| Name: Anne | Date: Apr 19th, 2011 12:51 PM |
| My son is on Guanfacine, and has been since November. He has had no drop in blood pressure. They told me it does not have this effect on children, and they're right! We have found no side effects except marked sleepiness in the beginning that will definitely go away. ↑ |
| Name: Concerned Parent | Date: Apr 28th, 2011 8:52 PM |
My son has been on it for 3 months now. He is great while on the medicine but once it wears off he is VERY sleepy. He will fall asleep at a drop of a hat and then it is very hard to wake him up. He even had an episode the other night where he was talking and walking in his sleep and he would not snap out of it for over 10 mins. (It was very scary when I did not know what was wrong with him). We keep lowering the doseage, he is only on a 1/2 pill in the morning. I honestly am considering lowering it even more or go as far as taking him off it. I hate seeing my son the way he is. His BP has been fine the whole time, its just the other issues cause my concern.
Good Luck ↑ |
| Name: Parent | Date: May 3rd, 2011 3:15 PM |
| Son ,12 -ADHD mixed type+ODD. Stimulants have not worked. Impulsivity is a problem at school. Wk 6 on guanfacine 1 mg. Takes .5mg in the AM and PM. Started at .5mg PM dose. More cooperative at home. School some decreased aggression noted. Overall pleased with result. He had to stop track 3x/wk due to fatigue. He falls sleeps 5-7 PM. but still sleeps at night. History of night terrors when younger. Week 3 and week 6 he had 2 nighttime episodes of sleep walking and racing pulse. In the morning he recalled feeling nauseated. Also on Prozac 10 mg. Hope it works for him as he was loosing hope. ↑ |
| Name: Penny | Date: Jun 4th, 2011 6:15 PM |
| my son just started the guanfacine a couple days ago..id say possibly just bring him to pharmacy that has a blood pressure machine and keep watch.. my son is only 5 but he also has sleep issues and aggressivenses..so thats why thye put him on it.. we shall see if affects his bp ↑ |
| Name: Tracy | Date: Jun 8th, 2011 4:37 AM |
| My son is three years old and he has autism. We started guanfacine and he was doing so good until we noticed that when the medicine wore off he was very irritable and violent he always cried and did things out of the ordinary ! It was depressing we immediately took him off but as far as calming him down it worked tremendously ↑ |
| Name: amanda hefley | Date: Jul 1st, 2011 9:00 PM |
| is guanfacine good for sensory issues? ↑ |
| Name: pamf234 | Date: Jul 16th, 2011 6:10 PM |
| I came across this PubMed article by accident. I thought people might want to know this information when they are deciding what medications to take. It is about drugs which bind to the 5HT-2b receptors and their role in possibly causing heart valve damage.It lists some drugs which are on the market and mentions guanfacine and others. The end of the Discussion section has a good summary. ↑ |
| Name: nichole | Date: Aug 28th, 2011 12:42 AM |
| I was just wondering, how have things been? What did you notice with this med? is your son still on Guanfacine? My son is 6 will be 7 in Oct. reading the posts that followed your question is haunting me. I finally gave in and gave him his first dose tonight...41 min ago...im scared to death. gave him half a pill... ↑ |
| Name: Karrie | Date: Aug 28th, 2011 8:59 PM |
My daughter is 9and 1/2 and she has
been on the generic, Guanfacine since
July. I see no BP issues, however, she
has no energy, very sleepy, and no
desire to doing much of anything.
Worst is she has gained about 5-
10lbs. I find no info on weight gain!
This concerns me. Anyone else out
there with weight gain issues?
Thx ↑ |
| Name: sharonz | Date: Sep 6th, 2011 12:26 AM |
My son is 10, has bipolar, high functioning autism, ADHD. 3mg per day (divided into 2 doses has helped tremedously with violent outbursts, impulsive behaviors, etc. It also got rid of his tics. Went to pediatrician to measure blood pressure and to do an EKG. All normal, not drop in blood pressure AND no drowsiness. I would say that it helped about 60-70% which is quite a lot. Also, he doesn't have panic attacks like he used to. I learned about it from a friend.
