I understand your confusion - we've been doing meds for 6 years and it's still hard. My oldest started on Focalin in 1st grade. Started at 5 mg and got up to 20 mg. We saw no real improvement, he lost too much wait and developed a tic. We switched to Intuniv and he was on it for 3 years. There was some real improvement and no noticeable side effects. Near the end of 4th grade, we came to the realization it was no longer effect. DS was unbearable to be around. One day, in desperation, I gave him 10mg of his younger brother's Focalin (younger brother was in 1st grade). The results were astounding. It made such an amazing difference so very different than the first time he took it. Only problem was after a few months, his tic came back. We reduced the dose to 5mg. Still saw some benefits, the tic decreased but wasn't gone. We're concerned about it so he's off the Focalin and when the tic is completely gone, we'll try Ritalin. Maybe the short acting dose will be okay.

Tenex is a non-stimulant that can help with focus. It can also help with tics that I think occasionally are a side effect of stimulants. Whether as a side effect or not, my son was having some issues with tics and the tenex seems to help. My some has some perseverative tendencies that stimulants can aggravate; my understanding is that tenex sometimes helps w/o that issue as well.

Anonymous wrote:We give 1/2 cap 5 mg. We tried several other meds & doses before we landed on this one as what worked best for our guy (at 6yo). After about a year on it, we recently added tenex to the focalin, which has also been helpful for our DS. It is all very individual and takes trying things to see what works. Our developmental pediatrician prescribes (not his gp). We found the notion of meds very scary at first--particularly the trial and error bit--but it has really helped. Best of luck.

What does the Tenex add? Thanks for sharing.

My 8 year old is on 10 mgs. We started on 5 mgs and it worked right away but wore off at 2 o'clock. Even my son felt a difference. He said, I can't pay attention the end of the day. 10 mgs is perfect and we have no side effects. Our ped prescribes but he was diagnosed but a psych. Good luck, and use the coupon online. My copay went from $100 to $0 when someone told me about it.

We give 1/2 cap 5 mg. We tried several other meds & doses before we landed on this one as what worked best for our guy (at 6yo). After about a year on it, we recently added tenex to the focalin, which has also been helpful for our DS. It is all very individual and takes trying things to see what works. Our developmental pediatrician prescribes (not his gp). We found the notion of meds very scary at first--particularly the trial and error bit--but it has really helped. Best of luck.

I realize this will need to be discussed with his prescribing doctor -- but we are relatively new to the ADHD diagnosis. 1) If your child is on focalin XR, what dosage do you give 2) how has the dosage changed over time/as child has grown and 3) who prescribes -- pediatrician or psychologist?

I find the med side of this a bit overwhelming. TIA