Guanfacine and Drowsiness: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Kyl...
• May 4, 2020

For ADHD "I am supposed to give guanfacine to my child twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. When I give him the morning dose, he immediately falls asleep, and he sleeps the entire day. It would be better off as a sleep aid. I would not recommend this medication."

• AB ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 13, 2016

For ADHD "My 5-year-old started on this for hyperactivity related to ADHD. This drug is NOT a narcotic, as some mention. There are side effects of making someone tired and drowsy. For my son, those subsided quickly and he became the child I always knew he could be-nearly perfect but still his spunky self. Of course, I should have known it would be too good to be true because after 4-6 weeks the positive effects have subsided. He's back to losing everything, fussing about everything and just generally not listening. The doctor says it's a placebo effect, but I don't buy that. His behavior and sleep are back to the way they were pre-medication. It's worth a try for ADHD overall though."

• gl2...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 30, 2016

For High Blood Pressure "Have been on this med for over six months. I have unstable blood pressure with occasional surges to between 170 and 210 lasting from hours to a few days. This drug tends to control the surge peaks better than any other med to date. Side effects are similar to other posts. Being sleepy and overwhelmingly drowsy during the day is an issue. I can handle the dry mouth, but the sleepy issue is becoming worse with time on the drug, not better. I am a 76-year-old male. The drug keeps my pressure between 130 and 160, which may still be high but A-OK by my history. One other side effect seems to be opposite to one post: I have to go to the BR at least four times each night. I take it between 5 and 6 PM."

• Bab...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 23, 2015

For ADHD "She started at 1 mg, and we saw very little difference, and her behavior was out of control for the most part. She started on 2 mg this morning, and in the morning I saw a big difference, playing with her toys, calm like a regular kid instead of running and jumping. She seems a little drowsy, though... Will that pass? I would hate for her to be drowsy all the time."

• gos...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 28, 2015

For ADHD "I'm 22 years old, and I was recently diagnosed with ADHD. I didn't originally want to take meds to help manage it because I was unaware that there were non-stimulant options available to treat ADHD. It's helped me focus a little bit more and slowed things down for me, so I can handle situations a little bit better. Aside from the cotton mouth, the worst things are the nausea and the slight sleeplessness. I can't seem to sleep through the night anymore. The nausea is mostly just inconvenient since I can't seem to eat as much as I was, though I'm always hungry, and drinking alcohol while taking them is hit and miss, since sometimes I can drink for hours and other times it's 2 drinks and I feel like I'm going to puke."

• Bri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 26, 2017

For ADHD "My son is 7. He is currently taking 1 mg at bedtime. He is sleepy all the time, doesn't listen, irritable. He is failing nearly all classes, cannot sit still. He has been on it for nearly 1 month and nothing. He was on a stimulant, he did amazing for a while. I mean, his attitude, his self-confidence went up. We had no trouble until his appetite was suppressed and wouldn't eat at school and would come home sick. So we stopped and started this new medication, which isn't helping his focus or self-confidence. The only good thing is he is gaining weight and eating much better, a lot actually. He is always hungry, so that's a plus. Hopefully, we can find some common ground, or we may have to start homeschool."

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

Guanfacine 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."

• mom...
• July 11, 2013

For ADHD "My 4-year-old son is on this medication. In the beginning, it made him sleep all the time, and then he stopped sleeping and was mellow. That's been about 2 months ago, and now he is back, bouncing off the walls, hyper. So now we are trying to figure out what to do. He has an appointment with his doctor in a couple of weeks. In the beginning, it did work for us."

• Anonymous
• April 19, 2012

For High Blood Pressure "Works great for blood pressure, but had to stop because of the side effects. Dry mouth and sleepiness day and night. Would forget things. But the worst was the libido and impotence. No interest in sex whatsoever. At 50, that's not a good thing."

• hon...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 10, 2015

For High Blood Pressure "Didn't have much impact on my blood pressure, and I had to discontinue due to side effects. Extreme dry mouth, fatigue, and drowsiness. Falling asleep at work and struggling to stay awake while driving."