Intuniv and Anxiety: What Users Say

• Jer...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 26, 2019

For ADHD "I'm an 18-year-old male. I've been taking ADHD medications since I was 7 years old. The big problem I had with them is anxiety. I was taking 80mg Vyvanse previously and was able to drop it to 60mg with 1mg Intuniv. This worked great and helped solve some of my anxiety. Since my workload has increased dramatically, I had to once more increase my doses slightly. It's my first day on 70mg of Vyvanse and 2mg Intuniv. Honestly, this medication is very good. As a little bonus, I find it really helps control and notice one's own impulsive behaviors. Overall, very good. I'll keep you posted on how the 2mg on Intuniv works. (I'm 155 lbs, 5'10. Started Intuniv 5 months ago.)"

• Lim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 11, 2019

For ADHD "I’ve been experiencing side effects that make my day-to-day life very difficult. I’m dizzy, I feel like my vision is blacking out when I walk, I’m extremely lethargic, and find myself sleeping all the time. I’ve been having stomach problems, a high heartbeat (and I thought Intuniv was supposed to subdue you), an extremely dry mouth, and so much anxiety. I haven’t even noticed any positive changes in my ability to focus since I’m constantly disoriented or asleep."

• Cha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 13, 2020

For ADHD "I'd give this NEGATIVE stars if I could. It caused me to pass out when I got up to use the bathroom one night. I lost my sense of self, felt more tired than normal, had worse anxiety. I would not recommend this garbage drug."

• Jam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 8, 2022

For ADHD "I have been using Intuniv 2 mg alongside Adderall IR 30-40 mg/day. I have been on the Adderall for many years, and it is very helpful for planning, focus, and following through with things, but it most definitely has some side effects that are related to its stimulant effects: anxiety, restlessness, agitation, etc., which are all pretty normal for stimulants. Lowering the dose of the stimulant can help, but then the positive benefits are not as pronounced, in my experience. After a few months of discussing this with my doctor, we decided to try guanfacine ER (Intuniv). My experiences with this drug combination have been life-changing. If you look up 'guanfacine and stimulants' on PubMed or Google, you will see there are a number of studies that show they synergize very well. I feel as though I have all of the benefits from the Adderall, but now the anxiety and restlessness are very much turned down. The effects of both seem to last all day. I am also sleeping better. Amazing."

• Mor...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 25, 2025

For ADHD "I have been on this medication for 1.5 years, I started on this as a solution to some of my bad ADHD sides. I was very happy with the medication, it has worked wonders for me. Recently, I decided that it's about time to step out of Intuniv. Stopping this medication is kinda rough, at least it was for me. I was at 1 mg depot medication for the entire period. When quitting, I got anxiety, high blood pressure, fast pulse, etc., for 3-4 weeks. The withdrawal symptoms were rough for me, but I was still happy with the medication as I was in way worse shape when I started it and really needed the help."

• Who...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 17, 2020

For ADHD "43 years old male, ADHD and anxiety. I'm also on Dexedrine 10 mg twice a day. This medication is definitely not for me. At week 2, I couldn't take my stimulants anymore, had the D/Ts, massive anxiety attacks. I tried to ride it out for a month, but I just got more anxiety, depression, and insomnia. I will stop this med and am not looking forward to the rebound hypertension and whatever else nasty happens. Not a good option for me."

• Who...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 17, 2020

For ADHD "43 years old male, ADHD and anxiety. I'm also on Dexedrine 10 mg twice a day. This medication is definitely not for me. At week 2, I couldn't take my stimulants anymore, had the D/Ts, massive anxiety attacks. I tried to ride it out for a month, but I just got more anxiety, depression, and insomnia. I will stop this med and am not looking forward to the rebound hypertension and whatever else nasty happens. Not a good option for me."

• Anonymous
• October 19, 2011

For ADHD "I am currently taking Vyvanse and Intuniv. I am 16 years old, and I have ADD. I am on week 2 of the Intuniv. I have noticed that every time I get up from sitting down or laying down, I get very dizzy. I haven't felt sleepy or tired, but I think that's just because I am taking the Vyvanse too. I am taking Intuniv to try to cancel out the anxiety side effect of the Vyvanse. I haven't noticed a difference at all. I am just very frustrated at this point. I have tried almost every ADD medicine out there. I still have impulses and still am a perfectionist. I am still hoping that it will improve over time."

