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Guanfacine (tenex / intuniv)

I was reading about it in Wikipedia, and it seemed very promising:

  • Non-stimulant, noradrenaline-only selective action
  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Used to treat anxiety and trauma (PTSD / CPTSD)

I am mostly under-motived / unfocused, and don't have as many symptoms of restlessness. Anxiety: check, trauma: check, high blood pressure: check.

What were your experiences with it? What was good about it and why? What was bad and why?

Thank you!

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10 replies

First defer to your doctor not anecdotes on the Internet.

So for kids that have aggression and type 1 hyperactivity it can calm them down so they are processing at a more normal speed and thus improve focus and anxiety.

For someone like you who sounds like a type 2 inattentive I would expect it to make you more tired less motivated and do nothing for your anxiety.

The combo I have seen most effective for your type is either an activated medicine like Wellbutrin or a combination of a extended release stimulant with an SSRI.

I'm not a Dr, pharmacist, therapist, or psychiatrist. What I am is diagnosed type 2 who has talked and worked with lots of other adults with similar diagnosis.

Again go talk to your Dr.

7

These are prescription drugs. There's no "not talking to a doctor". The anecdotes are useful when searching for a drug that works for me. Because there's no clinical way to determine the right drug, at least not yet. Thanks for the concern, but my psychologist, neurologist, and endocrinologist will all have a say in my treatment. And if I want to have a say myself and ask the right questions, I gotta get informed.

3

Both guanfacine and clonidine did nothing but cause a rapid heart rate, slightly lower blood pressure (I already take other medications for my BP so that's covered) and make me have to pee six or more times every night. It wasn't for me - I get along much better with my Adderall XR with smaller dose of Adderall XR (we have no Adderall IR in Canada and doctors here are not keen to prescribe IR dextroamphetamine) in the afternoon.

2

I take Clonidine ER which is very similar to Guanfacine for treating ADHD (blood pressure medication that is an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist). I also take stimulant-based ones on top of it during the day.

I requested Clonidine specifically to help me sleep and take it in the evenings; my dose is very sedating. It's my understanding that Guanfacine tends to be less sedating; it's not as aggressive on the c(p)ns.

Does it help with my ADHD? Yes-ish. It's calming and slows my brain and body down. My end of day crash can be pretty rough, and the Clonidine eases a lot of the mental scatteredness that I go through. If I'm stuck looking for something to watch, play, etc, it saps my brain enough and allows me to pick whatever it is I want to do to end my day. I would assume a less sedating version of what I take would be moderately effective for day time attention issues. I've seen people have success with both for their symptoms, but I've also seen it not click for people.

You will probably need to log your blood pressure for a few weeks when starting just to make sure it's not dipping you too much.

4

My partner tells me it has helped with by symptoms, but it's hard for me to tell. One thing you won't get from it that you do from stimulants is that burst of morning motivation. Constipation can be an issue for some people. I don't miss the side effects of stimulants though: easily getting stuck on the wrong thing depending on timing, the evening crash, etc.

4

My significant other was on it. His doctor stressed many times not to even have a singular sip of alcohol with it. It literally did nothing for him. He just slept a lot more. They tried multiple doses but absolutely nothing happened. He even forgot to take it for 3 days and didn't notice.

He's back on vyvanse. That actually works for him.

2
aussie.zone

Anecdotally, it cured my hypertension, and random adrenaline surges from other conditions. As a bonus, it mildly helps my ADHD as well.

As an example, it's still really hard to remember anything, but it's physically possible to remember things now. Like, there's a tiny tiny thread I can pull on. It's subtle, but definitely noticeable. My dose is very low, though.

Even so, it made me extremely sleepy for about 3 weeks. So watch out for that.

2

Thanks for the heads up. I have a long commute and don't really need anything to make me sleepier. I think I can get a dispensation to work from home for the beginning of the treatment if it comes to that.

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Amy
piefed.blahaj.zone

It made my blood pressure crash so much I was fainting all the time, so I never got to see if it helped the ADHD.

Atomoxetine works much better for me, but it gives me an elevated heart rate which is a bit worrying.

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Guanfacine (tenex / intuniv) | Spyke