While not for everyone, this medicine is very effective in those with ADD/ADHD who react badly to stimulants or have high blood pressure. This is notable for Autistic people such as myself. Being in the former category, I have been prescribed this for over 25 years now, and it has been one of the most effective medicines. A quick warning, this medicine is NOT for everyone. Those with low or unsteady blood pressure, especially with low or unsteady pulse rate, should not go near this stuff. That may be responsible for many of the negative reviews. Honestly I cannot understand how a doctor could be so reckless as to prescribe this medicine to people with low blood pressure.
I went on this medication to try to help the symptoms of my ADHD, specifically my seeming inability to perceive messes and daily chores until things are out of control. I feel that this medication did help me in a few areas, but there were some trade-offs that ended up causing me to try a different medication. I ended up being on a 2mg dose for about 2 months (tapered up to 4mg but it was way too much). Additionally, I was on my normal 10mg of adderall taken in the morning. Benefits: - Easier to get out of bed in the morning - this was my favorite benefit. I have such a hard time in the mornings, but the Intuniv helped me get up immediately and get going. - Less forgetful - I usually forget so many things a day, but this medication really cut down on this. Especially when getting ready in the mornings. It was really nice not to have to set reminders for myself about minor things I needed to remember. It wasn't perfect, but greatly improved. - Slightly easier to identify chores and tasks - I definitely started noticing smaller things that needed to get done around the house. Not as much as I had hoped, but enough to be beneficial. - Did chores and maintenance tasks more often - I cleaned more than I ever had on this medication. By cleaning, I mean normal everyday tasks instead of letting them piling up and having to do 10 hours of work to make my space more presentable. I wish this had been a little stronger of an effect, but it still was a pretty major improvement for me. - Caused time to move more evenly - I usually have no perception of time and can easily lose track of it. If I am bored at work, time seems to move monotonously slowly. This medication somehow made time move a lot more evenly for me and a lot more perceivable in a good way. My work days marched on at an even pace, and fun activities seemed to not make time fly by as much. I really enjoyed this and felt more in control of things. Trade-Offs: - Decreased enjoyment of the things I most enjoy - I love doing projects and making things, and this medication greatly decreased my joy and desire to do those things. I consider that to be a part of my identity, so it made me feel a little flat. - Caused bouts of depression - I would just have these waves of depression hit me without reason or warning. It was not severe, but still uncomfortable and abnormal for me. This is one of the main reasons my doctor and I decided I should try a similar but different medication. - Caused antsy feeling - I do occasionally get anxiety, but this was not that. This was like the feeling that you are forgetting something, except I felt it in my body too. Almost like electricity. It was very uncomfortable and another reason I went off of the medication. - Daily stomach aches - these were manageable, but not ideal. I am used to dealing with stomach issues, so this wasn't really that bad. I think it could really bother someone who isn't used to that. If this was the only negative symptom, it would not cause me to go off the drug. - Less restful sleep - this was mildly frustrating, but not bad enough to go off of the drug. I want to note that going onto this medication caused pretty bad side effects. I was exhausted and fatigued. I would sleep for 10-12 hours and still be tired. I had to get up very carefully to avoid passing out. I was so dizzy. It caused my joints to hurt to the point I was limping around sometimes. That was pretty weird. If I had not expected these side effects to go away, there is no way I would've kept with it. However, the initial side effects do go away. Although they are pretty extreme and very unpleasant, it is worth trying this medication if your doctor thinks it could help. I did miss one day of work in the month I was tapering up, but I was able to work every other day. I would definitely recommend this medication to those struggling with similar things. I don't think that it completely matched the needs of my brain chemistry, but everyone is different. I thin
My 12 year old son has been on adderall for many years, and it helps greatly with his focus at school, but did not address his social/emotional challenges that are part of his ADHD, and in fact seemed to make his moodiness worse, especially at the end of the day. The MD had us try this to help with his emotional regulation and the adderall caused mood swings. It has been very effective with his emotional regulation, arguing, and social skills. He agues much less, is much more flexible if plans change, can do homework without crying, and seems to be off to a better start this year socially. Only side effect he has had is wet the bed 2 times which is completely out of character, but just getting him in habit of going to the bathroom before bed like he use to when he was younger. I do think it makes him sleep deeper. He says he can tell the med is making him more "chill". He use to hate taking the adderall and now he doesn't complaint about that either because I think it is lessening the side effects of that.
A huge part of my ADHD experience is the intensity and speed of my emotions, and Intuniv has really helped to give me a couple of seconds to think before massive waves of emotion crash into me. It hasn't helped my focus in any noticeable way, but that's what the Concerta is for, so whatever. It doesn't make me feel numb or anything, but now I have a small amount of emotional armor that hadn't existed before, despite all of my attempts to will it into existence. I take it at night and find that it helps nudge me towards sleep, so that's a bonus. It does seem to amplify evening hunger. The Concerta hands the brain keys to the Inuniv and suddenly I want to eat all of the things. Especially the salty things. Mmm pickles. Anyone who expects this to be their one and only ADHD medication is likely to be sorely disappointed, but it can be really helpful with the emotional regulation issues that can be a major concern for ADHDers. If you're a parent considering putting your kid on this, please give reviews from patients a higher weight than those from caregivers. The subjective experience of using a mediation yourself is so much deeper than outward signs of improved focus and general compliance. ADHD affects inner life in endless and frustrating ways, and medication should improve the quality of life for the patient, not just make them more tractable.
