I'm not sure what kind of stimulant Focalin is but my ADHD DD also has issues with meds changing her behavior. She didn't do well on Adderall and does much better with ritalin (or generic). Adderall made her VERY moody. Ritalin calms her down but also takes away much of her personality, and she has kind of a flat affect on it. However her focus without it is extremely poor and we also get a lot of impulsive behavior. Her mood is a lot better, though. So it's a trade-off. I have to decide whether I want personality or ability to function. I'm about to take her to a psychologist and we will also see a psychiatrist within the same group about the meds. I asked the primary care doc for a referral and this is who she came up with. I am hoping they are competent.
If the med dose is too high, that can cause problems with anxiety, etc. So could it be a doseage issue? Also, when the drug wears off, that can cause a lot of issues for kids (basically they are having withdrawal symptoms). DD does well on Daytrana Patch in terms of that--after the patch is removed it wears off gradually. It also kicks in gradually. It sounds like you have tried a lot of meds, though, so maybe they just aren't right for him.
