Guanfacine (as brand name Intuniv) is indicated for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as monotherapy and as adjunctive therapy to stimulant medications.[3][16] Guanfacine (as brand name Tenex) is indicated in the management of hypertension.[4]
Unlike stimulant medications, guanfacine is regarded as having no abuse potential, and may even be used to reduce abuse of drugs including nicotine and cocaine.[17] It is also FDA approved to treat high blood pressure.[7] Guanfacine can offer a synergistic enhancement of stimulants such as amphetamines and methylphenidate for treating ADHD, and in many cases can also help control the side effect profile of stimulant medications.[10] For ADHD, it is claimed that guanfacine helps individuals better control behavior, inhibit inappropriate distractions and impulses, and inhibit inappropriate aggressive impulses.[18]Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have found guanfacine to be effective in the treatment of ADHD in both children and adults, with a moderate effect size found in adults (Hedges' g = -0.66).[19][20][21] A systematic review and meta-analysis also found that guanfacine reduced oppositional behavior in children and adolescents with ADHD who also had or did not also have oppositional defiant disorder, with a small-to-moderate effect size.[22] In any case, guanfacine and other α2-adrenergic receptor agonists are considered to be less effective than stimulants in the treatment of ADHD.[22][23][21]
Guanfacine is also used off-label to treat tic disorders, anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, and PTSD.[24][15] Guanfacine and other α2A-adrenergic receptor agonists have anxiolytic-like action,[25] thereby reducing the emotional responses of the amygdala, and strengthening prefrontal cortical regulation of emotion, action, and thought.[26] These actions arise from both inhibition of stress-induced catecholamine release, and from prominent, post-synaptic actions in the prefrontal cortex.[26] Due to its prolonged elimination half-life, it also has been seen to improve sleep interrupted by nightmares in PTSD patients.[27] All of these actions likely contribute to the relief of the hyperarousal, re-experiencing of memory, and impulsivity associated with PTSD.[28] Guanfacine appears to be especially helpful in treating children who have been traumatized or abused.[26]
Guanfacine has been reported to cause high rates of somnolence in children with ADHD, for instance 73% with guanfacine versus 6% with placebo in one trial.[31][32]
Guanfacine availability is significantly affected by the CYP3A4 and CYP3A5enzymes. Medications that inhibit or induce those enzymes change the amount of guanfacine in circulation and thus its efficacy and rate of adverse effects. Because of its impact on the heart, it should be used with caution with other cardioactive drugs. A similar concern is appropriate when it is used with sedating medications.[30]
In ADHD, guanfacine is thought to work by strengthening the regulation of attention and behavior by the prefrontal cortex.[43][18] These enhancing effects on prefrontal cortical functions are believed to be due to drug stimulation of post-synaptic α2A-adrenoceptors on dendritic spines, and are not dependent on activation of pre-synaptic α2A-adrenoceptors.[18]Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-mediated opening of HCN and KCNQ channels is inhibited, which enhances prefrontal cortical synaptic connectivity and neuronal firing.[43][44] In monkeys, guanfacine improves working memory, attention regulation, and behavioral inhibition, and these actions are independent of its sedative effects.[18] The use of guanfacine for treating prefrontal disorders was developed by the Arnsten Lab at Yale University.[43][18]
Guanfacine is much more selective for α2A-adrenergic receptors than clonidine, which binds to and activates not only the α2A-adrenergic receptor but also α2B- and α2C-adrenergic receptors and the imidazoline receptor.[18] It is weaker than clonidine in producing hypotension and sedation, has weaker pre-synaptic actions on the α2A-adrenergic receptor than clonidine (10-fold less effective in decreasing locus coeruleus activity and norepinephrinerelease), and may have greater efficacy in activating post-synaptic α2A-adrenergic receptors (as suggested by guanfacine being more potent than clonidine in enhancing prefrontal cortex-related working memory in aged monkeys).[18]
Activation of the 5-HT2B receptor is a well-known antitarget and is associated with cardiac valvulopathy.[37][38] However, not all 5-HT2B receptor agonists, for instance ropinirole, have this effect.[37][38] Guanfacine has not been associated with cardiac valvulopathy despite a long history of use, perhaps due to modest potency as a 5-HT2B receptor agonist.[40][45][46] In in vitro studies, guanfacine showed 100-fold lower affinity for the 5-HT2B receptor than for the α2A-adrenergic receptor, 30-fold lower affinity for the 5-HT2B receptor than serotonin, and 1,000-fold lower potency in activating the 5-HT2B receptor compared to serotonin.[45] It was concluded that at clinically relevant concentrations, guanfacine would not be expected to show significant binding to or activation of 5-HT2B receptors, and that it is unlikely that guanfacine is a cardiac valvulopathogen in humans.[45] In any case, different studies have reported different potencies of guanfacine as a 5-HT2B receptor agonist,[39][40][45][46] and as of 2018, no clinical data on the risk of cardiac valvulopathy with guanfacine were available.[47] As such, while the likelihood is thought to be low, guanfacine might still have a risk of cardiac valvulopathy.[45]
Guanfacine has been found to act as a full agonist of the trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) with an EC50Tooltip half-maximal effective concentration and EmaxTooltip maximal efficacy of 20nM and ≥85% respectively.[48][49]
In December 2024, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for the medicinal product Paxneury, intended for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.[63] The applicant for this medicinal product is Neuraxpharm Pharmaceuticals S.L.[63] Paxneury is a generic of Intuniv, which has been authorized in the EU since September 2015.[63] It is also a hybrid medicine1 of Intuniv.[63] It contains the same active substance as Intuniv, but is available at higher strengths.[63]
Brand names
Brand names include Tenex, Afken, Estulic, and Intuniv (an extended release formulation).
