How Long Before Intuniv Kicks In

[Anonymous]

9-yo DS started taking Intuniv about 2.5 weeks ago. For the first week, we started at 1mg. We increased it to 2mg on the second week and have stayed at that dose since, per instruction of the psychiatrist. I haven't seem any major change aside from the fact that he is not as tired anymore and not waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. We have not seen much of a shift in his ADHD-primarily Inattentive behaviors. He is still as slow and is still requiring a lot of reminders as he is quite forgetful. Assuming this is the right dosage and medicine, when does Intuniv actually begin to work? FWIW, he is only on Intuniv.

[Anonymous]

Intuniv didnt work out for us. We got up to 2 (or 3??) mg with no change in behaviors. Switched to a stimulant.

[Anonymous]

We use Intuniv in addition to Strattera - we saw some good subtle changes once we added it and increased to 2mg

[Anonymous]

OP here. We did Ritalin (and different formulations of it) that caused all sorts of awful tics, so hoping Intuniv would yield better results. Did anyone have good results with Intuniv alone?

[Anonymous]

Intuniv won't help with attention issues. It can be good for impulsivity/hyperactivity. DS has taken it for several years - currently at 3 mg. Not as convinced it's useful anymore (he's always taken it with a stimulant). It also isn't a med that just kicks in - it's definitely more subtle as a medication. It also can trigger weight gain. Good luck, OP!

[Anonymous]

Ditto above, works best with a stimulant and is very subtle. If it worked well on its own, none of us would have our kids on stimulants!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We use Intuniv in addition to Strattera - we saw some good subtle changes once we added it and increased to 2mg

This. DS had increased tics with a stimulant so this combo works fairly well. You won't see dramatic changes like with a stimulant it works for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Intuniv won't help with attention issues. It can be good for impulsivity/hyperactivity. DS has taken it for several years - currently at 3 mg. Not as convinced it's useful anymore (he's always taken it with a stimulant). It also isn't a med that just kicks in - it's definitely more subtle as a medication. It also can trigger weight gain. Good luck, OP!

Just curious -- did the weight gain increase due to an increase consumption, or was it that consumption remained the same but weight gain persisted? Trying to figure out if Intuniv decreases metabolism.

[Anonymous]

DD is on intuniv. Her issue was mainly the H of ADHD. The intuniv really helped to dial down her activity level, and hence enable her to better focus. If your child is just not able to focus due to distraction, it may not necessarily work. For us it has been a God send.

It doesn't take too long to work. You should already be seeing some changes.