This medication has made me be able to focus on daily thinking. Though it does make me sick to my stomach. 9/10 will continue
Reading these reviews, it's clear to me that Intuniv is not for everyone. For my 18 year old son with ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Intuniv has been helpful. It's not a miracle. Intuniv simply gives him a slightly longer fuse, and allows him to react to everyday situations (that used to put him over the edge) with a modicum of thought and reason. His overall mood is brighter and calmer. He is still forgetful, frustrated by losing things, unaware of time, etc., but showing greater self-awareness He gets along better with peers and teachers in the moment, although he still feels the burn of any perceived criticism. His delayed reactivity is a huge step forward, and hopefully over time will translate to an openness to coaching and systems that might improve his executive function, and thus his self esteem. For my son and our family, ADHD is a persistent presence and while medication is no silver bullet - this one has been extremely helpful in opening up more doors. Patience is by far the most important tool in our kit.
I was prescribed this drug to take in addition to Lamictal 50mg and Vyvanse 50mg. I started taking this drug a few days before visiting my parents for Thanksgiving. I was overtaken by spells of obsessive thinking and was so tormented by vivid memories of childhood that I was unable to sleep. After I came off the drug, I got better within a few days. Not worth it for me.
DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG. I appalled reading the reports of children taking this drug, I took it as a 20 year old and I was unable to even get out of bed without blacking out. I am a fit person and couldn't even ride a bicycle a few miles without then sleeping for 18 hours straight. This drug also gave me chest pains and really drained me of my personality.
As soon as I took this medication, it made my heart rate slow down dramatically, to the point that I was weak and dizzy. I could barely get from a chair to my bed, I practically fell from one to the other. I tried to keep taking it, but after the second dose, I was terrified my heart was going to stop. I called my doc and stopped taking it. I couldn't tell if it did anything for my ADHD because I was too busy feeling like I was dying.
My daughter has been on this medication for years. She is now 9 years old. She has ADD and the 3 mg has helped her focus in school. She has no trouble sleeping and she takes this medicine in the morning.
My step-son just started Intuniv 1 mg. He takes Vyvance 50 mg in the morning, and now the Intuniv tablet in the evening. While we saw instant results, he cannot sleep!! Anyone have similar experiences? Any info would help.
This side-effect drug is a life saver. I am 21 year's old- this medication is not just for young children- it has taken away the side-effects of my ADHD medication. The only side-effect I was aware of was auditory! When I took the 1st 1mg pill, my hearing was heightened and exhaustive (sounds dragged out) for an hour or so. When I increased to 2mg the same thing happened: a noticable difference in my hearing for just a short hour or so. My doctor prescribed this drug to me when the side-effects of Concerta did not leave me; I had anxiety that was clearly not situational but from the drop-off of Concerta in the middle of the day as it is not a steady released drug but a ADHD medication that releases a dose twice.
My 10 year old daughter has been on Intuniv for a few years they started her on 2mg now put her on 4 msg I am upset because she gained about 25lbs in just 3 mos her doctor just told me that the meds do this on high doses we r now looking for a new med.
My son was taking this with concerta. He was not himself, low energy, depressed, mood swings. He had feelings of worthlessness. He had anger issues at school. We weaned him off of the Concerta, Prozac and Intuniv. He now takes a small dose of generic Ritalin. He's doing great now.
My 6-year-old son started taking Intuniv 1mg about a month ago. He was already on Concerta 54mg, and was having a huge struggle in the mornings getting ready for school. He has continued to take the Concerta, but it was not helping in the mornings. He is now able to focus in the mornings, and is much better behaved. We are going to try to wean the Concerta now that he has stabilized on the Intuniv. He has had trouble with weight loss and insomnia since being on the Concerta, so I am hopeful we can wean it down for enough that the side effects aren't as severe. So far, we have been very happy with the Intuniv.
QUESTION
The abbreviated term ADHD denotes the condition commonly known as: See AnswerMy son is 10 yrs old and has been taking Intuniv 2 mg for a week. He has had stomach pains everyday and is sleepy all day long. He started taking it in the afternoon, but we switched to taking it in the morning today. He hasn't been on it long enough to tell if it is helping with his school work, but the way he is right now I know it isn't helping because he can't stay awake long enough to do anything. I had asked his doctor if he was on the lowest dosage there was because he is like a zombie most of the day and he looks pale and his eyes are glazed over and looks too medicated. His doctor didn't tell me that there is a 1 mg. I now know that from here. Thank you! It has changed him with his mood swings, arguing, and behavior. But he has no energy to do anything. This is not how I want him. I will be calling the doctor in the morning and telling her to change to 1 mg. I think he will be much better off. He was on Vyvanse before this and that was not good at all.
my 9 year old son has started taking this medicine for about a week now n the last 4 days has started to wet the bed. i tryed to give it to him in the morning and still wets the bed. he is on one mg for 7 days. has anyone else had this problem with this medicine?
This medication ruined my life made my fiancé a basket case to the point he punched holes in the walls when the neighbor was fixing his home Nextdoor due to “waking him” it was to the point I had to restrain him in which he attacked me this medication should have a blackbox warning 1mg not too bad but they upped from 1 to 4 overnight I wouldn’t wish this medication on my worst enemy