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Do ADHD children sleep better after getting on meds?


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I believe my dd has ADHD and she sleeps terribly. I think I read that ADHD is linked to nightmares and sleep disturbances, does anyone know if this is true? My only other child with recurrent nightmares and sleep problems shows the same behavioral issues that she does. Also, have you noticed your ADHD children sleeping better after getting on meds?

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I know one boy on meds for ADD. His parents have an awful time and are upset with him every night because he won't go to sleep. He's been here for sleep overs and it is at the same time every day that he seems to get hyper and starving. I guess his meds make him sleepy during the day and not hungry (his words.)

 

It probably makes a difference what meds. I know another 11 year old girl on meds for ADHD and it is pretty much the same. I really don't know her parents well though. Just her words.

 

ETA: I forgot to say....both kids are up catching a bus early in the am and don't get home until dinner hour. That probably plays a huge factor in their mood and needing the adjustment at night

Edited by 425lisamarie
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My son slept horribly on traditional ADHD meds. They are stimulants, and they decrease sleep and decrease appetite.

 

Since we've changed him over to Intuniv (non-stimulant), we've seen a HUGE improvement in his sleep. It doesn't help his attention quite as much, but he is well rested and he eats. We just deal with the inattentiveness in non-medication ways (behavioral approach).

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Mine doesn't. But it's still a great tradeoff. :001_smile:

 

Can you elaborate? I would love to hear success stories! I am rather discouraged right now.

 

My son slept horribly on traditional ADHD meds. They are stimulants, and they decrease sleep and decrease appetite.

 

Since we've changed him over to Intuniv (non-stimulant), we've seen a HUGE improvement in his sleep. It doesn't help his attention quite as much, but he is well rested and he eats. We just deal with the inattentiveness in non-medication ways (behavioral approach).

 

What does Intuniv do, if it doesn't help the attention issue?

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I would look into a sleep study. There are some kids who have sleep apnea only; once treated, ADHD (like symptoms) go away. Other kids have ADHD and sleep apnea, and the sleep apnea makes the ADHD worse. And of course there are plenty of kids with "just" ADHD.

 

Mine take melatonin as needed. I'm very comfortable giving them something for sleep because I know what is going on while they're sleeping.

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I would look into a sleep study. There are some kids who have sleep apnea only; once treated, ADHD (like symptoms) go away. Other kids have ADHD and sleep apnea, and the sleep apnea makes the ADHD worse. And of course there are plenty of kids with "just" ADHD.

 

Mine take melatonin as needed. I'm very comfortable giving them something for sleep because I know what is going on while they're sleeping.

 

Mine take melatonin as well, and I'm wondering if that is making the nightmares worse. We even decreased their dose from 3-5 mg to 1.5 and they aren't sleeping as well as they did on the higher dose and still having nightmares. :glare:

 

A sleep study would never work because these 2 are so anxious and worked up that they would never fall asleep in the hospital without major drugs on board.

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Mine take melatonin as well, and I'm wondering if that is making the nightmares worse. We even decreased their dose from 3-5 mg to 1.5 and they aren't sleeping as well as they did on the higher dose and still having nightmares. :glare:

 

A sleep study would never work because these 2 are so anxious and worked up that they would never fall asleep in the hospital without major drugs on board.

 

You should still look into it. Sleep apnea can cause soooo many problems. The only time i have had nightmares in the last 4.5 years, are the few times i've fallen asleep without my cpap machine/mask on.

 

The sleep centers are not too bad. Out of our 8 sleep studies, only 1 looked like a hospital. All the others were more like a hotel setting. For ds, i always have my camera so he can see how funny he looks. Then his head is mummy wrapped so nothing comes off and he's out like a light. It's really interesting to watch the sleep equipment while ds is falling asleep.

 

Dd does not sleep well during studies, but she sleeps enough that we can see her breathing in REM sleep, how well she cycles, etc.

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What does Intuniv do, if it doesn't help the attention issue?

 

It helps with the attention, just not as much as the stimulants. Actually, I think it actually doesn't help as much with the hyperactivity. It probably helps with attention about the same. It's just that sometimes hyperactivity manifests itself in such a way that it seems like not focusing.

 

For us, Intuniv helps enough that he can get his work done without him being frustrated and we just deal with the rest. The extra sleep he gets helps too, and now mornings are SO much better. When he was on the stimulants, he was HORRIBLE in the morning until about 30 minutes after he took his meds. Now, he is much more even and we get a lot accomplished in the morning without everyone walking on eggshells around him. Starting the day well makes the whole day run more smoothly.

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my son is ASD. insomnia, nightmares, etc. are common. he refused to take any supplements I tried to get him to take.

His DAN! put him on melatonin, and the VERY. NEXT. NIGHT, he asked for it. If I forgot to give it to him, he reminded me.

