Focalin to Strattera.....

[Sy5636]

Hi Parents,

My son who is turning 9/going into 4th grade is currently on Focalin XR 10mg. My doctor brought up that this medicine is very good and something that will be very useful to him later in life such as highschool. She is being proactive and recommending to take a break from stimulants and switching to a nonstimulant which she recommended Strattera. She said that it's not always the best to stay on stimulant because you can increase your needs for it nd eventually need higher dosing as time goes on and as your body changes. On Focalin is doing find besides him not eating an entire day (he's been on Focalin for 3years and he still doesn't have appetite on it).

Has anyone here made a switch from stimulant to nonstimulant? What was you experience? Any opinions helps! Thank you!

[HanDor]

Yes, my son did not respond well to stimulants; especially foccalin. We switched to Tenex XR and added anti-anxiety med and both work much better.

[Elijah1]

If he is not gaining weight, then a change might be helpful, even though Strattera may not work 'as well' as the Focalin. All medications for children need dose adjustments as they grow and gain weight so that is not an issue.

[Bubmom]

My son did not eat on Focalin either. I would not give it to him on the weekends but then he tended to over eat to the point of vomiting on some items because he knew he wouldn't have these foods during the week.

[anirush]

My grandson was on Focalin XR until high school He finally got to 30mg when it was not enough anymore. Tried a couple of other stimulants before switching to Intuniv. Never has worked as well as the Focalin did but it helps. We had to add Welbutrin to level moods