Any one have experience with Intuniv for children?

Gabrielle - posted on 01/22/2013

Hi,

Our ten year old son was diagnosed with ADHD and GAD when he was 7. Has been on 20mg of Vyvanse and 1mg of intuniv for about two years. Even though those are the lowest doses they seem to help him alot. He is very bright and well in school. However, in the last 4 months we notices a decline in his ability to focus and stay on task. Our son psychiatrist took him off the Intuniv to see if that would help. Unfortunately it hasn't, he has gotten worse. His defiance and aggression is becoming very pronounced and he is having a hard time falling asleep at night. My husband and his psychologist want to put him back on the intuniv and increase the Vyvanse.

Overall the intuniv did help express his emotions more appropriately. We think that the reason that the Vyvanse and intuniv stopped working originally was because he is bigger and we never upped his meds to adjust to weight or height ( probably due to me not wanting to medicate at all anyway). So now we have confront the decision on whether to put him back on the intuniv. My main concern is that when I asked the psychiatrist about long range side effects, he said there are no conclusive studies. The short term version of intuniv has been around a very long time but the long acting has not and there has been little studies on children over a long duration.

Basically Intuniv can work but I would do your research on the side effects etc...

I hope this helps...

Danette - posted on 12/27/2012

My son got put on Intuniv 12-12-12 and he takes it at bedtime. He is much more calm in the morning when he wakes up, then he takes his Metadate around 6am, then a small 20 mg dose of Rittalin at school at 11:30. Mornings are much more easier now.

Katie - posted on 12/26/2012

My daughter is about the same age as yours and has been on Intuniv since October 2011. She seems to do pretty well with her adhd and getting her work done in school. She also is on zoloft and resperidone. The dr diagnosed her with adhd in may 2011 and put her on vyvanse which made her appetite go away completely. The Intuniv has been very helpful. She is on 1 3mg pill at night along with her zoloft and resperidone. When she was on vyvanse she dropped to 44 lbs. Since being on Intuniv she has gained to be 80 lbs in just over a year. Hope this is helpful!

Val - posted on 11/21/2012

My 8 year old daughter has been on it since May. She takes 1.5 pills a day. She also takes 10 milligrams of Focoline. For the first time in her life she is just a regular kid, doing what regular kids do. Before that she was on a lot of medications, and had a lot of diagnosed conditions. Thank God we changed Nuerologist and he changed the medication. She no longer has the problem of not eatting, she does not shake or have OCD tendancies. I would recommend the medication. Out of all the medications there was just one that caused a lot of problems and that was Vyvanse. Several others worked only for a while, but were not a problem, but that one really caused a lot of problems (OCD, fits of rage and anxiety, and when prozac was added to relieve those symptoms I had a suicidal 7 year old on my hands). Vyvanse was not a problem at first it seemed to work, but after a few months all heck broke loose and the medication had many unfavorable side effects. When intuniv was added it got better and when the vyvanse was changed to Focalin everything in her life got better.





Sincerely, Valen Ford, M.Ed.

Valerie - posted on 11/19/2012

My 9 yr old daughter was diagnosed with ADHD and ODD when she was 6. We didnt put her on any medications until 7 because Bre already had a tic from when she was 1 yr old and I was scared treatment would increase the tics. We started on Vyavanse and she was so moody! Crying, frustrated and irritable, plus, I was right, it did increase her tics very much so. When I called her Dr. we put her on Intuniv in addition to Vyavanse. Intuniv has helped so much with her mood and behavior. She has gone from a child with a D average being sent to the Principals office everyday, to a straight A student and never getting into trouble. Breanna still shows signs of tics and they seem to be increasing more rapidly, which is a major concern. Her Dr. and I have recently been discussing about putting her on Foculin to try and help decrease the tics.

Cathy - posted on 08/07/2012

I have a 13 year old daughter on Intuniv 2 mg. She has been on it over a year but I am wondering if it is working for her. She has never had tantrums or been a discipline problem in school. I am thinking about taking her off of it. Has anyone else taken their teenager off successfully?

Lisa - posted on 06/25/2012

I feel like I'm reading my son's story! Unfortunately, his story ends with diagnoses of Tourette's, bipolar and OCD, but I can totally relate to the medication issues. Any central nervous system stimulants, like Concerta, Adderall, Vyvanse & Ritalin, will worsen or even cause tics. Intuniv may help it some, but watch for side effects and check her blood pressure when she's tired. Some kids just don't do well on the ADHD medications. In certain cases, the doctor will prescribe something different and stronger like Risperdol or Geodon. They both help with tics, but they are more or less meant for kids with issues like bipolar disorder, ODD, etc. I hope this helps. Good luck. We hated the "medicine game." You'll make it, though!

