Guanfacine for Tourette's Syndrome User Reviews

• Mompo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 16, 2017

"My 3rd grade son was diagnosed with ADHD and Tourettes in first grade. We decided not to do any medication and tried behavioral and holistic therapy. 2nd grade the tics (coughing, grunting, sniffing) were worse. School work was a struggle because he could not concentrate. He spent so much energy trying not to have the tic. Now, the tics are severe. He jumps up each time he coughs, can't sleep at night. depressed saying he doesn't want to live like this. School nurse insisted I take him to the doctor. He was placed on Guafacine 1 mg. Takes it at night. NO more tics, happier, calmer, focused. LIFE CHANGER! The last 2 months have been unbelievable. I only wish I had started meds earlier. I have my kid back!!!"

• tbori...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 19, 2017

"My 10 year old son was diagnosed with mild anxiety and depression. He actually took if for Tics, anxiety and depression He started wanting to stay home more and more often, got moody where he had always been an easy-going happy kid. He developed a few vocal tics grunting/throat clearing and snapping, it got to be so bad that he couldn’t relax and sleep because he was tics were with every breath. I didn’t want to start SSRI’s so his doctor suggested this, his tics stopped completely within 2 hours of taking this, he slept soundly that night, its been over a year now, I’ve seen very mild tics when he’s really anxious, but this seemed to clear up the tics, anxiety and depression in one fell swoop! I got my happy boy back, no side effects and have never had to raise the dose."

• pillt...
• September 19, 2020

"I've been on guanfacine for 10 years for tourette's. At first I was young so I didn't understand what it was doing to me. Skip a few years later. I go on google, and search the side effects of guanfacine. As soon as I read all of them I realized that I always felt those side effects. So I talked with a family therapist and they told me to go off of it to see what it would do. I went slowly from 3mg to 2mg, until I didn't take it anymore (to acclimate) literally all my side effects symptoms have went away, I have sooo much energy. I can finally let out all my testosterone without packing it into a bag. I don't have difficulty breathing, stuffy noses, anxiety, just straight up nothing. Like a normal person. I tic a lot but who cares, I'd rather be a crazy person who can let out all their energy then be on guanfacine that turns people into zombies. Pills should only be necessary if you have extreme stuff that you need the pills to fix. But that's it. Don't take children's happiness and energy with this."

• Jade
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 6, 2019

"This medication has far fewer side effects than any other med I have taken for my tics. Sadly the med lowered my blood pressure which is already pretty low to begin with and so I was taken off of it. In my experience Tenex lessons tics significantly during mild stages but when my tics were at their worst it was unable to do the job"

• anony...
• April 19, 2021

"My child has high functioning autism, ADHD and mild Tourettes. She started taking this at age 6. We are 2 months or so in and we have seen a significant decreases in tics and oral stimming. My child’s fingertips use to be raw, red, peeled, swollen, painfully irritated from her constant chewing on them. She would shred chew necklaces and anything else she could get her hands on. She also experienced nearly constant motor tics and mild vocal tics. (“Ooos” “ahhhs” random screams, etc.”) we have suddenly noticed her fingers look healthy and clear of damage, and she is only very minimally having tics. The vocal tics are nearly gone completely, and the facial tics are just a series of grimaces and lip curls now. Such great improvement! No big changes in ability to focus or mood stabilizing though."

• am49
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 8, 2014

"I started guanfacine around the age of 6 for Tourette's. I have been taking it for years and have had to constantly increase the dosage because my tics have progressively gotten worse. I eventually had to stop because of how bad the side effects were. My main side effects were dizziness, nausea, leg cramps, and digestive disturbances. As for effectiveness, it used to work amazingly. I would not recommend this drug to anyone with severe tics, or anyone who already struggles with nausea and dizziness. The side effects are more noticeable in large doses. Pros: - Safe for children - Effective for mild to moderate Tourette's Cons: - Bad side effects - For moderate to severe Tourette's, there are much better options"

• Anony...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 2, 2018

"I've been taking 2mg/day for tourette’s syndrome and have noticed a mild/moderate reduction in tics. Nothing huge given that it is a pricier medication, but definitely more tolerable than before. I've had mild side effects at first but they’ve gone away now."

• AmraT...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 25, 2016

"I started with this medicine at age 11, I took it for 6 years on and off always having to up the dosage. The side effects I experienced were dizziness, drowsiness, and lack of energy. It would mellow my ticks (eyes, body, and low vocal noises) down to a tolerable level, but if I continuously took it day to day for months it would seem to stop working as well. Now I don't take anything (21 now) but natural high magnesium doses a few times a week and it mellows me out just as well. Doesn't stop my tics completely but doesn't bother me. I don't recommend for people attending school or working in a quiet environment."

