Has your son been tested for a possible sleep disorder?

It's highly possible that his medication may be keeping him from a good night's sleep. However, some undiagnosed neurological sleep disorders, like Narcolepsy, are sometimes mistaken for ADD because of the similar behavioral symptoms.

I'm not saying that your son has a sleep disorder, but it may be worth exploring if you are at your wit's end.

BTW - Does he ever complain of paralysis (he is frozen or unable move) during his "bad dreams"?

best wishes, - Otto

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I hadn't thought of that. He hasn't mentioned any paralysis.

I have had him off the ADD meds during the Christmas break, and he is still getting up sporadically.

Thanks for the suggestion.

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Sorry, not actual paralysis!! ... but if he has the sensation that he cannot move during his vivid dreams, this may be from bouts with cataplexy, which is common among narcoleptics, along with "night terrors" and night-sweats. Also, sleep walking is common a common symptom among children with Narcolepsy.

My ADHD was very difficult to diagnose due to the affects of what we later found out was narcolepsy.

Feel free to message me if you'd like more information on sleep disorders with ADD/ADHD, plus posible similarities in symptoms.

cheers... Otto

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Sleep disorder are very common in ADHD; and I have been plagued by them since I was a child. Problems falling off; and then staying asleep. Make sure he is getting enough activity like running around too much sitting and playing video is counter productive, reduce caffeine through out the day switch to no caffeine around 6-7 hours before bedtime. Warm milk, comfortable room after a warm shower. If Ritalin is taken twice a day use the LA in the AM ; and ask your doctor for a short acting tablet for the afternoon since LA acts for 8-12 hours, and short acting 4-6 hours. Strattera may be a choice because it help sleep ; and is taken at night. Bad dreams can be due to conflict he is experiencing during the day, our unconscious mind will deal with thing our waking refuses to do. Listen to what his focus is in the dreams. It will give you a clue to his problems during the days. If worse comes to worse you can give him Benadryl; but be aware in children it can cause hyperactivity; and difficulty waking in the AM. No spicy foods at night. I hope he gets to sleep. Some lucky people only need 4-5 hours so maybe Bedtime needs adjustment. I hope this helps

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Recently I have begun to have major sleep issues. I haven't taken ADD meds in a long time. I am finding it so hard to fall asleep . Does anyone have any suggestion that are not Benadryl or Melatonin that I can take without an prescription. I have cut out my caffeine, I drink warm milk, the room is dark and comfortable for sleep; but I have a constant stream of thought just as I lay my head down

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I don't know what you are on, but I recently went through the same thing and they told me to take my second dose of dexedrine at bedtime since it calms me down and it has worked so far. Just wondering why you haven't been taking your meds?

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I just thought that the meds were making me not myself, I felt I lost my self by taking these meds, no spontaneity, no dreams, no creativeness that I had before tend to disappear. Even while on the meds I am still blamed for everything; and my husband would say it was my fault any so I figure if the meds did work for me I still wouldn't mess up. Now I mess up I can say it was my ADD if it truly was. My husband blamed so much on me with or without meds I figure what difference did it make. I got by without meds for 45 years > I figure I can another few days or months because after college; and I graduate Dec 07 THEN I may after look at my marriage; and it will be up to me to stay married, f/u with my ADDor live a life where ADD doesn't get in the way and works inside a family

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I still mess up when I'm on my meds but not as frequently as when I'm off of them. Usually what triggers problems is insomnia or overly stressed. It's worth it for me to feel different because it's what is closer to (normal) is. If there is a normal.

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Hate to add this but it wasn't mentioned: A week before my period, I always wind up not being to get to sleep, sleepiing lightly, wakiing too early, etc. Since I don't like taking Benedryl and Ambien, etc. I have a glass of red wine at about 9:00. I don't know why but the red wine relaxes me enough to get into bed and make a dream. I have a fairy tale/dream that I focus on while trying to relas my feet and hands and arms, etc. Once I start imagining my tale (I've had the same tale going for over 5 years now), especially focusing on the details like the weather, the carpet inthe room, the books on the shelves, etc. I'm out for the entire night. During this week, the Ambiens and other sleep aids have no effect and make my sleeplessness worse.

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I am a mom who has tried about everything with varying degrees of success and I have just hit upon a new trick. A cool bath seems to make my 11 year-old son sleepy, more quickly than a warm bath. I let the water get cool, but not so cold that he couldn't get in. I put a little more cold water in, then put in the entire ice bin from my freezer (about 1 commercial bag full). My son actually thought it was fun and has wanted to do it for a couple of nights. After several minutes, he dried off with a warm towel from the dryer. Tried it myself and it actually does make you very sleepy. The science makes sense because your core body temperatures cools as you go to sleep.

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My 9 yr. old ADHD/Asperger's son has tried many things to help fall asleep and stay asleep. The Melatonine worked great for helping him fall asleep. However, he too complained of bad dreams. I just dismissed the complaint for a while because I felt he was getting more sleep by falling asleep quickly. He became more haggered and irritable because he was having troubled sleep. When I mentioned it to the Psychiatrist, she said to stop the Melatonine immediately. She said bad dreams was an unusual side affect but certainly the Melatonine was causing the bad dreams. We have begun a sleep study. The first step has been building my son's iron stores with a prescription multi-vitamin with extra iron. A blood draw to check the Feratin (iron stores) level showed a below normal level. Some physicians suggest restless leg syndrome can be caused by a low Feratin level, thus impacting sleep. After 6 months of the extra iron, my son's Feratin level is still low. So, he'll go to the next step of a "sleep-over" with the sleep study folks. An interesting side note: My son would end up sleeping on the floor most nights after spinning around and around in the bed. We bought a bigger bed with a 3" foam mattress and he stays in the bed most nights. He doesn't seem to spin as much. He also likes a heating pad in the bed. He says the warmth helps him relax.

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Yeah it is matter of concern. Show her to child doctor. And medicine every time is not good for health. A study of 866 children between the ages of 2 through 13 found that youngsters who frequently snore or have sleep disorders are almost twice as likely to suffer from ADHD than those who sleep well.

When children are not receiving adequate rest, a multitude of behaviors may arise which can be easily confused with ADHD. Assessing for and maintaining a normal sleep pattern is a critical aspect of diagnosing and managing ADHD patients. When an abnormality is identified, appropriate sleep hygiene is usually effective, but beware of other types of sleep disorders, as identified above, that may require specialized treatment.

http://www.dbpeds.org/articles/detail.cfm?TextID=795

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AU1984 said: My 7 yr old has major sleep issues! He takes Melatonin to help him get to sleep, but is up nightly in the middle of the night complaining of "bad dreams". I feel like I have a newborn again! He is currently on 30 mg of Ritalin LA. Any suggestions?!!!

Bad dreams may not be a sleeping disorder. When I started working graveyard shifts 4 years ago I tried some sleeping pills to help me get the rest I needed. In addition to working poorly, I had nightmares I couldn't wake up from. A couple months ago, after being on and off graveyard shifts, I started to have sleeping problems again. Becoming concerned about taking sleeping pills, I spent some free time looking up sleeping disorders and sleeping pills. One thing I came across was melatonin (like your son was/is taking), I also discovered that a dosage of 3mg or more can cause vivid nightmares. Nature's Bounty makes five or six different dossage levels, and currently I have been on a 1mg dose for over a month with not a single nightmare! If you decide to go this route, please be sure to give your son 8 hours sleep, or else he will be very sluggish and unresponsive if he wakes up earlier than that (at least, I am anyways ;D). As with any medication, always read the labels :)

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