Re: bedtime meds

[Guest guest]

I had to give my son clonodine for awhile and then IntunivSent via DROID on Verizon Wireless bedtime meds Anyone here have to give their children bedtime meds? Once upon a time melatonin was enough.....It's not anymore. My son was recently awake for three days straight! I had to take him to the E.R. because his developmental ped was unavailable (holiday weekend) just to have his vitals take to make sure that he was ok from a medical standpoint. His is on stimulant meds, but he has not had any increase in his meds in over a yr, but all of the sudden he cannot sleep at night. Anyone else have experience with their children not sleeping at night? Now we give him melatonin AND benadryl at bedtime. I really don't want this to become his routine! He has an appt for Monday afternoon. I have talked to his Dr. a few times via phone though. Thisstinks! We tried to decrease his stimulant meds and he became aggressive to his siblings and destructive to the house. I would rather not have to up him in the morning and down him at night, but I guess that might be his reality.

[Guest guest]

I've been rubbing 100% pure Lavander Oil on the bottom of my son's feet before he goes to bed for the last week, and he is finally sleeping! I have found that has worked better for him then melatonin. But everyone is different.

Jenn

 

Anyone here have to give their children bedtime meds?  Once upon a time melatonin was enough.....It's not anymore.  My son was recently awake for three days straight!  I had to take him to the E.R. because his developmental ped was unavailable (holiday weekend) just to have his vitals take to make sure that he was ok from a medical standpoint.  His is on stimulant meds, but he has not had any increase in his meds in over a yr, but all of the sudden he cannot sleep at night.  Anyone else have experience with their children not sleeping at night?  Now we give him melatonin AND benadryl at bedtime.  I really don't want this to become his routine!  He has an appt for Monday afternoon.  I have talked to his Dr. a few times via phone though.  This stinks!  We tried to decrease his stimulant meds and he became aggressive to his siblings and destructive to the house.  I would rather not have to up him in the morning and down him at night, but I guess that might be his reality. 

  

[Guest guest]

Bray is on clonidine .1mg to make him sleep but its no longer working. will be getting him to the dr to talk about what we can do to change the situation again. Clonidine is a blood pressure med. drops the bp enough to make them sleep.

Daisy: wife to ,

Mom to Adayla, Braydon, Colton, and Faythe

Subject: bedtime medsTo: autism-aspergers Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 10:03 PM

Anyone here have to give their children bedtime meds? Once upon a time melatonin was enough.....It's not anymore. My son was recently awake for three days straight! I had to take him to the E.R. because his developmental ped was unavailable (holiday weekend) just to have his vitals take to make sure that he was ok from a medical standpoint. His is on stimulant meds, but he has not had any increase in his meds in over a yr, but all of the sudden he cannot sleep at night. Anyone else have experience with their children not sleeping at night? Now we give him melatonin AND benadryl at bedtime. I really don't want this to become his routine! He has an appt for Monday afternoon. I have talked to his Dr. a few times via phone though. This stinks! We tried to decrease his stimulant meds and he became aggressive

to his siblings and destructive to the house. I would rather not have to up him in the morning and down him at night, but I guess that might be his reality.

[Guest guest]

My son is 20 and takes 4mg of melatonin every night. I know they work for him as he wouldnt take them if they didnt. He has Asperger's and is not taking any other prescribed meds. Although sometimes I wish he would.

jess

Subject: Re: bedtime medsTo: autism-aspergers Date: Thursday, 7 July, 2011, 4:25

I had to give my son clonodine for awhile and then IntunivSent via DROID on Verizon Wireless bedtime meds

Anyone here have to give their children bedtime meds? Once upon a time melatonin was enough.....It's not anymore. My son was recently awake for three days straight! I had to take him to the E.R. because his developmental ped was unavailable (holiday weekend) just to have his vitals take to make sure that he was ok from a medical standpoint. His is on stimulant meds, but he has not had any increase in his meds in over a yr, but all of the sudden he cannot sleep at night. Anyone else have experience with their children not sleeping at night? Now we give him melatonin AND benadryl at bedtime. I really don't want this to become his routine! He has an appt for Monday afternoon. I have talked to his Dr. a few times via phone though. This stinks! We tried to decrease his stimulant meds and he became aggressive

to his siblings and destructive to the house. I would rather not have to up him in the morning and down him at night, but I guess that might be his reality.