Must say that my son also takes 20mg lamotrigine (lamictal) per day for mood swings and 15mg per day of Mirtazapine (Remeron). It is the combination of all of these in lower doses that helps. No side effects. Need to find a GOOD psychiatrist that knows what to do. ↑ |
| Name: sharonz | Date: Sep 6th, 2011 12:36 AM |
Just wanted to add to my other message that it is important when giving the short acting version to time the doses. I give one does around 8:30am then the second does around 3-3:30pm. That way there is a continuous effect. When it wears off around 9pm, he has already taken Mirtazapine which has a relaxing effect and helps him get a good 8 hours of sleep. He goes to sleep at 9:30 pm and pops up at 7am in the morning.
It is VERY important to work with a good psychiatrist and timing of dosages is also important. These kids have continuous disregulation of their neuro pathways and we must remember that it can be very confusing to have a medicine that gives good behavior management, then withdraw this medicine from the child, leaving the child confused as to why he keeps acting impulsively and "getting into trouble". Providing continuous relief to the child is helping that child's self-esteem. ↑ |
| Name: Mary lou | Date: Sep 7th, 2011 3:22 PM |
| My son was currently prescribed that same medication, his blood pressure is normal ↑ |
| Name: Chrissy | Date: Oct 18th, 2011 11:14 PM |
| my 13yr old took it and his BP was fine. We were using Intuniv but I couldn't afford it so we tried guanfacine and it worked. The only issue is it is NOT a once a day dosage...you have to figure out when and how much to dose....hope this helps ↑ |
| Name: carrie | Date: Oct 23rd, 2011 12:34 AM |
| my son just started tenex it help durning tthe day but not sleep the clonidine did but he was taken off of it ↑ |
| Name: Rose | Date: Oct 29th, 2011 12:41 AM |
| My son takes guanfacine (tenex) to control tic impulses that started happening around the age of 9 - started with blinking eyes and then wrinkling of his nose and into a slight head jerk that some times happened a few time in a row which started to bother him at school. we gave him tenex and it controlled the tics right away but as he is now getting heavier and taller we have to reevaluate the dosage which concerns me becuase it is a blood pressure medicine. ↑ |
| Name: debbie | Date: Nov 3rd, 2011 1:19 AM |
| yes my daughter is on the same medicine for ADHD seems to work . i was worried about her blood pressure also ,but the doctor said it should not effect that. so i am trusting the doctors on this. ↑ |
| Name: Kate | Date: Nov 9th, 2011 12:03 AM |
| My 7 year old son has been on guanfacine since May for general 'regulatory disturbance' (maybe ADD impulsive type, definitely sensory integration struggles, not autism, some indications of anxiety - that's as far as the diagnostics have gotten.) We were initially pleased with the change - less aggression, calmer, more focused and compliant, more "even," but that has worn off over time. He takes 1/2 mg in the morning, 1/2 in the afternoon. Like Karrie's daughter, my son gained about 10 pounds right away. He also complaints of being "starving" then says he has a horrible stomachache while he's eating. This began with the guanfacine. I have real concerns about this. Because his symptoms are not managed reliably and his side-effects are creating difficulties (plus he's back to not being able to go to sleep at night,) I am leaning toward taking him off the medication. ↑ |
| Name: JJ | Date: Nov 14th, 2011 9:40 PM |
| My 10 year old son has been taking it for just over a year now. Seems to be working wonders for him...no side effects and gets his blood pressure checked regularly. It's been a really good fit for him. But can be costly without coverage. ↑ |
| Name: P B | Date: Nov 15th, 2011 3:32 AM |
| My son has been on this med for almost A week I have seen some improvement. But he is still having problems at school. He will start taking it twice a day in a few more days Does anyone know how long it takes for this medicine to be effective?? Thanks so much to everyone for sharing Thier thoughts and experiences it has helped so much!! ↑ |
| Name: Sarah | Date: Dec 30th, 2011 3:33 AM |
| My 8-year-old daughter has just been prescribed fast-acting guanfacine (Tenex) for ADD, inattentive type. We are on Day 4, and purposely trying it over winter break. We are doing 0.5 mg at bedtime, to be increased to 1 mg at that time. On day 3, she did complain of a headache, but that could be because she procrastinated going to bed, and the side effects were supposed to hit her while asleep. She is also slightly on the autism spectrum, and her neuro wasn't keen on a stimulant. I'll keep you posted. ↑ |
| Name: Michael McLaurin | Date: Jan 18th, 2012 10:49 PM |
| Will this cause my son blood pressure to drop ↑ |
| Name: Rochelle | Date: Jan 31st, 2012 5:39 PM |
Hi,
I have never done this before so please excuse any mistakes. I have fibromyalgia
as well as high blood pressure. My husband has ADHD and high blood pressure as well. The other day my doctor who has fibromyalgia as well suggested I read about guanfacine and mucinex. She uses it to treat fibromyalgia for herself and patients and has had great success! Has anyone heard of GUANFESINE being used for fibromyalgia??
