Guanfacine or Clonidine…
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Anonymous
| How old is your child? My kids DOC is recommending either for my daughter who just turned 7. Any side effects? I’m trying to research…. |
Anonymous
|
Kindly give us more info - is this for ADHD? Tics? Is DC7 treated w a stimulant already?
My DC had a swift positive reaction to Guanfacine XR - a game changer for us. |
Anonymous
| OP: adhd; no stimulants. The adhd is more inattentive than hyperactivity. |
Anonymous
| Guanfacine has worked great for my 4 (now 5) year old. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a game-changer, but there was a noticeable improvement with no significant negative effects, other than being a little more sleepy than usual in the early afternoon. |
Anonymous
| OP: I’m also concerned because my kid never has taken a pill. I been testing with tic tacs this weekend and he keeps chewing. Has anyone done the compound liquid? |
Anonymous
| If it’s just Guanfacine, and not the extended release version then the tab can be crushed and mixed into something to take (check with your pharmacist, but we got the ok for this from both the psychiatrist and pharmacist). We split the dose into morning and evening and don’t find that it causes excessive drowsiness. We have had some issues with weight gain on it though. I’d also consider it helpful but not a total game changer. |
Anonymous
| +1 for crushing Guanfacine, although I think my son is starting to recognize and avoid the powder… |
Anonymous
| Guanfacine made my child teary and emotional -- she cried about everything. It's worth trying because it works well for many, but it's something to watch for. |
Anonymous
| I have a young family member who is doing well on clonidine (no stimulant) for ADHD. She is also on a medication for anxiety. I’m surprised there are not more who have tried it. |
Anonymous
|
Guanfacine worked well for my child in elementary school. As a high school student they had developed some skills and strategies and no longer needed medicine.
They are in college now and do not use any substances like their peers do. I say this b/c some people are afraid it you give a child a pill, they see pills as the only answer and develop substance abuse issues later in life. That was NOT our experience and they were safer in general with this help. |
Anonymous
The research suggests that people whose ADHD is appropriately treated (including with meds) are less likely to develop substance abuse issues because they don't need to try to self-medicate. |
Anonymous
|
We've had good luck with guanfacine for both our kids. Both started at around the same age as your daughter. It did cause some sleepiness at first but this went away after a few weeks.
That said, I'm not sure guanfacine would be a good choice for inattentiveness alone. Where guanfacine really helped my kids was with emotional regulation. |
Anonymous
| Also--be aware that guanfacine can't be stopped without tapering and you can't miss a dose. If we forget to give it to them, my kids get super-wired. They also get terrible hiccups. |
Anonymous
| Both my boys take guanfacine and we’ve been very pleased. |
Anonymous
| Can you try a different school before medicating? Throwing out there in case helpful. |