[Guest guest]

Tommy is on Tenex and is VERY similar to clonidine. He takes it in the AM though to make him calm. I'm thinking he needs it more at night. It's 2 mg. To: autism-aspergers Sent: Thu, July 7, 2011 12:29:19 AMSubject: Re:

bedtime meds

Bray is on clonidine .1mg to make him sleep but its no longer working. will be getting him to the dr to talk about what we can do to change the situation again. Clonidine is a blood pressure med. drops the bp enough to make them sleep.

Daisy: wife to ,

Mom to Adayla, Braydon, Colton, and Faythe

Subject: bedtime medsTo: autism-aspergers Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 10:03 PM

Anyone here have to give their children bedtime meds? Once upon a time melatonin was enough.....It's not anymore. My son was recently awake for three days straight! I had to take him to the E.R. because his developmental ped was unavailable (holiday weekend) just to have his vitals take to make sure that he was ok from a medical standpoint. His is on stimulant meds, but he has not had any increase in his meds in over a yr, but all of the sudden he cannot sleep at night. Anyone else have experience with their children not sleeping at night? Now we give him melatonin AND benadryl at bedtime. I really don't want this to become his routine! He has an appt for Monday afternoon. I have talked to his Dr. a few times via phone though. This stinks! We tried to decrease his stimulant meds and he became aggressive

to his siblings and destructive to the house. I would rather not have to up him in the morning and down him at night, but I guess that might be his reality.

[Guest guest]

My 8 yr. old son takes 6 mg. lately, but used to just take 3 mg. of Melatonin for bed. He is needing more and more to get him to sleep. Right now he is taking 6 mg. of melatonin and 25 mg. of Benadryl every night. To: autism-aspergers Sent: Thu, July 7, 2011 3:23:29 AMSubject: Re: bedtime meds

My son is 20 and takes 4mg of melatonin every night. I know they work for him as he wouldnt take them if they didnt. He has Asperger's and is not taking any other prescribed meds. Although sometimes I wish he would.

jess

Subject: Re: bedtime medsTo: autism-aspergers Date: Thursday, 7 July, 2011, 4:25

I had to give my son clonodine for awhile and then IntunivSent via DROID on Verizon Wireless bedtime meds

Anyone here have to give their children bedtime meds? Once upon a time melatonin was enough.....It's not anymore. My son was recently awake for three days straight! I had to take him to the E.R. because his developmental ped was unavailable (holiday weekend) just to have his vitals take to make sure that he was ok from a medical standpoint. His is on stimulant meds, but he has not had any increase in his meds in over a yr, but all of the sudden he cannot sleep at night. Anyone else have experience with their children not sleeping at night? Now we give him melatonin AND benadryl at bedtime. I really don't want this to become his routine! He has an appt for Monday afternoon. I have talked to his Dr. a few times via phone though. This stinks! We tried to decrease his stimulant meds and he became aggressive

to his siblings and destructive to the house. I would rather not have to up him in the morning and down him at night, but I guess that might be his reality.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I am sorry you are having sleep issues, remember just a week ago you were helping me with my son! I did get the melatonin, which I think it helps calm him down enough to want to sleep but he still has gotten up early in the morning after taking it the night. He also sees the Neurologist on Monday and I am going to ask him about increasing it or some other options. Currently he is just taking 2mgs.

From: autism-aspergers [mailto:autism-aspergers ] On Behalf Of R. TuckerSent: Thursday, July 07, 2011 10:22 AMTo: autism-aspergers Subject: Re: bedtime meds

Tommy is on Tenex and is VERY similar to clonidine. He takes it in the AM though to make him calm. I'm thinking he needs it more at night. It's 2 mg.

To: autism-aspergers Sent: Thu, July 7, 2011 12:29:19 AMSubject: Re: bedtime meds

Bray is on clonidine .1mg to make him sleep but its no longer working. will be getting him to the dr to talk about what we can do to change the situation again. Clonidine is a blood pressure med. drops the bp enough to make them sleep.

