weight gain with Guanfacine?

[Dec31]

My son started Guanfacine about 2yrs ago and takes 2mg of the extended release…he is constantly hungry and has put on some weight…does anyone else have a similar experience? I was also wondering if anyone has tried Jornay?

[Imakecutebabies]

So interesting. My son has been eating a ton as well, and I never connected it to his medication. He always needs double the snack I give his brothers, and still has an appetite for dinner. Sometimes he eats 2 full meals for dinner! Whereas he used to always outgrow the length of his pants first, now the waists are getting tight. He's been on 3mg of guanfacine since around October and was on 2mg of guanfacine for a year and a half previously. Since I feel like this appetite is a relatively more recent thing, it may be correlated with when we bumped him up to 3mg.

[simplething]

Yes, I have noticed some weight gain. My 12 year old son loves sports so we keep him balancing the calories that way. How old is your son?

[Elijah1]

Guanfacine increases appetite and causes weight gain for some who take the medication. It is not usually listed as a side effect but it does happen.

Jornay is a different type of medication (stimulant) in the Ritalin family. If you have never tried this type of medication, discuss whether it is worthwhile to try with the prescribing doctor.

[Lanego]

my now 12-year-old has been on intuniv For three years initially at 1 mg and now at 2 mg for the past four months. I haven’t noticed an increase in appetite even with the increase in dose.

My daughter tried Jornay. It’s a stimulant that you take at night and the mechanism of action is really cool. Overnight the medication is released so that it’s active by the time you wake up. Unfortunately, for us, she became much more irritable with Jornay. We have since tried other stimulants and non-stimulants and she said Jornay was the best as far as increasing her ability to focus. It is expensive, but if I remember correctly, there is a manufacturer coupon that covers most of the cost for one year.

[Mamamichl]

Guanfacine is a medicine to lower blood pressure first. Not sure if this has anything to do with it, but it made my kid feint and my partner and me get light headed.