4 ms·

Likely guanfacine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanfacine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanfacine Looks really promising for people who don't like stimulant

Likely guanfacine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanfacine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanfacine Looks really promising for people who don't like stimulants or can't take them for other reasons, slowly gaining popularity as well. Unfortunately not yet approved for adults in Europe, or I would have tried it. I'm fine with stimulants, but I'm a little wary of the effects on heart health over decades and I would like my appetite back. I also dislike that with stimulants I don't have any attention span in the evening, guanfacine provides more of a steady effect from what I can tell.

cbsmith 2y ago
This stuff knocked me on my ass when I took it. I literally had to lie down on numerous occasions. I'm just an anecdotal case, but it unfortunately did not work for me at all.
- DANmode 2y ago
  Would you describe the effect as fatigue? Something else? Thanks.
  - cbsmith 2y ago
    My best guess is that my blood pressure dropped precipitously. I would get light headed if I stood up. It would happen roughly 15 minutes after taking the medication.
mtlmtlmtlmtl 2y ago
I dunno about the EU, but guanfacine has been approved in Norway for a couple years now, and AFAIK our approval process is fairly tied to the EU one, though I can't speak to the details. There's also clonidine which has roughly the same mechanism of action as guanfacine and has been used for ADHD for a long time.
- Micanthus 2y ago
  Sorry I did mean in the EU, specifically Germany. It's available for children, but for adults it's considered "off label" so it's hard to convince a doctor to prescribe it, usually they only go off label for people who have contraindications for all of the approved medicines. It could be that the EMA has approved it for everyone, but Germany is more restrictive. It's been my experience that Germany as a society is terrified of medicine, and takes forever to adopt new drugs. They also have an attitude towards ADHD in particular that it's just for children, until somewhat recently you couldn't even be diagnosed as an adult here. Even today if you get diagnosed as an adult many doctors will demand "documentation" showing you were affected by ADHD as a child, some even want to speak with your parents.
viraptor 2y ago
The effects ramp up over a number of days, but it works for me until the day after taking it - which is great.

cbsmith 2y ago

This stuff knocked me on my ass when I took it. I literally had to lie down on numerous occasions. I'm just an anecdotal case, but it unfortunately did not work for me at all.

DANmode 2y ago
Would you describe the effect as fatigue? Something else? Thanks.
- cbsmith 2y ago
  My best guess is that my blood pressure dropped precipitously. I would get light headed if I stood up. It would happen roughly 15 minutes after taking the medication.

mtlmtlmtlmtl 2y ago

I dunno about the EU, but guanfacine has been approved in Norway for a couple years now, and AFAIK our approval process is fairly tied to the EU one, though I can't speak to the details. There's also clonidine which has roughly the same mechanism of action as guanfacine and has been used for ADHD for a long time.

Micanthus 2y ago
Sorry I did mean in the EU, specifically Germany. It's available for children, but for adults it's considered "off label" so it's hard to convince a doctor to prescribe it, usually they only go off label for people who have contraindications for all of the approved medicines. It could be that the EMA has approved it for everyone, but Germany is more restrictive. It's been my experience that Germany as a society is terrified of medicine, and takes forever to adopt new drugs. They also have an attitude towards ADHD in particular that it's just for children, until somewhat recently you couldn't even be diagnosed as an adult here. Even today if you get diagnosed as an adult many doctors will demand "documentation" showing you were affected by ADHD as a child, some even want to speak with your parents.

viraptor 2y ago

The effects ramp up over a number of days, but it works for me until the day after taking it - which is great.