Coping when meds wear off? | ADHD Information
My son is doing so terrific with his meds - gets almost perfect remarks from school and daycare.
However, it almost seems like nights are worse now than they were before meds - like because he doesn't have to constantly be on top of his impulsive behaviors all day, he forgets how to do it at night. Has anyone else had this happen?
Last night, he and his brother started arguing over matchbox cars right at bedtime. It turned into a huge ordeal and M threw his two cars, so I calmly took them away, and then he really got angry. He yelled, threw more things, etc. and it took a long time to calm him down.
I am trying very hard to be calm and consistent, and to use the marbles as reward and consequence, but it seems like he is just flying off the handle whenever..and being sassy, defiant, etc. I guess that I need to be more firm and to begin removing tv and music priviledges.
I also think that during the trial period for his meds things were rough for him at night with rebound, so we were probably more sympathetic to him than what we should have been, which may have led to some of this.
Any thoughts?
Rubbing the spinal area every 2 hrs. THIS CALMS THE NERVOUS SYTEM DOWN. ON THE SPINE ADD CALMING LOTIONS WITH ESSENTIAL OILS IN THEM.If improving your consistancy does not work, and you get worried about his relationship with sibling, parents and peers, you might talk to the doctor about using Tenex (guanfacine) a couple times a day to even things out for your son. This may also help with any sleep issues. After a while you can take him off of the Tenex to see if he can go without.
My daughter's doctor suggested guanfacine 24/7 to help with sibling and peer issues that were affecting self esteem. I was not bothered by the hyperactivity and failed to look at the issues the impulsivness was having on the friendship and other relationships (I was focussed on school).
He is 5...and I don't think that it is rebound exactly.
It just seems like he is not as good with his coping skills and the behavioral modification techniques that we have been using for the last year, so that when the meds wear off and the impulsivity comes back, then he just get all wound up and is so hard to cope with. He gets very stimulated, is very quick to fight or pick on his brother, etc.
Honestly, I think that we need to just work on our consistency with his consequences, and try to catch him before he gets like he did last night.
I am also VERY upset with how he is sassing me, and I need to nip that in the bud very quickly here.
How old is your son? I wonder if you started the bedtime routine earlier, or extended it by reading books, doing a puzzle together or some other calm, non threatening activity if that would help him to stay calm and wind down easier.
Perhaps his med needs adjusted or a quick acting med that only lasts a few hours could be given at night to ease his rebound? Some have had good results with Omega oils as well , but it takes several weeks to see results with those..
I'm not sure I have any advice. My dd has always been wild at night. We've tried everything. Right now dh has instituted an "angel points" system of earning points at bedtime. I think it is going better. DH does the bath and bedtime routine. As I said, dd (not her sister) is pretty out of control most nights. Now, interestingly enough, when I do bed/bathtime, they both behave perfectly for me and there is no screaming or fighting. Not cr12345mr, but my daughter is on guanfacine 2mg2x/day (Tenex) and concerta and it is working great. She gets it am and pm, with the option of after school as well. It helps with the hyperactivity, defiance and impulivity (especially picking at her sister). The meds, paired with the marble system for positive reinforcement have made our home so much more pleasant. No more homework battles, sibling squabbles are rare and cooperation is a regular thing now.cr12345mr
How do you find that the Tenex works? My son recently started taking this after school.
We see this with our 8 year old dd. She has been on meds for 3 years. The meds work great but it seems like the longer she is on them the worse her ADHD symptoms are when unmedicated. I don't mean just rebound as the drug wears off. Anytime she is unmedicated her behavior is worse than before we started meds. She is not sassy or anything just very hyper, silly, impulsive and doesn't listen well. Her psychiatrist said this happens a lot. I posted on ADHD meds board about it under "stimulant rebound"
Our nightime isn't that bad around here. After her shower she gets in bed and reads. She LOVES to read which is such a blessing. It tends to calm her down. Our problem is any type of afternoon/evening activities. It's hard for her to participate unmedicated and binging off the walls.
I keep thinking Tenex might be a good solution but her dr. doesn't want to do that for some reason.
Good luck to all. I never knew ADHD was so complicated!
My son has a tape with soft music and water falls and bird sounds with the light off this helps him relax. My son is 14 years old and he acts 9
Unfortunately, our problem is that most nights I get home from work anywhere from 5:45 to 6:30. So, it is just not possible for there to be no stimulation in our house from that time till the kids are ready for bed.
Currently, we play with the kids, or have them play if we have things to do, and then get jammies on and they can watch some tv together - this is where our problems seem to be occurring - if they are in a room together, eventually they end up playing too hard or arguing over toys.
M does not have a tv in his room, but perhaps we could try one in there, and remove him from the room where his brother is about 20 minutes before bedtime and have him watch some quiet programs alone. It is worth a try....I have resisted putting a tv in his room, but I guess if it makes the nights go better to have them watch separately it may be ok.