My five year old was diagnosed with ADHD in july and prescribed ritalin. I had been pushing for a diagnosis for about a year and was relieved.
The ritalin has made a huge difference in his behaviour during the day, but as it wears off in the evening he becomes a nightmare. He doesn't sleep - usually eventually dropping off at about 11 - 11.30 (in bed with me). His behaviour is appalling (and his older brother is being a nightmare too). I am already on anti-depressents and can feel myself getting worse. I really don't know what to do - I know all the behaviour management theories (I am a teacher) but have trouble sticking to it when at home. I easily lose my patience and temper, feel like everyone is judging my parenting and basically don't want to get out of bed.
I have tried explaining to my 8-year-old that he needs to set a good example, and sometimes he is ok, but the two of them together is dreadful.
I just want a normal family life, to be able to do things that normal families do, without fear of the children's behaviour ruining everything.
HELP!

I just want a normal family life, to be able to do things that normal families do, without fear of the children's behaviour ruining everything.
HELP!You are a teacher. What works for you in the classroom?

I have 2 children in my class with adhd, but at school it's not personal. I am able to manage their behaviour quite well (with the occassional off day!). But, at home, things are different. I lose my patience quickly, shout and scream. We've tried sticker charts, rewards, ignoring negative behaviour etc etc, but at the end of it all, I just end up shouting and crying.

Hi Emmasrabbits,
I totally relate back when my 18 yo was 18 months on and the rebound effect from Ritalin after it wears off. I know how desperate you can get and you sound exactly like I used to only I wasn't on any meds.
The park should be your best friend, there is no controlling them when they are coming off their meds no matter what anybody says unless you go back to your doctor for a longer acting med but even then at some stage they have to let their energy out.
The other thing I should have done was have one room with a door shut which is your piece of mind area, both in separate rooms and you in the hall with say a nice cup of tea to soothe your nerves and whenever they come out make sure they go back in until they have served their time out given by you.
You cant punish them for coming off the meds though because it really isn't their fault, they are boys and really need to run.
I hope you find some peace for yourself and enjoy those times.
Rainbow.

I completely understand where you are coming from. My 10 year old was diagnosed when she was 7, and has been on so many different meds. We finally found one that works for her, Adderall, but it does wear off just as soon as I come home from work about 6pm. She is so hard to deal with, homework, cleaning up, chores etc. I have tried rewarding her for good behavior, chore boards, allowance for staying on task, nothing works for us. Sometimes I just feel like giving up. I try to tell myself that she can't help it and to stay strong and consistant. It is so hard. When I have had a bad day sometimes I get very aggrevated and tend to loose my patience with her. She gets very annoying at times to be around because of how hyper she is and how talkative.
I completely understand what you mean about not wanting to get out of bed. I am also on medication for depression and anxiety and can feel myself getting worse when she tends to. My body and mind are just totally exhausted from raising a child with extreme ADHD. it will wear you down. But you have to remember that you are all they have and you have to stay strong and try your best with him.
Talk to his doctor and see if maybe they can split his medication up twice a day or maybe adding a smaller dose around 3:00 in the afternoon. A small enough does should last until about bed time. That is what we did when my daughter was on Ritalin. Just tell the doctor that it wears off at a certain time of the day and he should be able to come up with something. I know there are also medications that can help him sleep as well. I dont know the name of the med, but have heard parents talk about it on this site.
Good Luck to you and your family. And remember we all understand what you are going through. Stay Strong and God Bless.

Jana
Houston, Texas

I went to see my doctor about Jake's trouble sleeping and all he could do was suggest either dropping the lunch time tablet (NO WAY!), or taking it later so he's still under 'the influence' at bed time (surely that'll make it worse???). I have tried giving him antihistamine (he also has ezcema and scratches a lot) and even that doesn't make him sleepy!
He's been asleep by about 10.30 the last two nights, but i've not been able to sleep! Typical!

Hello there,

I would try what the doctor suggested (taking the noon time tablet later) on a Friday - so that if it does make it worse - and he has a worse time trying to get to sleep, then it isn't a work day that you will be exhausted on. Then you can call the doctor back and see if there is anything else they can do. Has your son ever been on Clonidine? That might be something you can talk with your doctor about. We have seen good things with that drug for children who have a hard time winding down at night (in the psych unit). Anyhow, it is just a suggestion.

I think you are probably doing all the right things, but need to figure out what you can do to recharge and gain control (if you are losing control with your kids). Are you a single mom? Is their dad able to give you a night out without the kids (even if it is so you can go to a crafting class or something)? I think getting some "me" time would be very beneficial to you and your kids at this time.

I wish you luck.

At Heart

No, not a single mum, but their dad works permanent nights (2am-10am) so we don't get much chance for a break!
Going on holiday today, so hopefully kids will be exhausted every day!
Thanks for all your advice!

taking it later so he's still under 'the influence' at bed time (surely that'll make it worse???).Not necessarily. Many people with ADHD report sleeping better while still medicated. It depends whether you have "mental chatter" keeping you awake or not.

