Intuniv for ADHD: Efficacy, Side Effects
Intuniv for treating ADHD
Shire’s Intuniv medication is quite new. It was approved recently, on September 3rd, 2009, but is gaining increasing recognition as a treatment for ADHD.
Chemically, Intuniv is an extended release form of guanfacine, a blood pressure med that has been on the market for quite some time.
It works by stimulating alpha-2 receptors – this lowers blood pressure and may work in the prefrontal cortex to increase focus, attention and memory.
Intuniv is one of many options for treating ADHD. To learn what all the main options currently are (and, more importantly, what they do and how well they work), see a Full List of ADHD Medications.
And if you want to learn about ADHD in general, see here.
How well does Intuniv work?
Several studies so far have been done into how well Intuniv works for treating ADHD and what kind of side effects it has.
So far, they say that Intuniv works somewhat less than the stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall and – possibly – somewhat more than the traditional non-stimulants like Strattera.
This is important because, though they are the best current treatment for ADHD, 30% of people can’t take or don’t respond to stimulants.
Parents in particular have concerns about traditional treatment for their children. Intuniv can be used as sole therapy or with stimulants, to round out treatment.
What kind of side effects does Intuniv have?
In general, the type of side effects that you’d expect from a blood pressure lowering medication. That said, we’ve noticed a few issues you should know about and that you might not learn about elsewhere.
The pros
Intuniv could possibly fill a lot of the role as a non-stimulant treatment that Strattera was supposed to play but didn’t. It has a long duration of effect and can even be used in combination with stimulants.
And the short acting form of Intuniv has been on the market for some time, so we know that it is fairly safe in general.
The cons
Intuniv is very new, and studies so far have shown that it is not as effective as the stimulants. Some studies have hinted at potential problems such as high rates of serious side effects such as fainting. While the short acting form has been on the market, Intuniv is long lasting.
Remember, roughly 50% of medication side effects are discovered after it is released onto the market.
Efficacy
How well does Intuniv work?
The studies seem to show that Intuniv falls just short of sending ADHD symptoms into remission. Roughly 55% of those on Intuniv in one study reported significant improvement compared to 30% of those on placebo.
In one major study, on one scale, people who started with an ADHD score of around 40 and took Intuniv had their score go down to around 19 on average. The accepted number for remission of ADHD symptoms is a score of 18 or less.
Those who took Intuniv along with stimulants went from about a starting score of around 29 to around 13.
There are some more interesting hints towards Intuniv’s efficacy we found in that study. On the one hand, only 10% of participants said that they stopped specifically because they thought Intuniv wasn’t working that well. And of those taking Intuniv with stimulants, only one person stopped specifically because it wasn’t working well.
That said, around 80% of people in total dropped from that study. It was done over two years, but that is still a somewhat high number.
Other studies into Intuniv have had much lower drop out rates.
In another, smaller study, roughly 30% of people on placebo reported significant improvement, as compared to around 55% of those treated with Intuniv. This difference likely means that it has some benefit and is useful but falls short of the efficacy of the stimulants, which work in roughly 70% of those treated.
Analysis of that study concluded that at low doses Intuniv is about as effective as traditional non-stimulants, and at higher doses is superior to the current non-stimulants, such as Strattera, Wellbutrin, and possibly even Provigil.
Intuniv Side effects
Different studies show different side effect profiles for Intuniv. Some say that it has about the same rate of issues as placebo, while others show that around 10-15% stop using it because of some side effect. As far as psychoactive drugs, a 10-15% discontinuation rate due to side effects is on the lower/medium range.
The side effects of Intuniv also depend on its particular use. When used in combination therapy with stimulants, for instance, it has much less rates of sedation and sleepiness, and users seem to report less problems. This is probably because its sedative effects that lower blood pressure are counteracted by the stimulants effect of raising it.
Some of its side effects take time to start showing up, with sedation in particular starting after 3 weeks of treatment.
Most common:
30-40% report sleepiness
25% report headache
17% in one study reported upper respiratory tract infection
10% report sedation
Other common side effects include dizziness, nausea, irritability and reduced salivary flow.
Concerns
In one study, 5 participants out of 262 who took Intuniv experienced syncope, or “temporary loss of consciousness.” In layman’s terms, they fainted or blacked out.
The clinical trials dedicated to exploring safety did not have such incidences, and it’s possible that the syncope events were environmentally based. One of the sufferers, after all, had a history of such issues. And guanfacine has a long history of use. So while those numbers are alarming, they are explainable.
Other possible side effects that may be an issue: head injury, suicidal ideation.
Like with all psychoactive medications, people using Intuniv should be monitored for anything abnormal like increased feelings of depression.
Dosing
Intuniv is given typically anywhere from 1-4mg/per day. A dose typically lasts for 12 hours, but may have some effect for up to 24 hours.
Related articles:
- Vyvanse vs Adderall XR
- Dr. Tuckman Answers Questions About ADHD
- Is There a Physical Test for ADHD?
- The 4 Secrets to Success with ADHD
Adhd and Add Online Diagnostic Test
Suffering from Adhd – need help – don’t know what to do!
Overcoming Adhd: A Guide For Parents
Control Your Add/adhd, Control Your Life!
Look deeper into it!
What you read appears to be the extension studies. There were two double-blind studies before the studies you read. Check Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2009.