• Asp...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 24, 2023

For ADHD "I am a 44-yr-old male with Asperger's, OCD, major depression, and ADHD. I take 140 mg of Vyvanse, which does work great but gives me the jitters and increased anxiety, which interferes with the focus and attention of the stimulant. Three days ago, the doctor added Intuniv, and I feel calm, focused, less impulsive, and even serene and quite 'zen.' A great medication."

• ADH...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 30, 2023

For ADHD "I have found Intuniv (guanfacine ER) to be a tremendously helpful medication. I take it with Vyvanse, 60 mg/day. The primary reason I started Intuniv was because I was having issues with jitters and anxiety on the Vyvanse. It was frustrating because I absolutely had moments where I felt great and had brilliant focus, but I would sometimes get stuck in these rumination loops, anxieties, etc. CBT therapy helped a little, but I saw Dr. Russell Barkley talk about how Intuniv can be taken with a stimulant to help with emotional control, so I asked my psychiatrist about it, and he knew all about Intuniv. I eventually settled on 4 mg/day. I am way more 'chill' these days, yet still very much me. I just feel more level-headed. The only downside is this drug can make you tired, and it can have a bit of a notorious hypotension side effect. Occasionally, I would be tired and winded, which was not dangerous but from low blood pressure. Taking the medication at night has helped this completely."

• Sar...
• July 15, 2016

For ADHD "I had been taking Intuniv for a week at 10 mg. 32-year-old female, for ADD. Yesterday, out of the blue at night, I started getting brain zaps. My anxiety got so high I felt my heart was going to explode. I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin. It was an utter nightmare, and I ended up in the ER. I was afraid I was losing touch with reality. I'm still feeling anxious now too. I am never touching this med again. I just hope it gets out of my system soon. I can't believe they give it to kids. I almost went psychotic! It was a nightmare drug for me. Be careful, please. Even at a low dose, it can cause a nasty reaction. I'm also bipolar, so that might have played a role in it too."

• Tir...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 22, 2019

For ADHD "I don't recommend taking this drug, Intuniv. 18 male, 63 kg, 170 cm. Was prescribed for my ADHD and anxiety, 2 mg. All the way, first 2 weeks only tired, but concentration improved. 3rd week was real bad, I got extremely anxious, random panic attacks all the time, heart pain, dark thoughts, started crying every other hour, was exhausted and irritated, also lost control of my emotions, got angry out of nowhere. And worst of it was that I forgot who I was sometimes, panicked because I couldn’t remember my parents. Please don’t take this drug, look for something else, stimulants or whatever, but Intuniv can destroy your life or make it much worse."

• Abc...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 11, 2022

For ADHD "I'm an 18-year-old taking this alongside Concerta for my ADHD. I was put on Intuniv because of high blood pressure and tics from the main stimulant, but I can't say that I noticed a real positive difference. I kept crashing in the middle of the day and couldn't continue working until I took a nap, but I still even felt tired after that. Constantly dizzy and nauseous in the afternoons while taking anything above 1 mg. I even started experiencing anxiety, which has never been an issue before. 1 mg is working fine for me right now, but I got up to 4 mg, which was definitely way too high. I might've been better off just asking to switch the main stimulant rather than taking 2 ADHD medications at once. I will say this definitely helped my tics, but I ended up having low blood pressure and felt tired all the time despite being naturally high energy. It just kind of took the life out of me. I can see why this would be good for a child if you don't like stimulants, but it's just not for me."

• Moj...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 4, 2018

For ADHD "I've been taking Intuniv in conjunction with Vyvanse for five months now and managed to work my way up to 6 mg before going back down. It's an odd medication, initially, I had experienced constipation, fatigue, and sleepiness for the first two months. This was followed by insomnia when I started taking 5 or 6 mg. I've been feeling very anxious lately, I'm not sure if that's due to jumping down from 6 to 4 mg yesterday or not having slept for more than 4 hours per day for the last few weeks. The Intuniv reduces the emotional blunting I get from a low dose of Vyvanse, but I haven't felt like it does much if I take more than 30 mg of the stimulant."