Anyone take Intuniv? If so, have you gained weight?

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Wondering about Intuniv use and weight gain. DS takes it for his ADHD dx along with a stimulant, and he has put on 14 pounds in 5 months. He is only 6 so getting worried and thinking of discontinuing, but I am so discouraged because it does help him tolerate his stimulant. He is also dx PDD NOS so stimulants tend to make him more anxious and irritable, which the Intuniv helped with. Just don't think we want to give him a health problem now in addition. He never had a weight problem before.....not even sure of what we could use as an alternative? So discouraged! Sad to find something that works, but then you have to quit due to side effects. He NEEDS the stimulant or else school is 1,000 times tougher for him, but he also needed the other drug to counteract some of the stimulant (Focalin) side effects.

Ideas anyone? What else can you take to help with higher anxiety and irritability from stimulant use that does not cause weight gain?

I'd ditch the stimulant. I knew a kid who they stunted the growth of. Big tall strong parents, same with the brother, I saw him again now and while he grew reasonably tall, just was rail skinny.

As a kid when I did well in school, my dad had me on a half dose of adult multivitamins and fish oil, along with organic balanced homecooked meals. The vitamins I was taking were usually from Puritan's Pride, actually weren't just vitamins. They apparently had small doses of ginseng and whatnot in them. Some adaptogens you can look into are ginsengs (Panax, Siberian, American,) rhodiola, schizandra, and actually just a lot more. Try giving him coffee if he needs a stimulant.

I'd look at that route, diet, exercise, and supplements, before you go for drugs. I tried Ritalin a couple months ago and HATED it. Harsh stimulant, and it made me dumber really. My normal waking blood pressure is 115/70, 70 pulse. Ritalin 20mg shot it to 150/90 with a 105 pulse, as a 195lb adult. Even 10 would still be like 140/90, 90s pulse. And the kid is 6. Athletes are banned from using the drugs in competition for fear of safety, but we give them to small children so they sit still in school and get good grades? Anything wrong here?

Anyway, if you're gonna use drugs to counteract drugs, you could try combining a beta blocker together with ritalin. Then he'd still get the raised dopamine and seratonin without the increased heartrate perhaps? My mom could take modafinil that way without her pulse/blood pressure increasing. But the idea of having a 6 year old on stimulants and beta blockers, ugh...

Ok.....

I am not even asking about WEIGHT LOSS on a stimulant, or increased heart rate. Neither is a problem for my son or even remotely close to the reason why we also tried Intuniv on top of his stimulant. My son has no heart problems and is fine taking stimulants at this time. I am asking about weight gain with experiences from a non stimulant drug called Intuniv. Intuniv is not a stimulant. Intuniv is used as an add on drug to ADHD meds, but can also be used alone. It is NOT meant to counteract a stimulant. It works by reducing blood pressure and affecting another chemical in the brain and addresses other ADHD symptoms that are not addressed or that may be made worse by the stimulant especially when it wears off (like moodiness etc). I am NOT giving my son Intuniv to counteract any heart rate problems from a stimulant. His blood pressure is in fact, fine on one or both drugs.

But since you brought it up... it is an uninformed statement to say that stimulants stunt growth. The research does not bear that out over the long haul, although it is possible some children will not gain weight on the drug so they are removed from it, as LACK OF WEIGHT GAIN causes height not to be attained. But that does not happen in everyone. Not all stimulants suppress appetite to a large degree. Obviously NOT true in my sons case do to the weight gain he has sustained (although I am really suspecting the other drug). If he were not to gain weight on a straight stimulant then I would have to assess whether or not to continue. It hasn't happened yet. As for stimulants stunting his height, he has grown an inch in the few months he has been taking stimulants even before he took the Intuniv, so your theory is out the window that stimulants in general stunt growth.

I am not sure what you are referring to saying athletes take stimulants for competition. Maybe you meant steroids? Not the same thing.

Maybe you were trying to be helpful, since you felt that stimulants had detrimental effects on you. As a parent, please understand that if not taking meds were an option for my son at this point, I wouldn't be giving them to my 6 year old. I am not looking for judgment or even advice as to whether or not to give my son meds. Obviously I feel he NEEDS them to function, or he should not bother going to school. You can say that he is 6 so he should not be on meds to accommodate the school, and that it made you feel dumber. I agree, schools should be more tolerant of ADHD behaviors, but the fact of the matter is they are not. Actually he has had school success for the first time taking meds. I am not sure of your age, but choosing not to take meds as an adult is a whole different ball game. Also, should a 6 year old just stay home and avoid school then so he does not need to be medicated even though it helps him to function? Is that better for society? To have someone that is uneducated? There are alternative placements (as in private schools that cater to ADHD), but even there, they recognize the value of ADHD meds in assisting learning during the school day. Parents really do scrutinize these decisions when it comes to giving meds to young children believe it or not.

Oh and coffee is a joke for someone with ADHD. I'm sorry but unless you have the mildest case on the planet, it isn't going to work well or for long. Large amounts of caffeine also has detrimental effects on the heart if not used in moderation. It is also frequently used in weight loss drugs. Guess your theory about that is out the window.