Please let me know.
Thank you,
Rochelle ↑ |
| Name: Shay | Date: Feb 2nd, 2012 10:27 PM |
| Name: Mg | Date: Feb 12th, 2012 8:42 PM |
| hi i want to know if this is a good med to give my chid ↑ |
| Name: Cindy | Date: Feb 16th, 2012 12:13 AM |
| My son is 8, has Ashford n was now prescribed guangacine was in hopes that sum one could PLEASE let me know how their kids did on it! Should I be worried of n e side effects? ↑ |
| Name: Tasha | Date: Feb 17th, 2012 6:29 AM |
| My son takes 1mg of Guanafacine in the morning. He has been taking it for 2 years since he was 7. his teachers complain that he is sleepy. lately he has gotten into a couple of fights at school. he is losing his focus. I think it is time for him to try another medicine. I have taken him off all sugar and been giving him healthy meals daily and that is helping so much. he is sleeping better and he doesn't have any nightmares anymore. I am hoping the neurologist gives him a different medicine that wors better. ↑ |
| Name: T | Date: Feb 20th, 2012 5:02 PM |
| My son has been on guanfacine for 2 weeks and is very pale, has dark circles under his eyes, is really tired and cannot focus, and complains of being cold constantly. I am a little scared with all of his and am taking him to his pediatrician today. He was prescribed this med by his developmental ped and I think it is time for another opinion. ↑ |
| Name: Lauren | Date: Mar 2nd, 2012 10:11 PM |
| My son is six years old and started taking tenox today and this will be the last time he is given this horrible horrible medication. He slept the entire time, acted like a zombi and said he felt very weird on it. Not to mention the fact that he is terribly moody. It is five o clock in the afternoon right now and on a normal day he would be riding his bike. Instead, he is sleeping and I feel like a horrible person for attemting this medication. ↑ |
| Name: Amber | Date: May 14th, 2012 11:21 PM |
| Hi My 4 year old is on Guanfacine for ADHD but it seems ever since he has been taking it his ADHD has gotten worse.. Is that one of the systoms? ↑ |
| Name: Ann | Date: May 27th, 2012 11:00 AM |
My 11 year-old daughter has been on Guanfacine 1 mg (in AM) for about three months with very positive changes, I am so happy to report! (recently officially diagnosed with combination type ADD/ADHD; she is also oppositional-like and possible attachment disorder) She started on Intuniv (longer-acting) but switched to regular guanfacine when our insurance refused to pay for the Intuniv. She is able to focus better (noted right away by her teachers when they didn't know she was on medication yet) and is nicer. She is more "compliant" when on this medication (she hasn't been on any psych Rx except for guanfacine. I can ask her to do something and she is more likely to do it than in the past. She has terrible temper tantrums when she doesn't get her way, etc. but when on guanfacine, she rarely gets them unless I was late giving her the medication or forgot or it is wearing off. I am considering increasing the dose to 1.5 mg and splitting it up if I switch to giving it to her at bedtime so there will be less chance of her having a problem in the am especially on the weekend when she gets up later;
About being tired- the first few days on it, she was really tired. (We began guanfacine on the weekend and I would recommend this so your child can sleep more if needed- my daughter took long naps) But, this did not continue- she gets a little tired but her teacher doesn't notice it, occasionally she'll rest when home from school but this seems to be wearing off. I would suggest that people give their kids a chance to adjust to it before giving up on it if the only side effect is sleepiness. I would also think that the younger kids would get a smaller dose to start. This Spring Break was great because she was on Guanfacine, I was actually dreading the break but she was much better behaved than the last vacations we've had together. Yeah! ↑ |
| Name: Ann | Date: May 27th, 2012 11:05 AM |
| I forgot to mention that when I ask my 11 year-old how she feels now that she is taking guanfacine, she says "I'm happier"; she also says she is a "little tired" and although she didn't admit it at first (but evidenced by her teachers) she now says that she can focus better. She has rare headaches and tummy aches but she had these occasionally previous to starting on the medication so I am not blaming the medication for that.. ↑ |
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