Anyone had experience with Tenex or Clonidine?

Heather - posted on 12/29/2012

They tried my 9 yr old daughter on the clonodine but she would power nap and be up at 2 am not sure why so i stopped giving it to her. What is tennex? curious as my & yr old son is adhd and has tourettes.

Heather - posted on 12/29/2012

My son takes 1/2 a tenex I'm the morning with his adderal and 1 mg at night. It's worked great but my ex experienced one of his night terrors and all of a sudden is questioning the doctor giving it to him because its not FDA approved for kids under 12. But it has been great for my son because I didn't want to add anymore steroids to him

Yasser - posted on 12/18/2012

My son is 4 and a half and has been on Catapres for 6 months because he was hitting other children a lot without knowing why. He gets really sleepy and sedated with clonidine. At the start he was ok but lately his impulsivity has let him down. He is also ADHD/ODD. I feel like the drug is not working properly anymore and there is talks from the doctor that he may need stimulants.

Tara - posted on 10/05/2012

My son has been on Tenex for the last four months. He has done extremely well. His sleep and attention is better. However, he has gained about 15lbs. He cannot stop eating while he is awake. We are going to go back to the Focalin to see if this is better.

Christal - posted on 10/02/2012

My son was put on tenex about 3 1/2 wks ago after terrible tics from stimulants..he was sleepy on tenex up until about 5 days ago..now he's doing much better! No more drowsiness n the benefits are showing..less impulsive, less "on the go", and more focused! Looking good so far, fingers crossed!

Jennifer - posted on 10/02/2012

Intuniv is the latest medication to replace Tenex, etc. We added it to Vyvanse several months ago and have been able to slowly decrease the Vyvanse and increase the Intuniv. He has his appetite back, a side affect of the Vyvanse, and it seems to be working.

Leslie - posted on 10/01/2012

my son too was out like he was drugged. i hated it, but after a few days it got better.

Leslie - posted on 10/01/2012

I'm dealing with the same thing right now. Concerta 18mg plus the 1 1/2mg of tenex. i'm unable to calm him down. any suggestions?

Rosina - posted on 09/23/2012

was your son sleepy at first? Today is the second day of Tennex, and he is right now out like a light..It scares me!

Christal - posted on 09/23/2012

He might be getting the Tics from the stimulants, It happened to my son..

Jacqueine - posted on 09/14/2012

My son started clonidine about a month and a half ago. We first were on focalin and after a couple of days of seeing nothing and incresing dosage we combined clonidine. I saw a difference however I didnt like the way my son woke up with marks on his body. So we are now on Vyvanse and I dont know what is worse I saw a major 72hr change he was defiant and rude couldnt calm down just a brat. Then he did better after a few days I saw when we manuevered the clonidine here and there by taking and cutting his daily dose down so he was awake but focussed at school. Then after we gave one after school and at bedtime. I see the clonidine as the calming help them relax and sleep pill. The vyvanse I cant say I am unsure how I feel so far but one of them is making my son scratch and cause sores on his body.

Jacqueine - posted on 09/14/2012

My child is also on both of these can I ask any strange habits like hurting themself or picking of the skin? My son takes vyvanse 20 mg capsule in morn with i tablet clonidine half a clonidine at noon another full clonidine at 4 and one and a half at bedtime. We have seen results but also bad recation that makes him hurt himself

Jacqueine - posted on 09/14/2012

I had the same issue we did the melatonin and the clonidine my son when he did finally fall asleep was up over and over all thru the night I was so exhausted and so was he. We do not do melatoni anymore we took the clonidine cut it in half at the day dose and give two at bedtime that helps and if he wakes up before he should i give him a half and he falls back asllep needless to say its like a sleeping pill for my kid.

Jacqueine - posted on 09/14/2012

my five year old is on vyvanse and clonidine currently I saw a major display of aggression and defiance for 72 hours then it was as if he was a normal he is behaving better and we see real improvement. however he has developed a bad habit we do not know why and where it came from he picks his skin and causes sores and himself to bleed so just journal and be aware it has a bad period before u see a result.

