FOCALIN Reviews (DEXMETHYLPHENIDATE HYDROCHLORIDE)

Average Rating: 2.9 (33 Ratings)

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 CNS, MISCELLANEOUS    DEA Schedule II   

 Type: Rx Drug

  

FOCALIN  (DEXMETHYLPHENIDATE HYDROCHLORIDE):  This medication is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - ADHD. It works by changing the amounts of certain natural substances in the brain. Dexmethylphenidate belongs to a class of drugs known as stimulants. It can help increase your ability to pay attention, stay focused on an activity, and control behavior problems. It may also help you to organize your tasks and improve listening skills.   FDA Approval Date: 2001-11-13 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

Results are sorted by Gender with females listed first (reviews with no gender reported listed before females).

Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

Page: 1 2


RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR FOCALINCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 5  ADHD Initially made me sleepy, then slightly upbeat. This drug is a miracle! I waited many many years to finally try medication because of all the negative things I heard about stimulants. I regret it now because once I tried this I was able to concentrate, focus on one thing at a time, actually start and finish a book, clean off my cluttered desk, and complete projects at work. My boss thinks I'm a new person and so does my husband. Take my advice and tell those who tell you this is poison to keep their mistaken opinions to themselves because focalin has changed my life for the better. It works well with little or no side effects. I did lose 15 pounds but that was because I had more energy and joined a gym. F 48 365 days
2.5mg 2X day
5/18/2011
 5  ADULT ADD Since I began taking this drug, as an adult , I always noticed some sort of anxiety, which is what I described it as... I have always constantly kept a blank writing pad next ti me, because as the effect of the medication began, my mind would began to think about all these other things (in my 'to do list') that I had forgotten..., so I would start a to do list as I am trying to study. I never thought this was a negative effect until now, where I believe I am becoming dependent on the focalin. I read how children pick their nails... I do that,,, I cant sit still, yet again, I can focus. Its a very scary feeling, and I find myself 'self prescribing' higher and higher doses, solely to be able to focus, yet again, i think I am becoming even more an anxiety driven.... Im not sure what to do at this point. My education (higher education) depends on me being able to concentrate on classes and this is truly becoming a problem.... F 27 18 months
20 3X day
10/31/2011
Email
 5  Bipolar NOS Decreased appetite-- that's about it. I wish I could give this drug ten stars!!! Email me to learn more about it. A MIRACLE DRUG. Focalin saved my life because my doctor was willing to try something very unconventional for BP. It pulled me out of horrible bipolar mixed states and made me see that life really COULD be worth living again. If you have BP and your mood stabilizer is not enough, see if your doctor will let you add on Focalin. The other stimulants do NOT work for this purpose. F 39 2 years
11/4/2008
Email
 5  Adult ADHD, some depression issues Sleepy! Have to take a nap after dose. When I wake up, I'm fine. When it wears off, some depression/anger issues. Nothing nearly as bad as Wellbutrin. Works so much better than the SNRIs. I'm just a little too becalmed - sleepy. I'm at 20 mg XR have only been at this dose couple of weeks. If the sleepiness/mood extremes smooth out, I'll take it till the day I die. I have refractory depression and this cures without loss of libido or flat affect. Otherwise, thumb's up! F 48 70 days
7/5/2009
 4  ADHD loss of appetite, headache, dry outh F 39 9 months
4/24/2008
 4  Adult ADD Most annoying side effects: stomach discomfort and upset at times, burred vision, fast heart beat, excessive talking, euphoria that compromises good judgement (I'll commit to doing something that I don't want to follow thru on when drug wears off), effectiveness of name brand wears off after a few years. I went to generic, then took a break from drug. Effectiveness came back even on generic after a month break. Insomnia if I took too late in day. It works just fine, and I can think clearly, stay on task for hours. F 54 10 years
10 2X day
3/29/2018
Email
 4  ADD I experienced intense muscle pain the first couple of weeks, but that eventually went away. I also had nausea (especially in the morning) and just recently began experiencing swelling in my feet at night. F 38 4 months
10 MG 2X day
7/26/2020
 3  Adhd F 65 2 months
10 mg 3X day
10/29/2021
Email
 3  ADD/ADHD Finger tingling/numbness (circulation problems) This medication worked well for my ADHD but I was taken off of it within a few days due to the potentially harmful side effects. F 29 3 days
5mg 1X day
5/23/2014
 3  Adult ADHD Constant ringing in my ears & blurred vision. I was on Focalin xr prior to being on the immediate release that I'm on now. The xr worked better for me, but it barely lasted a few hours. So my doctor switched me to the immediate version hoping this one would work better. Maybe I just have severe ADHD because I still have a really bad memory & still can't concentrate on things. I'm starting a new job soon & am very concerned about being able to focus, concentrate & remember things! I was on Vyvanse before this which worked VERY well for me, but my insurance now refuses to cover it even after my doctor going through months of prior authorizations with them :( F 42 14 days
