Today is my first time posting to the board, although I have read many postings over the past several weeks. It seems that each time I come here, I am able to leave feeling more positive and hopeful knowing that I'm not alone.
I have boy/girl twins that will be turning 10 in a few weeks. My son was officially diagnosed with ADHD two years ago, although I suspected it since he was about 5. I initially didn't want to put him on medication and tried behavior modification and diet. Nothing seemed to make a difference. I finally agreed to medication and after trying about 6 different types, he is now on Vyvanse and is having good results. He takes 70 mg in the morning. While he is medicated, he is able to control his behavior and emotions pretty well. The difficult part is the mornings and evenings. The Vyvanse lasts longer than any other medication we have tried which I'm really pleased with. He has taken afternoon doses after school with other medications, but because he has such trouble sleeping, I'm trying to stay away from that. He requires very little sleep, and I hate to take away what little he gets.
I can get through the evenings pretty well for the most part, but the mornings are just torture. I actually start feeling sick to my stomach when I hear him get out of bed. He is loud, disrespectful and nasty in the morning. He fights me on every thing he is asked to do. To top it off, he has this smile on his face like he is truly enjoying acting this way. I feel like I can't really breathe until he is out the door and on the bus. I hate feeling this way. I want the mornings to be more peaceful. I don't want to start every day like this. I ask very little of him in the morning, just the necessary things, but it's still a battle. After school, while the medication is still in his system he apologizes for the way he acted. I'm sure others struggle with this problem. Any advice?
I wake my daughter about 45 minutes before she really has to be and give her her pill. She swallows it and goes back to sleep until ehr alrm goes off. This way her meds are starting to take effect when she gets up. It makes a huge difference. I know several people who do this.Most of our adhd children are negative in the mornings before their meds kick in. If I may offer a suggestion: when your son is feeling good one afternoon, tell him that the morning routines are going to be just that routines. On a posterboard, write down a list of things you expect him to do during the school week and on weekends. Tell him that you will help him if he asks you politely (maybe you need to put his clothes out the night before) but you will not respond to his being disrespectful and rude to you. Then get a good pair of earplugs! Put them on/in when you get up and you will be able to tune out a lot of the noise. If he is rude, don't help him or answer him. If he is polite, talk with him. If you can do this for a week, you will see a big difference.
Randy
Thanks for the advice.