Mary Ann - posted on 10/09/2011

Our 8yo son who experiences AS, SPD, ADHD, PD and anxiety has been taking Tenex for over three years for his impulse control issues. He takes 1mg three times a day and it has worked wonders with him..and we havn't seen any scary side effects.
MA

Amanda - posted on 01/08/2010

my son is 10 he has adhd and odd he's on methylphenidate, risperidone, clonidine
1st med is for adhd, 2nd med for agression 3rd to sleep when he does not take meds you can really see a difference in behavior. Even on meds i dont think kids realy think before they do, they just do as they please good luck

Amelia - posted on 01/08/2010

Hi, my son is on Daytrana patch and Tenex. 12 almost 13 and it is working but starting to go through puberty so changes are starting to make meds change inevitable. We tried many combo and this one has lasted the longest. Impulsivity is something you have to teach him to think about. Every time you do something, pause, say it out loud, count to ten, say it, do it if it is a good idea only. That has worked best for us. We all have to do it so the oldest doesn't feel singled out but it has slowed us all down so we don't react so impulsivly. Good luck and combo meds work, you do just have to find the right combo for him. :)

Kimberly - posted on 01/07/2010

My son is nine and he has been on clonidine for quite a few years. Without he won't sleep until 3 or 4 in the morning or later. It has been wonderful knowing that he can get sleep. I hate that he takes two medicines too but it is worth him getting his sleep.

Lisa - posted on 01/07/2010

Clonidine might be good if your child is having sleep issues. My boys take rispiradone now for aggressive behavior and turrets ticks which helps them both quite a bit. If you only need meds for sleep issues my doctor recommended melatonin, which is a natural, over-the-counter remedy for re-establishing sleep pattern. I hope this helps. If you decide on the melatonin make sure your doctor is aware of this choice as even herbal items can conflict with other prescriptions your child may be using. If you need meds for behaviour adjustments I would recommend the risparadone, as it also helps bring back appetite and helped my boys gain some weight. They are currently on concerta for the ADHD symptoms.

Wanda - posted on 01/07/2010

I have had 3 boys with ADHD and most of them have been on Clonidine at one time or another. They were on it to help them sleep. The most active and impulsive one of my sons is still on clonidine and otherwise can't sleep. Without it he would be prowling the house at night doing goodness know what. He is now 18 and still has to take it.

Ann - posted on 01/06/2010

My son has been taking Clonidine for a few years to help him unwind so he can sleep, he's been off school for 3 weeks and the last week or so we took him off his daily meds (ritalin & concerta) amazing how his funny, witty personality came back, we are considering taking him off all meds but will discuss with his doctor soon, not sure if getting good grades is more important than him being himself! He is 14 and I've realized this ADHD disease is really hit & miss as far as meds go.

Brigette - posted on 01/05/2010

Hello my son is now 15 years old / he was once on clonidine and was telling me he was having chest pains and trouble sleeping it is not fun thinkin your child is having a heart attack at 12 the way i look at is as parents we r strong / they will put him on all kinds hunny just rem u r mum and will with time we hope get better at dealing ..try goin the natural way as i did no harm in trying my son is now is a special class and is doin as great as he can .. oh yes he was also grunnting and twitching also they had him on so many becarefull ..u need to talk im here for u .take care and b strong - Brigette .

Decckra - posted on 01/04/2010

When my son was on Vyvanse, he lost a lot of weight so much weight I put him back on Adderall, the weight loss was too much he looked sick. The doctor never told me its a weight loss pill he just was telling me about the time release that it provides. I was livid.

Latasha - posted on 01/03/2010

My son takes Adderall xr 25mgs and clonidine and it works very well.Sometimes he tends to be a little irrated in the morning. But i know he got a good sleep.He's been taking clonidine for 3 yrs and been on different medications for his adhd .Adderall has been the one thats worked longer.When he was on focalin xr it worked a little while and he developed a tick ,Vyvanse 30mgs he was seeing Bugs Everywhere. But when i give my son clonidine at night i give a whole tablet. and he is sleep within the hour

Jeannine - posted on 01/03/2010

mine takes clonidine @ nite. it is a central acting blood pressure med that has been around a long time. he takes vyvanse during the day. i am very empathetic to the impulse problem. try taking it @ bedtime @ first & see if it helps any. it does make them slow down & relax & get sleepy. as he gets used to it, you can try taking 1/2 the dose @ nite, then 1/2 in the am. then, with time, if necessary, you can switch the entire dose to am. having the combo sometimes works better than single drugs. we certainly went thru our share! good luck!

