Dexmethylphenidate and Tiredness: What Users Say

• My...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2013

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "My 8-year-old has been on the meds for 3 days now. His teachers say he's doing great at school, and he's a lot more focused and less compulsive. BUT... He complains of being tired the entire time, stomach pains, headaches. I give him the medicine at 7:00 a.m. By 4:00, it's starting to wear off, and he seems to be coming off a high. At moments, he's purely goofy, almost to the point of having psychotic moments. He also talks to himself a lot. I don't know if I should give it a week or two to get in his system or stop it. I understand he needs better focus and fewer compulsive moments at school, but I love him more than to harm him with medicines."

• Gan...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 16, 2020

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "Focalin does what it is supposed to, but this medication makes my heart beat fast and also makes me super nervous and agitated all the time. I hate this medication. It makes me feel like a zombie, and it makes me feel cold all over. The worst part is that I can barely eat without feeling sick and that it makes me constantly shake. This medication also makes my mood stoop to a terrible and very low level. After it wears off, I feel weak, tired, cold, and nauseous."

• ada...
• January 31, 2010

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "My 9-year-old son has been on various medicines for ADHD since he was 6. We just switched to Focalin 10 mg about 2 weeks ago. We are noticing that by about 1:00 in the afternoon it is completely out of his system and there is no focus. We are going to try a booster dose of 5 mg in the afternoon. I'm going to talk to our doctor about lowering his morning dose because he feels shaky and tired, which I thought would have subsided by now. His focus is terrific, but I wonder if we can get the same results by knocking down the dose a bit and adding the booster. Other than that, his sleep and eating habits are the same. Whew!"

• gre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 15, 2018

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "My dose of Focalin is 10 mg. A few hours after taking it, I start to feel very depressed and down, like I can't do anything at all. Makes me feel like I'm going to throw up, feel tired, and have to go poop a lot from it."

• pre...
• January 19, 2018

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "The doctor started me off with 10 mg. It seemed to never 'fully' kick in, I would feel some effects, mostly just staring out into space and daydreaming. I told my doctor this, and he just said I needed to refocus my focus. (He's a hippie, y'all.) Then when I finally convinced him to up it to see if I would actually feel anything more, it just amps my anxiety and makes me extremely tired. You can forget about taking a second extended-release capsule after that one wears off, it just makes you more tired and amps your anxiety more, makes you jittery and really on edge, and also makes your heart beat incredibly fast. Would not recommend."

• Nan...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 2, 2022

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "I've taken Focalin XR for 15 years and started in the 1st grade. It worked well when I was a kid because it would turn my brain on for the school day, then I'd go back to my normal self by dinner. Now that I'm an adult, this window of useful brain time is less effective, but a longer-lasting dose gives me insomnia. The feeling of being on or off gets very stressful and isn't great for my relationships. When the medication wears off, I get exhausted and crash. I loved my meds as a kid when it felt like I had a school mode and a play mode, but as an adult, I'm leaning more towards more subtle non-stimulant options."

• Adu...
• October 4, 2022

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "Excellent experience, I take only 5 mg per day and it actually lowers my anxiety and emptiness to zero! I have borderline personality disorder, so I suffer a lot of emptiness and I worry a lot. I was very pleasantly surprised to discover that those symptoms are gone. The only side effect is that some nights I feel absolutely exhausted, so my body is processing it very differently. I never took any drugs, so I guess for my extremely healthy body, 5 mg is a lot!"

• Use...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 4, 2021

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "I can't find the words to express how terrible I feel on this medicine. I feel like an emotionless zombie. During the first hours on it, you'll feel great. Like a burst of adrenaline, but then it wears off, and it leaves you feeling paranoid, tired, and depressed. You'll start shaking and twitching some days. It just feels awful. Please check if this medicine is right for you."

• Ste...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 1, 2018

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "I am a 62-year-old female. I so wanted Focalin to work for me. Prozac and Focalin are both not good. So tired, can't focus, nauseated, dizzy, reclusive, crying. Now on the second day of Wellbutrin and already feeling 100% better. I thought Focalin would give me a boost. I’m giving Focalin the boot!"