Also, this is so different than Atomoxetine so why would they market it against it. Atomoxetine is thought to be a norepinephrine inhibitor (mostly around the locus coruleus) and thought to increase dopamine in parts of the PFC. Intuniv is guanfacine extended release which is thought to be an Alpha 2-agonist with a high affinity for the 2A adrenergic receptor.
The dry mouth is true… I have experienced swelling in the feet and hands as well. I have had a couple of dizzy spells. I do not think my doctor is paying attention to my blood pressure. If this is a blood pressure med., should I be taking this medication if I have low blood pressure?
My grandson has taken several other types of ADHD meds with varying degrees of success since he was seven. He is now 10 and is to begin Invunive tomorrow. What are any special considerations for a male child this age?
His lack of appetite in the past (on the other meds) have kept his weight down. Does Intuniv affect appetite the same way? What other concerns are there for ADHD children his age? How significant are the issues with suicide?
My daughter started with Vyvanse in November and she pulled her eyebrows and eyelashes out at night while she slept. Her doctor changed her from Vyvanse to Intuniv over a couple of months. She has been on Intuniv alone for almost 3 months and she is doing great. It helps her focus, doesn’t make her anxious and she has a better overall peace of mind. It lasts about 12 hours so she can go to sleep easy at night.
I know your question was about a male child of 10 (my daughter is 14) but I would think it would be about the same. Good luck to him on the Intuniv.
My 8 year old son started taking Intuniv 5 days ago. However, I am already planning to stop giving it to him. He is much calmer – so much so that he seems depressed & unenergetic, almost “zombie like”. The only positive I see is that he is now able to go sleep in 10 min or less vs the hour or so it took before.
I was diagnosed when I was 6 with ADD, way before anyone came up with the term ADHD. Well I have been several medications over the years. From Ritalin, Tofranil/Imipramine, Paxil, Adderall, Strattera, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Effexor ER, and now on Intuniv. I am now 35 and finally have found peace after all the years of only getting partial help.
I have a long history with drugs/alcohol. I was just recently (officially via neuropsyche) diagnosed with ADHD, along with a few other exciting other mental health issues as well. Depression, Mood disorder, Antisocial, Bulemia…. etc etc the list goes on. In order to address the medications that I need to function in my day to day life the ADHD comes first. Stratera is not working so as I research I see the Intuniv and would like to switch. I can not risk taking stimulants because the potential for addiction and abuse. The nausea, dizziness, and overwhelming irritability is too much to bear with this Stratera and I am only one week into it on just 25 mg 2x a day. ZOIKS !
My 8 yr old daughter has been on a long list of meds for ADD. She has been on intuniv for 3 months now and it is the only thing that has worked. My only concern is that she has nights that she does not go to sleep at all and she wants to eat 24-7. This is the total opposite of what the side affects say. She has put on weight but its not a concern right now because she lost so much on the other meds.
my daughter is 8 , she has been on 2 different other adhd medicines which only could take for a month before breaking out, Her Doc put her on this one intuniv, she has headaches, stomach hurts, and tired. Does anyone know if these symptons will go away after taking it for a few weeks , she is on her first week of it.
My 13-year-old daughter has had trouble with ADD for many years but I have not wanted to put her on a stimulant. I’ve known other kids who have had unpleasant side-effects such as vomiting with Ritalin. SHe feels significantly better using Intuniv but she does seem much sleepier. THe doctor checks her blood pressure periodically, which has not changed, but she has been napping more in the afternoon. She claims she feels less distracted but not entirely without symptoms. She’s been on it for 2 months and we are still evaluating it…
tina, my son zachary was put on intuniv in july and he takes 2mg and he also has trouble with being tired. we asked the doctor and she said to give it to him at night and he is not so much tried during the school day. but we are having problem with him not being aware of going potty. anyone else with that problem. the stomach pain went away after the first few days.
debrah my son 7 years old with ADHD has been on intuniv Since Aug 7th on the 1mg. We were still seeing anger issues and he was not able to keep on task at school. We moved him up to the 2mg on Sept 11 so he has been taking the 2mg for about 1 week now. I did notice the twice this week he wet him self twice. He has some OCD, so this is sometiing he would normally never do. If he did he would be very upset, but he I don’t think even knew he did it until I pointed it out. Even after asking him he seemed very nonchalant about it. I am pretty sure this was from the med, but have not seen it toward the end of the week, so hoping it is a transient side effect. Started dosing it at night tonight to see if this helps with the tiredness he gets in the mid afternoon.
Parents..beware of these snake oils. I’m sorry to hear that you have been swindled and duped by greedy shrinks and pharma scumpanies who push these dangerous drugs on to a child’s developing brain. It is a crime against humanity. This ADHD is a fraud..plain and simple. Its a made up disorder. Just look at the above listed comments regarding this stuff. Kids brains are being impacted by a dangerous outside chemical agent. They market it as not the the old amphetimime Ritalin, but some old pressure medication? Hogwash. They are crooks and are hurting your children. They are criminals, out to dupe you. Please, please, I beg of you, wean your kid slowly off these snake oils, and then go to a nutritionist to make sure your child is eating properly. Also, make sure they get exercise and do not spoil them. Kids are not perfect..do not shower them with gifts, set up rules..just be a better parent and good things will happen. Mental illness is not a biologically based illness..its subjective crapola invented by Pharma Co. Criminal to make money..off YOU!! Peace.
