Comments on: Focalin XR: Medicine for ADHD

By: Kelly

Kelly — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 20:22:08 +0000

My daughter (8) has ADHD and is on Focalin XR 10mg. She takes her pill in the morning around 7 a.m. and it seems to have worn off by about 1 p.m. This is only 6 hours, not 8! She is also very thin naturally so the doctor was concerned about appetite/weight loss issues with her. We decided to try a non-stimulant for the afternoon, Intuniv. She is currently on 2 mg. but I would like to up it to 3 mg. as I am still seeing some ADHD behaviors, although better than when she had no afternoon meds. However the price of these two medications together is wiping me out financially! So I am going to ask her doctor if we can switch to a different medication that works for 16 hours, so we don’t have to buy two separate pills each day. My only concern in switching is that the afternoon pill (Intuniv) was a non-stimulant and helped her sleep at night. I am a little worried about a long-term stimulant affecting her sleep.

By: Dr. Kenny Handelman

Dr. Kenny Handelman — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 14:31:58 +0000

Dusty – take a look at this article and consider commenting there – the parents are in the same situation http://www.addadhdblog.com/adhd-medication-for-3-4-and-5-year-olds/

By: Dusty

Dusty — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 01:08:27 +0000

I am confused on what to do. My son started takin Focalin xr 5mg a day at the age of 3 but he was going to be four in 3 months. The reason was because in daycare he was running down the hallways and outside and they could not catch him and was doing it all the time. He would not sit in his seat as well. His behaviors were trying at times but mostly the running was an issue. He has been doing that since he was two. We had him tested to see if he was up to par for pre-school and they stated there was no problem with his knowlege base of what he was suppose to know. That was before meds. After meds he didnt run anymore and listened in class. New child over night at school. So he has been on it for almost 10 months. My question is could some of that not be related to a typical three year old and could he have out grown some of it? I just want to know if keeping him on the meds is right? Or seeing if since he is almost 5 that he has improved. This med also makes him very grouchy as well. He was never grouchy before this med. He was always happy but full of energy. I just want to give him a chance to see what he is like off meds now that he is older. Is that crazy?

By: martha talley

martha talley — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:45:26 +0000

I have a question , when my son was in school he took his med at 6 in the morning, and then again in the afternoon. He was doing good, but now its summer and he doesnt get up real early , so he takes it at a later time. Does he have to take it everyday at the same time for it to work? Please does anybody have an answer for me ?

By: Dr. Kenny Handelman

Dr. Kenny Handelman — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:54:22 +0000

Hi,
You can use a short acting methylphenidate medicine to help with the evenings – or alternatively, try a different adhd medication which may last longer into the evening…
Dr. Kenny

By: sabrina

sabrina — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:32:43 +0000

will someone answer john harte question i have the same one.

By: John Harte

John Harte — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:37:30 +0000

My six year old son was just found to be ADHD. He started on 5mg of Focalin xr this past Saturday. Although we are excited that his school day will be more productive, the effect on our family life after the drug wears off is still suffering. By the time he gets home we still is over-active and gets himself all stressed out about the smallest things. I will except a good school day…but is there an option for a short term release for night time. His happiness is all we care about, but family harmony effects what the next day brings. I would like to see his immediate family see results as well as his school.

I am new to this and dont want to “drug” him non-stop, but he seems to be suffering once the meds wear off.

By: Dr. Kenny Handelman

Dr. Kenny Handelman — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:37:28 +0000

Great questions. I’m sorry to say that I don’t have any direct experience to share with you – as Focalin is not available in Canada so I don’t have any experience with it.
While companies which make enantiomers (isomers) often discuss the increased benefits and decreased side effects, often they are quite similar for most people.
Dr. Kenny
http://www.SafeADHDMedication.com

By: p-o

p-o — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:45:42 +0000

Hi Dr Kenny
Why aren’t we using more D-methylphenidate products like Focalin? i thought that the D enantiomer would decrease the unwanted cardiovascular effects and still have the good effects on the symptoms just like D-amphetamine. How would you rate the difference between L and D Methylphenidate compared to L and D amphetamine?

Since Concerta have the both enantiomers L and D it will have higher rate of unwanted side effects, right, can you estimate how much higher the unwanted side effect are on Concerta compared to Focalin?