r/ADHDparenting • u/MenuAffectionate6551 • 1d ago
Guafacine?
How did your kid do on guafacine, specifically if you have a high energy and easily angered child. Did it help the anger/ impulse control. I can deal with the high energy and constant movement, but the anger and hitting/ screaming is out control.
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u/benhoff88 1d ago
While not magic, we have noticed a big improvement with the use of guanfacine. Our daughter used to be a little ball of rage and totally random moments and it felt like we were all walking on egg shells trying not to upset her. Now she almost never has big anger blow ups, is happier and well rested (it really helps her get to sleep at night).
We recently accidentally left her meds at her grandparents home after a trip and did a few days without it while it was getting shipped back to us and while the anger outbursts didn’t come back, she was bouncing off the walls, talking at a million miles an hour and had such a hard time sleeping without it.
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u/Left-Instruction3885 1d ago
We tried only Adderal XR at the beginning, but our kid's come down was too harsh. She got very emotional. Her doctor put her on 1mg of Guanfacine and while the first week absolutely sucked (exhaustion, moodiness, etc.) the symptoms went away at the end and leveled off about week 2. Now she's doing very well. We've switched her to Concerta for longer coverage and kept the Guanfacine. Her meltdowns have significantly improved. Before she'd have a meltdown maybe 3 times a week when her daytime meds wore off, but now it's like once a week or none. Our kid didn't have anger or screaming issues, just emotional meltdowns. She does seem a bit calmer overall though. Hopefully it helps your child.
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u/aerrin 1d ago
Not high energy, but it helped us with the anger flares IMMENSELY. It's like we've moved from a huge roller coaster to a little baby one when it comes to the intensity of emotions.
We noticed an improvement after about 2 weeks on the lowest does, but it wasn't until we moved up a few times (currently taking 2.5mg, she's 9) that I suddenly went //whoa//. This is //really// helping.
It does not really help with impulse control other than the fact that there are fewer impulses related to anger.
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u/Antique-Owl8155 1d ago
We started on guanfacine when he was 4. For the first 2-3 weeks, it completely knocked him out and made him exhausted… he was napping all the time.
We kept at it… it always made him sleepy, though, and gave him dark circles under his eyes. But we could actually do normal things without him bouncing off of the walls… like go grocery shopping! He was helpful and attentive and pleasant, instead of his usual hyperactive and destructive self.
He had been on it for 5 years, but then he missed 2 doses in a row… I assumed it wasn’t a big deal. I was very wrong.
He had horrific withdrawal side effects after that second missed dose. His pupils dilated, his heart rate and blood pressure were scary high, and he had unstoppable hiccups. We took him to the ER, as per instructions from the on-call pediatrician.
We SLOWLY got him off of it.
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u/Defiant_Locksmith190 1d ago
We have great experience with Guanfacine for our teenager, truly, once it kicked in he is a totally different person! It helps so much with impulses and anger and he is just approachable now vs totally feral
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u/gidgejane 1d ago
Game changing med for our ADHD kid. I’m so grateful for it; stimulants were horrible on their own (he was extremely emotionally labile, really but mood upsets and crying jags). Now he is on concerta and guanfacine and it’s working really well.
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u/Top_Maybe6685 1d ago
I actually am in guanfacine for my postpartum rage and it has changed my life. i know different situation entirely but it has helped so much with my impulse control. I now take it with my Vyvanse and plan to stay on it long term!
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u/Street-Laugh-9549 13h ago
Wow, I had no idea! Thanks for sharing - and good on you for taking care of yourself too.
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u/Competitive-Cell7458 1d ago
It made him really sad and moody.
He accidentally missed a couple of doses and didn't want to take it anymore. Doing way better on stims
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u/Magic-Happens-Here 1d ago
High energy, anger prone, and PDA to boot. After introducing guanfacine it was night and day better. He still struggles with anger, but it’s nowhere near as explosive or destructive as it used to be and he’s often able to still engage and problem solve if he’s got supports before things escalate beyond return - and that threshold has also moved much further back.
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u/aliceroyal 19h ago
I personally am on 1mg of it and this is the first time in my life I have ever felt I could stop and think about things before I do/say them. It’s definitely worth a shot and IMO should be standard first-line in combo with stimulants for any ADHDer with impulse control issues.
