Good luck! My son is now 7 and still is having accidents during the day and the night. I have researched everywhere I can think of, talked to pediatricians, and have not had any success. I am about at my last straw which seems to be looking into hypnotherapy. (no joke!) According to this therapist (who's son is ADHD as well) feels that it is worth a try. It is supposed to be very non-evasive. I will let you know how it goes. We have an appointment next month. From the other parents locally that I have talked to (most people don't like to talk about it) - it seems common for soiling and wetting to be an issue. Unfortunately, that doesn't help us parents deal with the frustration or embarrassment of it. Sorry, I know not much help.

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I went to an information night a few years back at a local hospital. It was about bedwetting. It surprised me how many of the parents were talking about kids with ADD/ADHD. Apparently it a co-morbid problem. Even though one doesn't necessarily go with the other, it seems to be more common in this community. The hormone that you're using to help can be a god send. I hope the doctor told you that he will likely create that hormone himself when he gets older, so this probably won't be a lifelong med for him. Another thing we found common was the way that the child sleeps. Does your son sleep the sleep of the dead? I've given my daughter night time antibiotics, like we all have, but I've put it in the mouth of a sleeping child. She would NOT wake up. I'm sure that's part of the reason. They just can't wake up. Now that's she's hitting puberty she no longer has any problem at all. The hormone has kicked in, and her sleep pattern has changed. As for the daytime, I know a young man who would have the same problem whenever he was hyper-focusing on something. Check to see if it's happening at a similar time, or at a particular time of day. He fixed his problem by scheduling his bathroom breaks. Hope this helps.

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Hi Lorraine,

Thanks for the reply. I finally took my son to a neurologist and it was confirmed that he does have ADD. It still has to sink in in me so sad to say, I still haven't really researched more about what ADD really is. You mentioned hyper-focusing. You are spot on!!! His wetting usually happens when he is engaged in play with his friends or using the computer. And just like what you said, he does sleep like a log. A couple of times, about 2 years ago, I tried to see if I can wake him up in the middle of the night to take him to the toilet. It was like carrying the dead. No matter what I do, he just wouldn't wake up.

Thanks so much. My emotional well has been drained and I can start anew.

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Hello....just like to post my experience on this topic. My son, age 11 now, went to a pediatrician nd he found my son was constipated. He explained the bowels are close to the bladder (hope I remember this correctly), when it gets full it presses on the bladder which results in accidents. He suggested we give him some of this liquid stuff (sorry can't remember the name of it) and we also gave him Metamucil biscuits with water. It really helped with the bowels and the bed wetting and accidents occurred less often.

At night time I restrict his liquid intake, make sure he goes to the bathroom before bedtime. He takes his sheets off and makes his own bed when an accident occurs. Glad to say there are not many sheets in the wash these days.

He does get really interested in computer games and forgets he has to go or waits til the very last second. He's not accident free yet but things are getting better.

There is hope....hang in there....you are not alone.

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Crys, Talk about frustration (for us, the family) and embarrassment (for him). Much as I would like to admit I am a model mom, every now and then, I still lose it - temper and patience, then feel guilty about it. It worries me that it will have an emotional and psychological effect on my son. You are right, not a lot of people are open about this matter even if it is more common that we think. Probably because parents experience the same emotional turmoil like I do but are too ashamed to admit it rather than addressing it. Your reply gave me emotional support. Thanks.

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I know this is a really old thread, but just in case there are other parents who would like to know :)... it made life a lot easier for us when we finally found this stuff :)).

My daughter went through / is going through almost this exact same story. Her problems are also hyperfocus and a tendency to constipation (probably because of the hyperfocus- she doesn't want to or can't break off what she's doing to go), which cause her to have wetting / soiling accidents. We went through the whole slew of tests to look for abnormalities, etc., and it ended up being the constipation. The pediatric urologist at Phoenix Children's Hospital told us to use magnesium citrate, which is an over-the-counter liquid laxative, very inexpensive (about 2-3 bucks around here). It's flavored and carbonated, so it looks a bit like Sprite. My daughter's not a big fan of the flavor, but it works great!! You can get it in most major pharmacies or grocery stores, like CVS, Walgreen's or Fry's.

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Wow, am I glad I found this board, and this thread in particular! My son is 7, and recently diagnosed as ADD. He has been having soiling accidents on an almost daily basis since school began. At first we suspected encopresis, but our doctor had x-rays done and saw no blockages in the bowels. He's in 2nd grade and I am basically having to re-potty train him.

The school nurse has been very patient with him, but she doesn't feel that the toileting issues are ADD related. She thinks that he's just 'reluctant to grow up'.

His psychologist seems to think that the toileting issue is possibly anxiety related, and if we can get either it or the ADD under control, one will take care of the other. My son has four more visits with the psychologist before she completes her evaluation and determines whether or not medication is right for him.

My question is, how common are toileting issues in children with ADD? I'll keep working with him to get this under control, but will medication, if advised, help also? And, is the school nurse being a bit dismissive about this not being ADD related?

Thanks!

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Greetings all. This topic is very much hitting home with me and my 12 year old daughter. She has been having urine accidents for at least a year...sometimes every couple months...recently over the holidays...every couple days. It happens when she is enjoying herself (hyperfocused) and so far is not in the least concerned about the social ramifications. So far, this has not happened in school...but that's my biggest fear right now. My question is...how do we deal with this? We have taken away video games and computer (her major interests) and yet it happens again. Thanks for the ear.

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Hello, I want to thank you for your postings. I thought I was going crazy. My step-son (age 6) has difficulty with wetting his pants. The doctor said that there was nothing wrong physically. He recently was diagnosed with ADHD-hyperactity/impulsive type. His father and I use a reward/punishment behavior modification in our house. This does work, except when he is home for the day (summer, vacations, weekends) because he does get so focused on his play. Then, we have to remind him to use the bathroom. This is working well. The night time wetting is because he does sleep so sound. I have found that on days he has more cinnamon in his diet, his nitetime (big boy words for pull-up, we dont want him assamed of this) is dryer. I also have found an old-fashion remedy for bed-wetting that helps too. We call it "corn tea" right before bed, we have him use the bathroom (regardless if he has to or not) then he gets his tea. It is 1 cup hot water and 15 drops of Corn Silk Extract. This works wonders.

If you have any other suggestions, I would really like to hear them.

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Toilet training problems are very common in children with ADHD.

Your best defense is to train him to control his bladder. It's a 21-day process. The method I know of was developed by a foster mother raising 36 children with severe ADHD. 40% of her kids had this problem. (I'm not selling it, don't worry.)

Day-wetting, bed-wetting, and soiling are common problems with these kids. It's so exasperating. This can last into the teenage years and beyond without specific help.

Wish I had more encouraging news.

One thing I can recommend is to have him wash his bed linens and clothes and disenfect the mattress cover very matter of factly the minute you discover he's wet.

Yours sincerely in parenting success, Debra Sale Wendler

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