Intuniv

[katiekat]

I am definitely going to talk to the psych about this medication at our next appointment.

Intuniv is a treatment option for children and adolescents ages 6 to 17 with ADHD. It has been shown to improve a range of ADHD symptoms and behaviors that can disrupt life at school and at home. Read more here.

www.intuniv.com

[misty]

I never even heard of that med before. They must not advertise much. It sounds like a dream come true for parents with super hyper or disruptive kids. They have a real nice, informative website too.

[katiekat]

I received an e-mail about it from Shire, I believe. It is a really new medication. I am hoping that Sean will be able to take it along with what he is taking now. I would love to give it a try.

[jj]

They do have a nice web-site. I guess since it is new, that's why we haven't heard of it. I'm glad it isn't a controlled substance, for a change. Sounds like it still has some side affects that are concerning but that is nothing new with just about any med.

Thanks for the info, KK.

[bugsmom]

This has been in the works for a long time. It's actually Tenex in a long acting form. Orginally used for high-blood pressure, they have found it helps some kids with ADHD.

Josh took Tenex for about a year. We did not see any really good results, so we took him off. He is extremely hyper, so maybe that's why. I've heard a lot of kids have super results with Tenex, we just weren't one of them. Give it a try KK, you never know how it will work for Sean.

[kellyh]

Megan was on this drug trial last summer in addition to the Concerta (54mg) that she was taking. You had to be on something else to be in this trial. So, we titrated up to 4mg and Oh.My.God....she was a different child. She didn't have mood swings, she wasn't as argumentative by FAR with her sister and she was just all around (even in the mornings!!!) pleasant to be around...and then we had to titrate her down and off....crap. Back to normal.

So, being that it was HER psychiatrist who was leading this study, when we went to see her, I requested that she be put on whatever it was she was on during this trial. Well, lets just say that that didn't happen. We got a prescription for guanfacine. After a month or so, that wasn't doing anything, so I opted for Tenex...because sometimes brand name drugs DO work better than generics....but, not in this case. So...in November or so, her psych says that there is a new drug on the market and do we want to try it for Megan's impulsivity...uh, yah...what is it. And when she tells us, I was like, we did that drug trial in the summer!!! And yet again...her psych barely remembers....Megan is not that hard of a kid to forget...but whatever. So she started taking it.......and NOTHING. Not even at the higher dose. I was sooooo disappointed. She's metabolizing her concerta far too fast (by lunch time!) so I've been playing around with other meds so that we don't have to up her to 72mg (I think that's the next and highest dose). Sigh.....

BUT...I have heard that some people have had exceedingly good luck with this drug. I hope you have luck with it, too. It sure can't hurt to try!

[bugsmom]

KK...Did you ever find out if this is a good med for Sean? I was just thinking about it today and was wondering what his psych said. ;D

[katiekat]

Our appt. is not until next month. I know we will never get in sooner so I will just have to wait. I'll let you know what the psych says.

[squirrelgirl]

My son began Intuniv a couple of months ago. He started at 1mg. Worked up to 2 mg. Then 3mg.

We were having problems with stimulants, most recently Daytrana, as he barely ate even a nibble when on these types of medications.

The Intuniv works very well for his hyperactivity. He eats very well now, too. The downside is the drowsiness. I can't tell if the drowsiness is what is dampening his hyperactivity? Or is the drug doing its job. He gets so, so sleepy. We were hoping this side effect would slowly stop, and it has lessened, but still...

We've messed around with the time he takes it. Morning vs. Evening. Neither seems to be more beneficial than another.

We've backed down to 2mg. (A little medication goes a long way with ds.) Will keep fiddling with dosages and times over the summer.

Squirrelgirl

[bugsmom]

Hey Squirrelgirl...good to see you back. We've missed you!! Hope all is well with your porkchop...(((((hugs))))!!