new on here with questions | ADHD Information

What is guanfacine? I have never heard of it before. I see you said it helps with his overstimulation, not sure what that means either. Sorry I am kinda dumb when it comes to this stuff, thats why I am glad I found this site. Thanks, Jeannie

You are not "dumb" for asking a question. "Dumb" would be not taking the oppertunity to educate yourself. We are all on this journey and helping each other.

Guanfacine (Tenex) is a blood pressure med that can be used for many ADHD symptoms (hyperacivity, impulsivity, defiance, sleep issues, weight issues and helps calm the person, or helps them better calm themself in tough situations). There are studies showing that when added to a stimulant, the results are better. Shire has recently completed a large study of guanfacine alone for ADHD and have given the FDA the data to support their new drug application. Here is some information:

http://www.peacehealth.org/kbase/topic/detail/drug/hw164961/ detail.htm

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/061117/shire_guanfacine.html?.v=1

http://www.uspharmacist.com/oldformat.asp?url=newlook/files/ drug/acf2fd1.cfm&pub_id=8&article_id=113

vickie39066.5816782407

 

guanfacine is the generic of Tenex, which is a blood pressure med that is used off label for ADHD symptoms.  It is often used to augment the stimulant when a higher dose is contraindicated due to the child's size.  The combination of the two often does enough to temper the symptoms to avoid a higher dose of stimulant.  It actually was the first thing that came to mind when I read that the adderall was working but not quite enough and could not be upped due to your son's size. 

It seems to help the most with the hyperactivity, anger, and calming and not as well with the attention/focus issues.

I have an appointment on Monday with my Chase's doctor and plan to ask her for a trial of guanfacine to augment his stimulant med.

He is having social issues that mostly relate to him not being able to stay calm and deal....he explodes quickly and that just fuels the tormenter on to try to ignite him again.

By the way..MY Chase is 10 years old and only 55-56 pounds...so your guy is not quite so small as you think!

Good luck....research the tenex (guanfacine) on these boards and also on the internet..I did and I really do not see too much to be worried over..it also helps with appetite and sleep issues related to the stim meds.

Focalin may not be the correct med either. It may be that a combination of a stime and guanfacine would work. I would discuss with the doctor starting guanfacine and going back to adderall.

To explain a little on why the focalin works less on the hyperactivity part: The amphetamine meds (adderall) have a stronger peripheral effect than the methylphenidate meds so can be more effective with hyperactivity at lower doses. Focalin also has less peripheral effect than methylphenidate because it is a purer form of the more centrally acting form (dexmethyphenidate). It is also the peripheral effects that increase heart rate and blood pressure in adults and can cause some of the other side effects. People are different in thier responses to these effects. Here is some information (kind of boring, but I wanted you to have a source):

http://www.eckerd.com/RxAdvisor/showmono.asp?cpnum=391&m onotype=full

I also wanted to send a big hug...and tell you not to get too discouraged. You and your son are on a tough journey.

Thankyou Vicki, I will discuss this with his doctor. You all know so much. Wow! I think you may know more than his doctor....lol. I will check out the site for info. Thanks again, Jeannie2 years it has been from out RX, and we are still tweaking the meds. I am always in contact with the school and the school did the IEP and uesterday we had our SST meeting and decided to get another teacher in the classroom (parapro) to do more one on one learnign with Cody to get him caught up as well as special service pull outs for more intense learing.

Thankyou for your reply. Has anyone else had thier child on focalin? He seems to be doing worse on that than the adderallxr. He was on 25mg of the adderall and the doc didnt want to increase his dosage because of his size, he only weighs 55 lbs, and he is 8. He can not control himself at all on the focalin. I have to tell him at least 5 times to do something before he does it.  I feel bad for my little guy, I know he doesnt mean what he does. But I still find myself getting so frustrated. Thanks again, Jeannie

I don't have much of an advice for you since my son has only been on one med (Strattera) and it seems to be working. I just want you to feel welcomed. Coming here is a way to vent and learn a lot.

The only thing I can suggest you is that when you find the right med ( I hope it is soon), it is also a good idea to combine it with behavioral and social skills therapies. They have done wonders for my son. To the point that it has become hard for me to tell if it is the med or the therapies that are helping my son achieve success.

Good luck and many hugs !!

I have a 9 year old very adhhhhhhhd son. He is very successful on concerta and guanfacine. It took 6 months to level off to the dose he has been on for 2 years now.

We tried adderall, he became angry, psychotic, etc. removed immediately. We even added stratterra to the concerta and guanfacine to keep a med. in the system at all times, however, that made him depressed. He told us he wanted to kill himself at 8! That was stopped immediately.

My DS is doing very well on 72mgs. of concerta a 1 mg. of guanfacine. The guanfacine helps with his overstimulation. Without, the concerta wouldn't be as great for him. In fact, when upping the concerta, the teacher noticed no change in behavior until the guanfacine was upped!!

That is our experience. Hope it is of some help.

You ladies are great. Socially he does ok. I know that some of the boys in his class dont want to play with Chase because he is so hyper, and alot of the time wants things his way. His regular doctor referred me to the University of Iowa. We spent a day there and they did testing on him. It was mostly just one on one, well one on one is fine for Chase, its when he is in a group he really gets wound up. I have two older daughters and daily with my oldest daughter and Chase it becomes a screaming match between the two of them because as she says "he drives me crazy". I have tried telling her to try to be calm with him, but she is a teenager so that is not gonna happen. This past month has really been hard on me, its like I am not getting thru to him....and homework  thats a battle all it own. I am really mentally worn out. Like I said he is a sweet boy, just cannot follow directions (listening when he does something he is not soppose to) and staying on task. I hope we find something soon that helps him. I feel bad for him and know he gets frustrated too. Thanks for listening to me, I know you all understand. JeannieHello everyone. I am new to the board. My son is 8 years old and was diagnosed with adhd when he was 5. So far we have been on adderall xr 25mg. started at 10mg. Didnt work. Now he is on focalin 20mg. He seems to be doing worse on that. He does not scream or through fits, he is a very loving boy. He just does not listen to directions. If I tell him to stop acting up I have to tell him several times before it sinks in. He is not doing well at school, he cannot sit still for long enough. He is my baby, and I feel so bad for having to get on him all the time. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would appreciate any input you may have. Thankyou, JeannieSince you are trying the med route, I would say keep trying different meds and/or doses, and eventually you'll find a good combo.  Right now we are doing Ritalin LA and Tenex (guanfacine).  We're not having perfect results either.  In our case, dd calms way down, but she still won't pay attention in class very well.  When we were on higher doses of Ritalin LA, she would have a side effect of picking at herself, also.  The addition of the guanfacine has allowed me to remove the afternoon short-acting dose.  The rebound is much better and now she has a better appetite and is able to sleep at night.It is hard for all of us, have you tried any other meds out there?  Unfortunelty there is no perfect science.  Are you seeing a psychologist?  Ours has been a great support and is full of helpful ideas.  I wish I can be more helpful to you.  Jill

Hi there!  My babies name is Chase too!!  He is 10, and taking Concerta.  We were lucky that the first med that we tried was the one for him..he is doing well scholastically, but we still are having problems with his frustration, aggression, and some over the top reactions to small things.

Keep trying meds, and read up on these boards..I have learned a lot here.  Ask any question, I am sure that someone will have an answer for you or at least point you in the correct direction.

Welcome!