Is there a link between Trimethoprim and lack of sleep?

[RubyCharlie]

Hi, my 2 year old boy has been on trimethoprim daily for urinary reflux since he was 7 months old. He is also lactose intolerant (may not be relevant but just including just incase!).

In the last year his sleeping at night has become increasingly erratic. He is always happy to go to bed - he goes straight off to sleep at around 6:30/7:00 (he's too tired to stay awake any longer) but throughout the night he will wake up wide awake for anything up to 4 hours. Even if he has been awake this long he will then wake up wide awake at 5am. It is almost like he is too 'excited/hyper' to be able to sleep. Even when he is asleep, I wonder how much of that time he is properly asleep and not just dozing.

Apart from the obvious exhaustion the rest of my family are feeling, I am wondering whether it may have anything to do with his medication. I have heard that trimethorpim can sometimes over stimulate and child and almost cause insomnia. Has anyone else ever had any experience of this? I will go and talk to the doctor but I don't want to sound as if I am just moaning about lack of sleep (though i seem to spend my life doing this at the moment!).

Ds was on it for 4 months: never noticed a correlation tbh.

How interesting. I never connected the dots at the time but DS was on trimethoprim from 6 mos for about a year after UTI's and is also CMP allergic. His sleep was horrendous from about then, unfortunately it didn't really recover when he stopped taking it but there may have been a connection. I didn't think to question it at the time.

I might be worth asking a Dr - there are alternatives you can take which may be an option.

Thanks both - i will make an appointment and see what they say. It has certainly got worse as time goes on. He has been on it a year now and it likely to be on it for 1 - 2 years more. I will let you know what they say. Thanks!