ADHD - Focallin XR

What great advice - all I will add is to read Delivered from Distraction by Edward Hallowell. He also has a free newsletter and weekly tips that help my family. I also like the book by Daniel Amen which discusses different types of ADD and a variety of medications and supplements that help.

Dr. Hallowell has ADD and focuses on the benefits as well as the problems. He gave a couple of funny speeches describing ADD that had my sons cracking up and feeling relieved that someone really understands how they (and I) feel. I had a CD but I think you can find copies of the text online.

Good luck.

All the medications are different for different kids, but any XR should not have rebound, that is why they came up with extended release. Stimulants, for the most part, kick in very quickly, and have no half life; once they are out of the system, they are out of the system. Some appitite issues will go away in a short time. There are non stimulant options so if this one does not work, or you think you can do better, do not get discouraged and ask for a change.

A couple of factors you should consider: make sure that you have a full, developmental, neurpsychological, educational and medical evaluation. If you do not yet have this, get it. A ratings scale in the pediatricians office and a school based evaluation are not enough, make an appointment with either a Develpmental Pediatrician or a Neuropsychologist/psychiatrist combo. You need to know exactly how he is effected, and exactly what you are looking to improve; progress is ultamately shown by the data. Data will also drive his treatment program, which should include some combination of: Medical intervention, Cognative Behavioral therapy, play therapy (find a new therapist or find a Cognative Behaviroarl therapist) social skills classes, speech, langauge, occupational, sensory, phsycial therapy-if the data indicates. Also, see a developmental Optomitrist, he may have 20-20 vision, but if he has handwriting issues, he may have some visual motor, visual perceptual, or occular motor issues that are often comorbid.

Use a Board Certified Child psychiatrist to prescribe these medications and case manage for your sons treatment program. Medication without therapy is not a good program.

Last, let go of your guilt about using modern medicine to treat a medical problem, which is what your son has. Brain dysfunction is no different (no more worthy of guilt and recrimination) than kidney dysfunction. Insert "pee" into all the symptoms you are concerned with, and you will realize that he is entitled to feel better, just like a child who has issues with his urine output. No guilt. His body has an issue either making enough neurotrasmitters or his body has damaged or dysfunctional neurotransmitter receptors; which is why medication is a good tool to help him benefit from his therapy and learn how to control impulses and learn other good strategies that will work for him. Increase the therapy and take advantage of his new ablity to process information and count on his brain to do so reliably.

M.

My now 8 y/o has been on Focalin XR for 2 years. We have been very lucky to have had no side effects. BUT, each kid is different. Each child will react to the meds differently. Some might lose their appetite, some might have trouble sleeping, some might get headaches, etc etc etc.
Don't freak out over this. Unfortunately, this is a process and you really have to try and see what works best for him.
After a week we noticed some changes, and after two weeks we got a call from his teacher (who he had been abusing at school!! Poor woman put up with so much that year!) and she said she couldn't believe the change.
My guy is small for his age as well. I have read many things and talked to our doc about it, and it seems that many ADHD/ADD kids tend to be a bit small for their age. But that doesn't mean he won't grow!! He'll be fine.
I know this was a difficult decision, but lets face it, if he had...say a seizure disorder and had to take meds, then you'd give them to him. This will simply help him be the boy he really is. He will be good, he will be bad - he's a kid! But at least he'll be able to focus and control himself better and be able to be himself.
Also, our doc told us that most kids may need a bump in meds around the 18mo mark. He was right on target. My guy started at 10mg and reacted very well but around 18mo his impulsitivity started kicking in and he was getting more aggressive, etc. We talked to the doc and he bumped him to 15mg. He's been at that level since.
You are starting at 10mg but don't get upset if you don't see results within a couple weeks, he may simply need a bigger dose. The doc gave you the lowest dose available and then you and the doc will have to fine tune it to fit your son.
Keep an eye out for side effects, and just try to stay calm. I remember how anxious I was when we just started meds, so I feel ya!
Good luck!!
J.

My stepson is on Focalin XR. It is not perfect by any means but it has been the best medication thus far and he has tried A LOT. Focalin seems to be pretty mild on side effects in comparison to some of the others. It does affect his appetite but he will still eat on them unlike some other meds he has tried. We always give it to him with a full breakfast. That way, we know he has eaten at least 1 decent, hearty meal before the meds kick in. This also gives it time to kick in while he's getting ready for school so once he gets there, he's focused. You should assume your son will not be eating lunch or very little of it so beef up breakfast - lean protein seems to be the most beneficial addition. Hopefully your son won't need an afternoon dose which will make it easier to get him to eat dinner. We use dinner as the meal with veggies to get those in. Supplement with a decent multi-vitamin and keep an eye on his weight (the Dr. should do this as well - weigh him and compare his weights to make sure he isn't losing too much). FYI, 10 mg is a super small dose so don't be upset if it doesn't do much and they have to bump it. It's trial and error, they always start out small to see if that's enough. Your son is already doing well so a small dose should help him focus. I know giving them medication is difficult and we are made to feel like bad parents for "drugging" our children. As 1 doctor said to me, if your child needed a cast on his leg, you would make sure that happened, right? Same thing - you are doing this to clear his mind, help him focus and stay on track. ADHD affects so many facets of their life - socialization, education, physicality and their own sense of self worth. My stepson did not get the help he needed until much later on and he has suffered b/c of it (sadly, he's the "weird" kid who has virtually no friends - no playdates, no sleep overs, a couple of bday party invitations a year maybe). Help your boy even if it means medication! Keep going with the other interventions (fish oil, etc.) they will probably help a little too. With ADHD, it's like playing darts, you don't know which one will hit the bullseye so you throw everything you can at it until something hits! Good luck.

