My six year old son has been on Focalin XR 10mg for about six months now. Within the last three months we have noticed that it seems to not control him in the evening and he is so angry and wild, crying throwing huge fits. The doctor put him on Focalin 2.5 mg for the evening and it didn't seem to really phase him. When we went back for a check up the doc asked how the focalin in the evening was working and I explain the situation so he increased the focalin in the evening to 5 mg. Is this to much? We stuck with focalin because he seemed to react the best with it. We tried several different ones and liked this one the best. We are still having problems at bedtime though. Of course I don't expect him to be a perfect child but when we try to put him to bed it is an all out war, usually my husband and I begin to argue because it takes sometimes three hours before he will settle down and fall asleep. His doctor but him on atarax for bedtime. Is it normal for a child with adhd to have sleep problems or am I just doing something wrong? I want to do what is best for my son and I just don't know if I am doing something wrong and I don't want to over medicate him or have him think he needs medicine for everything. Help!
Thank you for your question and welcome to ADHDCentral.com.
I would not be able to provide information on whether or not your doctor has prescribed too much medication for your son. These concerns would best be discussed directly with your doctor.
As far as getting your son to bed, many children with ADHD have trouble sleeping (adults with ADHD as well). Using behavior modification techniques may help. In addition, make sure you follow the same routine each night to make sure your son knows exactly what to expect. You might want to begin the bedtime routine with a warm bath and then spend time with calming activities such as massage and reading a book together.
I am also providing you with some links to additional information that may be helpful:
Helping Children with ADD get to Sleep
Games to Motivate your Children
Creating a Discipline Process at Home
I hope this information helps.
Eileen
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