10 MG 2X
9/14/2019
Email
 2  ADHD Makes my daughter very irritable, crabby and emotional. Mood swings and many meltdowns. It also makes her very anxious. Spitting because she thinks bugs are in her mouth, worried about germs etc. It also killed her appetite and she won't drink much either. It seemed to help the first week or so (minus the spitting) but not longer has much effect. I don't want to increase the dose for rear that it will make her mood and OCD behaviors worse. F 5 3 weeks
5 mg 1X day
5/13/2012
Email
 1  Adult ADD Psychosis; Severe Depression; Uncontrollable crying spells; Feelings of being unworthy Although many people have reacted very positively to this drug, I ended up at a mental hospital 3 days after I started taking it. I've never had any serious problems and I mentioned to my doctor that I was forgetting everything lately so he prescribed this to me. Seriously, it was a complete nightmare! It took about 2 days to recover, but I am fine now. Be careful with anything you take/ F 28 3 days
6/11/2008
 1  It was dispensed in error!! loss of hair, manic episodes, up three days at time, extreme depression, agitation, blurred vision, fast weight loss, fear, paranoia My pharmacy was supposed to refill my adderall xr 30 but instead gave me' focalin xr 30 (but bottle said adderall xr 30) .. This was the most horrifying drug I have ever been on. I felt like I had lost my mind and was depressed to a dangerous point. The error was found and I was finally notified but the damage was done. F 32 8 days
30 mg xr 1X day
5/5/2011
Email
 1  Adult AD/HD Depression and Anxiety. Shaking, insomnia, headaches. Drained by the end of the day. Mind racing. This drug helped initialy, although I didn't like the way it made me feel physically. I kept taking it because it did help me focus and pay attention. Then I fell into an almost crippling depression and couldn't understand why. I have never been depressed, but now I've had such a lovely life experience. Then I began feeling panicky and out of control. I've never had anxiety before either. Thanks Focalin! I talked to my doctor about it, who prescribed Lexapro. Thanks pharmaceutical companies! I think I'll just detox from the Focalin and look for other ways to increase focus… F 28 60 days
20 MG 1X day
5/24/2010
 1  ADD Very, very anxious! Jittery, short of breath, very rapid heartbeat, fatigued when wears off and headache/stiff neck. Bad idea! F 35 1 months
30
6/16/2016
Email
 5  ADD Without Focalin, I probably wouldn't be passing any of my classes. I'be been taking the medication for about 6 years now. I've tested days without it and it absolutely screws up my day. I don't do any work in school and then come home and have issues focusing on homework. My doctor has prescribed me many different medications between Kindergarten and 3rd grade. Focal in was the only thing that worked. M 15 6 years
10
2/29/2016
 5  Severe adhd A little less hungry This drug has seriously saved my sons life. He is very impulsive and was failing school. He has a high iq and just couldn’t get through the day. This has helped his learning, friendships and he is overall much happier. He is able to go to school and activities full day when he could not before. We are blessed to have found focalin. M 7 6 months
10
7/16/2019
 5  ADHD Mild headache This drug has been very effective for my son. He was having severe attention problems at school which showed on his report card in his grades and his conduct scores. Since taking this drug, he has brought N's up to S's and some N's up to E's. His teacher sees a remarkable improvement. He still eats very well - almost better than before. He complains of a headache occasionally but that could also be from his allergies. M 7 3 months
5/6/2009
 5  ADHD slight loss of appetite My son has tried every ADHD medicine available and this is by far the best. Focalin seems to control his impulses and increases his ability to stay focused and do well in school while still allowing his personality to come through. It has had the least affect on his appetite and sleep patterns. All other medicines we tried since he was 5 include Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta, Vyvanse and Stratterra. They all showed signs of extreme irratability and agitation, and affected his sleep and appettite. Adderal and Ritalin both caused nervous ticks and Strattera caused him to feel like he did not belong. Vyvanse caused him to act irrational emotionally. Extreme mood swings. From a mom who continues to research and stay on top of what is available and how it effects my child this is definitely what I recommend to any parent. M 16 4 years
1/9/2010
 4  Add Sleepy at first then "wake up" and good to go. M 41 3 years
10mg 1x da
1/16/2014
Email
  

FOCALIN  (DEXMETHYLPHENIDATE HYDROCHLORIDE):  This medication is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - ADHD. It works by changing the amounts of certain natural substances in the brain. Dexmethylphenidate belongs to a class of drugs known as stimulants. It can help increase your ability to pay attention, stay focused on an activity, and control behavior problems. It may also help you to organize your tasks and improve listening skills.   FDA Approval Date: 2001-11-13 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

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