Brandi - posted on 01/03/2010

My son has been taking Focalin (30mg) a day and Clonidine (up until 3 months agao it was only 1mg. @ night but now 2mg. @ night) and they both have made a great combination. Yes there maybe a few bad mornings wher he wants to cry & not go to school but it staops w/in a few mins or so. He has been taking both of these for almost 4 yrs. now and they are still working!

Misty - posted on 01/01/2010

Hello my 14 yr old son has been on Tenex for anxiety issues along with his other meds for at least 2-3yrs. No bad side effects that im aware of. We definetly notice when he DOESN'T take it. He takes it twice a day. This is the one medication that if we switch doctors i insist he stays on. It has helped tremendously. He does not fidgit as bad, pick at his skin to cause open soars, or argue as much when he takes this medication.

I have not had any issues with his sleeping. Sometimes we make him go for a walk before bed to help release some of the excess energy he has.

hope this helps.

Brandy - posted on 12/01/2009

Quoting Jennifer:

It's interesting to me that there is a lot of mention of helping with sleep. The reason the doctor wants to try it is that his impulsivity is always getting him into trouble. He knows in his head that he shouldn't disrespect his teachers yet he argues with them and may have a verbal or physical outburst as his means of dealing with his frustration. The Dr thinks that this med might allow him to stay more calm during these situations so he is better able to use his good judgement and really think before he acts.

My 9 year old suffer as well... I had him all kinds of meds and I hated it so I started my search about all natural products and I found a great company called melaleuca and I have used there products for him for 3 years now and I can say we no longer are on anything but melaleuca prodcuts.  Check it out and see if it works for you too.  www.livetotalwellness.com/brandy

Paula - posted on 11/29/2009

My 4 1/2 year old took Clonidine for a few days and he had horible side effects, when it wore off he became extremely combative. He was taking it with adderall at the time. He now is just starting trying Ritalin and I give him melatonin at night for his sleeping. We are waiting to find the right meds for his adhd and then his dr wants to check him for ODD.

Heather - posted on 11/29/2009

Tenex was the first drug my daughter was put on at 3 1/2 yrs old for her ADHD/ODD, impulsivity. It worked for a little while and they had to up her doses. SInce she is a little thing- they could only up the doses so much because of the blood pressure issues. They changed her to Clonidine- up to three times a day- and came across the same issues. NO problem with drowsiness in her- very high tolerance of the meds. They finally decided to put her on the Adderall XR twice a day. She just turned 4 and takes 3mg melatonin and clonidine (4ml) at bedtime. It still takes a couple of hours to get her to sleep....and rarely sleeps through the night : (

Michelle - posted on 11/05/2009

My boys take Adderall XR in the mornings and Clonidine at bedtime. It is a little tough, my oldest doesn't like taking meds twice a day. And I can't see that taking 1/2 a tablet helps him anyway.

Jenifer - posted on 11/03/2009

my daughter are 5 and 6 and they both take clonidine at night to calm them down and help them sleep through the night it works great for them i just need to find the right day time meds for them..

Michelle - posted on 11/02/2009

Bri has been on Tennex since March 09. It does make her sleepy. It helped calm her in the afternoons so she can do homework. It also helped reduce her tics and take the edge off her anxiety. She goes to bed at a decent time instead of 11 every night. She is also on Straterra. It is working ok for the most part. We still have a long list of meds the our peds would try if he and we feel she needs it. Have not used clonindine yet. We have tried Focalin XR and Adderall XR at several different doses levels with and without tennex. We struggle with meds all the time. We keep looking at anxiety meds. It is so hard to decide to go to addition meds. I just have to remember Bri's brain is missing chemistry and this is part of what can fill the gap. I agree with you. I HATE putting Bri on meds. It is normal to feel that way. My peds doc tells me this all the time.

