Guanfacine User Reviews & Ratings (Page 5)

• MsD...
• September 30, 2011

Guanfacine for ADHD "My 10-year-old son was placed on Intuniv for his severe case of ADHD because stimulants make him angry due to his anxiety. All other medicines have not worked. My son, after 2 weeks, began communicating with his teachers. They love this new kid, and he talks about his feelings like he never has before. His friends are not asking to come visit again. His true personality has appeared, and I love it. He writes like he's in 8th grade, he has a very high IQ, but it was not showing up on his classwork. He is now able to keep up, and he plays basketball with no anxiety. He scored 25 points in one game, his self-esteem has improved drastically. I love it. Although we still have some work to do for his obsessive-compulsive disorder, he loves the medication and reminds me if I forget about it."

• cla...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 13, 2024

Guanfacine for ADHD "I've been on Intuniv for the second time for a year. The first time I took this drug was in combination with a stimulant (Adderall) for many years, but now I take it alone because of stimulants causing me to have manic episodes. The effect of this drug on ADD is subtle, but I do believe that it works. I can't tell that it is helping me until I sit down and do my schoolwork (I'm working on my second degree), and I notice that I'm able to sit down and focus for several hours without getting up many times/fidgeting. The side effect of calmness is an added bonus. I take this drug 2 mg twice a day to cut back on how much it lowers my blood pressure at one time because I do experience dizziness and orthostatic hypotension with it. The effects are definitely not as noticeable as stimulants, but it's so much better for ADD than nothing at all. It also especially helps cut down on impulsivity. I would recommend trying this drug as an adult, but don't expect an overnight miracle from it."

• Suk...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 11, 2014

Guanfacine for ADHD "My adopted 13-year-old son has fetal alcohol syndrome, causing severe ADHD and failure to thrive. Has been on Concerta for four years. For years, his special education teachers let him run around in the halls to tire him out and lessen the hyperactivity. Even with the Concerta at 36 mg, he was extremely hyper. He started Intuniv about a year ago, takes 3 mg per day plus a reduced Concerta dose (18 mg). No side effects of note. He seems to be doing better hyperactivity-wise in school, but I have not noticed a big difference at home. I also still have big problems with him homework-wise too. At 10 years old, he weighed 60 lbs, with the reduction in Concerta dose, he's finally gaining weight (13 years old, 91 lbs), so that's the trade-off we're making."

• CSL...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 13, 2015

Guanfacine for ADHD "My 8-year-old daughter has been taking the medication for 4 months now, and although we have seen a good improvement in her behavior, the weight gain has been substantial. She has gained over 10 lbs in 4 months, which is incredibly unhealthy. Her blood pressure has also been on the very low side. Unfortunately for us, we can't risk the bad side effects even though we have seen a positive behavior change."

• JNi...
• February 1, 2013

Guanfacine for ADHD "My 7-year-old son has ADHD/ODD. His doctor has him on 10 mg Prozac and 30 mg of Vyvanse in the morning, and 3 mg of Intuniv before bedtime (she just upped it from 1 mg). Unfortunately, for the two days he's been on the increased Intuniv, each day he's gone to the nurse's office twice because he can't stay awake in class. Getting it reduced to 2 mg today and hoping he becomes less zombie-like."

• Anonymous
• July 6, 2011

Guanfacine for ADHD "My daughter is 9 and has been switching through several stimulant ADHD medicines for 2 years. She can't sleep at night without a sedative, and she weighs 65 pounds at almost 10 years old because she just can't eat. She would literally eat something small for breakfast and nothing for the rest of the day. It's the most hopeless feeling watching your child starve and refuse to eat. We are switching to this and Vyvanse from clonidine and Concerta. It's only her first day, but she ate 3 FULL meals today. We are hoping to get her down to just this medication, but you can't just pull her off the stimulants. I'll be sure to post and update how happy I am with it several times to see how it progresses. After reading here, I am very hopeful."

• Air...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 8, 2017

Guanfacine for ADHD "I've been on Intuniv for about 10 months, and I am in high school. Intuniv has been working for me. I mean, the first few months I was really tired and was falling asleep in band class. But it has been working, I am not as tired anymore, but I get dizzy whenever I stand up, no matter how slow I stand up or drink water. I have been getting really mad lately, though. My mom won't let me change my meds, any ideas?"

• Who...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 17, 2020

Guanfacine for ADHD "43 years old male, ADHD and anxiety. I'm also on Dexedrine 10 mg twice a day. This medication is definitely not for me. At week 2, I couldn't take my stimulants anymore, had the D/Ts, massive anxiety attacks. I tried to ride it out for a month, but I just got more anxiety, depression, and insomnia. I will stop this med and am not looking forward to the rebound hypertension and whatever else nasty happens. Not a good option for me."

