Clonidine?

[ENA2018]

Has anyone here had to put their child on clonidine because at bedtime their mind is still racing even though their child is so exhausted?

[JenD94]

Yes! My 5 year old daughter was prescribed it as the first meds for her adhd. It was half a pill twice a day but it made her fall asleep during school so now we do a whole .1mg pill at night and it (along with our essential oils) is the reason she is getting good sleep at night. Her doctors long term goal is to add it back in during the day (not exactly sure why) but that alone with the adderall xr seem to be helping her.

[ENA2018 in reply to JenD94]

My son is taking the same pill at bedtime. It doesn’t seem to be helping him fall asleep, but it helps him stay asleep.. did it help your daughter fall asleep? What oils do you find help? And do you use a diffuser?

[JenD94 in reply to ENA2018]

It definitely makes her fall asleep faster. We always do lavender. I mix up the others depending on how hyper she seems. I’ve done lemon and stress away and peppermint . And yes we diffuse at night and in the morning I have a roller bottle with our “morning oils” which is lavender,stress away, lemon,peppermint, frankincense and we use almond oil. Everything I use Is supposed to help her be calm and help her anxiety. We get ours through young living if you want more information. They have a lot that’s supposed to help with ADHD,autism ,etc.

[pwb78]

Before clonidine, my son would still be awake two hours or more after we put him to bed. He would also regularly wake up in the middle of the night. Clonidine helps him get to sleep and stay asleep. That has a positive effect on him at school because he is actually well rested.

[Melissanmylittleman]

My 5 year old takes .2of clonidine however he still wakes up at 3am and takes him about2hours to fall asleep after taking it

[ENA2018 in reply to Melissanmylittleman]

My son takes .1 right now, but it still takes him about 2 hours to fall asleep also.. It’s helped to keep him asleep, so our mornings are getting better. I’m just wondering if increasing the dose would help??

[despi in reply to ENA2018]

Try giving it to him earlier. I know it takes about 2 hrs to work. If I want him to be asleep by 9:00, I give to him at 7:00.

Good luck

[Cjkchamp]

No clonidine. Psychiatrist put my son on Guanfacine ER.

[ENA2018 in reply to Cjkchamp]

How is that working for him? When does he take it and how old is he?

[Cjkchamp in reply to ENA2018]

He just turned 6 in December. He started off at 1 mg and has since been increased to 2mg. Supposed to give him the medicine 30 minutes before bed. Some nights he will still wake up but he is usually okay to go back to sleep. I have to remember it’s not uncommon for kids to get up at night. Psychiatrist said he may be difficult to get up in the mornings, but I haven’t experienced that. I tried not giving him the medicine and he was so wired at night he told me, “my brain won’t stop.”

[ENA2018 in reply to Cjkchamp]

Yes, that’s what my son says too.

[reg2018]

My youngest used to be up until one or two in the morning hopping around his room because he couldn't get to sleep. Clonidine helped, but wasn't the complete answer. A combination of clonidine, melatonin, and an over-the-counter sleep aid is what finally put him to sleep. All of which were recommended by his physician. I can't even tell you what a blessing it was to finally have him going to sleep at night.

[ENA2018 in reply to reg2018]

That’s exactly what we are dealing with and have been for awhile... he takes the clonidine .1 about 30 minutes before bed, but i doesn’t seem to help him fall asleep.. it does help him to stay asleep after about 2 hours of excessive energy.. we tried melatonin and that didn’t work either.. I’m wondering if maybe I need to give it to him earlier? Does it take that long to work on some kids?? Maybe I need a dose increase?

[Brownstoner in reply to reg2018]

I long for a peaceful night !!!

[ENA2018 in reply to Brownstoner]

Same here.. it’s getting there at our house, so hopefully we will have it all figured out soon.

[Samone412]

I am opposed to heavy drugs. We have done melatonin ( 1 adult gummy at 3-5 mg) 2 hours before bed and have a routine. Bath, reading, talk about her interest and no electronics or brightly lit rooms to include tv 2 hours before bedtime. It has worked very well. I do not give it to her on days that she does not have to go to school the next day. Instead we do a lot of activities (soccer, racing each other, jump rope, etc) that kind of wears her out before we start our night routine.

[Brownstoner in reply to Samone412]

This sounds great and what I would prefer to do with my non-sleeper. I dont like heavy medicating. Do you find that once your kid goes to sleep , they stay sleep? My issue is , I’ve tried these things (although not very consistent after a few months) and find that my son will fall asleep but not stay asleep. Melatonin helps off and on. But he still gets up at least 2 times per night. Rough nights it’s about 4

[Samone412 in reply to Brownstoner]

Mia did the same thing when we were out of school, but since she has started back and we do activity everyday along with the melatonin, I personally have not had that issue. I mean every now and then, but it is not an ongoing issue. I have found that staying with a consistent routine is also very important. It took a while to get to this place so don't give up. It can be very frustrating.

[Brownstoner in reply to Samone412]

Thanks!!

[reg2018]

I know medication can bring up strong feelings for people and I get it. I've also been doing some reading recently about certain individuals with ADHD who also have sleep disorders, specifically a problem with their body not producing melatonin naturally, which is why a melatonin supplement helps them fall asleep faster. (It was a scientific study done.) And for our son the question became, keep on going without giving him something to help him and have him suffer with ongoing negative behaviors, negative consequences and an inability to perform well in school because he then hadn't slept well, or give him something so he could sleep and have a better chance at focusing each day for more positive results. I look at it this way, how does anyone feel and behave when they don't get a good night's sleep? They're irritable and it's hard to be patient. Then extend that over several nights.

[Brownstoner]

So glad to have seen this post. As I signed on, I was going to ask if anyone experiences the non sleeping part of ADHD. My son has never been a sleeper since birth. He’s not going on 9. He takes Vyvanse during for his day medication. I battle to try the clonidine, and our psychiatrist hasn’t suggested it yet. My son Does not sleep. It’s only gettin worse. He’s a very anxious. He’s very restless. I give alternate melatonin and Benadryl. Which most times neither even Work the slightest bit. When he finally falls asleep, he is up within a hour and the 3 more times throughout the night. And when he does sleep he’s doesn’t seem to be in a deep sleep! This is very stressful. I worry he’s not gettin enough sleep. I am for sure not which makes me

Cranky ! I’ve tried lavender, and it does help but seems he gets immune to quickly! I will try the oils again for they really do work. Any suggestions on what you think of the clonidine??

[ENA2018 in reply to Brownstoner]

Melatonin does not work for my son, and he actually has the opposite effect with Benadryl. He gets super hyper when he takes it. (We have to give it to him for motion sickness on occasion). So far, I’ve noticed that the clonidine has helped him get to that deep sleep stage, and it keeps him asleep. We are still struggling with the falling asleep part... we have a schedule. (Bath, book, bed) with no electronics an hour or so prior.. I’m thinking maybe we need to increase his dose just a tiny bit. I have also noticed that he is happier in the morning because he’s actually getting rest!

[Brownstoner in reply to ENA2018]

Okay great. Thanks. I have the same

Issue if I give him just one Benadryl, but 2 will At least have either no effect or some

Effect. The electronics are a big issue,

That I believe play a part.