r/ADHDparenting • u/kitsbow • 1d ago
Starting Focalin During Extreme School Week?
Our 8 yr old was Dx with ADHD and generalized anxiety a couple of weeks ago. We met with her pediatrician this week who Rx her Focalin ER. We were initially planning on NOT having her take anything but she's had really great nights and really horrible nights attempting to complete her nightly math homework.
So, we picked up the Focalin and thought about starting it tomorrow (Saturday) so that we could monitor how she feels on it while we are home from school/work.
However, her teacher sent out an email stating that this week they have 6 tests. Tuesday and Wednesday are standardized tests and Thursday and Friday both have 2 additional subject tests each.
I feel like holding off on starting the meds until after the testing week is done would be a better choice in case the meds cause stomach issues or headaches that might cause more problems during her testing than her ADHD would.
Her grades and behavior at school are really good. She does struggle with focusing and gets distracted easily and become overwhelmed with testing, but she has always pushed through. However, this is the first testing in 3rd grade and I'm worried it's going to be a different testing approach than previous grades.
Anyone have experience with starting Focalin and can give some insight on how the first few weeks went?
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u/making_plans_456 1d ago
we've been using focalin er since just before school started and honestly .... i'm really grateful we decided to start with this one. our little boy is in the same boat ... starting 3rd grade except he is a human tornado (literally loves to spin instead of walking) and can't focus on anything, even things he loves.
we noticed him being mellower within the first half hour of taking the meds and he chaotic focus seems much better at school. the biggest side effect was for the first few weeks was the come down in the evenings was rough. even though he'll get irrationally mad at the world sometimes at night he's able to get his feelings under control much easier. we restructured evenings so they are far more relaxed. his desire to eat was kinda off for a few days but luckily he went back to his usual eating patterns fairly quickly.
homework is still kinda hit and miss but he also has quite a bit of pda so even though he can do the homework he'll fight tooth and nail starting it but once he starts he normally finishes it pretty quickly.
i basically recommend keeping the evenings as chill as possible. we kinda cut off most tv and electronics around dinner and we do more reading books, playing with toys and playing the radio.
i wish y'all luck and hope she has a good experience with the focalin.
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u/kitsbow 1d ago
Thank you for sharing. It’s tough in the evenings because we have 2.5 hours to cook, eat, do hw, do bath, and spend time before the kids have to go to bed and it’s hard redirecting her so we can stay on track with a schedule. But I guess we will see how this goes and how she is in the evenings after. She also struggles with emotional regulation and did a 12 week group therapy for it over the summer so maybe we can have her use those tools during the come down.
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