Is My Daughter Snorting Focalin Xr?

I may have found evidence that my 15yo girl is snorting her folacin xr, 20mgs. Is this even possible? How or rather why would she smash the luttle beads up? To snort them? What kind of high? Sincerely, Worried Mother

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That is very much possible. I'm prescribed 40 mg of focalin. Being a heaby drug user in the past i quickly looked it up, and snorting this drug is very much similar to speed, and usually gives a great euphoria. I used to snort it every day, and it made me feel great and speedy and all of that. So chances are, she's probably snorting her focalin like i did.

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Not a good idea and something that you need to disguss with her ASAP...They are time released; to help her throughought day. It will get into her system faster, (she's probably crushng the beads) but then the enegry and concentration will dicipate within a few hours, if not sooner.. This is the NEW Thig the kids are into. I actualy was just perscribed this med, (I'm 49 years old) and it helps tremendously...BUT I am also a former cocaine addict and I know that if were to go down the that path of abusung this controlled substance i would obsess on getting more. the 30 day RX would be gone quickly, and I would spend all my time gong to other doctors to get more. It is NOT WORTH IT. BE THERE...DONE THAT! (many, many, many times) .Look for cut off straws...pens that have the innerds removed, razor blades to crush the beads...and stop it..NOW!

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I don't know how many times I have said this, But there is no prescription drug on earth that was made to crush and snort. Prescirption or not she needs to stop at once and get some help. Hopefully, you will confront her and ask what the deal is before it goes to far. I gave this same advice to a friend of mine because his son was crushing some drug I never heard of before, and it made a world of difference to them both. Do not be afraid to ask and stop her. Her life is worth more. I just had surgery on my leg, and I am afraid to take vicodin because of the stories I have heard. I take tylenol extra strenght and deal with the remaining pain because I know it will not last forever. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS, Don't let your daughter destroy her life at a young age, because it will only get worse if she continues what she is doing.

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Shes a kid, and wants to get high. Dont ground her for it but drop a hint like * hey i found some white beads, blah, blah, blah. im 16 and have snorted it, n it gets u very high such as speed er coke would. so its nothing to fret over, just drop the hint n leave it at that.

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she very well could be, i am an 18yr old that does it myself. the reasons why include weight loss, quick onset opposed to ingestion, it is a lot like speed, she may do it to stay awake at parties or if she is losing sleep over homework or gaming, a quick wake up call for school, to become social and many other reasons...... signs are weight loss, loss of appetite, talkative, difficulty sleeping, some times post-use depression..... my complications with its use have been irregular heart beats, insomnia, MAKE SURE SHE DOESNT TAKE 5HR ENERGY WITH IT!!! i did this when i didnt even abuse focalin and it was giving me heart arrhythmias and i thought that my heart was about to stop cause it was working so hard

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just my two cents but she may be doing it to conserve the stuff. People who use it to study sometimes will snort smaller amounts than they would take orally periodically so that the studying aide effects are not as long (1-3 hours). THis rather than being speedy for 5-6

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Your daughter is a teenager,and she is starting to see the world through her own point of view.
There could be many reasons she snorts it. By just orally ingesting focalin it can greatly decrease sleep, and this could drastically alter her sleep patterns which is unhealthy. Often, pill snorters might do this because they enjoy their sleep, and dont want to be laying in bed for 7 hours wide awake.
Would you want that? No, probably not.

Don't get me wrong, have words with her but absolutely do NOT immediately accuse or punish her. Get her side of it, see why she does it. If need be, hide her perscription and only allow her the recommended daily dosage. A 15 year old girl does not need to be holding on to a whole script bottle of a controlled substance, thats just asking for trouble with peers and maybe even school.

If nothing else works, try a medicine change to Strattera, or even Wellbutrin; two non stimulant ADHD medicines.
I hope I helped!

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The doctor had my son on 20mg vyvanse the side effects from it got to be too much. He is now on intuniv which is a non-amphetemine based ADHD...result are spectacular. Just have to communicate with the doc in detail the first couple of weeks of taking it to find out what works best. It's been a godsend.

As far as snorting Focalin XR is time released the other is not. Crushed bypasses the slow release and abusers compare it to cocaine more so then speed.
Its much easier to Overdose from snorting. I'd be putting your daughter into check on this ASAP.

