Focalin comedown

[AlltheLegos]

My son (11) has been on Focalin XR for about 2 months (5mg the first month - no effect, and now 10mg). We've noticed that around 7pm, he often can get super down and sad. It's not every night, but it's at least a couple times a week. Sometimes he can identify something bothering him, but other times he says he doesn't know. Sometimes I notice a similar effect around noon/1pm (we homeschool). I'm wondering if this is a comedown symptom in the evening, and the afternoon is between the immediate release part of the pill before the second half of it kicks in. Has anyone else noticed this? Did you find a solution? I don't know if it's the med or just normal tween moodiness. I would be so sad to have to stop using this med as I've noticed a positive change in his schoolwork and social interactions (i.e. less impulsive bad decisions!). We've already tried ritalin and concerta, Adderall is not an option.

[ChallengeMeeter]

First off, kudos on being such an attuned parent! I don't have any experience with that medication specifically so maybe I shouldn't weigh in, but if it's not every night, even if it is the med, don't the positives outweigh the cons here? It sounds like the med is making a difference for the good. I'm a believer in letting my kids make the decisions about their meds, so I'd have a conversation with him about it. How intolerable are those times for him? Is it worth it to experience those side effects if they are drug induced?

[Aloysia]

2 suggestions for you:1) start tracking his behavior, mood, etc and write it down. Come up with 5 or 6 questions that you can ask him every 2-3 hours or so. Then track his answers in a spreadsheet or diary and see if there are any patterns.

2) it might be worth trying the Daytrana patch. What I noticed with my kid was that with a pill form his body metabolized it super fast and it would wear off before school ended. But with the patch, his body wasn't able to do that - so it was a more even and lasting dose.

Best wishes!

[kalpana_v]

My now 17yr old son has been taking Focalin for last couple of years. We slowly increased from 10 and now he takes 30mg .It works well for him to focus in class and finish his work (he has ADHD. We give in the mornings. However when he comes from school he feels tired and takes a nap . He takes Zoloft in the night. Maybe try talking with your doc ,usually this medication makes them more alert! As you mentioned it could be teenage mood swings or may be he gets tired.

[Parenthelpadhd]

Hi there, we are on the same med journey. My almost 14 year old started Focalin when he turned 12. it did well for some time but the bouts of sadness became more frequent and noticeable for him and us. What was worse is that he grew more upset because he couldn't figure out why he was feeling sad. We switched to Concerta which made him moody and now he is on Adderall 10 mg ER first thing in the morning. It's only been for a little over a month now and we meet with the Dr come start of April. I see improvement with his mood for sure and no bouts of sadness but his lack of focus and executive functioning skills has popped back up. I wish I had better advice but I guess what I'm trying to say is that you aren't alone and what I've found is that the medicine journey is one that takes trial and error, just keep advocating for him and tracking side effects. As a parent you'll know what is best by reflecting on his moods, it's not easy and exhausting but hopefully you'll get to the right meds!

[Mamamichl]

that could be an adverse effect with the med. I highly recommend getting a gene sight test to see the best meds that work with your kids specific genetics. Then cross examine with your insurance for cost.

[CaliPoppy23 in reply to Mamamichl]

What’s a gene sight test and what’s involved?

[Mamamichl in reply to CaliPoppy23]

The doctor cotton swabs on your cheek like a paternity test and they take it to a lab where they mix your genetics with each of the mental health meds. The ones that are grey or green is where you should start with meds and you can ask for prices with those to your insurance.

[Mamamichl]

here is an example

This is an example page of the results.

[Team27]

Our son had some issues in the evenings when his Focalin started to wear off as well, and our dr. prescribed Guanfacine for the evening, which seems to have helped. I’d talk to your dr.