Reviewer: Dylan, 13-18 Male on Treatment for 2 to less than 5 years (Patient)

Comment:
I started taking focalin when i was 14, im now 16. Before i say anything bad about this drug, it does help with focusing..but almost helps too much. My grades improved dramatically when i started taking this, but my social life plummeted. I started feeling anxious, depressed and I couldn't really hold a conversation until the end of the day on the bus when it was wearing off. My parents didn&# ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I started taking focalin when i was 14, im now 16. Before i say anything bad about this drug, it does help with focusing..but almost helps too much. My grades improved dramatically when i started taking this, but my social life plummeted. I started feeling anxious, depressed and I couldn't really hold a conversation until the end of the day on the bus when it was wearing off. My parents didn't really see much difference in me because it wears off within the hour i get home, but yes, there is a huge difference (at least for me.) I don't recommend this drug to anyone who is creative and has a hyper lifestyle (Me.) It makes you a different person, almost zombie like because its hard to hold on just one social conversation. I think that was the main reason i didnt like it, all my friends were asking if i was sick or sad etc. and i would just say im not having a good day because its too hard to explain to them because i just dont have the motivation. luckily i only take this medicine on the weekdays and not on the weekends so im normal all weekend. Overall it just makes my life a little bit more hard to deal with because of my hyper, happy lifestyle....but it also helps with school. So its your choice. Do you want a more happy lifestyle and be social? or get better grades, but not be social whatsoever. I had to choose the not social way because of my grades, but because of so many conversations i have missed out on with my friends i wish i had taken another medicine.
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Reviewer: redheadok, 35-44 Female on Treatment for 1 to 6 months (Caregiver)

Comment:
My 6 y/o son was having many behavioral problems at his daycare. Basically he had daily incidents that led to phone calls for me to pick him up because they couldn't calm him down. I took him to a behavior therapist and after a month of visits and questionnaires completed by parents and teachers, he was diagnosed with ADHD + ODD. Although I strongly believe a large part of the problem was the ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
My 6 y/o son was having many behavioral problems at his daycare. Basically he had daily incidents that led to phone calls for me to pick him up because they couldn't calm him down. I took him to a behavior therapist and after a month of visits and questionnaires completed by parents and teachers, he was diagnosed with ADHD + ODD. Although I strongly believe a large part of the problem was the adult's mishandling of the situation, when the ODD kicked in he was physical with anyone near and hurt (not seriously) people. At the recommendation of our pediatrician (who has known my 6 y/o son since birth) and the therapist, we started him on Vayarin and 5 mg of Focalin XR. We did notice a slight improvement with the 5 mg; however, over the course of the next 2 months we walked him up to 10 mg and then 15 mg. We always started a new dose on the weekend so we could monitor him closely. For the first 1-2 days he would have a headache, but it was nothing that prevented him from his normal daily activities. I do notice some excessive sweating and he often sleeps without his shirt because he's too warm. However, the benefits in his case have FAR outweighed those two cons. My child is NOT a zombie, which was a fear of ours before starting the medication. I notice immediately when the medicine takes effect and leaves his system. Multiple teachers at his school have raved about what a wonderful child he is. Now he can focus, complete tasks, and sit still for longer periods of time. I know his teacher has a great amount of experience with ADHD, so she has been incredible during this process. We also recently started behavior therapy at the CDC. My ultimate goal is to wean him off the Focalin XR; however, it has made a tremendous difference in our lives for the last few months. I have zero regrets for using it as a (hopefully) temporary crutch to help as we further develop his coping skills and work to decrease his impulsivity.
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Reviewer: Laptraffik, 13-18 Male on Treatment for 5 to less than 10 years (Patient)

Comment:
First off, i have some serious adhd as in 45mg of this is requred to even have a minor effect. The medicine itself works great for attention, but oh god the side effects. These are the side effects that i have, and i have been taking it for 8 years and it has caused many of these to be longlasting but overall i have mostly stopped due to them. Everything from lack of hunger, Anxiety, and depressi ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
First off, i have some serious adhd as in 45mg of this is requred to even have a minor effect. The medicine itself works great for attention, but oh god the side effects. These are the side effects that i have, and i have been taking it for 8 years and it has caused many of these to be longlasting but overall i have mostly stopped due to them. Everything from lack of hunger, Anxiety, and depression has happened in extreme degrees. the anxiety expecially as i was so shy in high school, one girl that i talked too when i finally stopped taking this stuff legitimatly thought i was a mute when she met me. Summary: It may work but at the cost of HORRIBLE anxiety and long lasting depression, i wrote this after a trigger from said depression over something minor that the depression was bad enough to remove my will to do anything for almost a hour. And this was all from one minor thing.
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Reviewer: Lowcountrymom, 45-54 Female on Treatment for 2 to less than 5 years (Caregiver)

Comment:
My son, who is now 16, started taking Focalin when he was 14.He has since stopped taking this medication due to side effects...i.e...depression suicidal thoughts,agitation, etc.....while only taking 5mg a day. No medication is worth the heartache of knowing your loved ones are going through difficult times. Please think twice before using or giving any adhd medication.

Comment:
My son, who is now 16, started taking Focalin when he was 14.He has since stopped taking this medication due to side effects...i.e...depression suicidal thoughts,agitation, etc.....while only taking 5mg a day. No medication is worth the heartache of knowing your loved ones are going through difficult times. Please think twice before using or giving any adhd medication.
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Reviewer: 13-18 Male on Treatment for 1 to 6 months (Patient)

Comment:
I thought it was just me who was experiencing the depression and anxiety caused by this medication, but after reading multiple reviews about this drug I see it is not just me having these problems. My initial experience with this drug started good but as I continued I noticed to be more withdrawn and depressed on top of some minor anxiety issues. I am defiantly going to try something else.

Comment:
I thought it was just me who was experiencing the depression and anxiety caused by this medication, but after reading multiple reviews about this drug I see it is not just me having these problems. My initial experience with this drug started good but as I continued I noticed to be more withdrawn and depressed on top of some minor anxiety issues. I am defiantly going to try something else.
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