Guanfacine vs Intuniv
 | Guanfacine |  | Intuniv |  |
| This medication is used alone or with other medications to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Lowering high blood pressure helps prevent strokes, heart attacks, and kidney problems. Guanfacine acts in the brain. It decreases certain nerve signals from the brain to the blood vessels and the heart. This causes the blood vessels to relax so that blood can flow more easily and also slows the heart rate. These effects help to lower blood pressure. OTHER USES: This section contains uses of this drug that are not listed in the approved professional labeling for the drug but that may be prescribed by your health care professional. Use this drug for a condition that is listed in this section only if it has been so prescribed by your health care professional. This drug may also be used for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). | This medication is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as part of a total treatment plan including psychological, educational, and social measures. Unlike other drugs used to treat ADHD, guanfacine is not a stimulant. The exact way that guanfacine works to treat ADHD is unknown. Guanfacine is thought to affect receptors in the parts of the brain that lead to strengthening working memory, reducing distraction, and improving attention and impulse control. Guanfacine may help lessen ADHD symptoms such as being disruptive, inattentive, hyperactive, impulsive, and arguing with adults or losing one's temper. | |||
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Reviews
| Add Guanfacine review My 9.5 yr old ADHD (diagnosed 1 yr ago and no meds given at the time), suddenly after a family death in January started have what I call Grand Mall Tantrums that scared the beegeezes out of me and my son. Worked with an outpatient crisis center for children as she was becoming violent. After 5 weeks they prescribed this medication and this time I opted to use. She also was told 1/2 pill in morning and 1/2 at night. Very lethargic and complained constantly of that. After 2 weeks started to see dramatic reduction in behaviors. After 4 months of being on it, the Grand Mall tantrums are GONE!! She still is hot headed but has a window to think and her reaction is so much better. Grades improved and I highly recommend. Con - there is NOT enough studies on the affects this has on children. They really don't even know how it works, let alone the long term affects. I will keep her on it for 1 year and take her off slowly and see if it was a behavior. My 8 year old son is taking half 1mg tab morning and half at night of guanfacine, and one 20mg tab of vyvanse for adhd/odd, so far after being on the guanaficine for a week in a half he is still very moody and very aggressive with outbursts of anger. We are checking back in with his doctor in 6 wks with the results of this drug to let him know if it works...my son has complained of some neck and upper arm pain since starting this medication. Unsure if its a side effect of the medication... I am 20 and yes I still have ADHD this is a very good medication. It is perfect for work and I don't fell slowed down. It is like when i take this medication my ADHD i gone for as long as it's in my system. | Add Intuniv review My son has been diagnosed ADD for since age 6 and is now 8. At first we tried working 1/1 with school psychologist and made many action plans, rewarding him when he focused most of day, also eating good diet and vitamins fish oil and ADDED Attention. But throughout 3 years of school, it was obvious he needed more. My husband and I were so scared of starting him on meds, especially stimulants, so we started Intuniv 1 mg for a week and now on 2 mg for second week. He was a little sleepy the first 2-3 days and then was fine. I have seen good results so far, not as easy to argue and works well with others and not as 'one track minded' as he usually is. He has always been a sweet kid and a hugger, still is and he seems like his thoughts are more organized and can voice his oppinions in a clear way. I am hoping when school starts his teacher sees a good change like I have. So far, I'm happy with Intuniv, as this was a very difficult choice to try any medication at all. My son (almost 13 now) has been taking this med 3 years. He has *packed* on the pounds, even getting a note from his school about his high BMI. This is a boy who was always active in a good way and who burned off everything he ate. He craves carbs and (because it's a BP med?) he doesn't want to do anything that requires moving his now-chubby body. Worst of all, his level of focus, impulsivity and executive skills have not substantially improved in three years. Every child is unique so that's great for those for whom this works, but I'm ready to try him on something else, even if it means stimulants. My 6 year old son took this med for a period of 5 days. He experienced stomach pain, drowsiness, tiredness, dry mouth along with a strange twitch. The worst side effect was he was in a state of depression for the entire 5 days. I wanted my normal child back so I stopped the med immediately. I want him to enjoy his summer and be normal so will just see what happens when school starts. If he starts having trouble focusing, I will call the dr. My 8 year old has been on this drug in combination with Concerta for almost a year. It has done wonders for us! He finally sits in his seat, can focus and concentrate in school, is finally reading (because he can sit long enough to focus on doing it!) and pays attention in class. We are up to 2 mg. It is perfect but it has sure helped him tremendously. We give him his meds with breakfast and besides having a headache and being sleepy for a day or two when he first started taking it and again when we upped his dose, he has had no side affects. Like I said, it is not perfect but if he misses a day of taking his medication we can definitely tell the medication is working! My husband and I were very anti medication for years regarding our youngest. We have seen the benefits. | |||
