Guanfacine

First off, I am in no way looking for information about possibility of any recreational purpose for this drug...

I know that Guanfacine is commonly prescribed for high blood pressure, but a family member of mine recently went on her monthly checkup to her doctor (she has bipolar, adhd, manic depressive, ect ect) and he prescribed her Guanfacine tab 1 mg for her adhd.

My mother yesterday asked me what exactly the pills were and I did a search online and could only find information on how they reduce blood pressure, and no other purpose. So I had my mother call over to the pharmacy the prescription was filled from and ask them if maybe they gave her the wrong medication (hey it happens)! They told her that when Guanfacine first came out was primarily used only for blood pressure, but they now fine that it helps with adhd. And that is all they would pretty much say.

So now my question is: What if anything does anyone know about this medication? I would greatly appreciate any and all information you provide,
Thanks

-NB

#1: it is NOT recreational... it could actually be dangerous for some people due to the possibility of hypotension (low blood pressure)

#2: its use in the treatment of ADD is interesting, it apparently works through its action on norepinephrine (http://remedyfind.com/rem.asp?ID=5049), based on this description its action sounds similar to strattera.

See also: http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/split/Clonidine-guanfacine-ADHD.html

^^
Dude, I gotta hand it to ya, you know your shit. Thanks for always helping.

Thanks for the info who mE! ...

does anyone else find it strange that a doctor would prescribe this medication to a 13 yr old child without giving any information about it other then when to take it...

I wonder why they would prescribe your mother this drug over a more tradional ADHD medication....?

^ it wasnt my mother
that would be a trip if it was my mother though

but yahs good question in general...

I just got back from the psych. I'm on Vyvanse and mentioned trouble with anxiety and sleep once in a while..so he added 1mg Tenex (guanfacine) nightly to my script. I had no idea what it was...so i found this thread. Why would it work like Strattera? I already have a bunch of free samples of that stuff and it's an SSRI. So I don't see any reason he'd give me all these samples in case i needed them then prescribe Tenex if it's the same shit. Anyway, it sounds like a shitty drug...is it expensive? i think i'll just stick to smoking my medical mj.

^ I thought strattera was a SNRI. But anyways I think he prescribed both because Atomoxetine is hit or miss for people while guafanfacine is pretty consistent with its effects on the general population.

Also I would think the doctor gave you the guafacine for its immediate effects since it reduces blood pressure and allows you to get to sleep easier.

hey Gormur, i sound a lot like you, just got back from the psych a few days ago

- he prescribed me 1 mg guanfacine nightly in adjunct to my 40 mg vyvanse daily to apparently help taper out the irritability and other amp side effects when coming down. He said that in addition to helping keep my BP low (or i guess closer to baseline), it should help reduce the hyperactivity part of my ADHD, extend my focus into the evening even as the vyvanse wears off, and somewhat help me sleep at night (i also mentioned my moderate general anxiety and resulting trouble with falling asleep). He preferred the idea of a nightly guanfacine regiment (generic Tenex) over using low dose dextroamphetamine or other IR amps to boost the vyvanse when working into the evening - a bit frustrating because he cited 'potential abuse' when my aim truly isn't recreational. I do understand though.. I am a college student, it might be hard for a responsible clinician to give me, a pretty new patient of his (just switched), the benefit of the doubt. anyway,

my concerns are the general lack of available info, especially concerning long term side effects from therapeutic use and contraindications with other drugs (including alcohol), in particular illicit ones... (love cannabis and moderate psychedelic use, enjoy occasional use of opies or benzos). Although Tenex is not the 'extended release/XR' version of guanfacine; Intuniv, guanfacine's half-life is apparently around 17 hours, so my psych said it should provide close to 24 hour coverage. Considering its action on norepinephrine, im hesitant to take something that might change my personality 24/7 instead of being able to return to an emotional baseline, if you will, at the end of the day. Any info or thoughts are much appreciated!

sorry for the long post, but i figured any general information i could provide might be useful to other guanfacine-clueless bluelighters i'll probably end up at least trying it for awhile, i'll update with my experiences.

Hey I know this thread probably isn't looked at anymore but I think I was given an incorrect diagnosis I had explained to my doctor and he is keeping me on guanfacine . I have not seen any change since I started an am on max dose . How do I safely come off it before I get damaged

AveaADD relax guanfacine is a relatively mild medication. It is not damaging to your body. Suddenly stopping guanfacine could cause rebound hypertension especially in someone with preexisting hypertension. However this is easily avoided by slowly decreasing the dose with the help of your doctor. A lack of response doesn't mean the diagnosis is wrong guanfacine is probably the weakest of the medications the reason he gave it to you first is probably for that reason. Unlike amphetamines and methylphenidate it doesn't have the same risks of cardiovascular issues but still can cause increases in noradrenaline (focus) in the prefrontal cortex (complex thinking) by acting indirectly as a alpha 2a*(I think) agonist which binds to presynaptic receptors increasing synaptic norepinephrine receptors indirectly which is a big long way of saying it can influence noradrenaline but in much more gentle way than other add meds. But the trade off is it can only cause slight changes in norepinephrine

*Norepinephrine is a synonym for noradrenaline

AveaADD said:

Hey I know this thread probably isn't looked at anymore but I think I was given an incorrect diagnosis I had explained to my doctor and he is keeping me on guanfacine . I have not seen any change since I started an am on max dose . How do I safely come off it before I get damaged

Click to expand...

What dosage do you take per day ?

Is clonazepam and guanfacine safe together? Any interactions?

There has been 1 study I could find and it was ages ago and really badly done so I wont link it. Apparently males over 29 had an increase in drooling.


Both lower your blood pressure somewhat so Id be wary. Dont drink alcohol or any other drugs at all if this is what you have to take.

The only real problem (and drooling males isn't a problem to Zephyr) is that they're both "downers". Guanfacine, at least when you start on it, is sedating, and that'll be additive with benzos.

Never had it, but be careful with it. Its related to clonidine and tizanidine, a strong pair of sympatholytic drugs, and tizanidine especially is used as a muscle relaxer, I take tizanidine and the stuff is more than capable of flooring me, literally, like thor's bloody hammer coming down, down I go, due to the orthostatic hypotension. If that affects you, get up slowly, bent at the waist, as if in a bowing position, japanese style, as if making a deep, sincere apologetic bow. Then slowly, whilst holding on to a sofa or other such couch-seat, or bed, arise, step by step by step, that'll help equalize the orthostatic hypotension if any. Careful as otherwise its capable, at least with tizanidine, of making you drop to the floor out cold.

Very, very powerful muscle relaxer if its like tizanidine.