Daisy: wife to ,

Mom to Adayla, Braydon, Colton, and Faythe

Subject: bedtime medsTo: autism-aspergers Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 10:03 PM

Anyone here have to give their children bedtime meds? Once upon a time melatonin was enough.....It's not anymore. My son was recently awake for three days straight! I had to take him to the E.R. because his developmental ped was unavailable (holiday weekend) just to have his vitals take to make sure that he was ok from a medical standpoint. His is on stimulant meds, but he has not had any increase in his meds in over a yr, but all of the sudden he cannot sleep at night. Anyone else have experience with their children not sleeping at night? Now we give him melatonin AND benadryl at bedtime. I really don't want this to become his routine! He has an appt for Monday afternoon. I have talked to his Dr. a few times via phone though. This stinks! We tried to decrease his stimulant meds and he became aggressive to his siblings and destructive to the house. I would rather not have to up him in the morning and down him at night, but I guess that might be his reality.

===================================

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a complete listing of our services, staff and

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Confidentiality Note: This message is intended for use

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[Guest guest]

Hi, Up until last week he had taken 3 mg. of melatonin for over a year with awesome and regular success! All of the sudden we go on vacation and he hasn't been the same since! I don't know what is going on. The dr. told me to go back to his pattern of awake and asleep like he was in school and see if that helps. Yeah, take away my only bit of Heaven right now.....being able to stay in bed a little later in the mornings! Now I have to put him to bed by 830 and wake him up at 6-630 So much for the lazy days of summer! To: autism-aspergers Sent: Thu, July 7, 2011 10:46:04 AMSubject: RE: bedtime meds

Hi ,

I am sorry you are having sleep issues, remember just a week ago you were helping me with my son! I did get the melatonin, which I think it helps calm him down enough to want to sleep but he still has gotten up early in the morning after taking it the night. He also sees the Neurologist on Monday and I am going to ask him about increasing it or some other options. Currently he is just taking 2mgs.

From: autism-aspergers [mailto:autism-aspergers ] On Behalf Of R. TuckerSent: Thursday, July 07, 2011 10:22 AMTo: autism-aspergers Subject: Re: bedtime meds

Tommy is on Tenex and is VERY similar to clonidine. He takes it in the AM though to make him calm. I'm thinking he needs it more at night. It's 2 mg.

To: autism-aspergers Sent: Thu, July 7, 2011 12:29:19 AMSubject: Re: bedtime meds

Bray is on clonidine .1mg to make him sleep but its no longer working. will be getting him to the dr to talk about what we can do to change the situation again. Clonidine is a blood pressure med. drops the bp enough to make them sleep.

Daisy: wife to ,

Mom to Adayla, Braydon, Colton, and Faythe

Subject: bedtime medsTo: autism-aspergers Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 10:03 PM

Anyone here have to give their children bedtime meds? Once upon a time melatonin was enough.....It's not anymore. My son was recently awake for three days straight! I had to take him to the E.R. because his developmental ped was unavailable (holiday weekend) just to have his vitals take to make sure that he was ok from a medical standpoint. His is on stimulant meds, but he has not had any increase in his meds in over a yr, but all of the sudden he cannot sleep at night. Anyone else have experience with their children not sleeping at night? Now we give him melatonin AND benadryl at bedtime. I really don't want this to become his routine! He has an appt for Monday afternoon. I have talked to his Dr. a few times via phone though. This stinks! We tried to decrease his stimulant meds and he became aggressive to his siblings and destructive to the house. I would rather not have to up him in the morning and down him at night, but I guess that might be his reality.

===================================

Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

Cleveland Clinic is ranked one of the top hospitals

in America by U.S.News World Report (2010).

Visit us online at http://www.clevelandclinic.org for

a complete listing of our services, staff and

locations.

Confidentiality Note: This message is intended for use

only by the individual or entity to which it is addressed

and may contain information that is privileged,

confidential, and exempt from disclosure under applicable

law. If the reader of this message is not the intended

recipient or the employee or agent responsible for

delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are

hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or

copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If

you have received this communication in error, please

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[Guest guest]

We have had problems with ADHD stimulants and lack of sleep, and with us, it

happened after a while, not right at first. When we changed adhd meds, the

bedtime issues would disappear for a while, then slowly creep back up. Because

our son would get into EVERYTHING he could at night, it was a very stressful

period of time, and he had to have someone up with him (he was like 7-10 during

all of it).

I would check into either lowering his stimulant, or trying a different one

first, so you aren't adding new medications if they are not needed.

>

> Anyone here have to give their children bedtime meds? Once upon a time

> melatonin was enough.....It's not anymore. My son was recently awake for

three

> days straight! I had to take him to the E.R. because his developmental ped

was

> unavailable (holiday weekend) just to have his vitals take to make sure that

he

> was ok from a medical standpoint. His is on stimulant meds, but he has not

had

> any increase in his meds in over a yr, but all of the sudden he cannot sleep

at

> night. Anyone else have experience with their children not sleeping at night?