Wow, seems like the same anger that comes from Bi-polar/adhd symptoms. It should be a crime not to treat children who need it. Think about it, can that many people really be such bad parents? Sounds like you don’t get it. Maybe you should get some help?
Is anyone elses child having troubles with bad dreams? My 8 year old is having these problems. Other than that everything is o.k. I’m not convinced the med is giving her the bad dreams.
My 11 yr old son has been on Intuniv for three weeks and often complains that it makes him have to go to the bathroom more often during the day than normal. Has anyone else had this side effect? How long do you have to take it to see long term improvements?
Marcia my son did have night mares when we moved him to the 2mg dose. The night mares went away in about 1 week. We did move him back down to the 1mg dose and added 1ml of abilfy to help with the ADHD anger. So, far we have gotten good results with that mix.
To the poster about snake oil. Please! Hopefully someday you will become a parent to a child with ADHD or Bi Polar disorder. Then lets hear your thoughts on Snake Oil and big Pharma. These are not made up diagnosis. These are things that truly have a negative effect on children and the families it affects.
my 8 year old son has successfully been on concerta for 2 years. he is much happier being able to visualize something plan it and follow through with it. long gone are the melt downs over leggos and tinker toys. his legs and arms seem wholy connected to him and he moves with purpose.that being said we have struggled with insomnia and anexiety at night along with appetite. today we started a pm regimine of intuniv in addition to the concerta in the am. 2 hours after med and dinner he was a wild child jumping and flailing around unable to focus enough to choose the right buttons to turn the tv off. needless to say homework was not even attempted and our pets are hiding.has anyone else experienced hyperactivity in the beginning? he is starving its 2 hours past bed time and still going going going.
My 9-year old son has been on Intuniv for 3 months. He initially had tried many other meds with bad side affects (for one he said his brain hurt and he was going to kill himself…) and then had success with metadate and concerta, which he did for 3 years. However, he was not gaining weight, and his morning and evening behavior was still very disruptive.
When he began the intuniv, he was EXHAUSTED and fell asleep in the afternoon…we calculated the hours between taking the medicine and when the sleepiness came, and timed the medicine so that the sleepiness would come at night (we give it to him in the morning vs. afternoon and that’s worked for us — I also think the sleepiness goes away after a little while anyway). He also take concerta in the morning because the intuniv, while it takes the edges off his behavior, didn’t quite seem to have the same positive affect…but he is now taking far less concerta than he used to (about half) and is now finally gaining weight.
At the beginning, he also had to pee ALOT (like literally every 5 minutes – can’t fathom where he got the liquid to pee as much as he did) but that also passed after a few weeks (BTW – if this happens to your child, tell your teachers, because at one point his camp counselrr thought he was being fresh/just trying to escape from work when he had just gone potty and then said 10 minutes later he had to go again, and almost didn’t excuse him to go…). I have a question — has anyone out there used it for a period and then come off it, and seen any changes in their child’s behavior (e.g., child acts differently now than they did before they started the intuniv)? My son seems to have exaggerated emotional responses and also nightmares/nighttime waking and fearfulness, which is new with the intuniv. We started to ween him off it, and found him acting very strangely (hopping and humming all the time, e.g., even when playing chess….). We’re going to wait until a school break (soon!) and take him off it permanently because I’m worried it’s having some weird affect on his brain which will become permanent (I know, there are no studies that show this, but as a mom it worries me)…has anyone hear of permanent behavioral side affects of this medicine??
My son is 8 and has been on Ritalin, Concerta and the last two years Vyvanse for ADHD. We will be starting Intuniv on Saturday so I can watch for side effects on the weekend. Any suggestions? I’m just really hoping that one day my beautiful son will be able to sit, concentrate and comprehend better.
We have a 6 year old son on the Autism spectrum with Apsergers and ADHD. Been on Intuniv for about 90 days. He has always been a great sleeper and had nightmares after 3 doses of 2mg. However, he was so tired during the day, we went back to 1mg, then back again to 2mg….From the start of the 2mg his sleep went back to normal after about 10 days (sleeps 10 hours) Now, we have been on 3mg for over 60 days and about 2 weeks ago his symptoms of ADHD have come back, it was like he had not taken the med. At school and home loud voice, repeating phrases that are annoying, yelling,
So we are considering going to 4mg. Has anyone experienced at 3mg that the symptoms have come back (impulsive, hyper, inattentive) ? We take the 3mg in am, but wonder about taking the 4mg. Or are we better off just adding a stimulant. Currently he gets kinda tired at school in the afternoon and sometimes naps.
We started our 10 year old boy on Intuniv a few weeks ago. It initially had a dramatic effect on his concentration and anger issues, but has tapered off a bit. He fell asleep in math class, so we are definitely seeing the tiredness pick up, and he also wets his bed almost every night. Overall we are pleased with the effects and hope some of the side issues go away.
Has anyone tried 4mg? We are trying it today and need to watch our 6 year son’s pulse and blood pressure.