Tammy - posted on 06/25/2012

Well my kids age 7 and 10 have been on it 1 mg of intunive durring day for about 6 months .I seeen a big differnece in there school work but by the time they came home it wore off .So I talk to dr and he added one in morning one in night .Then they became realy sleepy.So I played with it for school I gave them half a pill and when they got home after home work I gave them a whole to help with sleep.It realy seems to help.

Val - posted on 06/22/2012

Yes, we had many similarities. We just changed physicians (nuerologist in San Antonio Texas), and started taking intuniv and foculine. It is working so far and it has been a month. We have had fewer side effects and much better eatting and over all control. We have also seen more of our daughter's original personality. Now, our last diagnosis was ADHD, OCD and Anxiety. We ended up going to a child psychologist which suggested the nuerologist we are seeing right now. We had very bad luck finding a Pediatric Pshychiatrist in this area (we live between Austin and San Antonio Texas so sometimes it is hard to find specialist). i think you should have good luck with the specialist you have chosen because we did want to see a psychiatrist because part of our diagnosis is psychiatric in nature. I can honestly say that until the diagnosis and medications are correct good grades are very hard to get.
Since we have not really had to deal with Tourettes, (though there was twitching), I have no advice as to medications that can focus on that condition. I do know diagnosis can be very incorrect. So keep digging further into the matter. We have been dealing with meds since my daughter was 5 and now she is going to be 8. There have been a number of diagnosis and medication changes. We are just now with someone we feel is going to make things better, and we have no diagnosis. He said that many are too broad, now we are just dealing with what is there, the symptoms. He is also an advocate for his clients, and that makes a great deal of difference. So many just shove meds into your hands and could care less what is going on in the child's life...are they having teacher problems, peer problems difficulties in the family. All these things make a difference. Good luck Stacie. I hope you find answers for your little girl.

Angel - posted on 06/22/2012

Are u sure she dosen't have High functioning Autism and is being medicated improperly?Our twins have High functioning Autism and re straight A students,they are not social butterflies,and yes they have what some would call ticks but it is repetitive behavior because their sensory sy stem is overloaded.I would suggest some research in Autism and no doubt she may still have Touretts as well as Autism spectrum disorder ADHD and OCD are symptoms of An A.S.D as well as bipolar social dysfunction.I would certainly get a second opinion and suggest an Autism spectrum screaning

Val - posted on 05/08/2012

We just started Intuniv today. I know it has been a long time since Lauryn has not had a tantrum at school and today was a success. But this is just one day. Concerta did not do anything for her and I hate Vyvanse. Tomorrow is the big challenge, she is mortified by her PE class and always freaks out. If Intuniv makes it possible for her to participate in PE class I will honestly be impressed by this medication. My name is val (robixqueen@yahoo.com) check with me tomorrow. Val

FYI my 7 year old daughter has been diagnosed with ADHD, OCD, anxiety. They suspect Autism, we will see.

Angie - posted on 05/03/2012

we tried intuniv over the summer and it caused my son to become extremely depressed. i would recommend it in combination with a stimulant but you just need to try different ones to find the right combination for your child. Also clonidine has been approved for children to help with sleep problems and cypro can help with weight. i dont use the intuniv anymore but i have heard it can work.
here is a related post of mine.
My child has been diagnosed with ADHD for 3 years now. His father has ADD. We have tried many different routes, done sleep tests, neurologists, all different meds.in order to find a routine. The key is to find what is best for you and your family and do it. Getting there is very tough, took us a couple years and we still sometimes have fall backs, but I would not always listen to other people's opinions. Listen to your gut. Yes, often children are diagnosed incorrectly with ADHD when they don't have it, then they are medicated which is wrong. If your child requires medication because of ADHD, who cares what other people think. I have 3 kids, only one has ADHD. He is medicated on adderall and we do use a diet of low sugar, no dyes,often gluten free, however, we also allow him to occasionally indulge because the meds cause low weight and loss of appetite and he is a kid. I also choose to deal with the craziness on weekends and not medicate. We tried a lot vitamins and supplements through a holistic doctor but he is still too young to take 40 different things a day to help clean out his system ,especially when they are bad tasting(we will try this again as he gets older and matures some) so we currently give him the essentials-of course we use all natural vitamins and supplements such as Perque. He takes a multivitamin, high dosage of DHA which helps with brain function and a calcium supplement and a probiotic. Will he ever grow out of this? I don't know. We also have gone through several therapists and psychiatrists in order to find ones that specialize in children and do an excellent job. So I do think therapy and behavior management can also help immensely. Just remember, everyone has an opinion or a book these days but you sometimes just have to get down to the science of it and use trial and error. http://www.feingold.org/Research/PDFstud...

Amy - posted on 05/03/2012

Hi Stacie,

My son has been on Intuniv for a little over a year now(since last April). We love it! He was on Concerta as well as the Intuniv but the Concerta was affecting his appetite so much that I decided to take him off of it and just give him his Intuniv alone. It really calms his hyperactivity.



