Suggestions with Focalin XR side effects?

[jekkuh]

Hello my son (6yo) has been taking Focalin XR 5mg for few weeks now. At first it was working great for school and also was still in his system for about an hour after getting home which helped a lot with homework.

Problems are that he doesn’t have an appetite until late, I struggle to get him to drink water and he gets so frustrated and agitated when it starts to ware off.

Now it’s wearing of a lot sooner as soon as I pick him up I can tell he’s started to get frustrated, won’t do homework and is moody. Doctor said we could up the dose as we go but I was wondering if it sounds about right that it would work at first and then change?

Also, any advice on eating and the come down? Thanks so much!!!

[AngelamarieQ]

My daughter started on focalin Xr, 6 weeks ago. We were using, for the first 3 weeks, 10 XR and now we are in 15 mg xR for the last 3 weeks.

Focus and concentration improve significantly. She only had a couple of headaches when upped to 15 mg, but that was transient. She eats normal and the only side effect I’m seeing is shorter temper and moodiness ( much more than before). We are starting cognitive behavioral therapy in 2 weeks and we were just approved at school for the 504 plan accommodations.

Her weakness is her short auditory working memory and processing speed plus lack of focus. So the Focalin is a step forward to help her manage her executive functions better.

I did notice that wears off by 4 pm, when she gets home. Thus, next week, we’ll continue with the 15 XR and add 5 mg short term at 4:00 pm to help with homework and extra curricular activities until 8:00 pm. Let’s see how that goes.

Good luck

[Cjkchamp]

My son is 6 and also on Focalin XR. He is on 5mg and we thought about doing 10mg but opted not to. The psychiatrist has him on Guanfacine ER 2mg which he takes at night. Appetite is an issue but I put a lot of snacks in his lunch and then let him go to town in the evening if he is hungry. I also try to give him a good breakfast. How did your son do in the 5 mg dose of Focalin?

[Snaizy]

When our son was on Focalin XR we had the same issue with it wearing off by 2:30/4pm (apparently they can metabolise it at different speeds depending on what they’ve eaten or growth spurts) . I would recommend an afternoon booster for sure, if now something non generic that has a longer in-system profile— ask your dr for a longer acting recommendation. I would refer you to Quillivant/Quillichew XR bc they last 10 hrs but they are on nationwide backorder right now, much to my horror and dismay because we love how it’s working for our son!!

[2ADHDkids]

My daughter has been taking Focalin XR for a couple of months now. 5 mg did nothing, so she is now on 10, which helped significantly with her focus at school and impulsivity. It definitely affects her appetite, but she is thankfully not losing weight as of now.

I'm trying to get some decent calories in her for breakfast before giving her the meds. Eggs are my go-to...scrambled with cheese or hardboiled. I'll make her eat the eggs before I give her toast to get the protein in. Ideally, I'd also give her bacon and a hash brown, but who can make a full meal like that every morning?! I've switched her to whole milk. I also want to try adding protein powder to smoothies. Maybe even make a milk shake for dessert and add it into that? Our therapist said you can add the protein powder or sprinkle it on a lot of things. I have yet to try it. As for drinking water, can you add some apple juice or other favoring he'd like? I don't like the idea of added sugar, but I've read that dehydration can also be very dysregulating for them.

Lunches are harder because I'm not there...some things I'm thinking of trying in the fall - hot chocolate in a thermos...Ovaltine's got vitamins and minerals, right?? Therapist also recommended Ensure, but that stuff makes me gag, and I'm not sure she'd drink it. I'm also planning to try chocolate chip pancakes made a head of time...maybe the maple syrup will entice her enough at lunch. You can also increase the amount of eggs you put into the pancakes...also eggs in oatmeal.

My oldest lost weight on Focalin and Ritalin so we had to switch to other meds...and have yet to find that's as effective for her as the Focalin is for her sister.