On 3mg (for about 60 days) we felt it was not working the last 2 weeks due to the loud yelling voice of phrases he thought was funny (at home in the am and at school, at night he was better). Last year we know he did some loud repeating voices at school, but this year seems excessive and wondering if related to the intuniv or just the stress of being in 1st grade and all the stuff we are doing after school on top of it (gymnastics, ot, SL and ABA)
Our son is 7 and has been on Intunive for over 6 month. He takes 3mg in the morning. He had bad issues of “speeding up” on Ritilan, problems going to sleep and also low appetite. He has done very well on Intunive. Sleeps well, eating much better. To comabt the tiredness, he take 1 tsp of ritilian liquid which also keeps him awake at school. He is also on the small patch. THis combination has been working well so far. Great at school and home and he is like is own self without the ADHD runing out of control.
to: steve (and others), our 6 1/2 year old boy is on 4mg of intuniv (started on 10/2)
as of 10/11 our son is very hyper in the am and repeating phrases he thinks is funny throughout the day (almost as if the intuniv is not helping). Wwe are actually thinking of adding 18mg of concerta (dr thinking it might help with impulsive and voice level). What is the small patch?
thanks
My 5 year old daughter was just diagnosed ADHD & ODD 3 weeks ago. She wears the Daytrana patch and takes Intuniv as well. We started on the sample pack with 1 week on Intuniv @ 1mg a day and although she was sleepy, she was much better. She is now on the 2mg and it’s like she has lost her sense of humor and has almost had “darker” & almost depressed types of moods. This was a bit scary, so I took her off the Intuniv for a few days and her happiness came back, but she is starting to become aggressive again.
The doctor thinks she should go up to 3mg Intuniv, but I am thinking she was really good on the 1mg. She is only 5 years old–I am wondering if she should just be on 5mg. We are getting another sample pack and I am going to put her back on the 1 mg. Has anyone else had a problem like this? I don’t like her dark moods and she is normally not a depressed child.
I have a 8 year old son on 4 mg Intuniv for about 2 months now. He did have sleepiness early on, but it has gotten much better. He was on Concerta first for about 8 months and it worked wonders for his impulsiveness/attention/angry outbursts, but he had trouble sleeping and loss of appetite, which in turn loss of weight. He has gained 5, much needed pounds, on Invuniv, but is now having the same problems in school as before any meds (attention/impulsive). I didn’t realize you could take Intuniv and Concerta at the same time – does it help with keeping on the weight and sleeping? Also, his Dr says he can cold turkey Intuniv, but what I read says he would need to taper off – which is correct?
My 4.5 year old son started on Intuniv mid-August for ADHD, he has many of the characteristics, but the extreme impulsiveness was creating social issues for him. After trying the Daytrana patch which worked so well for the impusiveness, but he could NOT stop talking. He is a talker to begin with, but I felt I may at any moment have to remind him to take a breath…pitiful.
We started the 1 mg Intuniv samples and saw some improvements after just a week and half. We continued with 1 mg for a month, then increased to 2 mg and I saw even more improvements (Without any prompting, he told his pediatrician at a follow up, that the little medicine he gave him “helped him stop, think and make the right choices”, I couldn’t help but have tears. However, like Sracy and Gerilyn experienced after 3-4 weeks he began displaying the impulsiveness again, as though he were taking no medication at all. His doctor increased the dosage to 3 mg 3 weeks ago and it seems to have the impulsiveness more in control, but for the past week he has been having stomach aches morning, noon and waking in the middle of the night with them. The afternoon and evening lethargy and tiredness come more often than they are gone, but I am hopeful that they will tapper off as in the past. However, the stomach aches are new, so if anyone else has experience with this side effect I would be very interested in your input.
I would also like to mention that the doctor said that it would take 30 min. to an hour for the medication to get into his system, but mornings have been and continue to be a much tougher time for him at home and at school. What is the time frame in which you see the Intuniv start to work? At times, my son does say that he just couldn’t feel that he needed to go to the restroom and we have had SO many accidents. I thought it was a continuation of his need for control that we dealt with this summer and had not put 2 and 2 together about the possible correlation with Intuniv.
My 7 year old son has tried metidate and concerta (had tics on concerta & weight loss on both). He has been on vyvanse with great results but with decreased appetite, weight loss and severe insomnia. His pediatrician recommended trying intuniv before bed (due to drowsiness side effect) which will hopefully counter the insomnia. She wants to keep him on the vyvanse in the moring but cut the dose. I’ve been hesitant about adding the intuniv but after tonight (2.5 hours after bed time and the poor guy still can’t fall asleep), I can’t wait to try it. I hope it works.
Have a question if anyone is notcing verbal tics since taking Intuniv?
on 3mg for 2 months and he was having issues at school with shouting out and yelling 5-8 times a day. Now on 4mg for about 3 weeks and he is name calling, like ducky or crab (not any swearing) and saying things he thinks is funny…. like quack (instead of please help or please stop) and hey crab….. we are believing this to be a verbal tic that he cannot stop (maybe he is not trying to be funny after all). We tried concerta to help the voice and it helped but he developed a bad motor tic and had a bad bedtime (which is usually just fine) so stopped after 1 day. Considering trying Focalin XR but concerned about it only helping for 8 hours and then need regular Focalin to get to bedtime(not quite thru the end of school)…. or considering Vyvanse… but read something on a website promoting it that should not take if have tics. Wish this was easier!! Please let me know if any tic issues due to Intuniv, thanks
My 7 year old son was on Concerta for about 6 months and it stopped working and we couldn’t increase the dose due to weight loss and insomnia. Decided to try Intuvia and he seemed good at 1mg and 2mg but just calm, not really focusing. Did notice sleepwalking and strange night terrors but assumed it was a coincidence. Nope…. on 3 mg terrible night terrors and sleepwalking which was dangerous since he sleeps in the top bunk! He slept through PE class and ate like a pig but focus wasn’t happening. The night terrors freaked me out so I had the doc take him off. Put him on Vyvanse which I really liked…. but again… had to get up to 40mg to be effective and he started losing weight and not sleeping again. On the Vyvanse it seemed to stay in his system for over 14 hours! Went to the doc today and we are going to try adderal xr and maybe do a quick release adderal at 3pm if he needs it. Going to just do xr for a few days 1st. Such a balancing act.
