mountains27 Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 My 7 yo boy will be taking his first dose of guanfacine today and I have to admit I am feeling nervous :/ He was diagnosed last year officially with ADHD but since I was homeschooling him I decided to hold off and see if he would do OK with frequent breaks and the freedom that comes with learning at home. I know it did help not having him in a regular PS classroom but I feel like he still could do better at learning if he could just calm down and focus for a more then 2 seconds! So for his sake I am trying meds to see if it can offer him any help. He needed to be prescribed a non-stimulant because he is 50" tall but only weighs 47lbs soaking wet (he is all skin and bones!) and CANNOT afford to loose any appetite he might have during the day! So the doctor told me this is a blood pressure medicine and has been shown to work on ADHD symptoms. I think that is what is making me nervous, that it will be lowering his blood pressure, that sounds scary to me. Has anyone had an experience with this med for ADHD and can chime in with some advice/support? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 No experience but I wanted to send you huge hugs of support. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Ariel Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 Yes, I have had two kids on this med, one still taking it. It is usually a very small dose so it doesn't really affect their BP. Mine had their BP monitored at each med check appointment and it was always fine. It took a bit of adjusting for one of my dc before it was okay. The other, with more serious adhd symptoms, had problems with it making him tired. It did seem to work for a while and then it kind of stopped having a positive affect. If you have more questions feel free to PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 My DD started taking Clonidine back in March. It is also a hypertension drug used to treat ADHD. She's only taking 1/4 pill per day so it hasn't affected her BP. It has a sedative effect so I can only give it at night. When her psychiatrist tried giving her another 1/4 pill in the morning it wound up making her too sleepy (she kept falling asleep at school and at her ABA therapy). What I found was that giving Clonidine at night and Methylin (short-acting stimulant) in the morning works better than either medication alone. Clonidine helps calm down the hyperactivity and Methylin helps her focus during her seatwork. I give the stimulant after breakfast and it wears off by lunch so it hasn't affected her appetite any. It did take some trial-and-error to find the combo that works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 No experience with this drug, but lots of moral support headed your way. Our experience with short-acting stimulants has been good, and they aren't in the system long enough to make a big difference in appetite. My son ends up eating a little heftier later in the day, but he has a big appetite anyway (and no extra body fat either). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 That medication didn't affect my son's blood pressure, even after they upped the dose, when we tried it. We did it at night to help aid sleep as well. I hope it helps him! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 My son tried several meds before we found the one that works best for him. In his guanfacine did not help his focus but just made him sleepy and irritable. We abandoned it quickly and fortunately found something else that is effective. I hope that it works for your son, but if it does not, go back to the doctor and ask to try something different. We found that it did not take long to know whether a medicine was having an effect or not. Like other posters, DS is on a short-acting stimulant med that wears off by lunchtime. After he eats, he takes the second dose for the afternoon. I just wanted to make sure you know that it is possible to use a stimulant and still retain some appetite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Also, I understand your feelings of trepidation. :grouphug: If you can find something that works for him, it will be worth it! Meds have really made a difference for my son, as they do for many people. Hopefully they will help your son as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susanfh Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I don't have any experience with that med, but I will say that going on meds has been like night and day with my son. They have been so helpful! It's like all of a sudden he is able to learn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prissygirls Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 My dd just started the same meds this week. So far so good. She has been really sleeping in, I had to wake her up at 9:30 this morning. She went to bed at 8:30. Other than that she seem good. Nothing remarkable yet but going to give it some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountains27 Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share Posted June 4, 2015 Thanks for all the replies! Very helpful. He is on day three and so far not much change. He does seem a little sleepier then usually and the other day he actually got so upset he cried over something very trivial which was shocking, he RARELY cries at all so I was a little turned off by that, but, at such a low dose (half a pill twice a day) and only the third day I can't say for sure it was the meds that made him act different anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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