> Now we give him melatonin AND benadryl at bedtime. I really don't want this

to

> become his routine! He has an appt for Monday afternoon. I have talked to

his

> Dr. a few times via phone though. This stinks! We tried to decrease his

> stimulant meds and he became aggressive to his siblings and destructive to the

> house. I would rather not have to up him in the morning and down him at

night,

> but I guess that might be his reality.

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

If that works, you could always push back the bed time slowly (moving it to

8:45, then 9, then 9:15, then 9:30, etc), and push his wake up time back as

well, so that it gets to be later in the morning. It would keep his amount of

time in bed the same, but make it so he's up later, and sleeps in later. Then,

when it's about 2 weeks before school, go in reverse, so he's going to bed a bit

earlier each night, and getting up a bit earlier each morning.

I hear you with sleeping in. I'm an insomniac, and the school year always made

it really hard on me for mornings. I much prefer summer where I can crash when I

crash, and not worry about being up at 7am.

>

>

> >

> >Subject: bedtime meds

> >To: autism-aspergers

> >Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2011, 10:03 PM

> >

> >

> >

> >Anyone here have to give their children bedtime meds? Once upon a

time

> >melatonin was enough.....It's not anymore. My son was recently

awake

> >for three days straight! I had to take him to the E.R. because his

> >developmental ped was unavailable (holiday weekend) just to have his

> >vitals take to make sure that he was ok from a medical standpoint.

His

> >is on stimulant meds, but he has not had any increase in his meds in

> >over a yr, but all of the sudden he cannot sleep at night. Anyone

else

> >have experience with their children not sleeping at night? Now we

give

> >him melatonin AND benadryl at bedtime. I really don't want this to

> >become his routine! He has an appt for Monday afternoon. I have

> >talked to his Dr. a few times via phone though. This stinks! We

tried

> >to decrease his stimulant meds and he became aggressive to his

siblings

> >and destructive to the house. I would rather not have to up him in

the

> >morning and down him at night, but I guess that might be his

reality.

> >

> >

> >

> ===================================

> Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail Cleveland

Clinic

> is ranked one of the top hospitals in America by U.S.News World Report

(2010).

> Visit us online at http://www.clevelandclinic.org for a complete listing of

our

> services, staff and locations. Confidentiality Note: This message is

intended

> for use only by the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may

> contain information that is privileged, confidential, and exempt from

disclosure

> under applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended

> recipient or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to

the

> intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination,

distribution

> or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received

> this communication in error, please contact the sender immediately and

destroy

> the material in its entirety, whether electronic or hard copy. Thank you.

>

[Guest guest]

I feel some of your pain. My son takes the samething yours does(no benadryl yet). It was working great. Now he wakes up at 4:30am and stays awake till about 6 to 6:30am. He kicks and makes as much noise as possible to make sure we don't sleep either. I don't want to medicate him really, but I sure want some sleep. I am not sure if I am going to do benadryl or not. I might if there is no alternatives.

[Guest guest]

Best wishes. Yes we need all of our sleep to be able to cope day in and day out with our full plate. To: "autism-aspergers " <autism-aspergers >Sent: Fri, July 8, 2011 1:22:29 PMSubject: Re: bedtime

meds

I feel some of your pain. My son takes the samething yours does(no benadryl yet). It was working great. Now he wakes up at 4:30am and stays awake till about 6 to 6:30am. He kicks and makes as much noise as possible to make sure we don't sleep either. I don't want to medicate him really, but I sure want some sleep. I am not sure if I am going to do benadryl or not. I might if there is no alternatives.

[Guest guest]

When my son was younger, he would be awake most of the night, not necessarily because of the ADHD meds, but because his ADHD condition had him on the go all the time. (He was the only baby I know that was crawling out of his crib at the age of 9 months and staying awake most of the night.) Because he has Asperger's and LOVES animals, I ended up putting a television in his room. He would lay in bed and watch the Animal Planet, eventually falling asleep. I know having a tv in the bedroom is a big " no no " , but it solved our situation. (PS We found Benedryl had the opposite effect on him...if he took it he wouldn't sleep at all!) When he got older, the doctor prescribed Strattera which was not a stimulant. http://5kidswdisabilities.wordpress.com

[Guest guest]

Benadryl really dries the membranes of the sinuses and nose and throat.