We were at 4mg Intuniv – he was eating and sleeping well, but stopped being effective after about 6 weeks. He took his first dose of Adderall XL this morning – hoping it will go well and not decrease his appetite.
my son is 7 now and been on and off Intuniv because i was concerned if it was doin any good or not and still not sure but one thing we are sure of is it is causing him to wet at night and go number 2 more often but he does eat more and drink more so if that helps any one. It has been 3 months for us but I plan on gettin him steady on it and hopin the bed wetting goes away or getting something to help with it. or there’s the old age way of no drinks 2 hours before bed but thats hard because I know he is more thirsty with this med. Other meds like zyprexa,adderall,depacote and vyvanse just sent my son into a depressive state and melt downs as meds wore off. he just didnt understand the feelings he was having and doesnt have good self-expression.
I have an 11 year old boy. He has gone from a beautiful happy child who loves life to a child who is, and has been a victim of severe bullying for the last 3 years. We have switched schools once. 4 years ago he was diognosed with ADHD, but being in the education field, I noticed characteristics as early as three. He has been on every adhd med out there it seems. Several worked for a while, but then each seemed to invite tics, depression, anger, insomnia….all the listed side effects. Finally, last spring I took him off of everything. From April til he end of October he ganed more weight than he had over 2.5 years! They would “deal” with him at school, and were pretty good about it, but I felt like socially it was getting worse. So for 1 week, we have been on 1 mg of Intuniv. He is absolutely exhausted, but the doctor warned us and said it would ease as his body adjusted. We take it at night, because I didn’t understand how it was supposed to help with his focus at school if he was asleep! My doctor said that this is something that my son’s body won’t become immune to, so once a proper dose was found, there would be no need to adjust. Reading your posts is worrying me. My son just commented the other day that he must be starting to get sick because whever he gets sick he pees alot ??? Now Iknow it is from this med. Didn’t know that was a side effect…thanks all! The reason I got on here is because I am panicked about the long-term effects. Low blood pressure causes organ failure and strats with the brain. Low blood pressure causes confusion and the inability to concentrate which confuses ME since concentrating is why we are taking it to begin with! I know most are just trying to get through the day with their child, but is anyone else scared about low blood pressure and long-term effects? I’ve taken the time to read each post, and will pray for each of you and your families. Every child is unique and each are affected differently, but your experiences do help. I pray that you all find something that is successful!
hi my 6 yr old has been on this for 3 months and it has been working but now it not he has went back to meltdowns and anger . so i have tryed everthing under the sun fron natrual to dr precsrbed meds . so now we are look ing at bipoler and adhd . and as for the lowblood preasure it dos scare me so what are we to do people look at me like i am a bad parent with no control dont you love the people who no everthing (snake oil) you have no clue if you dont have a child with problems i hate it for hem to go thew this . and the wetting he has never wet his pants but i did notice he has been wetting the bed . so has this been a problem for anyonne alse? he has only taken up 2 mg this time the first ime he was on it for 3 months and he took 1 mg and come think about it we are going thew the same things as befor so maybe it is only a 3 month thing ? if anyone can help let me no i would love to here from you.
Getting ready to start my 17.5 year old son on Intuniv. He’s currently in military school and struggling with impulsive behaviors. He’s been on every other ADHD medication there is – except Ritalin. We took him off all meds before going into military school (in July), because we thought the strong discipline, structure and physical component of the program would “force” him to focus, etc. He’s been in trouble a lot and lost rank multiple times due to his inability to control his impulsive behaviors. Has anyone tried Intuniv on teenagers? If so, what was the result? If ADHD is a “farce” created by the pharmaceutical industry, as the gentleman mentioned above, why would someone with ADHD, who so desires to succeed, continue to struggle in a military school atmosphere, where there’s more discipline than any parent can enforce? I see over 135 youth participate in a military program, those without ADHD succeed. Those with ADHD on meds succeed. Those on ADHD without meds STRUGGLE. There’s an ADHD trial for you…
My son is 8 and we have had issues with multiple meds. Not eating, not sleeping, and making him very aggressive angry, etc. He has ADHD and recently he had been diagnosed with ODD. Sometimes i think i just want to send him to military school NOW. my son can’t help his behaviors, they ARE genetic. watching him struggle is agonizing. the problem is that the schools do not want to deal with him. we’ve been thru 3. we took him off all meds for the summer so while he is less aggressive, he is certainly more impulsive and unfocused. i cannot take him to the supermarket without turning around to search for him a few times. more dangerous behavior like running into the street without looking. he just goes, and cannot stop…..he cannot stop tapping, poking, humming, he has a tic that he developed and we noticed that it is not there while he’s sleeping. i know that putting a child on meds is a difficult choice but the schools DO NOT want to hear about it. while there is no magic bullet/miracle drug, not having him on meds is just as difficult as keeping him on them. there are long term effects and residual. the most alarming for Intuniv is the fainting and the blood pressure issue, which is something that I was not aware of. scary! my son has a heart murmur and i’m worried that besides peeing himself, he will faint or drop dead. the sleepiness is not that bad as a side effect and if that is all, then i would put him on it tomorrow! I’ve heard vyvanse might also work. we have not “tried” either one yet but we are left wondering if this is the right decision. i’m sure none of these parents would have their children on meds if they could help their condition. so yes, in a way, the blood suckers while they profit do help those who really need it.
