Sleep issues with Focalin xr | ADHD Information

Excellent TY so much
Savannie's Mom40526.4096296296Hi all my DD who is 7 1/2 has ADD we have her on focalin xr, but she is having issues falling asleep at night, I WAS hoping this wouldn't happen as I have heard with some it doesn't, but it is with her. once she is asleep she is GOOD to go and sleeps all night, (So far) I did ask her dr about the melatonin but she said since we are ONLY 2 weeks into this let's see if her body can adjust.

My question is has anyone or anyone's child had this happen and their body did get used to it in time??? Without any sleep aids??

 I have one son on focalin xr - never had a sleep problem.  My other son is on Datrana patch and tried vyvanse.  He had trouble sleeping with both.  We waited, and tried lots of things:  teas, really sticking to bedtime routine, reading extra, but the melatonin was the only thing that worked - Great!.. They have a 5 mg chewable (we found at Raley's), i cut it in half.

One thing we discovered is that if my son (who also has ODD) gets out of wack (especially with sleep and a new type of stressor) for more than a couple of days, it almost seems like the meds are not working.  Sleep is essential in his ADHD "diet"

good luck:)

It depends on the kid, as geeeemo said.  My son has always been a horrible sleeper, and Focalin made it worse.  He's been on Melatonin on and off now for several years and it's been a life saver. 

He needs it rather less now with the Intuniv, but he still uses it once a week or so if it's been a particularly stressful day or if he took his PM does of Focalin later than usual.

Audrey

Ty both so much I will def. keep this in mind, it will be great if I can find chewable ones, my daughter has a appliance in her mouth and it makes pills etc hard to swallow. I will ride this out a bit and then like the dr said if this isn't getting any better I need to give her a call. THE good news is my DD has now had 6 AWESOME days in school, she hasn't done this well since last year.
You are welcome.  FYI, you may not need the chewable... the 3mg and 5mg tablets are definitely overkill and my son gets extremely drowsy on just a quarter or a half of the 3mg.  It's nearly crumb-sized and may be easier for her to swallow....

Audrey

I needed sleep aids for both kids. You can try melatonin. Sleep by Nature's Way, or chewable Gaba Calm. When one stops working, switch to another (they build tolerance).TY all so much it is great to know I am not alone in this, we are almost at the end of week 3 she still has some issues with the falling asleep but I PRAY this will get better. My Hubby doesn't want to add anything else. We some days see the rebound thing with her, where she can get mouth, or have a meltdown and cry over something silly but those are getting way better, and only maybe every 3rd day or so
My 6 year old son has been on the Focalin Xr for about 2 weeks now and luckily he isnt having any sleep issues. He was having major issues when the medicine would wear off but that seems to be alot better these past few days! I hope your DD can adjust to the medcine without having to add another one!! Good Luck!! :)My son just started Focalin XR. He is having trouble falling asleep as well. I am going to try the melatonin. My DD, 10, is on Focalin XR and has major trouble sleeping.  She has been taking Clonidine .2mg for awhile.  It didn't seem to be working very well awhile ago, so we added Melatonin and she takes both.  Without them, she would literally be up all night.  (This has happened before.)  She has been diagnosed severe ADHD and mild Asperger's.  The clonidine and melatonin help her get a good night's rest.Is adding a natural sleep aid considered adding "something else"... I figure if it is not a medication, no.my son had major sleeping issues i mean not going to bed till 4 and 5 am.  the dr put him on a medication called clonidine.  its a 0.1 mg tablet so its extremely mild.  he gets his meds and is alseep within an hour of taking the meds.  it has been my lifesaver