• sky
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 12, 2022

"Every medication works different for everyone. As it worked for a lot of people, it didn't work for me. It made my tics worse, I was having tic attacks every night and that led to being tired all day the next day. One of the side affects is "anxiety" and I really felt it. The anxiety made my tics a lot worse, I switched about a week later."

• Spencer
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 11, 2020

"I’ve been on it for years (I’m 18) Being fully honest I wouldn’t say it’s great or life changing, but I would say it’s better than the other drugs available for tourettes. I also find it doesn’t make me sleepy so I take it in the mornings instead of night."

• robot...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 24, 2023

"I had severe tics and within days of starting this medication they nearly completly stopped. I had a screaming tic that was quite disturbing and would last for minutes at a time. I have one had a few small tics that lassted less than a second since being on this drug."

• Lisa
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 19, 2018

"My son had ADHD and at age 11 started to develop tics that are debilitating. He had minor vocal throat clearing tics and arm flapping etc when younger but Drs ignored saying he would be fine. Well after several rounds of strep he is not fine! This was prescribed to try and help tics, I am not sure if it is working, it might be, tics have lessened but he is very tired and gaining weight rapidly. I hope Drs can figure out a better way to help and treat so many children with all these disorders who seem to be suffering similar problems. He has severe anxiety and now we are trying even more intensive therapies. I have always taken best care, knowing he needed it and did CBT and Neuro testing by 3rd grade. Seems like a helpful medication but I am concerned about these side effects and I cannot get our insurance to cover the name brand extended release so dose fluctuates!"

• Anonymous
• October 16, 2020

"Guanfacine is a wonderful drug for people on the spectrum if you ask me. I have tried so many medications but this one really stands out. It was like going back to when I was a kid and was FINALLY able to feel happiness! It has to be combined with low dose coffee though in my opinion, otherwise you get really sleepy. I also like to take 0.50mg instead of 1mg because the only negative thing with this medicine is that it does worsen your sleep after 7 days or so. That's why I like to take a free day or take 0.25mg one day and then my sleep is fine again. I would never take this medication at night as some people seems to do."

• Jay
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 4, 2023

"I'm 61. Have taken nothing for years and lived with mild tics. Recently my wife and I built a house, acting as the GC's. There were times the stress was so intense that my tics went ballistic, to what I've been used too. I had been on Guanfacine for a couple of years, but increased it to 2mg. It helped some, but not completely. We moved it up to 3mg and most of my tics went away, and the sleep at night was so wonderful! However, I started getting real tired and sometimes very weak. It was impacting gym workouts and even walking the dog. Also, my dry mouth got much worse. I've just dropped it down to 2mg and will be monitoring results."

• Fivec...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 14, 2020

"I use Tenex for a motor tic disorder which causes neck turning. It has definitely improved my symptoms a ton now that I have found the right dose, and with no side effects that I have noticed at this dose (I currently take 1/4 mg at bedtime). I did find that when I was trying higher doses than this it made me very nauseous, headachy, tired, and generally quite depressed, as well as giving me weird heart rhythms and actually making my tics somewhat worse. So I would suggest trying out different dosages (after asking doctor) if you are getting a lot of side effects and not much benefit at first!"

• anon
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 25, 2022

"I have tourettes and I've been on guanfacine for a year or more, personally its helped me to a very great extent. Before started taking it my tics were almost constant, and my motor tics were very annoying (for example during school I would throw my pencil across the room, flip people off, slam my hand on the table, and other things.) guanfacine has made my tics almost non existent, of course I still have tics but they are NOWHERE near constant anymore, and my motor tics are less severe when they do happen, along with my vocal tics happening rarely. I would really suggest this medication. I also have diagnosed ADHD and it didn't seem to help my ADHD at all but it helped my tourettes a bunch. Here is some extra details : I take a dosage of 3mg, I'm and older teenager and female."

• RW rf
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 1, 2017

"I took this medication for a few months in 2015. If you ask me, this medication is placebo. I did not experience any side effects, but no benefit either. 2/10 for not causing any side effects."

• Spagh...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 11, 2022

"It works well for my 16 yr. old, been using for 3 years."

• broski
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 19, 2021

"uhm it didnt really work to well for me after the first couple of weeks."