I would not give this to a child because when I take it sometimes that

is really an annoying feeling to me, no amount of water will quench it

for several days. I cannot imagine if a child took this every night, he

or she would be miserable.

Maybe he's staying awake because his nasal membranes are so dry the hurt

him from sleeping at night especially if you also have fans or air

conditioning. Could get a saline spray and no more Benadryl because this

side affect isn't worth it I don't think.

Carolyn

Genie Bottle wrote:

> I feel some of your pain. My son takes the samething yours does(no

> benadryl yet). It was working great. Now he wakes up at 4:30am and

> stays awake till about 6 to 6:30am. He kicks and makes as much noise

> as possible to make sure we don't sleep either. I don't want to

> medicate him really, but I sure want some sleep. I am not sure if I am

> going to do benadryl or not. I might if there is no alternatives.

>

[Guest guest]

I'm not a benydryl-for-sleep fan. First, it's an anti-histime and is fine for occasional allergy use in adults, but it's still a medication that can have serious consequences for children. It's not harmless. As mentioned below, it can annoying side effects ranging up to more serious ones.Not a big fan of giving any drugs for sleeping to children. Their brains are still developing, those kinds of meds can have unintended consequences.The best cure I know for insomnia is a ton of exercise and physical exertion. Wear them out. Everyone sleeps better when they've been physically active. To: autism-aspergers Sent: Friday, July 8, 2011 8:59 PMSubject: Re: Re: bedtime medsBenadryl really dries the membranes of the sinuses and nose and throat. I would not give this to a child because when I take it sometimes that is really an annoying feeling to me, no amount of water will quench it for several days. I cannot imagine if a child took this every night, he or she would be miserable.Maybe he's staying awake because his nasal membranes are so dry the hurt him from sleeping at night especially if you

also have fans or air conditioning. Could get a saline spray and no more Benadryl because this side affect isn't worth it I don't think.CarolynGenie Bottle wrote:> I feel some of your pain. My son takes the samething yours does(no > benadryl yet). It was working great. Now he wakes up at 4:30am and > stays awake till about 6 to 6:30am. He kicks and makes as much noise > as possible to make sure we don't sleep either. I don't want to > medicate him really, but I sure want some sleep. I am not sure if I am > going to do benadryl or not. I might if there is no alternatives.>

[Guest guest]

I think if your son was up for three days without even a nap you would choose

dry mouth over awake. It is okay to say what you would do but decisions for him

have benefit carefully made by his medical team.

--- Original Message ---

Sent: July 8, 2011 7/8/11

To: autism-aspergers

Subject: Re: Re: bedtime meds

Benadryl really dries the membranes of the sinuses and nose and throat.

I would not give this to a child because when I take it sometimes that

is really an annoying feeling to me, no amount of water will quench it

for several days. I cannot imagine if a child took this every night, he

or she would be miserable.

Maybe he's staying awake because his nasal membranes are so dry the hurt

him from sleeping at night especially if you also have fans or air

conditioning. Could get a saline spray and no more Benadryl because this

side affect isn't worth it I don't think.

Carolyn

Genie Bottle wrote:

> I feel some of your pain. My son takes the samething yours does(no

> benadryl yet). It was working great. Now he wakes up at 4:30am and

> stays awake till about 6 to 6:30am. He kicks and makes as much noise

> as possible to make sure we don't sleep either. I don't want to

> medicate him really, but I sure want some sleep. I am not sure if I am

> going to do benadryl or not. I might if there is no alternatives.

>

------------------------------------

[Guest guest]

He couldn't possibility be more active or get more exercise. That idea isn't

going to be the answer for my little man.

--- Original Message ---

Sent: July 8, 2011 7/8/11

To: autism-aspergers

Subject: Re: Re: bedtime meds

 

I'm not a benydryl-for-sleep fan. First, it's an anti-histime and is fine for

occasional allergy use in adults, but it's still a medication that can have

serious consequences for children.  It's not harmless. As mentioned below, it

can annoying side effects ranging up to more serious ones.

Not a big fan of giving any drugs for sleeping to children. Their brains are

still developing,  those kinds of meds can have unintended consequences.

The best cure I know for insomnia is a ton of exercise and physical exertion.

