Focalin and aggression

[Gelz68]

My 7 year old son started with 5 mg of Focalin (recently changed from 30mg of Quillichew). He seemed to not be focusing well on it so after a week we uped the meds to 10mg. We have gradually been noticing more aggressive behavior with tantrums for no reason. This really didn’t happen on the Quillichew and the only reason we changed to Focalin was because it is hard to find Quillichew in stock at the pharmacy. Has anyone else noticed aggressive behavior with Focalin?

Thanks!

[Onthemove1971]

The trial of medication is very stressful, sorry!

Do you see this behavior at all times from 15-20 min after he takes it until it is out of his system? Is it short acting ( usually 3-4 hours or long acting 8 hours?

Has anything changed in his environment?

Hope someone can provide insight with your situation.

Thanks

[Gelz68 in reply to Onthemove1971]

I actually should have stated that it is the extended release Focalin XR. The behavior is throughout the whole day. I am trying to determin if it is personality or hos ADHD.

[anirush]

One of my grandsons did wonderfully on Focalin XR until he outgrew the maximum dose. The other got terribly angry on it he can't take any. He is on Strsterra and Intuniv.

Med trials are so difficult but if things get worse I would talk to his doctor.

[HanDor]

I know exactly what you're talking about. My son started out with Focalin and the results were horrible--that is putting it mildly. I would recommend trying something else We stopped Focalin and went to Ritalin--which did help, but he never wanted to ear = not really growing. Around the same time he was reevaluated by and discovered he was also on the autism spectrum. This psychologist recommended a non-stimulant for him instead and studies showed non-stimulants working better with kids on the spectrum. We began with guanfacine (Tenex) and added Prozac for anti-anxiety---things were immediately better. That said, no matter the medication, ADHD kids (and my opinion especially boys) lack emotional regulation. Get him into therapy asap!! In fact, a speech therapist may be the most helpful for executive functioning issues--emotional reg is one. Good luck!!

[Canadianmum]

My daughter did not take Focalin but was more moody and aggressive on methylphenidate. We switched to Vyvanse and it is a much better fit for her! Don’t be afraid to try a stimulant from the other class of medications if you haven’t already.

[Gelz68]

Thank you all for the insight. He originally started on Quillichew XR (Ritilan) and did fine. The change was due to it being hard to get. I put him back on the Quillichew and he is much better.