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I agree with Teenager's post.

I'm 20 years old and awhile back I snorted focalin xr along with a few other things for recreation. It's just something kids do to get out of their system, rebel, and try to have fun and find something substantial in life.

If you look down on her for it and lecture her, let's face it. She's a teenager. That'll only make her rebel even more. And taking the pills away will by no means stop her from getting it if she wants to (nearly every kid in town has ADD meds.)

The best thing to do is drop the hint "i found some little white balls..." and treat her as an adult who can take guidance from a parent, but essentially it's her life and her decision. If you respect her, I guarantee she will respect you back and see that you only want whats best for her.

If you force her to stop, it'll last a week. If she stops on her own, it'll last a lifetime.

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intuniv is not for everyone.
i am a former amphetamine addict and to try to get the temptation out of my life i tried it as an alternitive to focalin. for the first few days i was so tired that i gave up on it, being tired is a side effect to intuniv. my mom now keeps my focalin supply hidden, and gives it to me as perscribed. you should hide the pills and give her the appropriate amount every day.

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"Shes a kid, and wants to get high. Dont ground her for it but drop a hint like * hey i found some white beads, blah, blah, blah. im 16 and have snorted it, n it gets u very high such as speed er coke would. so its nothing to fret over, just drop the hint n leave it at that"

She's 15. and doing something that even RESEMBLES coke/speed can really f*** up your life (sorry for the language), so it IS something to fret about. She'll probably be more likely to snort coke in the future if she's getting comfortable with her ADHD meds.

I started doing this same in high school, and it honestly was the worst decision i ever made. I had all these extra pills, and one day i just crushed one up and snorted. Things definitely spiraled out of control to the point where i was having anxiety attacks every time i started running low. I also started looked at drug user sites to see what else i could snort. I got so depressed and moody every time i started coming down off the high (i know this can happen even when you take focalin xr orally, but it's sooo much worse when you snort it). once i stopped, i was so much happier. but it was also my decision to stop. it might be tricky if she doesn't see the harm in it, so you should definitely confront her about it.

however, I do agree that you should be very gentle and semi-lenient on her (especially if this is the first time you've caught her doing something bad). Try talking to her about it. If you're too harsh on her, she might rebel and try buying it off kids at school. She needs to know that you're someone she can come talk to about tough issues like this, and she wont feel that way if you just yell and punish her. She's probably already a little paranoid you're gonna find out (i know i was, but maybe that's just me). she might try to deny it too, so look for evidence first. I know this is an invasion of privacy blah blah blah, but seriously her health is wayyy more important. people die all the time from stuff like this: overdosing (minor concern if it's only 20mg) and also SERIOUS heart problems. snorting it made my heart race so fast that i used to get a little scared. if it seems like she's not listening, google pictures of people's noses after they've snorted too much coke and lost the cartilage between the nostrils. and tell her about the heart problems. my sister died of suddenly from an unknown heart problem where you're heart just stops if it's beating too fast. she's wasn't snorting pills, but it just shows you that these things are no joke, and racing hearts are a serious concern.

if it's true, you're gonna have to start watching her more closely (not that you haven't been because clearly you've noticed what's going on), and if you get any suspicions, i would take away her pills and distribute them to her as prescribed. Harsh, i know, but honestly it's better in the long run. In high school my mom used to do this to me with my sleeping medication (ambien), and i hated her for it, but i'm so grateful now because I probably would have taken way to many and overdosed/died (i've had some serious issues in the past, obviously as i've just told you my sister died). you'll hate yourself if something worse comes out of this.

sorry this is long. and i'm so sorry if i sound like i'm trying to tell you how to be a parent. i'm not one, so i dont know what it's like. but i've been in your daughters shoes, and i can tell you that while it might be exciting for her and all her friends are doing it, i can guarantee you she's not thinking about the long term results.

sorry for the rant, i'm just really concerned (weird bc i dont know you), and i hope everything works out. i want to be a teen counselor, so let me know how i did!

