Hi,I am Dr. Alexander H. Sheppe (Psychiatrist). I will be looking into your question and guiding you through the process. Please write your question below.
My 13 year old son is on 40 mg Focalin that I give him between 6:30 and 7 AM. It doesn t seem to be lasting more than about 5 or 6 hours. He has gym class around 11:30 AM and after that, it seems the medication is gone. He is a very good athlete and plays sports very hard. After gym, his grades drop like a rock. What effect does gym class and how much he s eating have to do with how long the drug is effective? Sometimes he races out the door with no breakfast and that seems to diminish the effect of the medicine, too. What can you tell me about this situation?
Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service.
I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.
Focalin XR is a long acting preparation. The drug action lasts for around 12 hours. If the drug effects are waning even in 6 hours then please talk with his doctor and ask if there is any need to up the dose of Focalin.
He should take the drug with food which will help in better actions.
Hope I have answered your query.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
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Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice. Focalin XR is a long acting preparation. The drug action lasts for around 12 hours. If the drug effects are waning even in 6 hours then please talk with his doctor and ask if there is any need to up the dose of Focalin. He should take the drug with food which will help in better actions. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.