Sleep problems on concerta

[BiddyPop]

DD has started taking concerta for Aspergers. initially ritalin for a week to try the active ingredient, then concerta for the long acting version.

The concerta is causing havoc with sleep. While we've always had problems, DD had managed to get to sleep by about 9pm most nights recently, and was sleeping well so the meltdowns were less frequent and we were back on a more "even keel" for a while (we seem to go in cycles from poor sleep and meltdowns, to catching up on sleep and then better behaviour).

She's now having awful problems getting to sleep, and still waking early in the mornings. The summer sunshine is not helping (we do have blackout blinds on her windows), or the noise of the neighbours kids out playing on the green until well past 9 (including those younger than her ). But it only started getting bad like this once we started the meds.

Our usualy routine was bathroom, pjs, 2 chapters from a book read initially by her then finished by bedtime parent (DH and I alternate) and then lights low with music or audiobook on ipod - and she'd conk out. If she's wound up, we know to relax her down in the evenings before bed - chatting, reading schoolbook, watching tv curled up together, getting footrubs from daddy.

That is not working now. We've tried:
Lavendar baths, sleepy spray (lavendar, chamomile type stuff - it's a generic Boots spray), badger balm on wrists, teetha, really working on pre-bed relaxation, plain baths, lavendar showers, warm room, cold room, lights low during story, staying in bed reading to self after story, staying in bed doing maths or other worksheets. We've even resorted to dozol recently as she was having too many meltdowns because of tiredness.

Has anyone any ideas??? (Psych did say that she'd give us something to help her sleep if it continued, but that's not due to happen until the end of the week at the earliest - and DH is back travelling this week so I will be alone dealing with it).

And we are all getting ratty because of it - as DH and I are not getting to sit until nearly 10 o'clock at night, when we used to be able to sit down for a half hour just after 9. So we're not getting to bed until late now and have to be up at 7 and also need more sleep.

Is it possible to give it any earlier in the morning to give it more time to exit system before bed time ?

Sorry, she has a dual DX - Aspergers and ADHD, I guess I sometimes get mixed up what's what.

She gets it normally before 8am, she only wakes about 7.30 weekdays. And we give it pretty much as soon as she's up at weekends (we are soo thankful she's actually sleeping til near 9 that we are not waking her - she's normally a 6.30/7am person even at weekends).

Overall, it seems to be helping her concentrate and regulate her behaviour better. That's why we are continuing with it. She plays a team sport that she's good at technically and suddenly she's playing more like a teamplayer too on it.

We are taking it under medical supervision and advice - so we are aware that it is a stimulant. Is there something that we should be further aware of Leonie?

We had trouble with not sleeping till later when ds first tried concerta. However in the long run concerta has proved very useful for ds. And yes we did only consider medication after considerable research and serious issues. Sometimes it takes a while to find a medication that best suits the child and it was the case for ds too.

Things that work for us? first ds is given it as soon as he wakes - literally. ( this is partly because he is much more able and aware of danger once the medication is working and we need this for the journey to school) Second we had to allow a later bedtime so he was ready for sleep before especting to sleep IYKWIM. As he adapted the problems lessened.

Ds was tried on immediate release methyphenidate and it became obvious he metabolised the drug very quickly -it clearly started to wear off in 2 hours not 3-4hrs (be aware I am not a pharmacist or medic) so the continous release pump of concerta was trialed. Concerta is supposed to give 12 hours action. As far as i remember other sustained release methylphenidate tablets (like equasyme extended release) work differently by having a second dose released later giving up to 8 hours coverage. So even if the initial trial with ritalin ( immediate release) proved helpful there may be another presentation of it that might suit better?

I wonder if you need to go back to discuss the night trouble with the specialist who prescribed the medication.

Concerta has made a huge difference to my 12 year old son's life, though his wasn't an extreme ADHD, it made his life at school very difficult and we were considering a second move of school. It was generally thought (including by my husband) to be my fault for poor parenting. We have been on four parenting courses, and have seen two Educational Psychologists. (Kerching £££) and after resisting, finally decided to try it. Poor little chap felt totally powerless to change and didn't know really why he did the things he did.

He is on daily report for misbehaviour with the school and within days of taking this, the reports were transformed from comments about his disruption and lack of concentration etc to amazing comments about his insightful observations in class, his good behaviour and his effort and attainment scores were totally different.

There was a sleep issue and there is a food issue. So what we do is give it to him at 6.45 when we get up, he then stays in bed and goes back to sleep until about 7.45 when he gets up. This means it is wearing off in time for his sleep, and we try to make sure we have a relaxing bed time, bath etc.

I give him a big breakfast and a big dinner and some relatively wholesome snack to take to school if he fancies it. He doesn't eat much lunch he says.

All this is worth it to be honest to see him so happy and doing so well. He is over the moon about it too and says he doesn't feel any different at all and doesn't really know why he doesn't do what he used to any more!

BTW I did research it thoroughly before hand and found loads of ill informed bunkum by people who had generalised views based on little knowledge and preconceived notions. In the end, I decided to set most store by this wonderful website called ADHD Voices, which gave the story from the kids point of view. It is lovely to listen to. So forget the hysterics from the ill informed. Listen to the kids who's lives it has transformed.

www.adhdvoices.com/

Woofiehil, dont know if you realise but that thread is nearly a year old.