Clonidine trial in 4.5 year old boy

[OwensMom8817]

4.5 year old boy with ADHD and separation anxiety insomnia/ night awakening considering starting clonidine, has anyone had any experience with this medication in a child this young? He is currently taking melatonin, gabapentin, and hydroxyzine at night to help with sleep. We attempted weaning from gabapentin and hydroxyzine due to limited effect on sleep but actually saw major changes in impulsivity, hyperactivity, focus, aggression, anxiety and mood during the day so opted to put him back on it. Sleep specialist feels sleep awakening is due to separation anxiety and poor coping ability vs a true sleeping issue.

[JJMom16]

We have been using Clonidine for poor sleep in my now 5.5 year old since he was 4.5. It worked immediately and continues to be very helpful. He takes a 0.1mg pill an hour before bedtime. The first few weeks we used it, it knocked him out. This effect will wear off over time and it will become more of a calming agent to promote easy sleep. We started with a 1/2 of a 0.1mg pill and worked up over time.

I'd be happy to answer any more questions you have. I hope Clonidine works for you!

[OwensMom8817 in reply to JJMom16]

Thank you so much for your response. Do you also see an effect on behavior during the day?

[JJMom16 in reply to OwensMom8817]

No, not on Clonidine alone. We did see an impact from Guanfacine, its' sister medication, in terms of mood stability, but in our case, Guanfacine also caused insomnia, which only made things worse.

Our "winning combination" to date is Concerta 27mg for ADHD, Celexa 20mg for Anxiety (this has actually made the biggest impact on mood), and Clonidine 0.1mg for nighttime sleep.

Best of luck to you with Clonidine. It is so hard to work through this with such a young kiddo!

[50thanniversaryvette]

My daughter didn’t go on medication till she was 8 due to the discord between my husband & I. She utilized Vvyanse during the day along with mood stabilizers and anxiety medication. She’s 16 now and has a good regimen. My nephew on the other hand… had severe separation anxiety & ADHD and used Adderal. Melatonin was a huge key along with intensive running, playing, swimming.. high aerobic exercise for 60 min a day. Once he had that constant exercise for his hyper energy….a protein rich diet with vegetables, , low sugar diet & A warm bath with lavender by 6:30/7pm and a daily & nightly routine it truly helped him.

with an anxiety medication 2x daily… it was the correct combination for him. Every child is different & we have to go through trial and lots of errors.

His mother made sure to get up early before work & she’d take him running (intensive exercise) 5-6 days a week. He still had some school problems with hyperactivity but the days he didn’t get the exercise he was 10x worse in class. This led to a lifetime of exercise plans for him, gym membership & he is 28 yr old now & still has to run or do exercise daily… due to his daily routine became really good at it, enjoyed it and is currently a personal trainer. He has been involved in CrossFit competitions for 10 years now and loves it. He says without the exercise as a kid he was lost, a pain for all teachers & a distraction to his classmates. I know the exercise for him was & still is a huge key to his success in figuring out what could be added into his toolbox for helping him. I wish you luck in your journey with your son. You will find out a combination of what works best for him. Patience is another key to lifelong success. Cheers

[julieboolie]

My 5.5yo is similar. He's been taking melatonin for years and I have been told that it can cause bad dreams and disruptive sleep. He does wake most nights but comes in our room and quietly (without waking me!) and goes right back to sleep. He has trauma in his background so that part of his sleep disturbance is expected. Have you tired just the Clonidine at bedtime and not the melatonin to see if that's the cause?He is taking hydroxicone now which mellows him out while we figure out the new Clonidine, waiting on prior approval and pharmacy now.

The stimulant ADHD medications we've tried (methylphenidate and adderall so far) made his aggression and anxiety worse. We took him off them yesterday and he's already doing better.

I'm hoping the anxiety meds will help that decrease and as he calms down in class it will help him focus better at school.

Re; the exercise input. My son LOVES to swim! He's a fish and the pool has been really helpful for him. Legos are another suggestion we found on this board and it is working well for him too.

There is a lot of "wait for the meds to work" and "give it time" which I find so hard while watching my son struggle. It does help to see glimmers of calm and peace in his life and I am holding on to the hope that the right combination for him is out there and it'll be worth it when we find it.