Guanfacine and Insomnia: What Users Say

• Bos...
• September 15, 2018

Intuniv (guanfacine) for ADHD "I would like to say that my son is 10 years old and is a non to limited verbal level 3 autistic child. We have tried everything and I feel as though this medicine has brought my little boy back. He is no longer experiencing insomnia the way he used to, he's so much happier, he is trying to communicate more, he is working well with others, he smiles and laughs like he used to. I could not be more pleased with what this medicine has done and he has not been on it for even the full week. I highly recommend this medication to my fellow autism ADHD mama who never get to sleep and are stretched too thin and have trouble with getting their child to relax and focus. This is not a stimulant medication. This is not an addictive medication, this is a godsend and I think whoever made this medication, it is definitely the best possible medication for an autistic child. I couldn't rate it higher than 10, and if I could, it would be an 11."

• cat...
• March 20, 2017

Intuniv (guanfacine) for ADHD "We started my 5-year-old on this. The 1 worked for him for a few weeks, then we noted an increase in aggression and hyperactivity. They upped him to 2 mg, and now he has not slept in days, no more than 4 hours a night, and then he wakes and starts kicking the door to his room and screams at the top of his lungs until we get him up. He has trashed his bedroom and said he noticed curtains moving when there is no movement. He is loud, violent, and swearing. I called the doctor right away after the first night of him saying his curtain rod was moving, so they said take it at night instead, but then waking up for a week at 3 am has been a nightmare. We are so stressed and overwhelmed with this behavior. He is out of control."

• Mom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 16, 2017

For Tourette's Syndrome "My 3rd grade son was diagnosed with ADHD and Tourette's in first grade. We decided not to do any medication and tried behavioral and holistic therapy. In 2nd grade, the tics (coughing, grunting, sniffing) were worse. Schoolwork was a struggle because he could not concentrate. He spent so much energy trying not to have the tic. Now, the tics are severe. He jumps up each time he coughs, can't sleep at night, and is depressed, saying he doesn't want to live like this. The school nurse insisted I take him to the doctor. He was placed on guanfacine 1 mg. He takes it at night. No more tics, happier, calmer, and focused. Life changer! The last 2 months have been unbelievable. I only wish I had started meds earlier. I have my kid back!!!"

• Rod...
• June 19, 2018

Intuniv (guanfacine) for ADHD "Male adult ADHD, mostly inattentive (but restless on the inside!), also bipolar type 2. I was on Ritalin for about a year and had a lot of problems with a dry and stuffy nose with frequent infections. Atomoxetine had similar effects: sleepy, nasal stuffiness, premature ejaculation (only ejaculation was premature). Intuniv actually reversed nasal dryness, my nose never felt better. Intuniv has both stimulating and calming effects, and my mood generally is better. I have more frequent urination at night, I often have to get up at 5 a.m. to go to the bathroom. Sometimes it is hard to get back to sleep, but then usually instant-release Clonidine helps (Clonidine has helped for problems with insomnia). I have NOT had any problems with sexual side effects on Intuniv, which is great. Perhaps only a slight increase in libido, but it could be due to improvement in mood as well. Appetite is normal, it has helped me lose a little weight. Ritalin used to give me increased hunger and sugar cravings."

• rgl...
• May 1, 2017

Intuniv (guanfacine) for ADHD "Five days into starting on Intuniv XR (1 mg daily at bedtime) for mild hypertension, a massive panic attack occurred. I am a 52-year-old male with no prior history of such attacks. I stopped the medication the next day, but it continued at 100% intensity for five days straight. Sweating, shivers, tremors, moaning, racing pulse, hot flashes in face and extremities, tight sternum knot, stabbing pain in left chest. Constant feelings of hopelessness, despair, and suicide. Luckily, by day six it had dropped 50% strength, tapering off quickly at first, then more slowly over the next ten days. Three weeks later I still have palpitations and an inner tremor causing insomnia. The doctor refuses to believe it, but I'm convinced the drug caused the attack."

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

Intuniv (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."

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

Intuniv (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."

• Ama...
• July 12, 2016

Intuniv (guanfacine) for ADHD "We began with night wakings, then more aggression. He was never aggressive like this before. Raised to 2 mg, symptoms increased again. Still hyper and seemed worse than before. Upon reducing back to 1 mg to none, it's been a nightmare. Red, red cheeks. Bouncing off walls. Bouncing up till 3 am. Starting to come down a bit, but oh my god, the havoc on his mind and body and us, plus no sleep. Doc said there wouldn't be any withdrawal."

• Ban...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 1, 2020

For ADHD "My son started guanfacine 2 weeks ago. He is 7 years old and was diagnosed with ADHD. For the first week, he took 1/2 tab in the morning and 1/2 tab in the evening. I saw a change the first week in his hyperactivity, but it was minimal. Week two, we were to increase the dosage to 1 tab in the morning and 1 tab in the evening. I usually give it around 8 am/8 pm. I have noticed since increasing that impulsivity and hyperactivity tendencies are down; however, he has trouble sleeping. I also noticed he gets a look that he is extremely tired (bags under his eyes and zoned out); he says things that are incoherent, and he can be running on 2 to 3 hours of sleep and then be up another 18-20 before 'crashing'."