I have received my trial pack to start my 14 daughter on Intuniv. I am concerned about her gaining more weight. After discontinuing the stimulants, she has gained 20lbs putting her over weight!!! But, the stimulants were causing her mind to drift to dark thoughts and I did not want to risk it escalating to suicidal issues. We have been using a low 1 day dose of Prozac as an off label treatment for the last year & I am very impressed with the results!! Her social skills have drastically improved (which means a lot since she is now a Freshman in High School). She has more self confidence in public & has made several new friends. But, the down side is her attention issues and organizational skills have gone back to heck in a hand basket.
Can anyone tell me their experience with a teenager on this?? Did the appetite leave and then come back? Weight loss/gain?
Thanks so much for any input, I am( like you all), getting so frustrated trying to find the way to go with this.
hi my son eddie is a 6 yr old little boy who for the past year has been on clonodine visteral and intunitive for his adhd. but i put an end to them for the side affects that the had on him. the worst was the intunitive and his doctor doesnt believe that it took 3 months for a side affect other that decreased appatite to show. he also said he never heard tell of my sons side affect. well here is what really happened. first off my son never goes in my room ever and one day me and my fiance couldnt find him anywhere in the house so instead of looking outside i looked in my room out of hope and sure as day he was in there. but there were no lights on no tv and he was sitting at the head of my bed in a full out stare. i yelled at him i slapped him and shook him and yet he didnt so much as blink. i paniced and my fiance came in and picked eddie up and stood him up when he let go ed hit the floor and gasped thanking my fiance. and them he began to cry. i dont know if he had a sezure or what it was all i know is i ran in the bathroom bottle in hand and flushed all the rest of his script of intunitive.well he is now on concerta and ill let you know how he reacts. but what ever u do dont let your doc tell u that what u or your child expieriances isnt a side effect. everyone is differant and drug have diff effects listed and un listed only u know ur child and urself.
My son, 14 yrs old is on Intuniv 4 mg, Concerta 74 mg. He gained a lot of weight, since he started with Intuniv, few months ago. He is doing well in school, but mornings and evenings at home are the worst. In the morning, it takes him 30-40 minutes to dress up. Nights, he is screaming, arguing and 1-2-3 hours to go to bed. I am exhausted for every day asking him to go to bed, to be ready for school, etc. I will say one word, he will say thousands, constantly arguing, screaming…but as I mentioned, he is doing well in school, which I am pleased with that.
I was reading all these posts hoping to see someone with leg cramps. My 8 yr old son started on Intuniv 3 weeks ago. The first week at 1mg was fantastic (my son was diagnosed with ADHD and ODD) besides the other side effects like falling asleep and then massive headaches, which seem to go away. THEN 2 mg the second week. He p’d his bed without even realizing and developed a leg cramp in his right leg and could not get out of bed. The Dr said she had hundreds on this and nobody had leg cramps. So I decided to go back to 1mg during the 3rd week and he is focusing but the social issues seem to be surfacing again.
Linda, my situation is almost identical to yours. We started our 8 yr old son on Intuniv 11/20/10. The first 2 days he did not have symptoms and it seemed to focus him. Then on Monday 11/22 which was the first day of school with the Intuniv 1mg, his aide wrote down that he “wanted to put a bullet into his head”! That’s scary! My son is not pyschotic or suicidal, just ADHD w/ODD as diagnosed by the school. He started falling asleep in the afternoons around 3 pm. So since it’s afterschool, it’s ok, he can take a nap. Then on Thanksgiving, he did something weird, even for him! My 93 year old dad told him that he needed a haircut because he looked like a hippie (not nasty or anything just an observation from his granddad). When it was time for my parents to leave, my son disappeared and when he came back to say goodbye we saw that he chopped up his hair with scissors! That is disturbing to us as well. While I’m relieved that my son did not experience the headaches, late in the evening while we stayed up over the Thanksgiving week, he did urinate frequently and then later in the night, he wet the bed. I also noticed that he kept complaining of his legs falling asleep a couple of days but since I also did not see this in the posts or in the side effects, I just dismissed it because the first time was at the dinner table and he was sitting improperly. The second time was when he was helping his dad rake leaves outside and his dad told me that he felt like his legs were falling asleep again. I thought that was strange but I wasn’t sure if that was reportable…The urination and the cramps were not frequent (because it was only 2-3 days in 2 weeks that he was on the 1mg) just annoying. Also he had been having nightmares about 3x this week around 5 AM. We were given 2 sample packs by the pediatrician and told to increase the dosage but we are worried about the side effects increasing. As far as our child, the social issues have gotten a little better but he is inconsistent in his progress so I am wondering if we should even continue with this medication. I am mostly happy with the fact that instead of fighting so much about brushing his teeth in the morning, for example, he actually does what he is told! It is much easier to deal with him because he listens and is not so hyper. He even made his bed by himself