Amy - posted on 10/31/2009

My 10 year old took clonindine for a while and she got use to it and now it dont faise her at all now we are trying other things to so she can start sleeping again. As for the tenex we use it for to help the concerta out so she's not so impulsive. My daughter is ADHD and bi-polar and pts , if it was up to us we wouldnt have on all this med either but she seems to functon better though out the day . Let me know if you have any other questions we have been dealing with this since she was 5 and she will be 11 in april.

Marilyn - posted on 10/30/2009

My grandson takes Clonindine. He takes .3 mg. nightly, it helps him to relax and sleep. He has taken this med for several years, he also takes 15 mg. Abilify at night. He has ADHD/ODD and Bipolar. We've recently added Lamictal, he seems to be doing better with that. JJ is 9 years old. I am a widow, I've been raising him since the day he was born. He was diagnosed at 3 yrs old. The state wouldn't approve meds for him until he was 4. I hope that you consider putting him on this med. it will help him to relax and be able to sleep better at night.

Lilli - posted on 10/30/2009

Hi I have been where you are right now, it is frustating to think that your child needs meds to function, My 10 year old son is on and has been on clonidine and it seems to work really well, the tenex not so much. But it depends of the child and the doses. How long has it been since he has been diagnosed. If you need someone to talk to look me up on facebook under Lilli Dean. If I can do nothing else you can bend my ear if you need to.

Good Luck and come see me sometime on my page... Hope this helps.

Stacey - posted on 10/30/2009

My daughter has ADHD and she takes the Clonidine......that is for a sleeping problem she has at night so I dont know why they would suggest taking that for the ADHD. It will make your child very tired!

Christy - posted on 10/29/2009

My oldest is on Focalin XR 15mg in the am; 5 mg booster at 4:00 and mirtazipine between 7-8 for bed. That has really helped boost his appetite. It's nice to see. He was on Clonidine but we switched to the mirtazipine after we noticed he was having frequent nightmares. His doctor said that is a common side effect. We had a hard time waking him from the dreams b/c he was in such a deep sleep due to the meds.

Janis - posted on 10/29/2009

My son was tried on these and we had some bad experiences. His blood pressure was way to low, he was very lethargic all the time, slept alot and was either white as a ghost or that gray death look. We took him off of this immediately. I think that you should just use caution when using any medication, especially on kids. Each kid is different and what works for one may not work for another. This was about 10 years ago that we tried the meds. It's never easy to give your kids any meds, but believe me it is worth it for them in the long run. My son is now 17 and I'm just so proud of him. He is so grown up and even holds the door open for people, including me. We did go through alot of hard times with him growing up with ADHD, espeically in school, but it does get better as they get older. He has been on Concerta for years and is doing really, really great! Hope things work out for your little guy!

Sara - posted on 10/29/2009

clonidine was given to my son for helping him go to sleep at night. it taked1.5 hours then he is asleep.

Michele - posted on 10/28/2009

Not only is my son ADHD, but I work at an alternative school for students with behavior disorders. Many of our students take clonidine in addition to the adhd meds for impulsivity. It works really well for them. My doctor recommended it for my son as well, but for sleep issues and to take the edge off (anxiety). He is only 6 and we have found that melatonin works so no clonidine for us.

Jennifer - posted on 10/28/2009

It's interesting to me that there is a lot of mention of helping with sleep. The reason the doctor wants to try it is that his impulsivity is always getting him into trouble. He knows in his head that he shouldn't disrespect his teachers yet he argues with them and may have a verbal or physical outburst as his means of dealing with his frustration. The Dr thinks that this med might allow him to stay more calm during these situations so he is better able to use his good judgement and really think before he acts.