• Rya...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 29, 2020

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "I'm on Focalin 10 mg twice a day. I'm shaky and cold after I take it, my appetite is down, and my heart is beating way too fast. I feel relatively blank, I'm tired, but have a hard time sleeping. I used to sleep between 9 or 10 PM then wake up around 7-8 AM, now if I'm lucky I go to sleep at 11 PM or 12 PM and wake up at 6 AM. I rarely sleep through the night, and I'm anxious and agitated all the time. I'm also on Prozac (20 mg), and maybe they're clashing. It does help with paying attention, I can focus on things long enough for them to register, but I feel worse than I did before I started it."

• hyd...
• July 5, 2021

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "After 43 years, I was diagnosed with high-functioning ADHD and OCD and maybe PTSD from abuse. I am very confident and have made many accomplishments in my life. I am proud of what I have become, but being medicated has changed my life. I started on Zoloft and felt tired, but it helped. I was amazed. But I then went into Focalin 45 mg. I feel like it is not enough as of yet. But I love this med. Honestly, it seems like I cannot be stopped. I recommend this for a try. My only complaint is I haven't received a higher dose as of yet. I was a bit shaky and moody for 3 weeks. After that, things started to click. I recommend not using THC or high doses with this med. Try small THC and high CBD. Remember, without the THC, your ADHD brain will not accept the CBD."

• Fga...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 9, 2021

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "I’ve been on Focalin for a few months. I have ADHD and absolutely cannot concentrate at work, and I fall asleep most of the time. At first, it was okay, but I did notice that I would feel like a zombie after work. No appetite, no energy, and depressed! It kicks in, and sure, you're focused and alert for about 2 hours. But boy, when it wears off, it is awful. I have an appointment tomorrow because I cannot take this medicine anymore. I feel about as bad as I did when I first started treating myself for mental health. I used to be on generic Ritalin, and I do not remember the come down being this awful."

• Tin...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 24, 2021

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "I take a 30 mg in the morning and a 30 mg in the afternoon. I have been on this medication for 14 years, and it has had its ups and downs. I find that it has recently turned me into a zombie, but every day for 14 years, every morning, I have diarrhea and extreme stomach cramps. This medication makes my heart beat fast. It definitely helps with my impulses. For me, the withdrawal symptoms of this medication make me exhausted. It is so hard to get this prescription refilled, several times, I have had to go through withdrawal. It’s a pretty complicated situation."

• Jam...
• July 14, 2015

For ADHD "My son has been on medication since he was 4. He started out with Adderall 50 XR, and he started biting his fingernails till they bleed. He got into many fights at school, and then in 2nd grade, he got switched to Concerta XR 54, and he took that for many years until eighth grade, and he did terrible in school. He's 16 now and is on many medications like Wellbutrin XR 300, Intuniv 3, Zyprexa 20, Zoloft 200, and Trazodone 300. He takes Focalin 20 on top of that. He loves the Focalin, it makes him focused. He does 4 hours of online school a day until the Focalin wears off. He has very little side effects from it all, he notices is he crashes and gets tired and miserable once it wears off. But he has done amazing since he was put on it. His grades are Bs."

• Wou...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 23, 2019

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "The first day I took Focalin XR, it worked fantastic, and I had so much energy and confidence. I was really feeling like myself again. On the 2nd day of taking it, it was okay, it wasn’t as good as the first day. Then, the third day, I felt no difference at all. It made me feel probably worse than when I was off of it. I was extremely exhausted and had no effects at all. So, I called my doctor, and he told me to start taking 2 (20 mg each), and it did okay. I felt the energy, but literally no focus at all. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone, it may work okay for some, but there’s a good chance it won’t."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 31, 2020

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "Focalin just makes you irritable and tired all the time, doesn't even make you pay attention."

• Hum...
• May 5, 2020

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "Took a break, then started again, and on day 3, I was nauseous and tired."

• Idk...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 11, 2020

Dexmethylphenidate for ADHD "Focalin makes my hand and stomach numb, causes a tired feeling, and a meh feeling, and see if feeling, but everyone says it helps me."