Generic Name: Dexmethylphenidate Hydrochloride
Brand Name: Focalin
Focalin Drug and Medication User Reviews
Pros: works extremely well calming down his hyperactivity. He has ADHD combined type (Hyperactivity, disorganized, forgotFulness, time management etc.. Cons: . His XR is supposed to last 8-10 hrs but as soon as It seems to kick in, it slowly starts wearing off off which is why he needs a booster dose at lunch time. By the time gets home from school his booster has worn off. Not that much side effects except a few melt downs but that could be his screen time. What I love most about this medicine is acts like a antidepressant. Before he takes him meds he’s mouthy & grumpy but when ihix morning dose kicks in he’s respectful & a completely different kid.
Have been on Ritalin for around 5-6 years (I am 16) and recently I was not able to go without to be productive what so ever and when I was on it I felt off and I knew something was not reacting right so I got a prescription for 10mg focalin and taking between 1-1/2, I will say Focalin drastically improved my focus and motivation to get things done (ex: school 8:00- 3:20 then work from 4:00- 9:00/30) But, I lost my appetite and can’t eat, I can’t sleep well, messed with my vision a bit, personality is gone (also was with Ritalin) and affects my attitude towards relationships and my connection to people. I believe the drug is right for some people and also for me as it it much much better than Ritalin just need to lower my dose. And remember: 1. All drugs affect people differently (effects, dosage, etc.) and is based on genetics and not size. 2. Focalin/Ritalin/Adderall are all schedule II stimulants and have high rates of abuse/addiction/OD so please don’t give it to your 5-12 year old son/daughter who has a unique perspective, personality, and way of learning 3. ADHD is a serious disorder that can lead to severe relationship issues, motivation/focus deficits, and affects your daily life
Made me very anxious, and especially with the shorter release pill I felt like I was having a heart attack. I was super jumpy and felt a feeling of impending doom. Didn’t really help with the ADHD issues.
With my 6 year old son, I have found that the immediate release version of the focalin 5mg has been more effective. Although it's very short lasting for him, compared to how adderall and Vyvanse made him behave every night when they were wearing off (suicidal, abusive, tantrums, etc.), I have found that focalin is much better once we found a good dose for him.
I'm an adult, diagnosed as a child. I've tried generic methylphenidate, Adderall, Concerta, Daytrana, and Strattera. Focalin, at a higher dosage works great for me without any of the irritability I got from the others, minimal side effects. Taking xr 2x daily or 1x with non-xr as needed.
I'm 33 years old, and had undiagnosed ADHD my whole life (was told to get tested by schools, parents never wanted me to). Last year I finally went to see a Dr and was put on Adderall. After 3 months it was a nightmare. I had so many ups and downs emotionally, as soon as it wore off I was worse off to begin with, I kept having to increase my dose. I switched to focaliN
This medication is powerful and not to be taken lightly. It does has side effects. As a 27 year old man with a technical career working on multi-million dollar machines this medication has helped me greatly. Downside as a married man is sex-life(it makes you feel naturally uninterested) and social life(you just don't care, I have a family and finances to run, the love is not gone just the empathy for the small things). Also there are at times, though rare, that you feel an impending doom...The impending doom I always realize at the time is false and it's just anxiousness but it does cause it some times. For me the benefits have really helped my career. It's been completely worth taking it. Learning faster and being more interested in tasks that my original self thought were mundane or would never of thought to pick up. It's helpful. I do plan to wane myself off of it and perform as normal but I feel it has helped my brain retain information and learn and take a interest in learning when I needed it most. Especially when it's your career and it's how you feed your family. Weird positive side effect it has made my bowel movements regular. Most negative weird side effect shortly after taking is gagging and or vomitting induced by my smoking tobacco habbit or eating. It makes eating breakfast very hard. Which is a shame.
While this drug worked for my son to focus the side effects out weighed the benefits. He has gastrointestinal issues while on it that cause extreme gas. Secondly his eyes went from 20/20 vision to 20/50 vision that glasses cannot correct all within 18 months. This is one of the severe side effects. Please beware of putting your Child on this drug.I pray his vision gets better after stopping this drug.
