sleeping disorder | ADHD Information

Hello

I just want to share my experience with my sleep problem and think might have actually found a solution. To my surprise I had a very similar sleep patern to that of narcolepsy even positive for the HLA markers, however was diagnosed with ADD, and this was after many other diagnoses such as depression, OCD, DD I don't even remeber what else. But I knew that every problem I had lied somewhere with my sleep, so I was persistant and went to a sleep neurologist. You can imagine the shock of Narcolepsy, a disorder that seems so straight foward... THis may be an issue for some of you out there. The meds for narcolepsy and ADD are very similiar, stimulants and antidepressants. I've tried many combinations with no success.

If you have problems with sleep go see a sleep doctor and make sure that they test you for Narcolepsy, there are variants, be stubbern. The test includes HLA serotyping and a day time sleep study, look at your results.

THe key, I think , is to get your night sleep right. With herbs, stress managment, or meds like Anafranil, Xyrem, and many others (I had terrible experience combining SSRIs with stimulants). If you still feel lost during the day with ritilin or adderall ask your doc how he feels about Povigil. I warn however, the first time I tried Provigil without fixing my night sleep first I felt like my heart wanted to jump out of my chest and could not remain standing for long without falling or getting dizzy. Night sleep is VERY important. I know you know that.

Good luck and I will let you know what will help be sleep at night and be awake during the day as soon as i find out for my self.

i have always had problems sleeping since i was a child. and can totally relate 2 feeling like ur goin 2 miss something. i used 2 stay up all night untill the sun would start 2 come up. now i usually can lay down around 1am. w/ the tv on of course.lol. (here it is 2am) but i have also worked around it. i have been bartending for 6 yrs now because of my "vampire" hours. im just used 2 this life style.[QUOTE=Dixiepeep]I have trouble going to sleep. I have a lot going on in my mind and have a hard time shutting everything off. Once I get to sleep I am okay. I may wake up once or twice and as long as i don't start thinking a lot I can go back to sleep. Sometimes I pray and it is relaxing. [/QUOTE]

Interesting that you should mention prayer. I find that meditation, even just a couple of times a week, really helps clear my consciousness of restless, random, and momentary thoughts that would otherwise distract me and keep me awake. Additionally, the same breathing-awareness exercises I do during initial meditation also help me run better/longer/faster. Meditation and prayer are similar, I gather.

I used to sleep maybe 3-4 hours a night. Never deeply, a really light sleeper. Always felt like I was going to miss out on something

But over periods I would burn out and get tired too.

Then I was diagnosed AD (three different doctors.... I refused to accept that I was dysfunctional) and took dex's for a period of about 6months (after which I developed horrible side effects).

One of the really great things that happened was that i started to sleep deeply, and feel so relaxed and refreshed.

I came off the dex, and for the large part, I believe something real and profound has happened to me. I sleep beautifully,and am so less stressed about my personal inability to achieve. I could hear clearly for the first time in my life, and I taught myself strategies to help me focus.

I still stuff up alot, and am still incredibly impulsive. Noise, light and staying on track are still a problem for me....but these days, I don't care so much!!! Currently unmedicated, but still sleeping well!

Do any of you out there suffer from sleeping disorders as well? or have difficulty falling asleep?

What meds work for you?

I have sleep problems too. Sometimes it feels like if I fall alseep I'm gonna miss something. Sometimes when I'm im tired my mind is still going, so I fall asleep like around 3:30 or 4 in the morning. I wake up around 7am. when I come home, then I fall alseep in the evenings. Then the cycle starts over again. I don't know if its the ADD or anything, but its been that way from as long as I had any control over my bedtime!

one more thing. I didn't know that medication helped with that. hmmm...that gives me somethin to think about lol

You should think about a sleep study. I was surprised to learn that my sleep pattern was similar to those with Narcolepsy.

Now I'm confused and starting to think that there is something that represents both ADD and Narcolepsy.

The only thing I know about the relationship between ADD/ADHD and Narcolepsy is that the two conditions are often treated with the same class of medications --CNS stimulants.

