We don't have that issue with Focalin. My son takes 15mg in the morning and then he takes the fast acting 5mg in the afternoon at school. It's never made him a zombie.

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My son is 7 and he too takes Focalin XR. We have tried Daytrana, Adderall and Focalin XR 5mg, 10 mg, 15 mg and just started 20 mg today. It helps with hyperactivity, but not too much with focus. He has peaks and valleys. One week it's great and other week it's awful. Today was the first day on 20 mg so I will keep you posted. He's not a zombie at all though. He just can't seem to focus. We have to give him something to help him sleep at night too. Do you have that problem? I don't give an actual sleep aide, but the doctor did prescribe an antihistamine. Can't remember the name, but it's Hydro-something. I'm sorry I don't have any advice to give, but thought I would share the story so you are not alone. I too am worried about him going to 2nd grade. My school wants to hold him back, but it's not an 'academic' issue. He can do the work, but just has trouble finishing it. Thanks for sharing and reading.

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I know you are talking about a child, but my two cents worth is that I, as an adult, took Focalin XR for two months and it did NOTHING for me, except make me depressed. Now, I am back on the Adderall XR, which is better but none of them are going to completely fix us. I often hear Huey Lewis singing, "I want a new drug".......but then I think, to do what????Make me "normal". I'll pass. I get as normal as I'm gonna get for the 4 to 8 hrs a day that my meds are working, and then it's back to being me. It stinks that those of us with ADHD have to be medicated so that we can conform to the normal world's structure, but that is a whole other topic.

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