How to help my ADHD child sleep?

Question

I have a 12 year old ADHD child who is on Adderall. He gets up almost every night and gets into things, like eating and hiding it, or breaking his brother's stuff. His doctor told me to try melatonin and that is not helping. I have 4 children and he is the only one with ADHD and I am at a total loss with this kid. Any advice from other ADHD parents or people that understand this frustration I would love and appreciate some help.

And for anyone who says its disipline, its not trust me, we have tried everything, and like I said I have 3 other children and if it was disipline I would be having these problems with all of them and I am not.

Answer 1

I feel your pain!

The people advising you to give your son coffee or other sources of caffeine don't know what they are saying - it would probably make things worse. Caffeine is a stimulant. (So is Adderall) The stimulant will help him to concentrate, but it's still going to keep him awake.

It's easy for people to pass judgement on ADHD kids until they've lived and loved with it. It's frustrating for parents, because we're beating ourselves up, wondering what we've done wrong & what we could be doing better. It's frustrating for the kids, because they know they aren't behaving the way they are supposed to. In first grade my son was misbehaving & had his seat moved. He broke down & cried so hard they had to call the principal & guidance counselor. He kept saying "I just want to be a good person!"

My son has been on Concerta for 3 years. At first it was a Godsend, because it helped him be so much more successful in school. However, I'm planning to talk to his Dr. about an alternative to the Concerta. I don't doubt it's effectiveness for my son, I just think it's time to re-evaluate his needs. Concerta is a 12 hour time release, but for him the effects last much longer. He takes it around 8am, but it doesn't really wear off until about 10:30pm (I know, because that's when he gets really hungry & I'm heating up leftovers for him.) Lately he has been complaining that he can't get to sleep. So, like your son, he is up half the night, but he doesn't do anything destructive. He usually just snacks and watches tv. If he sleeps late on the weekend, I can't give it to him at all, or he won't get any rest.

My advice is to check with your doctor about changing his medication. What works like a miracle for some people, doesn't work at all for others.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I have two children that have been diagnosed with ADHD, however one is more difficult than the other. (if you can believe that lol!)

The best advice I can give you is to pretty much take as much sugar out of his diet as possible. You can delute his juice a little to help cut down the sugar intake in his drinks. There's so much sugar in food these days that parents really have to battle keep as much of it as possible out of our kid's diets.
As far as melatonin goes, I'd be cautious about how much you give him. Make sure you do all your research before giving him anything. I have found that sticking to a strict schedule is best and as far as him getting into stuff, you may need to give him consequences for his behavior in order to make him stop. He isn't sleep walking right? If he's alert and aware of his actions, then he should get a consequence for defying your rules.

Good Luck, hope this helps.

Answer 3

You're giving your kid amphetamines, it will interrupt his sleep cycle. He's 12 and on crazy powerful meds, it's to be expected.

That said, check other major factors, like his diet. Ensure he's eating whole grains etc, not drinking pop(caffeine and sugar aren't good sleep aids). Make sure he gets plenty of water to help flush out the drugs in his system.

Also, check that he isn't abusing his medication, especially if he's self dosing. If there's no chance of his abuse you should go to your doctor and ask for a different dose and tell them that your kid is wired at night.

Also here's a handy saying, "If your kid has ADD don't let him watch TV." TV trashes attention spans.

Answer 4

i have 2 kids with adhd. one is on concerta and doesnt need anything to sleep. the other is on ritalin and cannot sleep without clonidine or rispodol. clonidine is a quick way for him to go to sleep, around 1 hr after taking. rispodol is more for anger and frustration which he also has, but makes him settle down and gain weight that stimulants keep him from doing. clonidine really relaxes. start low and 1/2 pill then work to whole. good luck.

Answer 5

Not that this helps but have you seen the latest media reports ? Doctors love to label, then prescribe. We love to think medicine is the answer. It's easier for everyone. Often, yes, it is the only thing that works, but it should be the last option.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=441304&in_page_id=1770

Always pays to get another opinion. Maybe it's even the drugs he is on. Something in his diet ?

I get my kids to do strenuous activities. They still act up, but it's three times as bad when they are on holidays and aren't excercising.

Check this out too, it's gaining in popularity : http://www.dore.com.au/

Answer 6

My child is ADHD and he was on Adderall at one point. That didn't work for him, he wouldn't eat or sleep normally. When he did sleep, he would wake up hot and sweaty at night. He would always dream and end up getting in my bed at night. He is on Concerta now and he goes to bed at night and sleeps well. Maybe you should consider changing his meds.

Answer 7

I have a child who is ADD, but initially he was diagnosed as PDD.
his sleeping is helped by Elatrol, which is a little like Concerta, but it also helps boost his concentration during the day and reduce fear of failure, which is unavoidable. you'll probably need a children psychiatrist to examine him for this medication
another thing that helps him are special gymnastics lessons, that slowly change his learning disabilities as well as help his clumsiness, sense of rhythm and more.
he was also helped significantly by Tomatis method (special auditory training), you probably could find one of their centers, but it requires a lot of logistics to get him through this system effectively.

Answer 8

it's weird with a lot of uppers and downers they work the opposite in kids and adults. ritalyn is an upper in adults but it calms down children with ADHD. caffeine i have heard to do the same. so try sometype of caffeine minus sugar of course and see what happens.

Answer 9

I have a friend with a child who has adhd and his doc suggested coffee for him when he needs to settle down. She swears by it! Good luck!

Answer 10

Check his diet. There are foods out there that are natural in chemicals that will lull him to sleep and keep him there. Warm milk is one of them, turkey is another. If I'm way off on what you were asking for, I apologize.