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my mother did this method to me when she found my weed, agent lemon (DXM) and a few other things and i quit most everything just because its a buzz kill to thing about " hey what if my mom walked in on me trippin balls and started yelling at me that'd be scary "... also if she has good friends who care about hey they might tell you the same way one of mine did and just waited untill i was high and called my house to report his concern for my health and well-being to the parentals... i hated him for it for a few days but i soon realized it was for my best and i thank him every time i see him for it . well all that being said ...i deff. just snorted 60 mg of the ole DexXR and currently i am feelin quite nice not high but im in a great mood and this s*** got rid of my killer tequila/cheep gin hang over and 2 hours of sleep

so i hope the best came of this situation and you didnt like yell and scream at her

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I know this post is old but i figured I would offer my two cents. If it turns out your daughter was snorting it (and even if she wasn't and you still want to do this as a precaution) I would reccomend a change in medicine to vyavance, or at least looking into it. This is what I take now. It has pretty much all of the same effects, and it even helps with several of the side effects that accompany most ADHD medicines,
but the way its released into your system prevents abuse of the drug by means of snorting or any other method. The way adderall, focalin, and other stimulants work is you take a certain dosage, and this dose is let out into your system all at once, creating an initial spike or "high". Throughout the day it is slowly absorbed by the body until the effects have worn off. If you crush these and snort them all of the medicine shoots immediatly into your system which gives you a rush or high similar to speed. Vyavance, on the other hand, is a fairly new drug that instead of releasing the full dosage upon taking it, slowly lets off a certain amount of the medicine systematically throughout the day. Pretty much this means that there is no initial spike of a large amount of medicine being released into your system, as in adderall/focaline, so there is no way to abuse it or get high from it. It also means that the medicine doesnt slowly lose its effect throughout the day, but keeps a consistant effect so you can concentrate throughout the day. I took both adderall and focalin for seven years when I was in gradeschool. Because of past holdups with drug abuse I was sent to a rehab program where I was switched to Vyavance to prevent abuse. When I did take focalin, I hated all of the side effects (nausea, irritability, loss of appetite, sleep deprevation) but since I have switched to vyavance these effects have greatly diminished. Irritability is down, I'm able to go to sleep at night fairly easy, and I dont get morning sickness anymore. However loss of appetite is still pretty consistent. One thing I will say, however, is I feel as if focalin did help me to concentrate better than vyavance does, but which medicine works better on this front really depends on the person so it might help your daughter more.
I'll end by saying I don't fully know the complete process behind how vyavance works, I tried to explain it the best way I could, but I strongly recommend that you look into it as a possibility and talk to your daughter's doctor/pyschiatrist about it. Hope this helped

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i tried it a couple times i never crushed the beads up after emptying the capsule. It makes me feal awake alert focused and just better. but if you get carried away you can become addicted big time. its not hard to snort the beads atall crushing them is not needed. just sit her down and ask her dont sound pushy controlling or freeked out just tell her youd appreciate it if she stopped snorting them and end with i love you and i care about you.

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Listen, I was prescribed focalin xr last year, soon after I discovered its hidden effects from snorting. I failed all my college classes due to lack of sleep and the addiction and now I am barely making ends meet with my pizza delivery job. Don't let your child mess with this stuff because I wish my parents had stopped me before I threw away my life. This is only the start.

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NAAAHHH, you really shouldn't be worried at all. If she has ADHD she wont get as much of a "high" as she would if she didn't have it. I know this because I'm currently prescribed 40mg of Focalin and I snort them everyday throughout the day. As long as she not doing it ALL at one time she'll be okay. BUT, if she doesn't have ADHD make her stop that s*** NOW! Long term abuse of ADHD drugs for patients who do not have or are wrongfully diagnosed with ADHD can lead to serious internal problems.

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I am prescribed this focalin and I gain tolerance to it, so I have to take a little more every day to get same effect.

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hurry and find a solution to her problem. i had 4 knee surgeries starting in highschool when i was 16. i had oxycotin 60 perc 20 for 2 years of high school and then got involved in heroin for the last year and a half. so i think that by her snorting her add meds can and will lead to other speed like drugs. they always do. just my exp with my pills. and i didnt even abuse my pain meds until the end, my tolerance was thru the roof. but rehab does wonders and now 7 months off of the brown

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I'm 17 I am prescribed Focalin XR always used it normally. Then I heard about snorting it. So for a week I took no focalin and drank cranberry juice to get it to leave my system hoping for a better high. After the week. I opened 3 20MG capsules crushe them. Snorted all of it in 2 lines. Turns out I went into a stage of psychosis, I was awake for 76 hours, didn't eat for 48 hours at one point. I stares seeing flashing lights. I was numb and tingly. And Boyyy trust me I've snorted 2 lines of cocaine and had ecstasy. Even though this doesn't compare to ecstasy in the high feeling. It's just as good. It's like snorting 5-6 lines of some good cocaine. Soooo I'd say make her quit. It'll f*** up her life. I personally still snort once a month or so just to study for a test.