• Nic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 29, 2022

For ADHD "I’ve been on 1 mg Intuniv for adult ADHD and hypertension (which is caused by anxiety surges) for 8 days. I’ve tried most other things and was a little bit afraid of this when I read some of the reviews. I have to tell you, I cannot believe how much better I feel even after such a short time - my mind is quiet and I feel calm - this is a very low dose and usually only used for children, but OMG for me, it’s amazing. I’m so glad I tried it. It’s supposed to make people have hypotension and feel tired, but for me, who is completely hyper at all times and never tired, that has not been the case - I feel normal, and it’s been years since I’ve been able to say that!"

• Mom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 3, 2020

For ADHD "My goodness, this medication guanfacine was terrible for my daughter. It gave her awful hallucinations, and it broke my heart to see her that way. She would wake up out of her sleep screaming, 'Spiders are on me.' Then I thought she just had a bad dream. Nope. While she was awake, she jumped up and started screaming, jumping around and pointing at her arms, saying, 'Spiders.' My baby was torn to pieces. Then another time, we were all watching a cartoon movie, 'Trolls,' and she did it again. She jumped up crying so bad, saying, 'Mommy, please help me, they are going to get me. I'm scared.' She insisted they were really there and didn't understand why we couldn't see them. Knowing that really hurt her feelings and her self-esteem. I wouldn't try this on younger kids like my daughter, who is 7 years old, for ADHD. In sensitive kids, it is hard to restore that self-esteem they once had. It's a long road ahead of us, but that's my job as a mother to make sure she gets help, so I wish you all good luck."

• Anonymous
• April 22, 2010

Guanfacine for ADHD "We have had much success with our 11-year-old on this medication. He is conversing with us more and stays better focused on the task at hand (i.e., schoolwork). He is not as easily frustrated by things and has started sharing his feelings, which he never did before. He started on Tenex in August 2009, and we switched to Intuniv about two months ago. Tenex helped, but Intuniv seems to have really done the trick. We still have some issues, but everything is more tolerable for both him and us!"

• mot...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 18, 2012

Guanfacine for ADHD "My daughter (11 years old) had been on Vyvanse, but was still struggling and experiencing accelerated heart rate. She was not eating, not sleeping, and losing weight. Grateful for the medication, but side effects were starting to be a problem. Doctor added Intuniv 2 mg on top of Vyvanse, and it was great. Seemed to offset all the negative caused by Vyvanse."

• ant...
• February 21, 2011

Guanfacine for High Blood Pressure "Works fantastic for high blood pressure. Almost made it too low, but it's stabilized now. I've tried three different high blood pressure medicines from three different drug classes, and none work as well as Tenex. The worst side effect I had was dry mouth, but that goes away after a week or two, so don't quit the drug over that."

• Sta...
• March 15, 2017

For ADHD "I just got diagnosed with ADHD, and my doctor prescribed me this medication. She told me I can take up to 4 mg a day, so I started myself off with 1 mg. I didn't like it for the first few days because I have 4 kids, a husband, a full-time job, and I'm a part-time student. I didn't like that this medicine was making me sleepy, so I stopped taking it. My friend that takes the same meds, and he has been taking it for some years, told me the trick. He said to take 1 mg at night when it's your bedtime, and it worked. Taking the meds right at bedtime helps a lot, so I won't be sleepy during the day, and then it only took the meds like 4/5 days to start working. When I say my brain is working like a living scanner, a picture in my head for everything now."

• Anonymous
• February 24, 2012

Guanfacine for ADHD "Our son was diagnosed with ADHD at age 5. He just turned 9 and has been on every stimulant medication, sometimes at the highest dose. We know him as bright, funny, and very loving. Without medication, however, he can be a mean little bugger and cannot stay focused on a task. Because stimulant medications suppressed his appetite, he weighs only 60 pounds. We recently switched him from Vyvanse to Intuniv with great results, except... he has started having the worst gas issue and is afraid that his friends will tease him."

• DX-...
• May 6, 2010

Guanfacine for ADHD "I am a 33-year-old female. I was diagnosed with ADD when I was 10 years old. I have been on all the older ADD medicines: Ritalin, Vyvanse, and Focalin. This is my third week on Intuniv. I started on the 3 mg dose last night. I can hardly get up in the morning. I am so tired at work. When I get home, all I want to do is sleep. I am also so cranky. I am also noticing that I am having the famous 'ADD stare' often. I haven't had that in years. I started this medicine because the Concerta 72 mg I take every morning at 7 am is wearing off at 1 pm."