I give him 2mg every morning before school.



Amy

Jeanine - posted on 04/30/2012

DO IT! Intuniv has changed my sons life. Start with one mg and give it at least four weeks before increasing to two. Do the same with the two and so on. It takes time but be patient.

Paige - posted on 01/22/2012

My son is on 18mg of Concerta and they just added Intuniv to take in the evening. I am so nervous... the stacking game is scaring me!

Rachel - posted on 08/02/2011

My 8 year old son is on Concerta in the morning and Intuniv at night. It has done wonders. He had issues with anxiety and depression before getting on this duo of medication. The Concerta makes him aggressive and emotional, but the Intuniv counteracts these symptoms so that he is a happy boy. It has done wonders for him. He use to cry at night because he thought he didn't have any friends, but since starting these two medicines together hd has a best-friend and isn't socially awkward anymore. We tried Vyvanse first, but it made him ( a normally very sweet and kind boy) into an angry little boy. Try the Intuniv.

Atira - posted on 04/28/2011

I would try the Intuniv.



My 5 year old son is diagnosed with ADHD and we are currently trying to figure out the other piece (Sensory Integration Disorder and Asberger's / High Functioning Autism are both things his team are looking at).



We started last year with Ritalin, which worked for a while but his body kept adjusting to it. After a few months we had topped out on the dosage so we had to start trying other things. We tried Adderall next but he began uncontrollably picking at his body and creating sores. We tried Concerta (didn't have much effect) then Clonidine (also not much effect). All but the Adderall (because of the side effect) were tried in varying doses.



Last fall we started Guanfacine which seemed to work pretty well but he had to take multiple pills throughout the day to maintain the effect so we switched to Intuniv (the long lasting version of Guanfacine). It was AMAZING! His energy was at a more manageable level with out the ups and downs from multiple doses. He's up to 4mg right now (which is topped out for a kid his size -65lbs) so we are trying to add a small dose of Ritalin back into the mix. Because the 2 meds are in different families (1 is a stimulant the other is not) it's ok to have him on 2 different ADHD meds. So far things are looking good but we still need to adjust the Ritalin some more.



My son also takes 2mg of Abilify (an anti-psychotic) at night to help him control his extreme aggression and violent outbursts.

Kimberly - posted on 04/26/2011

my son just turned 4 and they are putting him on Intuniv for children. the only reason is because it is a non-stimulant. he is too young to try anything else. he has been on respiradol before but he grew immune to it, and they could not up his doseon it no more. so they are trying this perspective. i am hoping that this helps.

Gretchen - posted on 06/03/2010

My 7 yr old son has been on Intuniv since they have given it to children (in fact one week after they starting giving Intuniv to children). It has worked wonderfully for him. His writing in school has been good. He has done very well on it.

Sara - posted on 06/02/2010

My son is on intuniv and it works well for the most part. We saw a change in him with his school work he went from failing tests to getting A's on them. It works we had to take him off the concerta cause it stopped working and he loves this intuniv. his personality is back.

Joyce - posted on 05/29/2010

My son had issues on the concerta, is was like almost every 6 weeks the dose he was at stopped working. He was six and in first grade when he got diagnosed. He was put on Vyvanse last year April, it worked like a champ, until we moved this last February. It literally just slowed down, he is now waking up in the middle of the night, to go bathroom and than stays up to raid the fridge. He is lethargic in class, and is cranky when he gets home... His pschologist ADHD is a definite, but he can see something underlying. We have a referral for Fort Madigan Hospital in NeuroDevelopmental department of pediatrics... to now see if there are any autism like features...

Patricia - posted on 05/26/2010

My son who is 7 just got put on 1mg a little over a week ago and now is on 2 mg and is complaing about being really sleepy at school and when he gets home. That so far is the only complaint I have had from him. I am not sure if I should up his does but his teacher is going to give me a call on Friday to let me know how he is doing.

Carisa - posted on 05/05/2010

I have 2 sons that have been on intuniv for children.



7 year old is dx with PDD-NOS. He has sensory issues, aggression issues, and has some "rainman" traits but on a much milder scale. Typical Autism medications didn't work for him... Abilify, Risperidone, Chlonodine... We have also tryied Thorazine and Tofranil. Nothing worked. Then his Neuro suggested that we try a different route with Intuniv for children. He takes it after school at 4:30pm everyday. He sleeps 11 hours at night and it has not really affected his daytime. I think the kids that have the most difficult time with being tired during the day, are probably not getting enough sleep to begin with, but that is just my opinion. The Intuniv is working great! We have also added Anafranil which is for OCD and we now have a child that functions great at school. You wouldnt even know he was on the spectrum if you met him.



