New here, Hv 8yr DD w/ADHD | ADHD Information

We have the same problem of not getting to sleep at night.  We are giving DD 1 mg of Melatonin at night and it works a bit.  We will probably be raising it soon since we are changing the meds around again.  I just have a hard time getting her up in the morning after taking the Melatonin.  We have a routine as well at night and if we forget the Melatonin or if it is just really late and don't give it to her, she is up most of the night.   Hard during school days.

Well we are on night number 4 of not going to sleep till who know's when....It has been as early as Mid-night or as late as 3am...I have kept up with her med's as I know it could be worse if we were to stop them...

Thank you for your advice and experiences...I have asked the doctor's several times if we can have something stronger than Melatonin for sleep. But we have either run into the problem of how early she has to wake up during the week for school, and risking her not getting enough sleep with it...And them simply not wanting to put her on it...I am at the point of exhaustion myself...

This stage of life too shall pass, but it sure is a steep hike up this mountain and I feel like we aren't making much progress right now....

 

 

If the side effects are that strong I'd talk to the doctor about dropping the
dose or changing the medication. Who cares if she can focus better if her
quality of life bottoms out.We are only on I think day 12 of 5 mg of Focalin xr for my DD who is 7 1/2. She too experienced the hardship of getting to sleep at night, this lasted about 10 nights and now for the last 2 nights she has drifted off to sleep at almost regular time! I PRAY we are over this but I totally understand if we still will have nights here and there. It really broke my heart to see her struggle with not being able to fall asleep, when she has never had this issues before! I would just talk to her and try to keep her calm and re assure her that the sooner she closed her eyes the sooner morning would come. 

What is the issues you have with sleep, is it getting her off to sleep at night or is it her waking up during the night?

My DD is 7 and has been on meds since May this year, we have only really been on the 'right' meds for about a month and it was all trials up until then.  She has major issues going to bed at night, we always had meltdowns or she would lay in bed for hours awake at night, she would even wake up at 2am or 4am and then be wide awake ready for the next day.  So to combat bedtimes she now takes a Clonidine an hour before bedtime (it is actually a hypertension med), this works as a calmer to help keep her calm and wind down for bed, we have to stick with the same routine each night, she gets all ready for bed and then 30 mins before bed she takes 3mg of Melatonin and then she reads in bed for at least 15 mins before we tuck her in.  The reading gives her time to wind down and remain calm before bed.

If our routine is broken and we have a bad night, we use the Supernanny technique of just taking her back to bed each time she gets out the first time we tell her it is time for bed, the second jsut bedtime and then after that not saying a word to her, that keeps her calmer, if we try to reason or communicate with her it escalates quickly and she is awake for hours having a meltdown.

I hope some of this helps you...

 Well I have spent my day browsing around the internet today reading up and researching more on ADHD. My DD was dx in the 1st grade (2008) and we have had quite a Roller Coaster ride of trial and error on the Meds. I also believe there is some other underlying issue(s) at hand that is/are complicating things. As we have not really found a treatment that works. I have read a lot of posts and can relate to many situations here.

I look forward to chatting more with other Mom's and Dad's and Caregivers in the same situation. It is reassuring to know that I am not alone in this endless journey...That someday we will find the magic middle ground and live happily...I just really want my happy sweet easy going lil girl back.

A major thing we are battling right now is the sleep issue again...We just put Melatonin back on board and not seeing much help but will give it a few more nights. Anyone else have other ideas and advice?

Crystal

I keep to a bedtime schedule, which includes melatonin and reading for at
least a half hour to my son. Still, sometimes he won't go to sleep. I just tell
him as many times as he gets up to go back to bed with the lights off and
close his eyes. When he imagines he's playing a video game while he's
laying there he can relax enough to sleep. It's his version of counting sheep.