Research
Guanfacine has been studied as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Evidence of efficacy in adults is limited, but one study found positive results in children with comorbid ADHD.[64] It may be also useful in adult PTSD patients who do not respond to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).[65]
Guanfacine does not appear to be effective for improving sleep in children with ADHD and behavioral insomnia.[31] Instead, guanfacine worsened certain sleep parameters, for instance total sleep time, in one clinical trial.[31][32]
Guanfacine has been investigated for treatment of withdrawal for opioids, ethanol, and nicotine.[67] Guanfacine has been shown to help reduce stress-induced craving of nicotine in smokers trying to quit, which may involve strengthening of prefrontal cortex-mediated self-control.[68]
^Radonjić NV, Bellato A, Khoury NM, Cortese S, Faraone SV (May 2023). "Nonstimulant Medications for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis". CNS Drugs. 37 (5): 381–397. doi:10.1007/s40263-023-01005-8. PMID37166701. S2CID258616507.
^Yu S, Shen S, Tao M (March 2023). "Guanfacine for the Treatment of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis". J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 33 (2): 40–50. doi:10.1089/cap.2022.0038. PMID36944092. S2CID257664282.
^Padilha SC, Virtuoso S, Tonin FS, Borba HH, Pontarolo R (October 2018). "Efficacy and safety of drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents: a network meta-analysis". Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 27 (10): 1335–1345. doi:10.1007/s00787-018-1125-0. PMID29460165. S2CID3402756.
^ abcRugino TA (January 2018). "Effect on Primary Sleep Disorders When Children With ADHD Are Administered Guanfacine Extended Release". J Atten Disord. 22 (1): 14–24. doi:10.1177/1087054714554932. PMID25376194. S2CID22675882.
^ abRoth BL, Driscol J (12 January 2011). "PDSP Ki Database". Psychoactive Drug Screening Program (PDSP). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the United States National Institute of Mental Health. Archived from the original on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
^ abcJasper JR, Lesnick JD, Chang LK, Yamanishi SS, Chang TK, Hsu SA, et al. (April 1998). "Ligand efficacy and potency at recombinant alpha2 adrenergic receptors: agonist-mediated [35S]GTPgammaS binding". Biochemical Pharmacology. 55 (7): 1035–1043. doi:10.1016/s0006-2952(97)00631-x. PMID9605427.
^ abcUhlén S, Porter AC, Neubig RR (December 1994). "The novel alpha-2 adrenergic radioligand [3H]-MK912 is alpha-2C selective among human alpha-2A, alpha-2B and alpha-2C adrenoceptors". The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 271 (3): 1558–1565. PMID7996470.
^ abcBender AM, Parr LC, Livingston WB, Lindsley CW, Merryman WD (August 2023). "2B Determined: The Future of the Serotonin Receptor 2B in Drug Discovery". J Med Chem. 66 (16): 11027–11039. doi:10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01178. PMC11073569. PMID37584406. S2CID260924858. These results strongly indicate substantial risks for treatments involving 5-HT2B agonists, and it has been recommended that all serotonergic drugs be screened for this functional profile.43,59 [...] Additionally, there are cases of marketed drugs that were only later determined to have 5-HT2B activity. Of particular note is guanfacine, an FDA-approved medication for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that possesses potent 5-HT2B agonist activity in functional readouts to a similar degree as known valvulopathogens.66
^US3632645A, Bream, John Bernard & Picard, Claude W., "Substituted phenylacetyl derivatives of guanidine o-alkylisoureas s-alkylisothioureas and p-nitrobenzylisothiourea", issued 1972-01-04
^Scholtysik G (1974). "Proceedings: Inhibition of effects of accelerator nerve stimulation in cats and rabbits by BS 100-141 and guanabenz". Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol. 282 (Suppl): suppl 282:R86. PMID4276642.
^Bream JB, Lauener H, Picard CW, Scholtysik G, White TG (October 1975). "Substituted phenylacetylguanidines: a new class of antihypertensive agents". Arzneimittelforschung. 25 (10): 1477–82. PMID1243024.
^Saameli K, Scholtysik G, Waite R (1975). "Pharmacology of BS 100-141, a centrally acting antihypertensive drug". Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology & Physiology. 1975 (Suppl 2): 207–212. PMID241524.
^Dubach UC, Huwyler R, Radielovic P, Singeisen M (1977). "A new centrally action antihypertensive agent guanfacine (BS 100-141)". Arzneimittelforschung. 27 (3): 674–6. PMID326262.
^ abcde"Paxneury EPAR". European Medicines Agency (EMA). 12 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024. Text was copied from this source which is copyright European Medicines Agency. Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged.
† References for all endogenous human TAAR1 ligands are provided at List of trace amines
‡ References for synthetic TAAR1 agonists can be found at TAAR1 or in the associated compound articles. For TAAR2 and TAAR5 agonists and inverse agonists, see TAAR for references.