Wear them out. Everyone sleeps better when they've been physically active.

To: autism-aspergers

Sent: Friday, July 8, 2011 8:59 PM

Subject: Re: Re: bedtime meds

Benadryl really dries the membranes of the sinuses and nose and throat.

I would not give this to a child because when I take it sometimes that

is really an annoying feeling to me, no amount of water will quench it

for several days. I cannot imagine if a child took this every night, he

or she would be miserable.

Maybe he's staying awake because his nasal membranes are so dry the hurt

him from sleeping at night especially if you also have fans or air

conditioning. Could get a saline spray and no more Benadryl because this

side affect isn't worth it I don't think.

Carolyn

Genie Bottle wrote:

> I feel some of your pain. My son takes the samething yours does(no

> benadryl yet). It was working great. Now he wakes up at 4:30am and

> stays awake till about 6 to 6:30am. He kicks and makes as much noise

> as possible to make sure we don't sleep either. I don't want to

> medicate him really, but I sure want some sleep. I am not sure if I am

> going to do benadryl or not. I might if there is no alternatives.

>

[Guest guest]

Benadryl DOES work for my little man. I wish it worked better though so I could give him less. He was never like this before, so I'm more anxious about the sudden change from a routine bedtime/ awake/ sleep habit to all of the sudden being up for three days and not going to bed at night. I think perhaps he's just having too much fun this summer and is not able to settle down his brain at night?!? I'm afraid to try Strattera and that it won't be as good as Concerta? Maybe down the road we might have to look into that. Was it as effective? He responds really well to Concerta and Ritilin, but NOT Aderall? Go figure! My son with Aspergers shares a room with his baby bro. While I don't think it'd be an issue for his baby bro, I do think it would keep him

up. He can sit and watch TV FOR HOURS!!! (if I'd let him). He zones into it so much so that he doesn't know what time it is, who has come and gone (like grandparents), that he has missed an activity or a snack time, etc. The TV thing would not work for him Plus when he comes down off his Concerta he is likely to break the TV He's very destructive while un-medicated. To: autism-aspergers Sent: Fri, July 8, 2011 7:44:25 PMSubject: Re: bedtime meds When my son was younger, he would be awake most of the night, not necessarily because of the ADHD meds, but because his ADHD condition had him on the go all the time. (He was the only baby I know that was crawling out of his crib at the age of 9 months and staying awake most of the night.) Because he has Asperger's and LOVES animals, I ended up putting a television in his room. He would lay in bed and watch the Animal Planet, eventually falling asleep. I know having a tv in the bedroom is a big "no no", but it solved our situation. (PS We found Benedryl

had the opposite effect on him...if he took it he wouldn't sleep at all!) When he got older, the doctor prescribed Strattera which was not a stimulant. http://5kidswdisabilities.wordpress.com

[Guest guest]

I wanted to tell you also that my son thinks all is fair in love and insomnia and keeps us awake too.... Isn't that fun? To: "autism-aspergers " <autism-aspergers >Sent: Fri, July 8, 2011 1:22:29 PMSubject:

Re: bedtime meds

I feel some of your pain. My son takes the samething yours does(no benadryl yet). It was working great. Now he wakes up at 4:30am and stays awake till about 6 to 6:30am. He kicks and makes as much noise as possible to make sure we don't sleep either. I don't want to medicate him really, but I sure want some sleep. I am not sure if I am going to do benadryl or not. I might if there is no alternatives.

[Guest guest]

I haven't been following this thread, so forgive me if I'm being redundant. But I can't give my daughter Benadryl to go to sleep because it has the opposite reaction for her, meaning it makes her really hyper. After taking any drug for a period of time, the body adapts, and it could be a new side effect you are experiencing now. 3 days with no sleep is not only stressful for you all, but incredibly unhealthy for him. is there an autism team somewhere close by that could assess his sleeping? I am lucky to live in Nashville, near Vanderbilt, and they had a very popular sleep study for kids on the spectrum a couple years ago. I almost enrolled my daughter. They were testing the effects of melatonin, and for everyone I know who was involved, they said

it did the trick for their kids. My daughter used to have major sleep issues too. Her pediatrician suggested melatonin, but also a very simple process of removing all books, electronics, etc. from the bedroom and allowing for a quiet unwind period for about 30 minutes before bedtime. This might include a hot bath, a massage, and a short story. Then he said to have her room completely dark. Well, I didn't expect any of this to make a difference, but it actually worked for us. She has been going to bed early and sleeping much better for the last 18 months since our visit. She'd sleep better if she didn't have an obssessive compulsion to set an alarm clock for the wee hours of the morning to be the first one awake. Sigh, but I'll take my blessings where I can get them!

