My Son with ADHD Is Having Major Sleep Disruptions Due to Meds

J.,
From my experience with children with ADHD, they have been able to total release all their energy during the day and at night it is hard for them to clam the body down to sleep.
A fun activity in the late afternoon and early evening would be beneficial. A night swim, walking, play time-ball, or park. Try to stay away from computer and TV. Play games together, anything that would use up some energy in the form of exercise. We have found that yoga works-something you can do together.
A warm bath or shower at the end of the day and some quiet time---sharing a book together would help also.
Best of luck.
M.
Aqua~Fit Swim School & Wellness Center

Hi J.,
Shaklee has supplements that may help your son. Mighty Smart contains essential fatty acids. Gentle sleep complex is another option. Unlike Melatonin, it is an adaptagen and may also be taken during the day. Regularly taking melatonin will cause the body to stop making it on its own.
Check the products and science behind them at http://www.shaklee.net/healthforlife
My number is there. If you want to call me, I can send you some other educational materials. You can also go to www.theglobalsuccessteam.com and watch a video on children's health. If you have trouble navigating the site, call me.
Good luck and God bless,
V.

Not sure what to tell you about the sleep walking, but my son has been diagnosed with ADHD as well. He takes Melatonin, a natural substance that your body already makes...you can get it over the counter with the vitamins. I usually try to give him 1 or 2 pills. He also take Clonidine. Good luck!

J.,
The health food stores carry something by Animal Parade that is like warm milk. It is a natural sleep aid for children. The other option is to get some kids valerian root extract. The health food stores can help you pick a natural product. The best one seems like the warm milk product. Also try to give your child warm milk before bed. Good luck!

Hi J.,

I would like to suggest looking into the DORE program. I facilitate the program through The Cerebellum Center in Dallas. This is a scientifically based program with permanent and proven results.

This program changes how the brain processes information which reduces and can eliminates the symptoms of ADHD and learning difficulties. Many clients are no longer on medications.

There are so many symptoms associated with ADHD other than hyperactivity, such as coordination problems, trouble reading or with school work, poor organizational skills, picky eating and oversensitivity to tactile or auditory simuli. The program works on all these issues.

Please take a look at www.dore.co.uk for more information and you can view testimonials about the program on YouTube by searching DORE. My website is www.cerebellumcenter.com

Please feel free to contact me with any questions that you may have! Good luck!

S. Martwig
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Hi. I read your post and immediately thought about a treatment that I am considering for my 4 year old son who has recently been diagnosed with mild/high functioning autism spectrum disorder. There is a treatment that stimulates the brain to help with all kinds of systems. Many have been helped with ADHD and sleeping problems (as you mention) as well as have reduced or totally eliminated medications. You can check it out for yourself at these websites. Hope this helps!

www.neurotherapydallas.com

www.thebetterbrain.com

I too have a son that is ADHD and he has taken Adderall XR and Vyvanse (separately of course). They both worked well on him with no side effects. I know there is a medication that can be taken to help them sleep but can't think of the name. It has been a long time since my son had taken it. Hope this helps and I hope you find something that will help him.

When my daughter was having sleep issues, her neurologist recommended melatonin. It's something our bodies make naturally ... she just, apparently, isn't making enough. It helps her fall asleep, she sleeps all night and then wakes up with no side effects that we can see. We thought it was a good alternative because it isn't technically a "drug." You can buy it over the counter and it's not terribly expensive. You might ask your pediatrician. Good luck!

Hi, my name is L. and I have 2 sons that are now 21. One had ADHD and I have dealt with the side effects of the medications. I choose to go the non - med route for my son and that is when I became a neurotherapist. Neurotherapy is a way to retrain the brain waves that cause the ADHD.
Go to www.isnr.org for more information about neurotherapy.
I have The Brain Institute in Colleyville if you are interested in pursuing neuro as an option please let me know. Most insurance plans cover this.
L. Richardson ###-###-####

Hi J.,

I will tell you that my son was on medication, not what your son is taking, but he started screaming and woke up yelling the world was blowing up, It was horrible.

I called the doctor and he told me that it wasn't a side affect of the medication but that if I wanted to come by and get a new medication that was fine. So I went to pick it up and the nurse that was on duty told me she heard that conversation and looked up the side affects and while it was a rare side affect, it was a side affect. So that doctor didn't even know this.

Please consider taking your son off medication and try working with him in other ways.

I would recommend contacting a lady by the name of Michelle Barr, She is a Counselor, Coach, Chaplain,
Energy Medicine Specialist,
Energy Psychology Therapist,
Educator and Consultant! she can help you with this. www.hopehousemckinney.com

Hope this helps you.
Rev. G. Hudson

My 12yo has been on meds for over 3 yrs. We started on Concerta, but also had sleeping problems. We switched to Adderall, which allows her to function more normally. It doesn't focus her as well as the Concerta, but the side effects are gone, so we just have been working with the meds to find a happy middleground. I found that if I give her her usual morning dose plus a 5mg "booster" after school, we can get homework done! My ex- suddenly changed her to Vyvanse(?) over the summer and I DO NOT like that. It interferes with sleep, but she's also VERY zombie-like. Adderall seems to be the most mild of the meds while still being fairly effective. Hope that helps!

Switch medications. There are so many out there to choose from now. When my son was diagnosed, I think we went through about 5 different "trial runs" of different medicines until we found the one that worked the best with the least amount of side effects. He is now taking Focalin XR and its working great for him.

Good luck!!!

Talk to the dr. about different meds, but you can also ask about Melatonin. It's a naturally occuring thing in your body that helps you sleep. You can buy it in pill form over the counter, that may help him sleep better. Sleep is VERY important, so either his meds need to change, or maybe this would work.

Hello, Try switching the medicine. Tkae him off of all sugar and see if he is better. Aspartame, sugars and especially dyes are all related to ADHD. Dyes is in everyting and very hard but by son has problems with them. Also make sure he is getting his vitamins and omega

K.

http://ezbaseballcamp.webs.com/

We had the same issue with Vyvanse and all the meds prior. We love Vyvanse for the day, but when it was out of his system, Collin was bouncing off the walls. Now we take Geodon at night. He sleeps all night long now and helps with anger in the late afternoon! We finally have a good combination.

Definitely try a different medication. My son was on Adderall XR for many years and he had several side effects. Three years ago, we switched him to Focalin XR and we have been very pleased. He seems to have very little problems sleeping, no tics, just a lack of appetite at lunch. I am not certain, but I believe that Concerta is more of a 24 hour type drug, whereas Focalin XR and Adderall XR are just extended release- last only about 8 hours.

We have the exact same problem. We do have Melatonin, but only use it on the really bad nights, when I first looked into it I found you are not suppose to use it for extended periods of time. If you figure out a better solution I would LOVE to hear it. The only way we found to get him to fall asleep somewhat quicker is if one of us lays in bed with him until he falls asleep, but this is not a great solution either.

A friend of mine uses melatonin to help with the sleeplessness but I don't know about the sleep walking. Mine do that and they aren't on any meds to cause it. If you find something out for that one let me know.

Good luck,
L.

Sorry, just now read your post. If you are still having problems, then I would recommend some Min-Chex by Standard Process. They are all whole food supplements and are the absolute best supplements out there. I sell alot in my practice. I wouldn't know for sure what he would need unless I did nutrition response testing on him. I would clear out the ADHD and the sleeping issue at the same time.