Hi everyone, My son recently started on Focalin, which he takes in the mornings; he also takes Guanfacine in the evenings. He's just started his spring break. Since he's out of school, I thought I might give him a break from Focalin, which can give him late-afternoon mood swings. On the other hand, maybe stopping it and then restarting it would be more difficult for him than just staying on it continuously? I'm also thinking ahead to summer break: do kids usually stay on stimulants all summer?
Thanks for your input!
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louisepearl
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It has been found in many studies that staying on the medication is the best course of action. They have been proven to be neuroprotective meaning they create an environment, by balancing out the neurotransmitters, that has the best chance of rewiring and taking advantage of brain plasticity. This is the best environment to create new habits, learn, etc.
Some of the medications have been around for 100+ years and they have been tracked and studied extensively and found to be very safe.
I hope that helps, and I hope you and your family have a great spring break.
My 6 year old son takes the same meds. However, he takes ½ guanfacine in the morning with his Focalin ER and then takes the other ½ in the evening. The purpose of the guanfacine is to reduce those behavioral episodes, so taking the guanfacine only in the evening may not be as beneficial, especially since they're just going to bed. We also have him take a booster dose only on school days (immediate release). I can definitely tell on non school days when his ER is wearing off! But, he is just hyper and silly, not aggressive like he was before guanfacine. We don't take breaks from the Focalin. He takes it every day, regardless of vacations or weekends. His days off should be just as focused as a school day, especially if it is helping him. 💙
My daughter takes Focalin everyday, even on weekends and during summer break. I think it depends on your kiddo and how much you feel they benefit from having it. For my daughter having it every day helps her to maintain focus on a variety of activities even out of school that we feel are important. She also has OT and being on Focalin helps her to concentrate on the tasks and exercises. By being in her "best state" it also helps her to retain and progress. When we did try taking her off on weekends it seemed to be disruptive for her and keeping it consistent worked better. On the flipside I also have some friends who only give it to their kids during the week for school and take a break during summer. Those friends have children with not as many needs and/or challenges as my daughter. I know that's not a clear answer for you but maybe it will help you to know that there are a range of options tailored to your child's needs.
We just started our 9 year old on the ER stimulant Concerta and had originally only planned on giving it to him on school days. We were curious though if it was working so gave it to him over the weekend and saw a big improvement. He was able to focus and follow directions much more easily with his chores and in swim class and was much less reactive with his brother leading to a much more peaceful weekend 🙂. Now we’re thinking it probably is a good idea to keep him on it on the weekends and for summer camp because even though the demands are lighter than the school day, it seems to benefit him. I would weigh the costs with the benefits - if he seems to function better at home and in outside activities on the stimulant it might be worth any negative side effects.
I think it really depends on your child and how you notice the medication helping them. Our son has inattentive ADD. When he was younger, the Focalin helped with his I impulsivity which helped smooth the way for friendships, in and outside of school. Impulsivity is not an issue now that he is older. Because of that, and some medication side effects we don’t like, we only give Focalin on school days where it helps him focus in class. The nice thing about stimulants is that you do not have to give them every day, though for many kids that is helpful.
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Help with 12yr old son and school/home work! 
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