If I sound aggravated, please forgive me. Its hard to hide. For anyone else who might respond to this post, please understand that I am not looking for judgment on whether or not to give my son medications in general to treat his ADHD. That decision has clearly already been made. Thanks.

Actually now I am thinking, this is probably not the right forum in general to ask this question. My bad, I won't make that mistake again.

My old roomate was on those types of meds growing up and they made him really fat and stunted him. He went off them as soon as he was 18 and old enough to to tell them he didn't want them. He didn't start going through puberty untill about 20.

As a psychopharmacologist-in-training I can say that ADHD meds in low-to-moderate doses can be rather effective without severe side-effects in some kids. It is just a matter of finding the right medication at the right dose and the right timing.

I understand you FLmom1, I get annoyed when people bash antipsychotics. Antipsychotics saved my life, literally. Without Olanzapine I would be dead by now, as before I was put on it, I tried to set myself and a policeman on fire in the middle of a park and ended up getting detained under the Mental Health Act......

I can see that natural things can help, but if natural things were always the answer, then the pharmaceutical industry wouldn't exist.

If you want more information on Guanfacine (Intuniv) then I can provide you with resources.

If he was on a stimulant and a blood pressure med (are you sure it was not an antipsychotic?), I am not sure it could have been Intuniv. Intuniv has only been around the past like 2 years...of course Intuniv is just long acting Tenex, a blood pressure med that has been used off label for years for ADHD symptoms. I find it doubtful that you could have both effects...weight gain and stunted growth. Weight gain does not lead to stunted growth...quite the opposite. Weight gain is REQUIRED for growth in height for the most part. That is why doctors focus on weight so much for those taking stimulants like Focalin, Ritalin etc. that are not yet age 18 and are still growing. These two drugs should in reality counteract each other in the weight dept. (personally I think Intuniv merely increases appetite while a lot of stimulants suppress it)
As far as any med delaying puberty I have never heard of that. Sounds like he might have had another problem.....if that were true that is very sad his parents did not view this as a reason to discontinue.

SteelMaiden, I agree, I think low to moderate doses of these meds cause little in the way of side effects for many kids. I just consider weight gain a non negotiable in a child though. (why add to his problems) Of course neither of the meds my son is on happen to be antipsychotics, but those are notorious for weight gain so I assume that is why you mentioned them. I think it is a strength when someone is open minded enough to consider all possible avenues (natural and pharmaceutical) to help themselves or their kids in dealing with any possibly disabling condition. It goes to show you that prejudice about any type of mental health related issue or diagnosis and treating such a thing with meds still carries a lot of stigma, even from some people who suffer from neurodevelopmental or neurobehavioral disorders themselves. I assume this is because you are treating symptoms of a disorder than cannot be medically "proven" the way diabetes can for instance. Very interesting. I understand many with spectrum disorders don't consider it a disorder, but I am fairly certain that they would treat some of the problems that could be comorbid like ADHD. I have yet to meet an adult with ADD or ADHD who has not said it is a big problem in their life, even if they have found a way to manage without medication. A lot of them have told me their childhood and schooling years were a disaster, but meds helped many of them. Of course ALL meds including antibiotics can be harmful and have serious side effects, but that does not mean we should stop taking them for fear of their risks. Just my 2 cents.

Bottom line is I was looking for anyone who might have been taking Intuniv to weigh in, (pardon the pun) but it is an expensive drug with no extended release generic, so probably not so common in this community. More people are probably taking the short acting generic version of guanfacine also known as Tenex, if they are taking this drug at all.

BTW, thanks to those that have responded, even if it is to relate peoples negative experiences on meds. I don't really have an issue with that, it is more being questioned in the manner as in why would you give them to a child, as if I have not considered what is best for my son and properly weighed the risks or benefits. Believe me, this is something most parents put a lot of thought into so its hard not to be defensive about it when you have agonized over the decision for so long. (yes we have known he was probably ADHD since age 3, but waited until age 6 to even consider meds) Some people do it before then, and truly I can't judge their situation as I am not in it.

rapid weight gain can also be a symptom of thyroid issues.

You're much better off speaking to your doctor and pharmacist about the drug's potential weight-gaining effects..or if it may affect thyroid function. It could also be something entirely different too.

I'm sorry for commenting on this post since it's several years old. I just started researching this medicion and saw your post. I do not have any answers regarding a different medication but I'm curious to find out if you have found anything. I have a 9 year old grandson that I'm raising who was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 5. We have tried several different stimulant meds throughout the years but he still struggled. A couple of years ago, he was put on intuniv as well and has gained 45 pounds. Sometimes a pound or two a month but one month he gained 9 pounds and the last 6 weeks, he has gained 15 pounds! His dosage was recently increased. I had not made the connection between his weight gain and intuniv. I have talked to his Dr many times over my concern and FINALLY she ordered lab work to check his thyroid. She said there was nothing abnormal and that "he could just have a crappy metabolism." I asked about his meds and she said she has never known of a patient's weight increasing due to intuniv. Now, I'm believing this IS the cause of his weight gain. He has gained so much and rapidly that he has huge stretch marks on his thighs and waist. My skinny lol boy is no longer.