I started taking focalin when i was 14, im now 16. Before i say anything bad about this drug, it does help with focusing..but almost helps too much. My grades improved dramatically when i started taking this, but my social life plummeted. I started feeling anxious, depressed and I couldn't really hold a conversation until the end of the day on the bus when it was wearing off. My parents didn't really see much difference in me because it wears off within the hour i get home, but yes, there is a huge difference (at least for me.) I don't recommend this drug to anyone who is creative and has a hyper lifestyle (Me.) It makes you a different person, almost zombie like because its hard to hold on just one social conversation. I think that was the main reason i didnt like it, all my friends were asking if i was sick or sad etc. and i would just say im not having a good day because its too hard to explain to them because i just dont have the motivation. luckily i only take this medicine on the weekdays and not on the weekends so im normal all weekend. Overall it just makes my life a little bit more hard to deal with because of my hyper, happy lifestyle....but it also helps with school. So its your choice. Do you want a more happy lifestyle and be social? or get better grades, but not be social whatsoever. I had to choose the not social way because of my grades, but because of so many conversations i have missed out on with my friends i wish i had taken another medicine.
My 6 y/o son was having many behavioral problems at his daycare. Basically he had daily incidents that led to phone calls for me to pick him up because they couldn't calm him down. I took him to a behavior therapist and after a month of visits and questionnaires completed by parents and teachers, he was diagnosed with ADHD + ODD. Although I strongly believe a large part of the problem was the adult's mishandling of the situation, when the ODD kicked in he was physical with anyone near and hurt (not seriously) people. At the recommendation of our pediatrician (who has known my 6 y/o son since birth) and the therapist, we started him on Vayarin and 5 mg of Focalin XR. We did notice a slight improvement with the 5 mg; however, over the course of the next 2 months we walked him up to 10 mg and then 15 mg. We always started a new dose on the weekend so we could monitor him closely. For the first 1-2 days he would have a headache, but it was nothing that prevented him from his normal daily activities. I do notice some excessive sweating and he often sleeps without his shirt because he's too warm. However, the benefits in his case have FAR outweighed those two cons. My child is NOT a zombie, which was a fear of ours before starting the medication. I notice immediately when the medicine takes effect and leaves his system. Multiple teachers at his school have raved about what a wonderful child he is. Now he can focus, complete tasks, and sit still for longer periods of time. I know his teacher has a great amount of experience with ADHD, so she has been incredible during this process. We also recently started behavior therapy at the CDC. My ultimate goal is to wean him off the Focalin XR; however, it has made a tremendous difference in our lives for the last few months. I have zero regrets for using it as a (hopefully) temporary crutch to help as we further develop his coping skills and work to decrease his impulsivity.
First off, i have some serious adhd as in 45mg of this is requred to even have a minor effect. The medicine itself works great for attention, but oh god the side effects. These are the side effects that i have, and i have been taking it for 8 years and it has caused many of these to be longlasting but overall i have mostly stopped due to them. Everything from lack of hunger, Anxiety, and depression has happened in extreme degrees. the anxiety expecially as i was so shy in high school, one girl that i talked too when i finally stopped taking this stuff legitimatly thought i was a mute when she met me. Summary: It may work but at the cost of HORRIBLE anxiety and long lasting depression, i wrote this after a trigger from said depression over something minor that the depression was bad enough to remove my will to do anything for almost a hour. And this was all from one minor thing.
My son, who is now 16, started taking Focalin when he was 14.He has since stopped taking this medication due to side effects...i.e...depression suicidal thoughts,agitation, etc.....while only taking 5mg a day. No medication is worth the heartache of knowing your loved ones are going through difficult times. Please think twice before using or giving any adhd medication.
I thought it was just me who was experiencing the depression and anxiety caused by this medication, but after reading multiple reviews about this drug I see it is not just me having these problems. My initial experience with this drug started good but as I continued I noticed to be more withdrawn and depressed on top of some minor anxiety issues. I am defiantly going to try something else.
I use this for my adhd. DO NOT GET THIS! i dont care what the oth reviews say!!!! it makes you get anxious and depressed... and it helps you focus.... ON THE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION!!!!
Taking Focalin for more than a year, I take it as needed. It helps me focus.
My son and I both take this medication for our ADD and I have to say that it is wonderful. I have only been on it for a year and my son has only been on it for 6 months and we have no problem with keeping on task any more. The only problem I have found is that you should not miss a pill or only use it if you need it.
Focalin has worked much better for my child than other ADHD meds.Have had problems with the pharmacy unable to get & keep Focalin in stock. Dr. changed to Adderall then Ritalin & neither worked.
My son is 22. He was on 15 mg Dexedrine span. He moved from Miami to San Diego, Cal. and the new neurologist change medication to Focalin Xr. He felt terrible. dry mouth, deppression, nausea, stomach pain, heart pressure, bran pressure, anxiety, sweating, tremmors, cramps. arm pain,numbness of arm and fingers. He went to another neurologist and he order him to throw that poison that was killing him.