new frazzled mom to the forum | ADHD Information

 I am new to this forum.  I have been looking for ANY support out there for parents who have children with ADHD. I have a four year old son.  He is a wonderful child but he is on constant go mode and it almost always end in major behavior problems. His body never stops and then it always ends up in temper tantrums that are not your average temper fits. They can go on for an hour.  He is on meds but the Ritalin is out of his system and night time is horrible. He has never slept even as an infant.  Is there anyone out there who feels like there are no answers? I teach special needs children and feel as if I can't take care of my own. Do the stims really help him? Are there mood disorders, substance abuse or any suicide attempts on either side on the family tree? [QUOTE=OlderMom]Do the stims really help him? Are there mood disorders, substance abuse or any suicide attempts on either side on the family tree? [/QUOTE] There is substance abuse on my side but that was my uncles o immediate family.

My ds (8) recently was officially dx with ADHD, but has always been "energetic"....  I was pretty worried when his pdoc started him on adderall xr and told me 2 bad side effects are having trouble sleeping and losing his appetite.  He has ALWAYS had trouble getting to sleep- it often took him 2 hours.  And as for eating- he is bone thin..

Well, a week before the meds I started him on some vitamins and herbs.  To my amazement, he has had no trouble with eating or sleeping- in fact, just the opposite.  He falls asleep in about 10 mins now and eats great!  You might want to try them... if you are interested, I will post the ones he uses.

Sarah

PLEASE let me know what it is you are using. It takes my son 2-3 hours to get him to go to sleep. I wanted to try the Adderoll but was afraif of the not sleeping issue since he is already having so much trouble. I genrally do not eveneatmy diner until 10:00 at night when he is finally "down"!

I gotta admit I was really shocked when he started falling asleep sooo easily.  But in the morning, I give him his adderall in some chamomile tea.  He loves to drink it with a straw and that helps him get all the meds down.  I also bought some capsules of grapeseed extract and I put in one 50 mg in his tea.  The chamomile and the grapeseed help calm him during the day, and by evening, he is really tired.  It has been a godsend for us.  If on the rare occasion (MAYBE 3 times in the last month) that he can't sleep, we make him a cup in the evening- chamomile tea and one grapeseed cap in it- it hasn't failed us yet.

HTH- Sarah

I think the range is .5 - 3 mg for that age. If he gets nightmares, lower the dosage. Less is better I think. I'm getting results with 1.5 mg for a 6 yo, and use the chewables from Trader Joes that are .5 mg each. I got results with the melatonin IMMEDIATELY, and I have never heard that it takes awhile. Also, you can get chamomile tea at grocery stores made for children. Perhaps you could try that with a little honey at bedtime. Also (not to overload), but a magnesium supplement has a calming effect and is known to help with sleep. See the Alternatives board for info on that.

If things don't improve, I might consider getting a second opinion on whether the meds are right.

Pickles mom said: "He is a wonderful child but he is on constant go mode and it almost always end in major behavior problems. His body never stops and then it always ends up in temper tantrums that are not your average temper fits. They can go on for an hour.  [snip] He has never slept even as an infant."

I don't have all the answers, but if it helps, this is my son you are describing. Sleep?  I used to take 90 minutes to get him down for a 1/2 hour nap when he was a baby. I was soooo tired!!

My son is 7 years old, ADHD, with anxiety and depression, and we are using Ritalin LA 20 mg. each morning, with a short-acting Ritalin (5 mg) in the evenings if there's homework and such. We are also using a very low dose of Prozac at night. This combination is working well for us. It has helped with the frustration fits, the anxiety episodes, and he is doing well in school.  Since the Prozac, he is actually *relaxing* at night and sleeping past 6 am. We are amazed.

It's not perfect, of course, but we do enjoy him these days, which is a great thing. And he's able to accomplish things he wants to do, which is great for his self-esteem.
He is seeing a regular pediatrician, a child psychiatrist for the meds. We also see a speech therapist and an OT for sensory needs. We are trying the Melatonin actually for the past two days- our doctor told us to use the 3 mg! I worry that he is so young and only 31 pounds with the high dosage of all the meds...I was told the melatonin would take about 6 weeks to see a difference. Who has 6 weeks when you are so sleep deprived! Try chewable melatonin, probably 1 mg, for sleep. What kind of doctor is managing the meds? Do you think the meds are right for your son's symptoms?Thanks Sarah,
That sounds like a good combination to try. My son does not have the Hyper component, but still has a hard time getting to sleep (his brain is hyper even if his body is not).
Someone else had mentioned some other herb to take when taking the meds to ensure the med-stuff doesn't stay (masticize?) in the liver - can someone refresh my memory? I don't recall what it's called and want to inquire about it while I'm picking up the grapeseed and chamomile.
PB
I suggest seeing a NeuroPsych. They do intensive testing and can spot ADHD and beyond. To me, it sounds too extreme for ADHD. Of course, ADHD meds alone can cause moodswings, but I'd want to check for everything since he has so many tantrums and always had sleep problems. Those are red flags for possible other disorders. Good luck :) OlderMom38798.2270717593

Sarah I am going to try the grapeseed. It is worth a try.  I wonder if giving it to him when we got in from daycare and work at 5:00if it would work? Is the grapeseed something that takes time to release? Nick is suppose to take the Adderall xr two times a day at 5 mg each time. In the mroning and again at lunch. I tried only one pill on Saturday at 10:30 am to see how long the med would last. The pharmacy actually messed up the prescriptionand that was the soonestI cold get it in. I decided after a HORRIBLE DAY AND NIGHT to wait for spring break and try it while I am home with him. He is currently on Clondine at night to help him sleep but it is not working naymore. The doctor said that the side effect of that was sleepiness and that eventually it would not work anymore and we would not be bale to give him anything! I can't even imagine going back to what it was!

I am going to look into the neuropysch- I am sureI will have to get a referral. I am deeprate to get a real diagnosis for all of this I am afraid it is more than ADHD. A mother knows deep down when things are just not right.

Thank you all for replying.