My 5 1/2 yo daughter just started focalin xr this past weekend. We are having problems with insomnia and she is not eating well during the day. In addition, when it wears off she is very emotional. Also, her teacher (she goes to Montessori school because of her birthdate - Sept. 2) says it made no difference on her schoolwork today. Still waiting to hear back from her doctor.

Maybe give it a try over the summer? I've been reading the blogs and some people love it.

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My son was on Concerta for several years and he also took the short acting Focalin when he needed extra coverage in the afternoon or early evening. Besides schoolwork, he used it when he played baseball. Games were usually in the evening so the Concerta had already worn off. He had great focus on the Focalin and we didn't notice any problems with it.

I don't know that I would switch medications either if he isn't having a problem with it. Rather than make a total switch, would the doctor be willing to prescribe some of the short-acting Focalin and he could try it on the weekend and see how it works. Or if he needs it later in the day. I don't know how long the Adderall lasts for your son.

We haven't tried the Focalin XR (the extended version) because it wasn't available at the time. My son is 17 and he now takes Vyvanse. Sometimes when children hit their teen years and their body goes through a lot of changes, they may not respond the same way to their medication. But every individual is different. Our doctor has found that most of his patients do well with Concerta in childhood but in teen and adult years they respond better to Adderall and Vyvanse. Again, nothing is written in stone. It's whatever works for your child.

Elaine

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As a previous poster said, the way people react to these drugs is totally individual. My son was started out on 10 mg of focalin extended release the beginning of this year. For some reason this totally zonked him out. The teacher said he'd be sitting in his chair with his head in his hands doing his work at 1/2 the speed he usually does. (My son has an almost totally hyperactive/ impulsive form of ADHD --he can actually focus very well and is an A student.) Strangely (and paradoxically) enough, it also gave him terrible insomina. At some point I couldn't tell if he was tired all day from the focalin or the lack of sleep. We cut back to 5 mg of immediate release and then 2.5 mg. Still didn't improve. If it worked at all in calming him, it did so by making him tired.

Switched to 2.5 mg of adderall immediate release this week. The teacher emailed me that he was "calm but alert" in class. No constant talking/ noise making / disrupting other students. etc. And he's been sleeping like a log. :) Don't know if this will be the magic bullet, but I hope so.

Anyway, everybody is completely different in the way they respond to/ metabolize these drugs. You have to be willing to try different things to see if you can find what works for you. You can try the focalin and if you don't like it, switch back to adderall.

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We put our 5.5 year old on this drug 3 weeks ago... We have seen a noticeable difference in his behavior... more calm... The draw backs are that by 4 in the afternoon it is wearing off.... It doesn't last long at all. He is also STARVING...non stop eating.... and the poor boy cant sleep......

He is on 2.5 mg 3x per day...

I wonder if there is a longer lasting drug..??? ANY one know..

Thanks Andrea

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There's a Focalin extended release (comes in 5 mg or 10 mg) that my daughter finds very effective. She takes on before going to school and it generally lasts until 2 pm or so. When she has lot of homework (she's 17), she takes a short acting (3 hrs) in the evening.

For her, Focalin has had virtually no side effects and gives her just enough focus to work effectively.

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My daughter is on 5 mg extended release, one dose at 7:00am and the 2nd at 2:00. This is our 2nd time trying it, last fall we tried it but she had significant agression issues. Since then we have her on 1/2 mg Tenex which is great with the Focalin.

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My little guy (7 in May) is on Focalin XR. He has been on it since December & recently switched dosage to 10 mg in am & 5 mg at 3pm. It works WONDERFULLY! He doesn't seem to eat any less and most nights has no problem falling asleep. I went to the health food store & got melatonin drops and he gets that on some evenings and that helps TREMENDOUSLY! Focalin is great for us but i know others who did terrible on it. It is such an individual response! GOOD LUCK!

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