without me telling him to do it 10x. He does his homework by himself and it does not take all night to do it! That is a big plus. I’m not putting him on meds because I cannot deal with him, it’s because the schools that we’ve been to are not giving us a choice and this last one has almost kicked him out by proposing an out of district placement. As far as behavior, prior to giving him this new medication, we had taken him off all meds during the summer and he was not aggressive but once he was back at school and he had to focus, he is just not able to sit still and he distracts the other children.We ended up putting him on intuniv because i wanted to try it to see how it would work for our son. he has not done well with the stimulant meds like metadate, focalin, and concerta, so this is our last resort and i do want to see him succeed in school. if he continues to do ok on this 1 mg, and if your son is ok on the 1 mg, then don’t feel compelled to increase the dosage because if he had experienced the cramps and headaches before, they might be worse. as far as social issues, if the school is willing to work with you, then work with them. i’m not 100% happy with intuniv because of the weird stuff that has occurred to my child. other than that, it seems to work for him better at school and that’s where i would like to see him at. one more thing, i called the Intuniv 800 # in our sample pack to activate the $50 card and I ended up telling the rep about all the symptoms that my son had experienced (except for the leg cramp part because until i saw your post i did not think that it was related to the intuniv). I think everyone who has given Intuniv to their children should do this because the drug company needs to know if there are other side effects so that they can list them on their pamphlet, not to let parents get “surprised” by finding out that their kid may have symptoms not listed there. I think it would only help improve rather than hurt. If you are concerned, please call them. Hope this helps!
I recently had to take my 8 year old son off of intunuv. He was having trouble falling asleep in school to the point that they could not wake him up. I was told by the dr. to try giving it to him at night instead of the morning, but that did not help. Then the doctor told me to give it to him right when he came home from school, but he still had trouble with sleeping in school. He also started wetting the bed and would sleep right through it. His was on 3 mg. at the time I took him off of the medicine. He is now on stratera and doing wonderful. His teachers tell me everyday how much of an improvement this medicine has made with his attention and his overall attitude. He no longer falls asleep in class and he no longer wets the bed. I think all medicines affect everyone differently. My older son could not take Stratera because it depressed him, but my younger son is doing fine on it. Good luck to all of you!!
I’ am a 15 year old and I tried Intuniv and I would not recommend it to anybody. Reasoning I started to pass out during classes, most of the time I couldn’t understand the people that were talking to me, I was very moody and often found myself hallucinating and crying. I was only on 2mg apparently the lowest dose.
Sony my situation is just Identical to yours.The loud Hyper behavior in the morning, taking forever to eat breakfast and get dressed. My son is 8 and has been taking concerta since he was 5. he is now at the 54mg dose. He was having trouble in school with impulsive behavior (fighting, whining etc). So we took him to the dr and he prescribed the intuniv 2mg. I really don’t notice a difference he is wild loud and doesn’t listen plus it takes him hours to go to sleep. So I am wondering if we need to lower the concerta?? How are things going with your situation now? Or if anyone else has an I dea I would appreciate it. It seemed that when he was just taking the concerta 54mg during the day and 5mg of melatonin at night he fell asleep alot esier. I mean the Intuniv has helped with his aggressive behavior, but not sleeping.
My daughters are on Concerta RS for day with a booster of Ritalin to get them going in the morning at 6:15 am they are given the Ritalin booster. They then go back to sleep until their alarms ring. They then can get up and can completely engage with getting ready. At breakfast they get the Concerta. —-We had major struggles with sleep with one of our daughters (8.5 yr.). We sought the help of a very skilled Pediatric Neurologist she suggested we try to use Periactin while continuing with her Melatonin. She slept like a baby from the very first night, and has since. She also suggested we add Intuniv to be taken in in the morning with her Concerta. Well, only good things have happened for her. There are no side-effects except all of the very good ones we’d hoped for. Severe ADHD, which is what she has, is awful for everyone. We now have a child who sleeps, can focus, can talk, can participate in her daily life at home and at school. No more melt downs. Now, I know a great deal of the challenging behavior came from her lack of sleep. I’m a FIRM believer that we have to find the RIGHT doctor, and the right balance of meds., and not give up. We found that our daughter was not sleeping, we got a camera to watch her sleep habits and were shocked. There were nights she was not sleeping all night, honestly up all night long. No wonder she was in a stupor in the morning or just totally unable to function w/major melt-downs. It was when we learned that she was not sleeping that we sought the help of the Neurologist. With her adding Periactin, we give it to her at 6:30 pm., she sleeps now like a normal person. The Intuniv seems to give her a 24 hour coverage. We have not seen any weight gain, nor any side effects at all. I hope you all find the peace we now feel.
