ADHD medication and sleep

[Worriedmotheroftwo]

My son had recently started ADHD medication. His dosed was increased recently. However, he's started struggling to go to sleep at bedtime. He's always been good at going to sleep before but now says he has too many thoughts in his head (he's 6 years old). Thr medication is a stimulant but I was told it would wear off at around 4 or 5pm, so surely it can't be affecting his sleep... can it? Some insight would be amazing. Thanks so much.

For some, meds do have a negative effect on sleep. Some find playing around with the timings helps. Others find changing meds works.

Thanks- that's what I've read... but in terms of timings, I was told it would wear off within a certain amount of hours (by the end of the school day) so I don't understand why it would affect sleep, if there's supposedly none left in his body?

Everyone is different.

And sometimes it isn’t the meds themselves still working but the ‘withdrawal’.

It's very common.

A lot of us add in melatonin to get them off to sleep.

DD can't get her mind to stop when she's trying to sleep, so has a 2.5mg gummy and that does the trick. Her meds wear off around 5pm and she goes to bed around 11pm-midnight.

Thanks. I didn't realise this. My son has always been a brilliant sleeper (unusual for ADHD we've been told!) so this difficulty in getting to sleep is unexpected! I was told all effects would wear off by the end of the school day so didn't realise it could impact on sleep in this way!

If you haven't read it, I really recommend the book 'The Parent's Guide to ADHD Medication' - it's about the most useful book I've read and a very easy read without being basic.