Guanfacine and Blood Pressure: What Users Say

• lil...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 31, 2016

Guanfacine for ADHD "My 18-year-old ADHD plus anxiety daughter takes this med at bedtime. It has changed her life. You do have to start at the lowest dose and advance up to the therapeutic dose. You do have to stay well-hydrated to avoid constipation and low blood pressure. The trade-off in the loss of almost all of her anxiety behaviors and her eagerness to now seek out activities and social interaction outside the house is amazing. We could not have achieved this without the close monitoring of her pediatrician. Our insurance does cover the generic at a very reasonable co-pay."

• con...
• November 30, 2011

Guanfacine for ADHD "My daughter did well at the 2mg dose of Intuniv for about 2 months, then they upped her to 3 mg and shortly after she went for a weekend visit and the medicines were not given to her. Monday morning she was dosed and around 9 am she fell asleep at school. The staff was unable to wake her. She was rushed to the ER where they found that her blood pressure was extremely low. She was taken off Intuniv. POINT OF STORY: If you miss doses, don't start back at the top dosage. Gradually reintroduce it to their systems from a lower dose."

• mom...
• February 29, 2012

Guanfacine for ADHD "My son is 9 years old and was officially diagnosed a year ago. He was on Focalin for 2 months, then started Concerta 18mg for 6 months. The Concerta was going great, however, he developed odd behaviors like making noises and zoning out. He started Intuniv a month ago. His blood pressure dropped really low, which attributed to him being very tired. We gave it to him at night, and he still woke up groggy and very sleepy. Throughout school, he was dazed and tired. He didn't find anything to laugh about and seemed out of it. During the third week (the 3mg dosage), his therapist took him off. Within 3 days, he was laughing and getting back to normal. I heard great things about Intuniv and wish all of you the best of luck."

• CSL...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 13, 2015

Guanfacine for ADHD "My 8-year-old daughter has been taking the medication for 4 months now, and although we have seen a good improvement in her behavior, the weight gain has been substantial. She has gained over 10 lbs in 4 months, which is incredibly unhealthy. Her blood pressure has also been on the very low side. Unfortunately for us, we can't risk the bad side effects even though we have seen a positive behavior change."

• Nic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 29, 2022

For ADHD "I’ve been on 1 mg Intuniv for adult ADHD and hypertension (which is caused by anxiety surges) for 8 days. I’ve tried most other things and was a little bit afraid of this when I read some of the reviews. I have to tell you, I cannot believe how much better I feel even after such a short time - my mind is quiet and I feel calm - this is a very low dose and usually only used for children, but OMG for me, it’s amazing. I’m so glad I tried it. It’s supposed to make people have hypotension and feel tired, but for me, who is completely hyper at all times and never tired, that has not been the case - I feel normal, and it’s been years since I’ve been able to say that!"

• cla...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 13, 2024

Guanfacine for ADHD "I've been on Intuniv for the second time for a year. The first time I took this drug was in combination with a stimulant (Adderall) for many years, but now I take it alone because of stimulants causing me to have manic episodes. The effect of this drug on ADD is subtle, but I do believe that it works. I can't tell that it is helping me until I sit down and do my schoolwork (I'm working on my second degree), and I notice that I'm able to sit down and focus for several hours without getting up many times/fidgeting. The side effect of calmness is an added bonus. I take this drug 2 mg twice a day to cut back on how much it lowers my blood pressure at one time because I do experience dizziness and orthostatic hypotension with it. The effects are definitely not as noticeable as stimulants, but it's so much better for ADD than nothing at all. It also especially helps cut down on impulsivity. I would recommend trying this drug as an adult, but don't expect an overnight miracle from it."

• Jad...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 6, 2019

For Tourette's Syndrome "This medication has far fewer side effects than any other med I have taken for my tics. Sadly, the med lowered my blood pressure, which is already pretty low to begin with, and so I was taken off of it. In my experience, Tenex lessens tics significantly during mild stages, but when my tics were at their worst, it was unable to do the job."

• sti...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 12, 2022

Guanfacine for ADHD "Intuniv worked terribly for me. I was prescribed it for ADHD, and it caused so many issues and fixed absolutely none. Dry mouth, low blood pressure (and in turn, dizziness and confusion), extreme tiredness no matter how much sleep I got, constipation, ear pain upon standing, painful dry eye, etc. I wouldn’t recommend."

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

Guanfacine 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."

• ADH...
• April 21, 2016

For ADHD "I started taking this drug after trying many stimulants that didn't work. For some reason, ADHD stimulants just raise my blood pressure and make me feel crummy. When I first started on guanfacine 1mg for ADHD, it was a life-changing drug. Like, after taking it for a week, you start asking yourself, I wonder what my life would have been like had I found this drug sooner. This drug helped me read, focus, and also helped with motivation, anxiety, and impulsiveness. However, after about 2 months, all of the positive effects of this drug were gone. I switched to Intuniv, the extended-release version because I read that it worked better. It did not help and all I got was the side effects. I gave this drug an 8 because it was great while it worked."

