Help him sleep at night??!! | ADHD Information

My son who is 9, does not sleep at night.  He has been on meds since he was 5. Right now he is on Concerta 36mgs. He takes it at about 7 in the morning but he has a hard time sleeping at night. I had my husband ask his doctor if there is someting that he can take to help him to sleep at night she said no. If anyone has any advice on how I can help his insomnea please help!! Hmm...strange.  I don't know if this would work but my son is also on Concerta (age 6 1/2) and his doctor has him taking a low dose of Clonidine at night.   Not sleeping is a big problem I don't know how a doctor could just shrug it off like that with little or no concern.  Perhaps another doctor for a second opinion would be in order here.                   I give my 5 year old melatonin 1 1/2 mg at night when I see trouble coming. It drops him like a hammer without grogginess or trouble in the morning. He just gets tired and goes to bed no trouble. But it was recommended by the doctor and pharmacist.I ALSO GIVE MY SON MELATONIN IT WORKS,IF YOU LIKE HOMEOPATHY THERE IS ALSO PASSIFLORA COMP.Thank you to all the replies so far. It has only been since Ive been frequenting this forum that I realized I can get some help for his sleeplessness.  I had seen that some people were giving thier children clonidne so when he went to the doctor yesturday I was hoping she would tell us something. I began researching that particular drug and have found that there have been several deaths resulting from it but I will definately look into the melatonin.  Once again thank you and any more suggestions would be appreciated.

After reading the other post on melatonin, I started giving my kids 1.5mg about 30 to 45 min before they go to bed. It helps them fall asleep easier and faster. We never had trouble with going to bed, or 20 trips to bathroom/ thirsty ect. They stayed in bed but talked and played an so on. I also let them listen to books on tape, after I read to them. And in order to hear the story they have to be quiet, and therefore fall asleep faster to.

They are both on Adderall XR 15mg and sleep in the same room.

You might want to read the post on melatonin for kids, it was helpfull to me and interesting.

I think that is really messed up that the doctor would tell you no! There are several things you can do. There is melatonin, Benadryl(generic is diphenhydramine, which is the active ingredient in many sleep aids) and clonidne, which my son is on. The first two you can get over the counter and the clonidine is a blood pressure medication commonly used in ADHD kids. It is our wonder med! I give it to my son and he is OUT within an hour and will sleep all night. I would suggest discussing these options with your doctor and deciding what is best for your son. If the doc won't take you seriously it is time to find a new doc. Good luck!