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Probably, I do too, she needs to stop though. I wish I could. Honestly though it does need to be handed, but do not ride her for it. She will lash out more, like most people I know hooked on this crap. BTW how old are you guys who have done it, Im 13 and just wanted to know if I was alone. Good luck to you and your daughter.

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Re: College Student (# 13)

Vivances metabolized by proteins in your body. It's not the drug itself.It needs your body to make it.

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Re: Teenager (# 4)

Yep worst thing u can do is ground a kid 4 using I am 34 and have used since 17 and it's the worst mistake of my life I wish I would've never touched any drugs because I have major problems with my liver now from using everyday for 17 years. I do know when people tried to say something to me over it I just wanted to use more

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Re: A little late to the party (# 30)

First, I hope that the OP was able to speak with their child openly...This is a very common drug of abuse. The price of your suspicions being wrong is nothing compared to the price of your suspicions being right, but not saying anything.

Also, to the AODA councilor...Please re-assess your view that "nobody quits until they are ready", and consider a new maxim, "if you wait until the 'right' time, it never comes" or, even worse, "if you wait until the right time, it is too late". If a patient were dying of a cancer would you tell them to "come back when they are ready" or "when you have a better attitude"? Early intervention is ALWAYS the best policy...and not just for cancer.

Yes, addicts can be frustrating to deal with, but the frustrating behaviors that they exhibit are symptoms of a medical condition. We need to be objective with our clients. Some frustration is par for the course. However, it is important to remember that "rate of relapse" for addiction is on par with other chronic relapsing illnesses. This is important to remember, as there is a common perception that recovery from addiction is somehow the exception and not the rule. That is a potentially harmful perspective, and not actually accurate.

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Re: Teenager (# 4)

I'm know I'm way late but don't NOT act like it's not a big deal if she IS snorting them. If you can't find evidence or catch her in the act, start keeping her pills with you and give them to her as prescribed. If she tries to steal them back or throws a fit or things like that, then she's either attempting to get a high or selling them to other people. You don't wanna accuse her without being sure or she'll be like every upset teen, throw a fit at you for not trusting her, and possibly START trying drugs just to spite you. I was like that as a teen. I wanted to rebel against all the people who treated me like a weirdo, or said I'd become a serial killer, or was probably on drugs or going to become an alcoholic like my birth family. I rebelled against my parents' cruelty for not accepting their religion and ways and crap and unfortunately it eventually led me to bad places with bad people with problems like mine-who solved them with drugs. I've been sober for a year now since may 2017, but every freaking day I want something, anything, to feel high. I don't have a good life still things are worse than ever and I'm desperately trying to stay sober.

I worry for your kid if she is trying to feel high and you're "oh whatever" about it. Don't make it the end of her world. But save her life early. Tell her drugs will literally ruin your body and life and relationships. If she gets worse or does drugs still, then-honestly? Tough love. Threaten to kick her out, take her possessions. Ground her if you have to, don't let her drive or give her money etc. and tell her if she does it again then she's going to get kicked out or sent to rehab. Your choice (but I found out through experience, being a "I'm an adult I don't need you I hate you" and choosing to "get kicked out" (aka I went running to a town an hour away to live with homeless drug addicts in a broken van for five months about, sold most of the things I owned at home first for obviously drugs, panhandled for money for food or a motel room, etc); it's harder. I eventually had to go back home because the van got taken away, two of my homeless friends got arrested (for having drugs and for stealing from a store). I wasn't making enough panhandling for drugs AND food and a place to stay. And all I could do was stay till I figured I'd go home and sell more stuff for drugs.