I'm 39 and take Focalin. Not the XR only because there is no generic ecv. and our insurance for the name brand is stupid high.

I take 10 mg in the morning and another 10mg about 1pm. You can feel it kick in if you will about 5 minutes after you take it. It's subtle though not like -OK I"M ON MY MEDS NOW...And I know it's wearing off too. If I don't take the second dose, when I get home from work all the kid/diner hour craziness makes me REALLY uptight, (you'll probably notice that stuff when he's being overstimulated too), I lose focus, get antsy at my desk-find myself on facebook instead of working...taking a walk around the office, etc. :)

My only ? is if he really needs 10mg or a slighly lower dose..but really from what I can tell and my dr, (who also take it), has told me the diff between 5-10mg is not huge, but I don't kow about kids dosing so maybe inquire on that.

Try the CHADD.org site ifyou haven't already.

Giving him the meds is a GOOD thing. Google ADD and loving it and try to catch the docu on pbs...great stuff on ADD and meds.

Go mama-good luck!

My son started taking Folcalin XR 5mg at the beginning of this school year. He is also 7.5 and in second grade. I was did the same as you with alternatives but the first day of school he came home with a note and I called the doctor as soon as we got home. I got him into the doctor the next day and we went home with the 5mg prescription. It worked for my son for about 3 days. After that we went up to the 10 mg. That worked for about 2 days. Now he is taking 15 mg. The difference between 10mg and 15mg is like night and day. If the 10mg is not working for your son I'd go ahead and try the 15mg.
The biggest reason for me keeping the same medication and upping the dose instead of changing is because he was still the same little boy just more focused. He is still very active but when it comes time to focus on his school work he can focus on what he is doing and not what 20 other kids are doing in the room. When we go into the grocery store he can walk with me and we can talk without him jumping around and poking everything.
The only side effect of the medication is having a harder time falling asleep. But he always had a hard time sleeping. He also takes melatonin to help him fall asleep, with permission from his doctor of course. He has not had any side effects from the melatonin.
Another thing they look for is appetite. My son has not had any issues with his appetite.
I give my son his pill around the time he eats his breakfast and he is good to go by the time he gets to school If we forget to give him his pill he will go down to the nurse and ask her to call me so I can bring it in. My son is very aware of how taking his medication helps him in school. It wears off for him right around dinner time.
Another questions you can PM me. I know how stressed out the decision was to make.

Our son was diagnosed at age 9 and we were homeschooling at that point. We chose not to medicate. Once we had a diagnosis, we decided to use behavior modification and holistic treatments, which helped tremendously. The inattention is not a problem in a home or co-op environment where there are fewer students. The severity of your child's problem might warrant medication. But, whatever course you choose, do not feel guilty. We parents are not perfect. You sound like you've considered your choices and have acted with caution. If he's disrupting the class and cannot control his impulses, he probably is tired of being singled out for outbursts, too. Good idea to try it while he's home to monitor reactions; but, were you noticing significant problems with his behavior at home?

my mom used an amazing trick on me... it sounds really weird but it works. give your son a small amount of a caffinated drink before he leaves for school, something like a half mug of coffee with cream and sugar, or a small glass of soda. for some weird reason caffine works different with those of us who are adhd and add as adults. instead of wiring us like normal people, it slows us down. when he gets home try to find something that will interest him, and still force him to pay attention, like word searches, or some sort of detailed art project. when we had adhd we tend to like details, its something our brains can work with. lemmie know how that works out for you :)

My stepson (8, 3rd grade) is on Focalin XR 15 mg. This was about the third med that we tried and it has been great! We give it to him at breakfast and it kicks in by the time he gets to school. For him, it has usually completely worn off by around 5:30ish. He took Vyvanse first, and that kept him awake at night-like ALL night, but the Focalin doesn't do that. We give it to him on the weekends as well and the only thing I notice is that he isn't a motormouth and he is a lot more pleasant to be around! It has been a wonderful drug for us (sanity saver, actually!), but we spent the better part of his 2nd grade year finding a drug that worked for him. Don't be surprised if you have to play with the dosage or switch drugs- most people don't start with the "perfect" drug/dosage on the first try. Good luck!

Every child is different, so it's hard to predict how your son will do on this particular medication. I can say from experience, when you find the right ADHD medication, it's a "WOW!" moment. You'll have the same child, but one who's behavior and focus is normal.

For our son, medication takes an hour to kick in. With stimulants, you can tell on day one if they're a winner. The dosage may need tweaking, but you should see enough to form an opinion about it.

The great thing about ADHD medications is that if you hate them on day one, you can stop them immediately. So, no risk at all. You're in control.

Also know that the statistics show that kids with ADHD who aren't treated with medication have a much higher risk of using drugs and alcohol as teens. They try to self-medicate when they can. So, it's at least worth trying medication to see if it helps your child because there are long-term benefits.

Our son did use Focalin briefly and did well on it; however, he processed it WAY too quickly and it was out of his system by noon. He couldn't get through the school day, so we gave up on that medication. Again, our unique situation and it may work beautifully and through the afternoon for your son.

Best of luck! If you haven't already, join CHADD and subscribe to ADDitude magazine. Both are great resources on this journey.

I hear ya! We just got a prescription for concerta for our oldest. I can't help you but I feel exactly how you do. He's starting it tomorrow.