Emmanuel Goldstein, how dare you judge these parents that are desperately trying to help their children!!! If we were not good parents, we wouldnt be doing research to help our children. If youve never been in our shoes, then DONT JUDGE!!! why are you on this site anyway? Of course I ? the medication, thats why Im here. Want to find out other parents experiences, and make a decision. What I dont question is that my 7 year old daughter has a mood disorder GENETIC and environment (SORRY father more worried about alcohol, drugs and making money[not sharing it] than about his precious children.) both play a role in the disorder. I am not one to medicate, i prefer natural medicine if possible. But my daughter is in great need of help. both her emotional health and school have been suffering. she has been on intuniv for 1 1/2 months. It has helped a great deal! school work improving. I knew my daughters potential. she is a very smart girl and always done great in school. Ive always noticed mood issues since she was a toddler. all was made worse as her father , also with a mood disorder, left and put her on the back burner. You cant tell me all that is made up!!! Be careful judging others!!! You never know what God may bring your way! And mind your own business!!! this site is to help other parents going through similar issues communicate and help each other! !!!
and those asking about side effects, my daughters had tiredness and diarrhea which went away within a week. when we increased her dose they came back and went away within a week again. havent noticed any other side effects. but a question, noticed that the dose lasts 12 hours, does anyone know if i should be giving it to her durring the day? would that help her with school and mood durring the day? I have been giving it to her at night so she isnt drowsy. havent tried giving it to her in the morning.
Thank you to all the parents who posted comments. I have decided to not start my son on Intuniv as suggested by his doctor. My son is 11 and we have tried so many medications over the years. He was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum at age 2, he also has OCD, ADD and I believe ODD, though not formally diagnosed. The stress in our home is overwhelming. My son’s defiance and non-compliant behaviors have sky rocketed the past 6 months! He also developed Dyskensia from a medication called Invega. We have been able to control his tic and movement disorder with a medicine call Tetrabenazine. Parents PLEASE research all meds before you give them to your child. My son never shold have been on Invega. Thank you again for the Intuniv information. I know how much we all love our children and the heartbreak we experience trying to find them the help they desperately need.
Correction: Should have NEVER been on the medication Invega.
I have a 3 yr old that has just recently started taking Intuniv, started on 2/1/11 and so far I’m not liking what I see. I know it takes a few weeks to start taking affect but I was wondering if anyone else has a child this young on the medicine and if so what are you thoughts? I have gotten him to take the pill no problem for the most part but after he takes it he is really emotional, crying over the tiniest things. Friday after he took it he was crying over not being able to take a kite outside, it was raining and cold where we live. He cried about getting on the highway, he normally does fine with the highway. He wasn’t sleeping before we started a different med and we put him on melatonin and he started sleeping great but we are back to him not sleeping good. I can get him to sleep but then he is up in the middle of the night and up for 3 to 4 hours and can’t get back to sleep so he is incredibily tired during the day and very irratible after school. He is also complaining of stomach pain and joint pain. He hasn’t been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD but he is extremely hyper and that is why he was put on the Intuniv. Any suggestions or thoughts on what is going on would be great, oh and he is only on 1mg.
Hi Jessica, my son is now 8 years old and was on the Intuniv 1 mg until 1 week ago. The emotional component is concerning regarding your child, but your child is 3. My son when he was 3 was also very hyper but because he was so young, he was not diagnosed and the private/public schools do not diagnose until kindergarten or 1st grade when they tell you that you need an iep…. Or, it could be because he is so tired from not sleeping well from the med, he is overly cranky. What you are going thru now is what happened to us when we put our son on Focalin, another ADHD med, he was so revved up from it that he did not go to sleep past midnight and then the next day would be overly tired, cranky and bad at school. 3 years old sounds very young to medicate. Please go to a neurodevelopmental pediatrician – one that SPECIALIZES so that your child can be properly diagnosed. There are cases where parents have had their kid diagnosed and it turned out to be something else. Make sure you get a second even a third opinion so that there is no doubt that this is what your child has. At 3, my pediatrician told me not to worry that my son was just hyper — not ADHD because at around 2-3 they are in the “terrible two” stage and sometimes it takes a while to grow out of it…..So, my husband and I have waited a long time and went through 3 different school systems but all the results ended up the same. Our son has been CONFIRMED with ADHD – he has been diagnosed by a few doctors over the last few years (from age 6) so that I now know that what I’ve thought he had since he was 3 years old was correct, i just could not “prove” it at the time because at that age, most regular docs don’t label. We’ve also changed pediatricians since then. Bottom line: unless you go to a specialist to confirm and properly diagnose, it might just be hyperactivity because your child is still in that developmental age. That is what I went thru until he was in first grade because once he went from a private school to public school, he could not perform in class and his ADHD was diagnosed at that time through a process called an iep….. Still because we had gone thru some meds that were not good we were reluctant to put him on Intuniv and it was our last resort. Though our child has ADHD is hyper and has ODD, the secondary diagnosis turned out to be because the med that he was taking was making him aggressive (Concerta). Most parents do go through trying to find the “right” medicine for their child but it takes time and then trial and error. Our son recently was moved up from 1 mg to 2 mgs and is now complaining of stomach pain. The other side effect of Intuniv is sleepiness in the afternoon but we give him a nap. As far as Intuniv is concerned, this med out of the others that we’ve tried and failed with due to bad side effects, this one is working. FYI, it does state on the label that after a period of 9 weeks it may no longer work? It’s still working for us. we put our son on 1 mg in November and then 2/1/11, we increased to 2 mgs – I noticed that it has “worn off”. This time around the side effects of sleepiness is less. but now he is complaining of stomach pain. Other than those 2 side effects, he is doing well in school and socially he is thriving… I hope that by telling you my story, it helps you.