Sunday, December 28, 2008

Guanfacine (Tenex) for ADHD - more good news

These results are gratifying, but not surprising ...
Guanfacine Extended Release in Children and Adoles...[J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2008] - PubMed Result

.... Guanfacine extended-release was effective in reducing symptoms of ADHD. Adverse events were mild to moderate, did not interfere with improvements in attention, and rarely led to discontinuation....
Guanfacine is a curious and perhaps powerful drug, so we need to treat it with cautious appreciation. The value comes because it's complementary to methylphenidate (Ritalin); it works by different mechanisms and the two seem to mesh well. Although Ritalin is exceedingly safe, it has some street value and can be problematic with adolescents. Ritalin can also exacerbate OCD symptoms and tics; Guanfacine doesn't seem to.

Even more interestingly, many believe Guanfacine can reduce "explosive" type behaviors.

Overall, good news.

1 comment:

David said...

Guanfacine is an interesting new possibility for treating ADHD. It does, however, have its own side effects.

Much like stimulants can overstimulate - trigger mania, psychosis or just insomnia - sedatives can over-sedate.

This can cause issues as severe as syncope, or brief loss of consciousness.