• Anonymous
• November 1, 2011

Intuniv (guanfacine) for ADHD "My 7-year-old son was put on Intuniv for about a month. At first, he was having trouble sleeping and moody. He was getting worse in school, never smiled, had roller coaster mood swings, and would cry easily. He even got to a point where he was suicidal. We stopped giving it to him, and he is having withdrawal issues. He was only taking 1 mg of Intuniv. He was a lot better on the Focalin."

• Ran...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 1, 2020

For ADHD "20-year-old male with ADHD. I started taking guanfacine (extended release) about 4 weeks ago. Halfway through, I got it upped to 2 mg. Unfortunately, the medication makes me very tired. I noticed a calmness and clarity that I didn't have before. I really was wanting to avoid stimulants, so my doctor suggested this. The only issue is I will be falling asleep by 5 PM now, and if I take it the night before to try and curb this, I'd be having the same side effect at around 12 PM. It really did help me feel not so frayed in my thoughts. I didn't even realize I'd be thinking about multiple things at once in my head and not really focused on anything before taking this medication, and I felt this help in that regard-not entirely, but it took the edge off, it felt. This is much better than the alternative 'Strattera,' which my doctor is now trying to get me to take. Admittedly, after doing some research, I'm worried to take it because of the serious side effects: insomnia, extreme appetite loss, weight loss."

• oxc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 19, 2012

Intuniv (guanfacine) for ADHD "My son is 7 and just started Intuniv about a month ago. He has ADHD, bipolar, and intermittent explosive disorder. He is currently on a lot of medicines. They started him on Intuniv because he was unable to focus at school and extremely hyper. With him being bipolar, it is very hard for them to treat his ADHD because the stimulant medicines make him go crazy. He tries to hurt himself and others while on those. He is on 1 mg of Intuniv, and we've yet to see any good effects from it. He has never been able to sleep well, they told me this would help with that. But sadly, it hasn't. He is on a sleeping pill as well. He still tends to wake up very early in the morning. Some mornings it's 2 AM, some it's 4. They told us to go ahead and add another sleep aid."

• Jun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 6, 2015

For ADHD "Dr. put my 4-year-old on guanfacine for ADHD, 1 mg in the AM and 1 mg in the PM. He took it for 30 days. He turned into a zombie, plus taking 3-hour naps (before, he never took a nap). Didn't want to play outside, constipated, sniffing of nose constantly, no appetite, clumsy, complained stomach hurts, hallucinates. Took him off the pill, he got insomnia, emotional crying, panic attacks, couldn't make his mind up as to what he wanted, always stayed at his Nana's every weekend, but suddenly wouldn't stay, panic cried when Dad had to go to work or Mom had to go to the store, wanted everyone to stay home. He has now been off the pill for 3 weeks and is himself again... No 4-year-old needs a narcotic, they are supposed to be hyper and full of energy. He pays attention and is very smart."

• Ake...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 18, 2013

For ADHD "I'm in my late 20s and tried it for ADHD. All I can say is that it really messed up my sleep. It also severely worsened my depression. It has a long half-life. Benefits I did notice are that it seemed my memory improved somewhat, for example, I could remember several songs playing in a row. Also, focus seemed improved. I'm considering adding trazodone in hopes of aborting its negative effect on sleep. For anyone complaining about blood pressure side effects, lower your dose."

• Moj...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 4, 2018

Intuniv (guanfacine) for ADHD "I've been taking Intuniv in conjunction with Vyvanse for five months now and managed to work my way up to 6 mg before going back down. It's an odd medication, initially, I had experienced constipation, fatigue, and sleepiness for the first two months. This was followed by insomnia when I started taking 5 or 6 mg. I've been feeling very anxious lately, I'm not sure if that's due to jumping down from 6 to 4 mg yesterday or not having slept for more than 4 hours per day for the last few weeks. The Intuniv reduces the emotional blunting I get from a low dose of Vyvanse, but I haven't felt like it does much if I take more than 30 mg of the stimulant."

• onl...
• October 9, 2010

For ADHD "To make this short, my son was diagnosed with severe ADHD at the age of 5. I've tried every single medication known to man. At the moment, he takes 60 mg of Focalin in the morning with an antidepressant and a mood stabilizer. He takes the mood stabilizer before bed also. After school, I give him 5 mg of Ritalin. Before bed, he takes his other stabilizer and 3-0.3 mg of Clonidine to force him to sleep. He has major anger issues. I tried Intuniv about a year ago, starting at 1 mg. He seemed to be a little better mood-wise, however, his Focalin would wear off at 2:00 PM instead of 5:00 PM. We bumped him up to 2 mg. He would take it with his clonidine, and he would sleep, but not very well, falling asleep or staying asleep."

• non...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 24, 2017

For ADHD "It worsened my son. It gave him insomnia and increased the tics, and he gained a lot of weight, so we stopped it."