It makes perfect sense that you can handle your classroom adhders better. They are on their medications during that time and it is a structured environment. At night time when their meds where off, their parents are pulling their hair out. You are no different. As a teacher though you have been taught techniques that many of us are learning on the job so to speak. You need to bring that professional mindset home with you.

With my daughter we have found the ritalin patch to give a more steady effect through the day. There is a period after removal that it wears off and we need to really focus on helping her through that period. An hour before bedtime I give her a melatonin (an over the counter natural sleep aid) Within an hour she is in sleep land for the night. It has made a world of difference for us and I am enjoying peaceful evenings for the first time in 8 yrs. Melatonin is very gentle and does not give that drugged effect as other meds might. She is not groggy in the morning either. Good luck.

It makes perfect sense that you can handle your classroom adhders better. They are on their medications during that time and it is a structured environment.Not all kids in the classroom with ADHD are medicated or diagnosed, but we do expect teachers to be able to handle them in the classroom.


With my daughter we have found the ritalin patch to give a more steady effect through the day. There is a period after removal that it wears off and we need to really focus on helping her through that period. An hour before bedtime I give her a melatonin (an over the counter natural sleep aid) Within an hour she is in sleep land for the night. It has made a world of difference for us and I am enjoying peaceful evenings for the first time in 8 yrs. Melatonin is very gentle and does not give that drugged effect as other meds might. She is not groggy in the morning either. Good luck.That's great Dove.

I went to see my doctor about Jake's trouble sleeping and all he could do was suggest either dropping the lunch time tablet (NO WAY!), or taking it later so he's still under 'the influence' at bed time (surely that'll make it worse???).Well, if medication calms us down, it makes sense that we need to be calmed down to get to sleep, right? Adults often report having difficulty with a "second wind" when they should be winding down for the night.

I have tried giving him antihistamine (he also has ezcema and scratches a lot) and even that doesn't make him sleepy!Eczema has woken me out of a sound sleep. Perhaps a specialist can help you find ways to get his allergies under better control.

He's been asleep by about 10.30 the last two nights, but i've not been able to sleep! Typical!Is there an undiagnosed ADHD adult in the house?

Ritilan doesn't calm down all people with ADD and it can cause insomnia in some people too. Maybe he needs to try some different meds?

Do you mean he is staying up all night and going to bed at 11:00am? if so I would suggest talking to your doctor ASAP about taking him off it. If he's getting a couple hours sleep a night that could end very badly if it continues. I think and hope you're saying he goes to bed at 11pm which wouldn't be that bad.

It sounds like you're doing your best so talking about changing meds with a good psychologist is your best option in my opinion.




I completely understand where you are coming from. My 10 year old was diagnosed when she was 7, and has been on so many different meds. We finally found one that works for her, Adderall, but it does wear off just as soon as I come home from work about 6pm. She is so hard to deal with, homework, cleaning up, chores etc. I have tried rewarding her for good behavior, chore boards, allowance for staying on task, nothing works for us. Sometimes I just feel like giving up. I try to tell myself that she can't help it and to stay strong and consistant. It is so hard. When I have had a bad day sometimes I get very aggrevated and tend to loose my patience with her. She gets very annoying at times to be around because of how hyper she is and how talkative.
I completely understand what you mean about not wanting to get out of bed. I am also on medication for depression and anxiety and can feel myself getting worse when she tends to. My body and mind are just totally exhausted from raising a child with extreme ADHD. it will wear you down. But you have to remember that you are all they have and you have to stay strong and try your best with him.
Talk to his doctor and see if maybe they can split his medication up twice a day or maybe adding a smaller dose around 3:00 in the afternoon. A small enough does should last until about bed time. That is what we did when my daughter was on Ritalin. Just tell the doctor that it wears off at a certain time of the day and he should be able to come up with something. I know there are also medications that can help him sleep as well. I dont know the name of the med, but have heard parents talk about it on this site.
Good Luck to you and your family. And remember we all understand what you are going through. Stay Strong and God Bless.

Jana
Houston, Texas
Hey Jana has your daughter tried Dexedrine before? I'm pretty sure it's approved for use with children and it may be worth talking to your doctor about doing a trial of it. From what I gather the 'come down' is less extreme when it wears off. Good luck, you sound like you're doing your very best.

Rebound causes the ADHD symptoms to return in an exacerbated fashion. It is not fun.

Taking the meds later in the day to delay rebound works for a lot of people. It might be helpful to add a small "booster" dose of medication in the evening to eliminate rebound. I agree, you might want to try adjusting his meds on a friday in case it backfires and nobody gets any sleep. But yes, ADDers tend to sleep better on stimulants than without them.

Clonidine is a great med for controlling hyperness and reducing anxiety, and it will help a person to sleep. Tenex works better and has fewer side effects but I don't know if tenex is approved for children or not... you might want to talk to his doctor about it. The trouble with clonidine and tenex is that it wears off very abruptly and if you miss a dose the rebound is very abrupt.