• Mar...
• December 10, 2015

Guanfacine for ADHD "My son was 6 when diagnosed. Adderall finally came to our rescue. Eventually, it did not work long enough, so we give him a wake-up dose of 5 mg IR, an 8 am XR dose, then a 3 pm IR dose to help with aftercare and homework. This has continued to work for 3 years. We tried Intuniv because his ODD and impulsivity were leading to threats of suspending him from school. After 2 days, we realized his BP was lower (too low), but he didn't pass out. After 2 weeks, his reacting to people was no longer on the calm side, he was emotional about everything, more impulsive, and more defiant, not him at all. We decided to take him off. At least we can say that we tried, but it just did not work for my son, but it may for others."

• ADH...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 21, 2023

For ADHD "Overall, my experience with guanfacine has been positive. I take it with Adderall, 30 mg per day. I find that I am calmer sometimes, but it is not a dumbed-down 'sedated' calm, I just feel more rational, if that makes sense. I take this in the morning, 5 mg, which is a 4 mg pill and a 1 mg pill, since 4 mg is the max size. The only true downside of this drug, at least in my experience, is that it most certainly has very powerful orthostatic effects. Adderall (and some caffeine) seems to help balance this all out, and it got better as I got used to the medication. However, it no doubt never truly went away. My blood pressure is fine, however, it is definitely a little lower than before I started guanfacine. By the way, this doesn't seem to be dose-dependent. At 1 mg, my blood pressure was actually lower than at 5 mg. The effects of this are generally mild, but they are real. If I get overheated, I can get red and my heart rate goes high, from vasodilation. Generally harmless, but something to be mindful of."

• Ake...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 18, 2013

For ADHD "I'm in my late 20s and tried it for ADHD. All I can say is that it really messed up my sleep. It also severely worsened my depression. It has a long half-life. Benefits I did notice are that it seemed my memory improved somewhat, for example, I could remember several songs playing in a row. Also, focus seemed improved. I'm considering adding trazodone in hopes of aborting its negative effect on sleep. For anyone complaining about blood pressure side effects, lower your dose."

• hol...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 26, 2023

"I have been on and off guanfacine for years due to not being able to take stimulants. It was given to me as a test but ended up being a workaround for OCD, ADHD, and regular anxiety. It helps me focus and calms me in a way other medications don't, and I've never had withdrawal issues the times I have stopped taking it. It's extremely light and easy on the system. However, the only issue is that it will permanently lower your blood pressure (BP) after a while. Even when I stopped, my BP never went back to normal, and now I'm permanently hypotensive. It is worth it for the mental clarity, though. I recommend trying it out since the list of side effects is tiny and none very serious, but I can only take low doses of other medications that affect BP now and have to pace myself while exercising. It gave me a very clear head but has altered my body in that sense. There are worse things than hypotension, but that carries its own problems too."

• hol...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 26, 2023

"I have been on and off guanfacine for years due to not being able to take stimulants. It was given to me as a test but ended up being a workaround for OCD, ADHD, and regular anxiety. It helps me focus and calms me in a way other medications don't, and I've never had withdrawal issues the times I have stopped taking it. It's extremely light and easy on the system. However, the only issue is that it will permanently lower your blood pressure (BP) after a while. Even when I stopped, my BP never went back to normal, and now I'm permanently hypotensive. It is worth it for the mental clarity, though. I recommend trying it out since the list of side effects is tiny and none very serious, but I can only take low doses of other medications that affect BP now and have to pace myself while exercising. It gave me a very clear head but has altered my body in that sense. There are worse things than hypotension, but that carries its own problems too."

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

Guanfacine 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."

• Mat...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 15, 2021

For ADHD "Works tremendously for autism-related rage and irritability, with the added effect of improving ADHD symptoms. Only side effect was slightly lowered blood pressure (which my baseline BP is already low)."

• ANG...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 28, 2021

For ADHD "I’m a trans male with diagnosed ADHD. Currently, I take 20 mg Focalin XR, and it works pretty well, however, my parents are thinking of upping the dosage a bit. The first medication I was put on for my ADHD is guanfacine (5 mg of it). Something to note is that I have naturally low blood pressure, thanks to genetics. While the guanfacine did help me to sleep, I felt like I was a zombie when I was on it. It didn’t do anything at all for my ADHD aside from making me sleepy, which made me even less focused. The thing guanfacine does is lower your blood pressure. With mine already naturally being low, I fainted numerous times after getting up. I do not recommend this medication. It may work for you, but both my friend and I, who were put on it, got similar results-bad side effects, barely any good outcome."

• Mat...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 15, 2021

For ADHD "Works tremendously for autism-related rage and irritability, with the added effect of improving ADHD symptoms. Only side effect was slightly lowered blood pressure (which my baseline BP is already low)."