years old and I have noticed an increase in sudden horrifying nightmares with him nightly. | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
| Focalin XR-first Week |
| posted by Tisha on 28 Jun 2006 at 10:42 pm |
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My 8 year old daughter (Asperger's and ADHD) just started taking 20 mg. of Focalin XR this week. So far, everything looks good. She was on Concerta for more than a year, but she was getting really aggitated and frustrated and she never wanted to eat (except breakfast). We wanted to try something new over the summer. I realize every child responds differently to medication, but it's so hard to watch your child struggle... and it breaks my heart that I have to give her medication. But I know it is helping her. | previous page | post followup | alert a moderator | |