Brandy - posted on 10/28/2009

Oh! Its patients trust me! LOL I still fight both my kids! I put them to bed and they horse-around for about 45 mins to an hour later. Yet, they sleep all night, they are not groggy in the morning, and I see less late night walkers! I started watching the meds after a family member was diagnosed with Primary biliary cirrhosis. They don’t know a lot about this disease, so I try to use a little caution with my kids.

It's challenging but I try making the best educated decision for the best possible outcome and hope for the best.



have a good day!

*B*

Desiree - posted on 10/28/2009

my son takes clonidine at night to help him sleep cus if he dont take it hes up till the early morning. it takes awhile for him to get to sleep cus he fights it but once hes asleep hes good till i get him up. thank god for that. im like you i dont like the fact that my children or on meds if i had other ways of doing it i would but i have no choice i dont have the patience to try these home remidies stuff they have out there. my children are 10 and 11 and they both have it. im lucky that my twins dont have it or i would be really going out of my mind.

what is the reason your dr wants to put him on clonidine?

Brandy - posted on 10/28/2009

My son who Is ADHD/ Bipolar with a sleeping Disorder was taking Clonidine this to help him sleep... I had no complaints drug wise. I asked the Dr. to take him off the meds because he was taking to much... and I had to idea there was a wonder thing called Malatonin.. all natural.. That works just fine for his sleeping issues.

have a good day *B*

Stephanie - posted on 10/28/2009

Both my sons are ADHD/ODD and my 13 yr old may also be Bipolar with some other problems. My older son does just fine on 72mg of concerta and 50mgs of seroquel at night to sleep. My 13 yr old is on Tenex in the morning for tics and it has worked wonderfully, no side affects. He was on Clonidine to help him sleep until they had raised the dose as high as it would go and wasn't working anymore, he now takes Seroquel like his brother. He is very overweight but that's from other meds for Bipolar and anti-psychotics. Impulsivity was a big problem when my kids were young too, but he'll probably outgrow that, my biggest problem now is authority and respect.

Jennifer - posted on 10/28/2009

Quoting Jennifer:

Thanks for the feedback.
Anyone experience any scary side affects? We struggle with my sons weight on the ADHD meds - he's thin by nature so the meds make it worse. We've worked our way past the sleepless nights. He takes 30MG of Vyvanse at 7 a.m. so it's worn off by about 4. Also, how long has your child been taking the Tenex/Clonidine?

My dd takes 20mg Adderall XR at 7am and then another 10 mg (not extended release) at 2pm. That gets her thru the rest of the evening. Her ADHD is severe and without that little booster in the afternoon she just doesn't function well at all. Without it she couldn't do homework, sit still thru dinner, or get thru the evening without major confrontations w/her sister No scary side effects. The main problem I have is getting her to eat healthy food. She is a carb junkie. She won't eat a veggie to save her life and will eat just the tiniest bit of meat and only because I make her. I usually have to give beans/cheese/pediasure supplement to get protein into her.

Alison - posted on 10/28/2009

My son is 11 and is on Vyvanse 90 MG. He started taking Tenex a year ago. It works great for him. He used to figit and move non stop. Hes alot better controlled now. He takes 1 1/2 tablets twice a day. No side affects. Hes also very thin too. But he has always been that way. We have tried Clonidine a long time ago. Didn't work at all. We saw a therapist who suggested Melatonin. Its a sleep aid that u can buy at Walgreens. Your body produces Melatonin so its not addictive or anything its good for you. It works great. I take it sometimes too. My son takes one every night 5 mg instead of his regular medication Lunesta. Hope this helps........

Jennifer - posted on 10/27/2009

Thanks for the feedback.

Anyone experience any scary side affects? We struggle with my sons weight on the ADHD meds - he's thin by nature so the meds make it worse. We've worked our way past the sleepless nights. He takes 30MG of Vyvanse at 7 a.m. so it's worn off by about 4. Also, how long has your child been taking the Tenex/Clonidine?

Jennifer - posted on 10/27/2009

My daughter takes clanidine 3 x day along with adderall for ADHD and a couplel others for BP (zyprexa, trileptal). Her pdoc prescribed it for anxiety. We also had to experiment (that sounds terrible, but it is what it is) with the correct dose. It has helped her a lot.