increased from 1 mg Er to 2 mg per doctor She went from no signs of medicine in system on 1 mg to very drowsy and drugged on 2 mg ugh

[Kikimonkey]

ok bumped up the 1 mg Er Guanfacine that was not working to 2 mg Er She is very tired drowsy and seems drugged looking at times Ugh will this pass? Now what

[Aspen797]

Guanfacine works differently than stimulants. In our experience it helps more with emotional regulation than attention/hyperactivity. We had to go very slowly and in small increments to increase from 1mg to 2mg. With time and going super slow, our child adjusted and did well on it. It is a medication that can be very helpful, but often required a very hands on doctor or psychiatrist who is willing to listen and tweak things like timing, IR vs ER, and titration to find the right mix so that kiddo is successful on it.

[Kikimonkey in reply to Aspen797]

Thanks yes We just went straight to 2 from 1 Er because 1 mg Er was not working at all But....... right now she is pretty tired at times Hoping this will pass Where is the happy medium I was told you can cut or split the Er med so going from 1 to 2mg was the only option Immediate release Guanfacine can be cut and split to allow a slower titration?

[Kikimonkey in reply to Kikimonkey]

Can't split or cut the Er Guanfacine I meant

[Kikimonkey in reply to Kikimonkey]

We moved to Er so that it allows a smoother dosing 24 hrs but it has been a tough ride

[ASLCODATerp]

We are also on 2mg. It definitely helps with emotiomal regulation. We have just begun taking it at bedtime. That has been great because she is an anxious kid that takes 2hrs to fall asleep and then wakes up afraid and comes into our bed every night. But taking the Guanfacine before bed is a lifesaver. She falls asleep in 20 min and stays in her bed all night, even if she wakes up.

[lll435]

The drowsiness does get better as the body gets used to it over a few weeks. My son takes 1mg er in the morning and 1mg er in the afternoon for emotional regulation. This is in addition to the stimulant for hyperactivity/focus.

[Pema20 in reply to lll435]

For some. Did for 1MG for my daughter but 2 didn’t work out continued to cause extreme fatigue to the point of not being able to function at all even after a week. Best to check with an MD as works for some and not others.

[NewbieParent]

Give two weeks for her body to adjust well and u will see it works. Ideally school breaks are good time to do this to minimize kids stress at school during this transition. Also monitor everything from food, hours slept, peeing frequency, sleep continuity at night and heart rate during this time and write it down.

[Imakecutebabies]

My kid always seems completely sedated for a day after we increase his dose. It'll pass.

[Pema20]

My daughter adjusted to 1MG in about 5 days, but 2MG was a disaster. We gave up after 7 days because she was fainting and sleepy all the time, she couldn’t function at all and the doc said to stop immediately. She went back to 1 MG for several months. Eventually, she elected to stop because she said it had no effect on her. We noticed it did seem to help with emotional regulation, but she napped in the afternoons. She seemed to get her energy back when she went off and I actually liked having her energetic self back. It works great for some, but not for others. If yours is not fainting, and your doctor recommends continuing, stick it out for at least a week as the body can take time to adjust.

[Zentime in reply to Pema20]

Yes, my son had the same effect increasing to 2mg. Passed out on a school field trip it was very scary. Apparently you need to stay super hydrated on guanfacine to avoid fainting. Unfortunately the fatigue never wore off after several weeks of use so we went back to 1mg and then eventually off completely because of lack of energy and motivation. 1mg ER was very helpful for several years while he was younger (6-8years).

[MomBaller22]

That’s normal and she should acclimate to the new dose in about a week!

[2ADHDkids]

It seems like everyone reacts differently, but for my daughter, increasing to 2mg did not go well. During the first few days, she had increased urination, which is a rare side effect. She peed multiple times an hour and still didn’t feel the relief of having gone. We thought she had an UTI, but her urine test was fine. After 2 or 3 days, she was falling asleep on 6 minute car rides and then sleeping for an hour if we let her. She was 8 at the time, and this hasn’t happened since toddlerhood. She also fell asleep in the bathtub once. That’s when we figured out what was going on and went back down to 1mg. Our provider did not indicate that this could stabilize after a while.

[SunshynnSeas]

My son also increased from 1mg to 2mg about a year ago. I think the best thing is to give it in the afternoon or evening so it helps with sleep. I give it approximately 4 hours before his stimulant is going to wear off to help him through that pit. I have also found the guanfacine helps with his sleep onset and appetite. Good luck to you and your daughter.

[Mamamichl]

Guanfacine didn’t work for my family. It was originally a med to lower blood pressure. May family became light headed and my kid feinted. If you want to go the nonstimulant route, try stratera.