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Dd was on a non-traditional drug for ADD, Welbutrin. We did not want to go with a stimulant. She used that for a year and was sleeping well with it but we found a naturopath who did urine and blood tests which determined that dd was low on all B and D vits, Iron, as well as other more minor vitamins and minerals. After 8 mos, we took her off the Welbutrin and she is thriving!

 

***I realize that some don't have the option to see a good naturopath*** but if you have the resources, it's worth it. Many kids with ADD/ADHD are low in vitamins and minerals and can find relief through natural therapies, rather than prescription drugs. The problem with rx as I see it is that the doses need to be changed frequently and/or new meds will need to be tried and for many (not all, of course), this isn't even addressing the real issue.

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I had two with adhd and we went through the typical bedtime difficulties. Well sorta. They are twins, but one has the impulsivity and was the first child we sought medication for. We were very careful to start him on a low dose and gradually increase. He started at 5mg and has settled at 20. When it became evident that his twin would benefit as well we (His Dr and I) made the mistake of letting him start at the dose working for his brother. He was miserable with insomnia. His medication can be halved, so I simply divided the 20 mg into two doses of 10mg for a couple weeks and it all smoothed out.

 

My dd was a different case all together. Before Adderall, she had extreme night terrors, including walking terrors. We were very concerned with her safety, and it was stressful waking up to a screaming, hysterical 10 year old. (Yes, she was still having them at 10, not as frequent as when she was younger, but still about 1-2 a week.)

 

She has not had any since starting Adderall. I honestly am not sure why she reacted this way. I do let her stay up reading, and she tends to come out of her room a few times in the evening asking stalling questions, but no more night terrors. :D

 

So, in our family it is a little of both. ;)

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No, our friend has to take blood pressure medication to get him to fall asleep, otherwise he would never sleep.

 

Have you tried looking for allergy issues - trouble breathing can cause restlessness, night sweating, etc.

 

Also, a magnesium deficiency can cause restless sleep, night terrors, etc. Try epsom salts in bath water and see if it helps after a few days.

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No.

 

My dd tried 4 different ADHD meds before we settled on generic Ritalin (for the price, mostly, but it also had the least side effects).

 

One of the newer meds she tried was a slow-release med, which she liked, but it was $250+ a month which is prohibitively expensive for our family. It gave her what she called "vivid dreams", another common side effect of this particular drug.

 

On Ritalin, even though she takes a dose in the AM and a dose in mid-afternoon, she feels wide awake until after midnight every night. I gave her a half of a dose of Zzzzquil to see if it would help. She couldn't get out of bed until after 10 the next morning! We tried Melatonin but it didn't help. So generally I let her sleep until 9 to 10 AM every morning, since she's not falling asleep until after midnight.

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Yes, now that you mention it my ADD child does sleep better since she started her meds. She take regular Adderall so it wears of before dinner and bedtime. It makes for a litlle bit of a cranky period in the evening but it is worth it.

 

I also occassionally take Adderall for my ADD and I sleep better on the night that I take it. It is like it saps your energy throughout the day and you are exhausted by bedtime.

 

I think this is one of the dreat advantages over the extended release meds.

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Funny this should come up. I heard or read some report that much ADD is caused by sleep trouble. Who knows, but it got me thinking about it because our add ds has huge sleep trouble. So 3 nights ago we put him on melatonin. He is falling asleep so quickly. No dreams. Doing well so far.

 

Can I hear the success stories too?

 

We've gone the gluten free, dairy free road and fish oil, vitamins, P5P... Our particular child when through major withdrawals from the sudden stop of so many foods. It was bad. But after weeks he started improving a bit. But there is a way to go and I'd love to have input too or hear stories.

 

Thanks!

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I really don't think poor sleep is causing this. Since I have had so many kids with a variety of personalities now, I can see signs of their personalities forming from their days as babies. My 2 that I suspect have ADHD were identical as babies. They are identical now.

 

I really don't know what to think. I'm getting so many suggestions regarding foods to cut, diets to put them on, etc, it is very overwhelming. Our family is already on such a restricted diet due to the true allergies we have tested for. We are avoiding the foods that have come up as true allergens. I KNOW there are other foods that "could" be causing some of these symptoms or exacerbating them. I observe them and have cut out any foods that do cause reactions but for the most part, this really doesn't seem to be related to food. I know some people believe everything relates back to food, and that is fine. But I really believe there is a huge genetic component to this.

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Her sleep was better on the Adderall regular tabs (not extended release). Now we're on Vyvannse (we switched during the shortage - we went crazy never knowing, month to month, if her script would be available, where, or would only be partially filled in a heavily controlled state) and her sleep is horrible. Melatonin happens frequently; even with that, she often doesn't go to bed until around 2 am.

 

ETA: She is ADD - no hyperactivity, so not ADHD.

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