• Use...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 20, 2020

For ADHD "I have taken many medications like Mirtazapine, Abilify, Klonopin, propranolol, and Vyvanse, and none of them have had side effects close to guanfacine. I’m not a doctor, but I can tell you guanfacine was the worst one by far. My doctor increased my dose from 1 mg to 4 mg after every week. I am an 18-year-old healthy male, and I can tell you this medication had horrible side effects. I felt like a zombie, was constantly tired, had trouble remembering the simplest of tasks, and avoided everyone I was around. This is not how everyone reacts to the drug, but I would just be careful and watch how it affects your body."

• Jad...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 6, 2019

For Tourette's Syndrome "This medication has far fewer side effects than any other med I have taken for my tics. Sadly, the med lowered my blood pressure, which is already pretty low to begin with, and so I was taken off of it. In my experience, Tenex lessens tics significantly during mild stages, but when my tics were at their worst, it was unable to do the job."

• Anonymous
• October 19, 2011

Guanfacine for ADHD "I am currently taking Vyvanse and Intuniv. I am 16 years old, and I have ADD. I am on week 2 of the Intuniv. I have noticed that every time I get up from sitting down or laying down, I get very dizzy. I haven't felt sleepy or tired, but I think that's just because I am taking the Vyvanse too. I am taking Intuniv to try to cancel out the anxiety side effect of the Vyvanse. I haven't noticed a difference at all. I am just very frustrated at this point. I have tried almost every ADD medicine out there. I still have impulses and still am a perfectionist. I am still hoping that it will improve over time."

• Cor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 29, 2019

For ADHD "I love Tenex (guanfacine). My situation is a little different than other people taking this medication. I have a lot of paranoia and high anxiety due to my schizoaffective disorder. My psychiatrist actually started me on it to help control my anxiety. Before this, I was on Vistaril, which worked but made me very sleepy. The Tenex does not make me sleepy, I take 1 mg twice a day, and it has my anxiety almost completely under control. And it helps me be more focused too, so I can see why they prescribe this for ADHD so much. Been on it for about four months and have nothing but good things to say about it."

• The...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 17, 2017

For ADHD "I am a 24-year-old male with ADHD, high-functioning ADD, as well as impulse control issues. I've only been on this medication for a few weeks now, but I can feel a strong difference in my ability to make decisions and keep a steady train of focus in everyday tasks. I am noticing, however, from these other experiences, that Guanfacine ER is not a medication for young children. I take 1 mg every morning when I wake up. It makes me a tad tired for the first hour or so, but after that, if I make my mind up to do something, I stick with it. I don't feel like I have no control over myself anymore. I highly recommend this more to adults 20-30. It seems to be more effective in that age range. But then again, I'm not a doctor."

• ano...
• April 19, 2021

For Tourette's Syndrome "My child has high-functioning autism, ADHD, and mild Tourette's. She started taking this at age 6. We are 2 months or so in, and we have seen a significant decrease in tics and oral stimming. My child’s fingertips used to be raw, red, peeled, swollen, and painfully irritated from her constant chewing on them. She would shred chew necklaces and anything else she could get her hands on. She also experienced nearly constant motor tics and mild vocal tics (“Ooos,” “ahhhs,” random screams, etc.). We have suddenly noticed her fingers look healthy and clear of damage, and she is only very minimally having tics. The vocal tics are nearly gone completely, and the facial tics are just a series of grimaces and lip curls now. Such great improvement! No big changes in ability to focus or mood stabilizing, though."

• Mol...
• September 29, 2016

Guanfacine for ADHD "Our 8-year-old son has done so much better with Intuniv. He takes 2 mg at night. I see posts on the cost, check a Canadian pharmacy. We only pay $450 for 90 days, brand. Otherwise, it would be $900 here in the States. You fax your prescription and they mail you a 3-month supply. No side effects for us."

• sti...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 12, 2022

Guanfacine for ADHD "Intuniv worked terribly for me. I was prescribed it for ADHD, and it caused so many issues and fixed absolutely none. Dry mouth, low blood pressure (and in turn, dizziness and confusion), extreme tiredness no matter how much sleep I got, constipation, ear pain upon standing, painful dry eye, etc. I wouldn’t recommend."

• Mam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 2, 2023

For ADHD "My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD this year at age 5 1/2. She has had so many setbacks with her development, so the constant impulsiveness and inability to focus on anything was hindering her further. After 3 months of trying behavioral therapies, and multiple calls, messages, and meetings with school and daycare, we finally broke down and agreed to start a medication recommended by her PCP and child psychiatrist: guanfacine. We started the medication (1 mg ER daily) over holiday break to make sure she had time to adjust. At first, it made her very sleepy, but that only lasted 3-4 days. We started giving it to her at night so she would sleep through side effects. We have since found out that 3 am is the ‘sweet spot’ that will get her through the whole day. It’s been AMAZING. She still has her wild personality, and now the teacher says she’s the best behaved in class. She gets more positive feedback, which has helped her feel good about herself. The impulses are non-existent now."