Me :D

Hi! I have a 6 yr old recently diagnosed, he was put on meds and I could not stand the rebound that his med was giving him. (ready my thread awful rebound meds..) I took the advice of nice people in this forum and talked to my doctor about extending the meds til late night. He agreed with that and I have to tell you now my son is calmed until bedtime and he sleeps without any problem at all. We did have 3 more rough days before this actually worked, but it finally did, just in time for school.
He is on daytrana, a patch form of Ritalin
Now, I have noticed that if he does not eat enough mid. afternoon/night, the rebound effect comes back in a midler form, so I make sure he gets protein for mid afternoon snack and protein at night. (milk, cheese, meatballs, chicken nuggets...) If he is not hungry, I'll just bribe him with a high protein soy ice cream and it does the trick. I mean, this is florida, everyone wants an ice cream anytime.

With the meds, it helped me a lot that I have excellent communication with my doctor, he has really helped me work the medicine to fit my child needs. He gave me free trial cupons for concerta, 3 sizes of daytrana and vyvanese to see which one is better for him, and he does not let me give up one med at the first glitch until we try all the possible tricks. It is funny, if you ask, they might have the answer.

Hope this helps....

Hi! I have a 6 yr old recently diagnosed, he was put on meds and I could not stand the rebound that his med was giving him. (ready my thread awful rebound meds..) I took the advice of nice people in this forum and talked to my doctor about extending the meds til late night. He agreed with that and I have to tell you now my son is calmed until bedtime and he sleeps without any problem at all. We did have 3 more rough days before this actually worked, but it finally did, just in time for school.
He is on daytrana, a patch form of RitalinThanks for sharing this, CarmenC. I've read so many accounts from parents who feel guilty for medicating their child so they compromise by limiting meds to school days and time. I know the nights I don't take an afternoon dose of Ritalin. By the time I notice what time it is, it's way past my bedtime and meds don't work as well when I'm sleep deprived the next day.


Now, I have noticed that if he does not eat enough mid. afternoon/night, the rebound effect comes back in a midler form, so I make sure he gets protein for mid afternoon snack and protein at night. (milk, cheese, meatballs, chicken nuggets...) If he is not hungry, I'll just bribe him with a high protein soy ice cream and it does the trick. I mean, this is florida, everyone wants an ice cream anytime.More good advice. Meds don't work well if we aren't eating properly either.

With the meds, it helped me a lot that I have excellent communication with my doctor, he has really helped me work the medicine to fit my child needs. He gave me free trial cupons for concerta, 3 sizes of daytrana and vyvanese to see which one is better for him, and he does not let me give up one med at the first glitch until we try all the possible tricks. It is funny, if you ask, they might have the answer.

Hope this helps....Sounds like a keeper.

Hi OZCHRIS. I have not heard of Dexedrine? I read it is similar to Ritalin. I guess I dont know much about it.


Ritilan doesn't calm down all people with ADD and it can cause insomnia in some people too. Maybe he needs to try some different meds?

Do you mean he is staying up all night and going to bed at 11:00am? if so I would suggest talking to your doctor ASAP about taking him off it. If he's getting a couple hours sleep a night that could end very badly if it continues. I think and hope you're saying he goes to bed at 11pm which wouldn't be that bad.

It sounds like you're doing your best so talking about changing meds with a good psychologist is your best option in my opinion.





Hey Jana has your daughter tried Dexedrine before? I'm pretty sure it's approved for use with children and it may be worth talking to your doctor about doing a trial of it. From what I gather the 'come down' is less extreme when it wears off. Good luck, you sound like you're doing your very best.

Hi OZCHRIS. I have not heard of Dexedrine? I read it is similar to Ritalin. I guess I dont know much about it.Dexedrine is an amphetamine class stimulant, dextroamphetamine, also used for treating ADHD. I take it myself. :)

wow i could be reading my own post here. my 5 year old is adhd but not medicated and she is making my life and my sons life a nightmare :(. and when he gets in on the game then i have no control over either of them but usually my 4 year old is well behaved. i am a single mum and i to feel like people are putting me in the :bad mum: catogery because i cant control my child but i try soo hard but seem to get knowhere.
i also have bi-polar and some days its hard even getting out of bed and the fights usually start within 10 minutes of the kids being up. i got jades communication book back from school yesterday and it is appauling :( most of the entries say she had to be restrained.

Scoobydoo:
I spent a lot of time thinking about meds or not meds, and at the end of the day I decided that I will never know unless I try. I said to myself I can always stop them if I don't like them. It is a very personal desicion but if you do go with meds, don't give up at the first sign of trouble, there are many meds, they all work different and they all deserve a chance. They need to be adjusted: dosing and timing and they all had their tricks. I went with the patch because it is versatile, has no artificial flavor o color and my son does not need to swallow a pill. And also it was the one that worked for him...
I also felt like the "bad mom" and had the typical comments from people that really have not idea what we deal with, I did the "natural approaches", feingold diet, vitamins and behavior management which helped a lot, and I dont regret it, and still do but still was not enough. The thing is (my personal opinion only) avoiding chemicals is necessary, good nutrition is necessary but ADHD is about a chemical inbalance on the brain, so in my case medicine was also necessary, the good nutrition just helps the meds work better.

One last word: take care of yourself so you can take care of others!!;)

Good luck!!