Experiences with Focalin for ADHD

Yes, I too have a few children with ADHD and we have tried Focalin. We had no bad side effects it just didn't last long enough for my one child that has ADHD hyper activity. He needed something that lasted long through the day from 7am until 3pm. He tried 3 other types of meds same results not lasting long enough for his attention to be focused. We have found success with the Daytrana Patch. My middle child has ADHD non hyper he just got a problem with being able to focus and keep his mind there (the media calls it ADD) he as well has been successful with Daytrana, he tried Adderall and had headaches as well didn't like trying to swallow something.

The meds work different for each child even though they say they are the same medication I've seen each kind work different for each kid. It's trial and error just like any medication my husband takes a blood pressure pill that works great for him not for me...same with these meds. Don't give up and wait and see what is successful for you child.

I've had all kinds of folks try to scare me and I ended up taking mu son the oldest off meds...he went down hill fast and wasn't successful at school. Don't believe all the stories folks write to scare you. Try it see if your child gets help from it, if not try another. i had my son when I took him off cry because he said there was so much distraction he couldn't think. I put him back on his meds he's able to read do math and focus on what his teacher is teaching. My best wishes to you

Our son tried Focalin. It worked well when it was active, but our son processed it really, really quickly. So, instead of lasting until late afternoon, it was out of his system by noon -- not ideal for school. He didn't have any side effects. The right medication varies so much by each child. What works wonders for one child may not be great for another. It can take a lot of trial and error, so don't give up if Focalin proves not to be the winner. Keep in mind that one of the great benefits of stimulant medications is that they're out of the child's system by the end of the day. So, if you see a side effect you hate or for any reason don't like a medication, you can stop it immediately and try something else. Keep in constant contact with the prescribing psychiatrist so you can make adjustments and get factual feedback/insights.

No parent is eager to try medication for ADHD, especially with all of the naysayers and misinformed public out there. But medication is what was like a light switch in our son's brain, connecting the dots that had been derailed, and allowed behavioral therapy to even work. Medication transformed our son's life and now people just see him, not his ADHD.

Best of luck!

There are many options for medical treatment of ADHD, and medication is just a tool that will help all the cognative behavioral therapy, social skills classes, play therapy, educational interventions, school behavior plans, speech therapy, and occupational therapy work that much better.

Focalin may work, but if it is not the best fit for your son, there are many options to try that may make his brain function more reliable for him. People with ADHD have a problem with the nuerotransmitters in their brains. Since Brain cells do not touch, we use nuerotransmitters to carry our thoughts as electricial impulses, over the tiny space, called a synapse. If the person has difficulty producing enough neurotransmitters, or the transmitter receptor is damaged, then that person has difficulty with typical brain functioning and processing skills. That is why medication is effective, when you find the medication that helps him to keep track of his thoughts and process information in a way that he can count on, he can learn all the skills and behaviors that people with typical brain function learn with relative ease.

There are also non stimulant options, and some people benefit from a combination of medications. Brains are flesh and blood, and you should not worry about getting medical treatment for a medical problem. Speak with your Child's psychiatrist about all the options that are out there if focalin does not produce the results you would like to see.

Good luck,
M.

have you tried any naturally based supplements at all? i am with you on the medications. i am not a fan of living on medications either. for myself, or for my kids. so i totally hear ya there. I have fibromyalgia and a joint disorder and i can safely say that after the plethora of medications they loaded me up on, once i switched to just taking supplements, it was a LOT better. the supplements helped me personally more then the meds ever did. I dont know how comfortable you are buying online, but thats what i do. Over the counter stuff has a lot of fillers. I dont personally take them, but i know that there is an ADD/ADHD supplements and ive read lots of good testimonials for them. I dont know if that is an option you would like to try, but your welcome to message me if it is and ill give you all the info.

We use the short acting version for my daughter at bed time, no side effects,
There is a long acting version I am going to request she gets switched to for days because conserta isn't working well.