Princess has been on Intuniv for about a month now. This replaced her Buspar. She's extremely sensitive to SRI's (her reaction to Prozac was seriously scary) and Buspar was no longer cutting it. Her psych thought Intuniv, which is primarily used for ADHD might help. She's not diagnosed ADHD, but her anxiety manifests itself in some of
the same ways - especially hyperactivity and trouble focusing.
She started on 1 mg and it actually made her more hyper and stressed. And it was very hard for her to sleep. I called the doctor in a panic after about 5 days and she said that some kids get agiatated at first and to give it time.
Several of my trauma momma friends talked me through my desire to throw it in the trash. Seriously, her reaction to Prozac has left me with PTSD and this med change was hard for me!
Intuniv is built up in stages. First 1 mg, and then 2 mg until you get to the desired level. She's been on 2 mg. for about three weeks and it seems to be helping with the anxiety. She seems calmer and isn't as explosive as she was for a while.
Her sleep still isn't great. She wakes up in the night and can't go back to sleep. She falls asleep fine. It makes her tired. It's like the sleepy effects brought on by the meds wear off and it jolts her awake. I'm hoping that evens out.
She still takes Trazodone for sleep, too.
She seems withdrawn to me sometimes since she's been taking it, but Hubster pointed out to me last night that we've been telling her for three years to take some time to herself when she needs it instead of trying to get a reaction from us. She's stressed right now because I'm going away next weekend (first time ever away from her) and has been spending more time in her room than usual. I'm not used to her wanting to be alone, so giving her space has been a real challenge for me!
I've never commented here before, but I've been a reader for a while. As a potential adoptive parent, your blog is a valuable resource!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the word "Trazodone" I had to pipe up. One of its main side effects is mood changes. I've taken it for sleep before (I have ADD and take Adderall. I know her insomnia all too well)and found that I was feeling very really sad and withdrawn during the day. Funny enough, the vet put our dog on it when she was recovering from leg surgery. It turned our normally happy-go-lucky pooch into a monster who would randomly attack our other dog. I just wanted to warn you that it's something to look out for with Trazodone. I hope Princess is feeling great soon!
Glad you commented! I love comments! Insomnia is horrible! She's been on trazodone for about a year and a half. It's the only thing that has worked well for her sleep - before the Intuniv anyway. The withdrawn-ness is new since the Intuniv. I'm still not sold on it, but am going to give it some more time.
DeleteThanks! I love your blog! I can't tell you how much it's helped us even though we're still in the "searching" process for an older child. I really hope Princess is feeling more like herself soon. She's such an amazing young woman. Medicine changes are always hard, especially with that type of medication and the insomnia that always seems to go with them. You're her mom and you know her the best. If you feel the medicine isn't helping it's okay to try something different. =)
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