Focalin XR sleepyness?

[daemaitehn]

Howdy Folks,

Just started my 6 year old daughter on Focalin XR. We are on day 5. First let me start by saying it was a big hurdle for me to consider medication. One year ago, I would have said absolutely never. That being said, we chose medication out of compassion. We started to notice and pick up that she might have some social issues are school and was starting to 'feel different' then the rest of the kids which was a big concern for us.

We have had difficulty swallowing the pill for the first three days, until we found out we could open the capsule and place on applesauce, yogurt, etc. The 3rd day she took with applesauce, the 4th day, she spit out the applesauce because it tasted bad. We believe this was because she had just brushed her teeth right before. The 5th day, Today, she took the medicine no problem in yogurt.

Each day she has taken the medicine she has seems fine, no loss of appetite, no personality changes, just better able to focus. She has mentioned that she seems tired. This concerns me as I wonder if she is resisting the medicine because of this.

Also, there have been two nights with some 'weirdness' with sleep. One night she awoke at 3AM and came to lay with mom and dad. Not a problem just not normal for her. She eventually fell back asleep. The next night, she seemed to sleep walk, something she has never done, that I can recall.

Has anyone else experienced this? I suspect I need to give everything more time, but wanted to share/ask/vent. Today is a rough day for me to be positive about medication so looking for some support! Thanks everyone.

[Elijah1]

You are correct. Give it more time. By the middle of the night, the medicine should be out of her system. Being tired by the later afternoon or evening might be do to greater attention and concentration in the classroom. It is not unusual for a child to say they are tired after a full day at school.

[anirush]

Usually sleepiness on new medication gets better after a couple of weeks. My grandson was on Focalin xr from kindergarten until 6th grade when it stopped working. It was a life changer for him.