Bedtime struggles

[Cjlyn]

Help! I am new to all this. My ten year old son was diagnosed this year with inattentive ADHD. He has been on focolin XR for about 3 months now . So far I have seen improvements more relaxed, less worried and focused and engaged at school. However at night once the medicine has worn off I feel like I am dealing with a completely different kid. Meltdowns, screaming matches, defiance, back talk, you name it; it’s probably happened. On top of it I have needed to place him on melatonin because he sleep has been horrible. Since I can remember he has never been a good sleeper but on the Focalin it’s become worse without the melatonin. Which I feel he may need something stronger. I am a pretty calm person. I usually try to use positive reinforcement when he behaves this way. However it’s a complete stuggle and my heart is break for him. He often cry’s after yelling at me because he doesn’t understand why he has so much anger. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Any advice? My husband gets so mad but he doesn’t understand.

[Eclecticentric77]

Focalin works with the neurotransmitters Dopamine and Norepinephrine. When the medication wears off, these neurotransmitters are low temporarily, which causes the irritablity and frustration. In order to combat this, I highly recommend taking the supplement N-Acetyl Tyrosine, which works by helping those exact neurotransmitters. I have been taking it an hour or 30min before my stimulant medication wears off (for 3yrs now), and it has greatly helped remove irritability and feeling down when the medication wears off.

I also take Melatonin, specifically 300mcg 6 hour release, 30min before bed. The smaller dosage of micrograms seem to work better than milligrams (unfortunately most markets carry milligrams). When melatonin was synthesized, 300 micrograms was the optimal dose according to research, and I am witness to that since it works better for me from experience. The 6 hour release indicates that the pineal gland will secrete melatonin in small increments through the night for about 6hrs so the sleep quality can be improved. I would highly recommend having your son take L-Tryptophan as well, it works with Serotonin and works in synergy with Melatonin (to be taken 15min or so before bed). People who have Inattentive ADHD have what is called slow-onset sleep. The combo of Melatonin and L-Tryptophan greatly helps that. I've been combining those two for about 2yrs now and my sleep has greatly improved.

Click on my profile to see some links to those supplements and other supplements that are helpful for people with ADHD if you're interested. There's a link there as well for a series of videos I made for people with Inattentive ADHD and the problems they go through from Elementary school through Adulthood. Hope this helps.

[Cjlyn]

Wow thank you so much for this information I truly appreciate it. I will look further into your profile to see the links. If it’s alright with you can I save this message if I ever have another question I could reach out. Again thank you!

[Eclecticentric77 in reply to Cjlyn]

No problem at all. Glad it was of some help, and of course, hit me up if have questions

[Darinea]

Hi, I am 15 with ADHD and I take Catapres at night time to help me relax and it helps a lot. Ask his doctor if this is an option for him because it helps a lot