As far as the connection between ADD/ADHD and insomnia... sometimes people who are being treated with stimulant medication do have difficulty falling asleep --the medication can function as the equivalent to drinking too much coffee. Sometimes this problem can be alleviated by decreasing the afternoon dosage of the medication. However, it is generally during the evening hours when stimulant medications begin to wear off, and for the individual who experiences ADD/ADHD symptoms partly as feelings of restlessness and jitteriness, then the decreasing medication in blood serum levels can translate to insomnia. If this is the case, then the afternoon dosage may actually have to be increased. Either way, it is best to discuss your treatment and any side effects with your prescribing physician so the necessary adjustments can be made to your therapy.

There are numerous studies coming out that report a subgroup of children diagnosed with ADHD also experience sleep disturbances in the absence of meds - Meaning it is part of the disorder.

Do any of you relate?

When I am stressed I tend to get pretty bad...bad sleeping, bad eating, more weed...I hate holidays for that....

But in the end I always come out more understanding of my troubles

[QUOTE=laze me]

Do any of you out there suffer from sleeping disorders as well? or have difficulty falling asleep?

What meds work for you?

[/QUOTE]

I also suffer from sleep problems and cant find a way to or med to help me so far... Has anyone else found a solution to this yet? Im 53 years old female and been on Ritlin ER 10mg once in the morning and 5mg in the afternoon. Im also eating alot cant seam to stop after the meds start to wear off in the evening, has anyone experenced this problem?

ArtistDebi38024.0000694444

Hi there

I will switch from concerta (ritalin) to adderall soon. I'll let you know if it helps me sleep.

I'm no expert but from my understanding after reading about the difference between metamphetamines (ritalin) and amphetamines (dexedrine/adderall) is that the amphetamines have a stronger effect on serotonin release. Both do however have an effect on dopamine and norepinephrine. I think.

My sleep problems are not do to the meds. Are yours?

I had a sleep study done and to my surprise my doc said atypical narcolepsy and gave me Provigil with a referal to a psychiatrist. Provigil put me to sleep. Also to my surprise I found in a google search that Narcolepsy and ADHD is often misdiagnosed in children. What is really happening, who knows!

I had a sleeping problem even before I started taking stimulants but what I have found works best (after trying sonata, trazadone, and the over the counter diphenhydramine) are melatonin tablets. They are cheap, and they are natural. I usually take about three of them even though the recommended dose was just 1 about an hour or so before I want to fall asleep. They don't knock me out completely but they definitely have a relaxing effect.

Try a case of BUD

I tried ambien which work for about four hours. I am now taking trazidone which has a longer half life - about 8 hours-. I had the same experience (waking at 3-3:30 am) which I associated with starting Strattera. I may also have a sleep disorder that I have had all my life and is not related to any meds. I found I was hitting semisweet chocolot in the pms after the ritilin was out of my system. Semisweet chocolot has a lot of caffine so I was having difficulty sleeping after a binge on chocolot. I seem to be affected by full moons also.

My son's ped said that he prescribed a low dose of ritalin to help some of his patients get to sleep. Remember that many people with ADD respond differently to stimulants than non-adders. I find that I calm down and the racing thoughts I sometimes experience are suppressed. I think the secret is getting the dose right for night and daytime. I do not think that the symptoms of ADD turn off when we go to sleep. If I have a racing mind when I go to sleep I have racing dreams all night. I may wake up every two hours. Getting up and snacking on some protien and reading for a half hour seems to help. I have a sript for Trazidone, which does the job; however, it will work for 8 hours whether I get up or not. Ambien works better for middle of the night sleeplessness.

I know that the research results on Strattera sites somulence as a side effect experienced by some of the participants. This is more problematic since I have started taking the "non stimulating " FDA approved Strattera. It is as stimulating as taking 60mg of sudefed. I like ritalin much better.

Valerian root sometimes works too, as an idea for another natural remedy. You can find it as an herbal supplement or in some teas.

Thanks for the reminder on melatonin. I will try it.

wmp

I have trouble going to sleep. I have a lot going on in my mind and have a hard time shutting everything off. Once I get to sleep I am okay. I may wake up once or twice and as long as i don't start thinking a lot I can go back to sleep. Sometimes I pray and it is relaxing. i doubt adderall is gonna help you sleep. its a symphatomimetic and therefore a stimulant. from what i know that's still gonna have insomnia as a side effect. bekindtoedward38033.2000694444