Intuniv does it really help ADHD?

[Anonymous]

My son, 13 has been taking intuniv for a month. His behavior and impulsivity is much improved. But he and we have noticed lack of focus a few times. We talked to the psychiatrist about this and she said it did not help focus. This is going to be a major issue for when school starts again.

The doc says we'd have to do another medication to help focus. I'm not thrilled since he's already taking abilify forms mood disorder.

Anyone have experience w intuniv? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Yes. It helps our dd intense mood swings quite a bit. and by quieting the mind/ mood a bit- we think it helps attention too , albeit marginally compared to the stims.

[Anonymous]

For our 8 year old, it helps with impulsivity and behavior -- not with focus at all. We've been advised to look into another med for focus (Adderall) and are a little reluctant to add that on.

[Anonymous]

Our dc was on Intuniv for about a year. It seemed to slow him down some and make him almost groggy/foggy.

[Anonymous]

Op here. Thanks for your comments, would like to hear more. I'm really hesitant to add a 3rd med, but he has to focus and school's around the corner. 8th grade.

Anyone at 3 meds? We finally have a mix with little side effects and hate to change things.

[Anonymous]

I would seriously considering weaning your ds from abilify. It has a ton of side effects that can be long term. For example, a Parkinson's like movement disorder, or an erection that won't go away. If you decide to stay in it, make sure he knows that if he gets an erection and it won't go away, he needs to come to you Immediately. You will need to take him to the er to get a shot within six hours of the erection starting or he may need surgery, and the surgery can cause permamanet problems. He really should only be on abilify if he has psychosis.

[Anonymous]

Abilify can CAUSE restlessness and lack of focus.

Are you seeing a good child psychiatrist? I hope this isn't a quack or internal med doc or normal ped putting your kid on this very serious med?

[Anonymous]

Intuniv alone did not help with focus. We pair it (actually we use guanfacine the generic) with Vyvannse.

[Anonymous]

there's a new liquid formula for ritalin (can't remember the exact name but it starts with a Q)-- so you can get the amount just right. We may add that in to intuniv for Sept. Just a bit to provide a bit more focus. Intuniv helps with impulsivity and hyperactivity but not with focus-- you need a stimulant for that.

[Anonymous]

Thanks all. It's OP. I think we will have to add something for focus for school. Appreciate the post about side effects of abilify. That's scary and I'm going to talk to his psychiatrist right away about a long term plan. He really needed a mood stabilizer and it is working well, but I've looked and those potential irreversible side effects are serious.

Thanks so much!