Hi there - I realize meds are not an easy road to go down - My son is on Focalin and it has been an absolute miracle for him. He is 8 and on the Autism spectrum with ADHD and PDD-NOS. We struggled for the past two years whether to walk the road of the meds. And although my son is very small and could loose some weight as a result of being on the med - the benefits for his daily living and learning are nothing short of a miracle - His focus has increased ten fold and he looks at everything totally different now. The beautiful thing about it is that we can open the capsule - there are crystals - it can be given with any of his favorites. We do yogurt. I would recommmend a strong look at this medicine as a viable option for any child. It is working for us for now and that is all that matters. Let me know if you have any questions or would like to talk :-) Teri V

Hi JNorman - You may need a stronger dose of it - It is an extended release med. I do notice that by 6 p.m. it has worn off. My son takes it at 7 a.m. He utilizes .5 mg - the smallest dose. I couldn't imagine not using it now - He is much better in his academics now as a result. I would say though that it took about two weeks for us to really see the full effects. First four days were a bear as he couldn't sleep well and was very emotional - But it passed and he actually loves taking it now. From one mom to another - I believe in this med and its abilities :-)

My son is on Vyvanse and it has worked miracles. At one time he was on Intuniv and it did not react well with him....It amplified his emotional breakdowns.There was a point when I had to go pick him up from school because he could not control his emotions all because a teacher said that he had to change his shirt. That is when I knew I had to get him off of that med. Since then I have just stuck with Vyvanse but an increase in dosage.

My son was on Tenex from the time he was 20 months til just recently, we noticed he was getting very irritable and aggressive, so we tried Focalin and another one and both were disasters, now he takes 1/4 Clonidine and 1 Risperadol in the morning and 1 Clonidine and 1 Risperadol at night and it is working like magic :)

My 7yr old is on adderal xr and it works well with keeping her focused, especially at school. They took her off of strattera, which was a non stimulant.