My oldest is 9. Has an ADHD dx. He is really hyperactive and impulsive. The intuniv has not worked well enough for him. Like others, he has had problems with tics and stuttering so we wanted to get away from stimulant medication. He also did not have much trouble with being too tired in school. He also takes rispiridone to counteract the tics. That med also makes them tired. He would however wake up each night at around 10:30pm and sleep walk to the living room. It actually worked out well because we would just tell him to go potty and go back to bed. I really wanted this medication to work for him. It just goes to show you that every child will react differently.

Stacie - posted on 05/04/2010

Thanks everyone for posting. Since intuniv takes up to a month to start working and we will be on summer break at that time, we have decided to research the drug alittle more. Although it has been approved for high blood pressure, I have found it has only been for children since September 2009. Medication for us has not been a good fit and we are very leary after the Tourette's. I do appreicitate everyone's thoughts! Thanks,
Stacie

Jennifer - posted on 05/04/2010

My son will be ten in August, me and his dad are thinking of putting him on Intuniv, and taking him off of Concerta, It doesn't seem to be working anymore. I too would like some input on Intuniv for children, hopefully before we go to the doctor.

Stephanie - posted on 05/02/2010

my 12 year old son just started using it and the fourth day it seems to have calmed him down but its to early to tell.

Chantal - posted on 04/30/2010

Hello my son is 9yrs old and has Adhd/Odd. he has become very aggressive so much so that I had to put him in a day treatment program. He developed a coughing tic while on concerta, straterra did nothing. So now he is on Intuniv. Actually Intuniv has been around a long time as a high blood pressure medicine. But it works also on Adhd kids especially with aggression. my son has had a hard time adjusting to the dose that wouldn't make him fall asleep so much. He takes 1 in morning and 1 at night 1 mg. you do have to take them in to have heart and pressure checked as it slows things down..my son also was underweight and gained 5 pds..now they want to put him on vyvanse as well and I got the prescription but haven't used it yet. I hate those stimulant drugs..

Kristie - posted on 04/29/2010

my son is currently on intuniv and i think it has helped him. you might give it a try. they start it out with 1mg and each week it goes up 1more mg. it's worth a shot, concerta & straterra did nothing for him. it made him violent and paranoid.

Alicia - posted on 04/29/2010

My daughter developed a slight form of tourettes when she was on Aderall. Her doctor put her on wellbutrin cause it helps with ADHD & the symptoms of tourettes. I have never heard about this medicine though. My daughter is now 11 & has no signs of tourettes & has stopped taking her ADHD medicine & is controlling her self her teacher didn't even know we took her off of it. Keep me posted about this new medicine I would like to know more about it. Hope everything works out for you.

Stacie - posted on 04/27/2010

Sorry, is greatly appreciated!

Kimberly - posted on 04/26/2011

my son just turned 4 and they are putting him on Intuniv for children. the only reason is because it is a non-stimulant. he is too young to try anything else. he has been on respiradol before but he grew immune to it, and they could not up his doseon it no more. so they are trying this perspective. i am hoping that this helps.

Gretchen - posted on 06/03/2010

My 7 yr old son has been on Intuniv since they have given it to children (in fact one week after they starting giving Intuniv to children). It has worked wonderfully for him. His writing in school has been good. He has done very well on it.

Carisa - posted on 05/05/2010

I have 2 sons that have been on intuniv for children.



7 year old is dx with PDD-NOS. He has sensory issues, aggression issues, and has some "rainman" traits but on a much milder scale. Typical Autism medications didn't work for him... Abilify, Risperidone, Chlonodine... We have also tryied Thorazine and Tofranil. Nothing worked. Then his Neuro suggested that we try a different route with Intuniv for children. He takes it after school at 4:30pm everyday. He sleeps 11 hours at night and it has not really affected his daytime. I think the kids that have the most difficult time with being tired during the day, are probably not getting enough sleep to begin with, but that is just my opinion. The Intuniv is working great! We have also added Anafranil which is for OCD and we now have a child that functions great at school. You wouldnt even know he was on the spectrum if you met him.



My oldest is 9. Has an ADHD dx. He is really hyperactive and impulsive. The intuniv has not worked well enough for him. Like others, he has had problems with tics and stuttering so we wanted to get away from stimulant medication. He also did not have much trouble with being too tired in school. He also takes rispiridone to counteract the tics. That med also makes them tired. He would however wake up each night at around 10:30pm and sleep walk to the living room. It actually worked out well because we would just tell him to go potty and go back to bed. I really wanted this medication to work for him. It just goes to show you that every child will react differently.

Jennifer - posted on 05/04/2010

My son will be ten in August, me and his dad are thinking of putting him on Intuniv, and taking him off of Concerta, It doesn't seem to be working anymore. I too would like some input on Intuniv for children, hopefully before we go to the doctor.