In fact the only reason I got clean was because when I was headed home I got into a car and it crashed and I was high so the police took me to a hospital, called my dad, told him my blood report had heroin in it and it's been really awful. I lost everything. My stuff I sold, money I had, job I'd quit right when I got sick from withdrawing the first time. My real friends, my homeless friends. My driver license got suspended 60 days, because they blamed me for the crash, but my parents won't let me drive or pay for my license back. I lost the only person who ever loved me, because they couldn't deal with being with someone addicted to heroin. That hurt the worst, because he said nothing when I smoked pot and nothing when I popped some pills but as soon as it's heroin, there goes everything I had that was good-aka my relationship. My only good relationship. I could have had a future. And while I would say pot isn't a big deal, Focalin xr might not give you an amazing high or be as addictive. But I took some when my sister got prescribed it, insufflated pretty much all of it in a day or two, and it was just to feel something.

Honestly I didn't even feel great. It gave me jitters and anxiety and I couldn't sleep for like a day or two. I did it just because I could feel high on it and feel like maybe it would somehow help me escape my crap reality. Well guess what? That led to taking narcotic pills, abusing them, trying to buy more illegally, and finding out heroin is really cheap and can feel amazing. Assuming you know what the hell you're doing. I'm not saying Focalin xr is a gateway drug. But people need to take it seriously with teens and young adults, especially if they are susceptible to addiction. They'll google it, abuse it, want better or stronger; and then s*** hits the fan. Please whoever reads this, parent or addict, get help. Professional if you can. Seriously any drug even prescribed to kids can f*** your life up. I'm only 25 right now and I'm basically dead inside.

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A friend gave me a few 5mg focalin
to try today (6) for my ADD and OCD, and me as a past opiate abuser decided, "oh just take them all at once." I weigh almost 300 pounds (insert sad face because I've tried over and over to loose, but can't. So, I figured my body will be fine with it. And, I've been on I guess what you calla high, but a.different high than my medication I take for herniated back discs gives me. Very talkative, speedy, getting things done. Also, not crabby or being ill with anyone on this focalin as when I take my opiate, I am mean and very moody when coming off the high. My problem is, I found myself calling said friend and asking for more because this was the "high" and "speed" I needed. I've taken 2 additional tabs every hour for the last 3 hours for a total of 12 of the 5mg tablets so that is 60mg so far and I almost feel I won't stop until I'm out of them. But, I feel like this is what I've needed for me moods, anger, laziness, you name it for months. What would you do to ask your doctor to put you on focalin without letting them know you've tried it. Am I crazy for wanting to change from an anxiety medication called imipram to focalin? I even feel it would keep me from doing the 4 opiates I am prescribed on a daily basis. I'm kinda just wondering all types.of different things at this point!!!!

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Yeah your daughter is most likely abusing it. Dependent upon what your evidence is. Anyways she may just be curious, like many teens that start abusing drugs, and is seeking a new experience. This is the worst case scenario because eventually she will try harder and harder drugs. It is also possible she is feeling swamped in school and is using the drug to excel in areas that are causing her trouble. Talk to her and possibly her doctor or a child therapist. But in the end it really doesn't matter what you do because she will do what she wants, as kids do.

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My daughter used heroin again last night. She called me right after at work ( I'm a RN) and confessed. She felt that I should be relieved in some way. I'm so tired. I love her more than I can express but I've exhausted all the resources available to our family and my daughter. I wish we had the funds to send her to a nontraditional rehab. I am totally and completely lost. We need prayers please.

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I guess you gotta expierence the real world first before you can say that. Yeah she's insufflating it, stop her.

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Probably, I'm a recovering drug addict. So also look for a dirty spoon, burnt spoons, needless, and needle pricks, bumps, bruises, and dark lines running from her arm. Don't treat her like a criminal. Doing that will push her more into isolation. She needs you. Get her help. Try to be understanding.

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ok. i should start from the beginning.

my mom was prescribed 40mg x30 along with 10mg x60 of focalin. they would be gone in less than a week. (three or four people taking them.)

honestly if you are scared she is going to get addicted then i dont know what to say. because even though coming down off of it feels HORRIBLE. i never have a need for more. if i can get some, great. if not, well it was probably for the better and i dont care.

it can be dangerous.

****** if she starts to ramble on and on about all kinds of stuff and she usually doesnt. then she is most likely insufflating it.

once i start talking i usually cannot shut up.

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