Extreme fatigue from increase in Intuniv?

[Learning2]

My son went from 1mg to 2mg of Intuniv yesterday and is exhibiting sleepiness. Anyone else experienced this and how long should that last, if at all?

[Canadianmum]

When my daughter went from 2 to 3 mg she was so tired that she fell asleep in the afternoon. It happened 2 times, it was the 3rd or 4th day after we increased. Her fatigue lifted within a week. 3mg is a great dose for her, so don’t let the initial fatigue scare you.

[Learning2 in reply to Canadianmum]

Thank you so much, really appreciate your feedback!

[Cjkchamp]

We did. My son went from 1 mg and over time ended up at 4 mg. For him it was very sedating and didn’t address his issues. He would fall asleep every time we got in the car. He also stopped being interested in going outside to play with friends. We didn’t realize how much it had affected him until we took him off because the effects were gradual. The sleepiness never went away for him.

[coopha]

We had the same experience moving from 2 to 3 mg. If they take it at night it might work better for sleeping. The medicine accumulates in the system over time, so there won't be as much of a spike after about a week or so. Still, try the nighttime dose in order to get used to it.

[Learning2 in reply to coopha]

Thank you, very helpful!

[anirush]

When we first started Intuniv it was sedating. That wore off after awhile. But when we tried to go from 2mg to 3mg it caused a spike in anger. Went back to 2mg and have stayed there. This is in a 6 foot tall 15 year old.

[JulianaH]

My 12 year old just started 1pm intuniv about 10 days ago and we are also waiting to see if the sedating qualities go away. I try to give it to him at about 7pm. He used to wake up at 6 full of vim and vigor and now will stay in bed till 8am if we let him.

[Learning2 in reply to JulianaH]

Thanks for your reply!

[Canadianmum]

We give our daughter intuniv at 4:30 pm. It seems to work.

[Nats2005 in reply to Canadianmum]

Same here. Actually, when our psychiatrist first prescribed Intuniv for our son we were giving it to him ~6:30-7pm, as the original intent was to reduce hyperactive/impulsive behavior during the bedtime routine.

More recently we moved the time up to 4pm and give it the same time as a booster dose of Adderall. He's falling asleep quickly, and I'm not seeing any sleepiness earlier in the day.