Good luck to you and your little guy!

Kiara

To: autism-aspergers Sent: Fri, July 8, 2011 9:32:15 PMSubject: Re: bedtime meds

Benadryl DOES work for my little man. I wish it worked better though so I could give him less. He was never like this before, so I'm more anxious about the sudden change from a routine bedtime/ awake/ sleep habit to all of the sudden being up for three days and not going to bed at night. I think perhaps he's just having too much fun this summer and is not able to settle down his brain at night?!? I'm afraid to try Strattera and that it won't be as good as Concerta? Maybe down the road we might have to look into that. Was it as effective? He responds really well to Concerta and Ritilin, but NOT Aderall? Go figure! My son with Aspergers shares a room with his baby bro. While I don't think it'd be an issue for his baby bro, I do think it would keep him up. He can sit and watch TV FOR HOURS!!! (if I'd let him). He

zones into it so much so that he doesn't know what time it is, who has come and gone (like grandparents), that he has missed an activity or a snack time, etc. The TV thing would not work for him Plus when he comes down off his Concerta he is likely to break the TV He's very destructive while un-medicated.

To: autism-aspergers Sent: Fri, July 8, 2011 7:44:25 PMSubject: Re: bedtime meds

When my son was younger, he would be awake most of the night, not necessarily because of the ADHD meds, but because his ADHD condition had him on the go all the time. (He was the only baby I know that was crawling out of his crib at the age of 9 months and staying awake most of the night.) Because he has Asperger's and LOVES animals, I ended up putting a television in his room. He would lay in bed and watch the Animal Planet, eventually falling asleep. I know having a tv in the bedroom is a big "no no", but it solved our situation. (PS We found Benedryl had the opposite effect on him...if he took it he wouldn't sleep at all!) When he got older, the doctor prescribed Strattera which was not a stimulant. http://5kidswdisabilities.wordpress.com

[Guest guest]

Thank you Kiara

Melatonin did the trick till just recently. We tried a bath before bed but he

loves water so that didn't work. I think we are going to try silent reading at

night. I know that works for me.

--- Original Message ---

Sent: July 9, 2011 7/9/11

To: autism-aspergers

Subject: Re: bedtime meds

 

I haven't been following this thread, so forgive me if I'm being redundant. 

But I can't give my daughter Benadryl to go to sleep because it has the opposite

reaction for her, meaning it makes her really hyper.  After taking any drug for

a period of time, the body adapts, and it could be a new side effect you are

experiencing now.  3 days with no sleep is not only stressful for you all, but

incredibly unhealthy for him.  is there an autism team somewhere close by that

could assess his sleeping?  I am lucky to live in Nashville, near Vanderbilt,

and they had a very popular sleep study for kids on the spectrum a couple years

ago.  I almost enrolled my daughter.  They were testing the effects of

melatonin, and for everyone I know who was involved, they said it did the trick

for their kids.  My daughter used to have major sleep issues too.  Her

pediatrician suggested melatonin, but also a very simple process of removing all

books, electronics, etc. from the bedroom and allowing for a quiet unwind period

for about 30 minutes before bedtime.  This might include a hot bath, a massage,

and a short story.  Then he said to have her room completely dark.  Well, I

didn't expect any of this to make a difference, but it actually worked for us. 

She has been going to bed early and sleeping much better for the last 18 months

since our visit.  She'd sleep better if she didn't have an obssessive

compulsion to set an alarm clock for the wee hours of the morning to be the

first one awake.  Sigh, but I'll take my blessings where I can get them!

 

Good luck to you and your little guy!

 

Kiara

To: autism-aspergers

Sent: Fri, July 8, 2011 9:32:15 PM

Subject: Re: bedtime meds

 

Benadryl DOES work for my little man.  I wish it worked better though so I

could give him less.  He was never like this before, so I'm more anxious about

the sudden change from a routine bedtime/ awake/ sleep habit to all of the

sudden being up for three days and not going to bed at night.  I think perhaps

he's just having too much fun this summer and is not able to settle down his

brain at night?!?  I'm afraid to try Strattera and that it won't be as good as

Concerta?  Maybe down the road we might have to look into that.  Was it as

effective?  He responds really well to Concerta and Ritilin, but NOT Aderall? 

