ADHD help

[MacNcheese87]

I haven't posted on this board before (surprising as I have two children both with special needs) but I'm hoping someone on here will have some words of wisdom for me. We are really struggling in the mornings.

Ds1 has autism and ADHD, but the biggest problem by far is his ADHD. In the mornings, he wakes early, before his medicine kicks in he is a complete whirlwind. He runs up and down our hall naked, making very loud noises, he is provocative to his brother and jumps all over our dog. We have a full hour of this every morning. He can't control himself, I can't control him. It eats into the time before school where he should be getting washed, dressed and fed, so getting him to do those activities requires constant supervision and direction. (Me shouting 'TEETH!' at the whizzing tornado, me manually making him sit down to put his socks on) Every part of the morning 'routine' involves me standing right by him and shouting for him to follow the instructions. He cannot hear me unless I shout, he is too far in his own world at this point.

Just keeping him clean is a milestone in itself. Then there's keeping clothes on him, trying to keep his brother safe, trying to make him eat... it's just so exhausting. He's nearly 10 years old and I have to treat him like a child half his age.

How do you all cope in the morning? What type of medicine have you found works best for you or your child? I know he cannot control his actions when he is at the peak of hyperactivity, but it's really getting me down and it's a never ending struggle. I'm pregnant and baby is due in June so hoping to get some sort of plan in place before baby arrives. Mornings are so hard without the sleep deprivation a baby brings. I will be pushing our next appointment with CAMHs through a month early if they have availability but I'm just trying not to fall apart before then.

[Allthewaves]

We have only ever used equasym but it only has 8hr window. Ds1 (8) gets his ipad as soon as he gets up around 6am - keeps his super quiet then his meds at 7.30. In talks about moving him to a 12hr prep. Would it be worth giving your ds his meds as soon as he wakes

[Msqueen33]

My dd is 7 and has ADHD and autism and is on medikinet. I find if she's bored she's much more hyper. Meds for us have been amazing and probably are what's kept her in mainstream.