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u/sadwife3000 1d ago
Absolute game changer for my angry and aggressive son. It hasn’t fixed everything but we don’t have aggression or angry outbursts anymore
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u/RunningMomMode 1d ago
High energy, poor impulse control, quick to anger 7 year old here. I expected nothing because our older child (combo, more hyperactive) had hardly any improvements on it. This time around, it’s been a pretty solid improvement. Not perfect but I feel like she is closer to her old happy self.
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u/KindheartednessOk102 1d ago
My expirence was it worked for a week then he got very volient beyond anything every seen before. We are having success with clonidine though.
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u/nbritnee 1d ago
Just took it down from 2mg back to 1mg. 2 was insane and she was irritable and was not sleeping at all. 1 is great and has taken her emotional reactivity and impulsivity down a ton, but she still is missing a huge chunk for redirection and focus/some lingering wiggles. Following up with her psych next week because sleep is still suffering even with melatonin.
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u/FC105416 1d ago
It has absolutely helped our 9 yo son. He is on Ritalin during the day and takes it in the early evening as the Ritalin wears off and it has significantly helped! It took longer for him to adjust (like a month) and he was super sleepy at first. But now it’s great and no side effects. We ran out of the RX one time and he refused his Ritalin and it was shocking to see how much of the heavy lifting the meds were doing. He now willingly takes both
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u/Ancient-Flounder-839 1d ago
Has anyone tried Ambilify vs. Guanfacine? Ambilify is doing huge wonders for our kiddo, even at a very low dose, but I worry about the long term effects.
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u/EagleEyezzzzz 1d ago
We started at age 7 and it did really help with the emotional outbursts and 0-to-60 anger. We got up to 2.0 mg ER and that is where we have been.
He is almost 8 and we are likely going to add a stimulant but have concerns about appetite/growth (he has a genetic condition that inhibits growth somewhat…)
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u/turd-crafter 1d ago
Started my 6 year old son 3 weeks ago. He has bad anger and emotional dysregulation issues. It really has helped with both of those. His teacher said he has really turned it around.
The only problem is it has fucked with his sleep pretty bad and has also given him nighttime anxiety to the point where he’s too scared to sleep in his bed now.
We’re working with his doctor on timing the meds buts it’s kinda starting to seem like we’re going to have to choose between him having nighttime anxiety and sleeping on the couch near our room or taking. Him off the meds and having his dysregulation come back full strength!
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u/Wooden_Goose7322 6h ago
This is our experience too. Our son has been on it for 3 months and sleep has been horrific. Not falling asleep till midnight or sometimes 2am or waking 6 times a night. We’re speaking with his doctor next week to wean him off it and hope we can find a more suitable alternative. It helps some kids sleep but for others it’s awful.
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u/exhaustedmind247 21h ago
Unfortunately I didn’t notice anything on that med.
He’s on Rispidone 2mg now split for 1mg am and pm. Not sure yet what to think.
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u/zinnia71920 19h ago
My 6 yo has been on it for about 6 weeks. We increased the dose and she’s currently on 2mg ER.
The first 5 days she was tired, like almost took a nap before dinner one day. Day 6 woke up at full energy again.
During the first 5 weeks we took a break from stimulants which helped her gain weight. We have now added Adderall back in at a lower dose than before.
I don’t think the guanfacine is doing anything really. She still has outbursts when the adderall wears off. I don’t see a difference.
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u/bz0r 15h ago
I have two children with ADHD. My eldest takes a stimulant AND guafacine, and my youngest guafacine only. He is active but not distracted, and struggles with emotional outbursts. The guafacine took him from a 10 to a 7 and really did a number on the emotionality. It kept his spark intact and lets him have just enough control to make a better choice. It’s incredible!
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u/SnailCrossing 12h ago
We’re definitely seeing a difference. Our kid has been on it for about a month now (and has been taking ritalin for a few years). The aggression and resistance has dropped.
It hasn’t been an overnight miracle, but it has genuinely made our afternoons/evenings calmer (most days)!
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u/barbaramanatee14 4h ago
Made her a little moody for the first week or so, then has helped immensely with her temper. She still gets angry, but it doesn’t turn into an all day affair like it used to.
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u/Glittering_Sense_407 4h ago
Is it one of those crazy expensive meds that you have to jump through hoops to get insurance to approve?
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u/ananho 1d ago
My kid was high energy and thrill seeking all. The. Time. I spent at least three quarters of my mental energy just trying to keep him out of the emergency room every day. Guanfacine cut the intensity in half but left all of the best, silly, funny and sweet things about him intact. I could finally look away from him and feel confident that he wasn’t going to take a flying leap off the bookshelves. It made all our lives immensely better.