My son is 13 and has been on Focalin for over two years. It is great and has had little side effects. He used to take Adderall, but could never swallow it. The doctor switched him to Focalin, because it has less of a taste.
He began taking Adderall XR when he was seven. It was a constant battle. He simply could not swallow it. He has a very strong gag reflex. We emptied the contents into pudding, juice, ice cream, etc, but the taste was too strong and the little tiny dots of medicine were hard to disquise. (My son has never been able to eat chocolate pudding again since the bad experience.) We finally had to use regular Adderall tablets that I ground into a powder and put with strong juice. Many mornings he was late to school, because it took an hour or more to get his medicine down.
I feel your frustration, because it was a daily battle for us for three years. We tried everything that was recommended - he practiced swallowing tic tacs, tried to take it with a bite of food, swallowing up side down, etc. Nothing worked. Before he entered middle school, I was very concerned and the doctor switched him to Focalin and he practiced and practiced and finally was able to swallow the pill. It just takes a bit of maturity to overcome the gag reflex.
One other thing you might check into, is a patch. It is fairly new and they did not have it when my son was younger. It is a patch that you put on each day and it slowly releases the medicine. I don't know anyone that has used it or know if it works well. Ask your doctor if it is an option and give it a try. Lots easier than trying to swallow a pill.