Go figure!  My son with Aspergers shares a room with his baby bro.  While I

don't think it'd be an issue for his baby bro, I do think it would keep him

up.  He can sit and watch TV FOR HOURS!!! (if I'd let him).  He zones into it

so much so that he doesn't know what time it is, who has come and gone (like

grandparents), that he has missed an activity or a snack time, etc.  The TV

thing would not work for him   Plus when he comes down off his Concerta he is

likely to break the TV   He's very destructive while un-medicated. 

 

 

To: autism-aspergers

Sent: Fri, July 8, 2011 7:44:25 PM

Subject: Re: bedtime meds

 

When my son was younger, he would be awake most of the night, not necessarily

because of the ADHD meds, but because his ADHD condition had him on the go all

the time. (He was the only baby I know that was crawling out of his crib at the

age of 9 months and staying awake most of the night.) Because he has Asperger's

and LOVES animals, I ended up putting a television in his room. He would lay in

bed and watch the Animal Planet, eventually falling asleep. I know having a tv

in the bedroom is a big " no no " , but it solved our situation. (PS We found

Benedryl had the opposite effect on him...if he took it he wouldn't sleep at

all!) When he got older, the doctor prescribed Strattera which was not a

stimulant.

http://5kidswdisabilities.wordpress.com

[Guest guest]

My son has only just started to sleep for the first time (only gets up 1-3x/night now, rather than every hour). We took him to the respected local sleep clinic and they made a few suggestions, including to make sure the melatonin dose was high enough - 3 mg in his case.

The melatonin helped get him to sleep, though it didn't keep him to sleep. The only thing that seems to be making a difference is a large glass of high fat, whole chocolate milk right before bed. I know it sounds silly, but the nights that he drinks it, he sleeps much better than the nights he does not. It turns out that milk has a lot of sleep inducing things in it (I forget their names) and that the old home remedy is valid.

The only other suggestion I would make is to find a really good homeopath to help you. We did have good results for a while with a particular remedy, but after a while it stopped working. It's worth giving it a try if you haven't already.

[Guest guest]

One more thing I forgot to add. I also learned from the sleep clinic, that sleep habits are formed after only 3 days. So, if your son had a rough patch, it could have become habituated even though the original cause is gone. It may be helpful to try sleep medication for a week to reset his sleep cycles and then taper off after that.

As for the issue of using sleep medication, of course one does not want to use it long term, but sleep deprivation is dangerous, disturbing and makes ASD worse. I feel for you and hope you find a solution soon. We're still working on it ourselves.

[Guest guest]

That's true if you have time. I have so many things to do. Good idea though!

To: "autism-aspergers " <autism-aspergers >Sent: Friday, July 8, 2011 6:43 PMSubject: Re: Re: bedtime meds

I'm not a benydryl-for-sleep fan. First, it's an anti-histime and is fine for occasional allergy use in adults, but it's still a medication that can have serious consequences for children. It's not harmless. As mentioned below, it can annoying side effects ranging up to more serious ones.Not a big fan of giving any drugs for sleeping to children. Their brains are still developing, those kinds of meds can have unintended consequences.The best cure I know for insomnia is a ton of exercise and physical exertion. Wear them out. Everyone sleeps better when they've been physically active.

To: autism-aspergers Sent: Friday, July 8, 2011 8:59 PMSubject: Re: Re: bedtime medsBenadryl really dries the membranes of the sinuses and nose and throat. I would not give this to a child because when I take it sometimes that is really an annoying feeling to me, no amount of water will quench it for several days. I cannot imagine if a child

took this every night, he or she would be miserable.Maybe he's staying awake because his nasal membranes are so dry the hurt him from sleeping at night especially if you also have fans or air conditioning. Could get a saline spray and no more Benadryl because this side affect isn't worth it I don't think.CarolynGenie Bottle wrote:> I feel some of your pain. My son takes the samething yours does(no > benadryl yet). It was working great. Now he wakes up at 4:30am and > stays awake till about 6 to 6:30am. He kicks and makes as much noise > as possible to make sure we don't sleep either. I don't want to > medicate him really, but I sure want some sleep. I am not sure if I am > going to do benadryl or not. I might if there is no alternatives.>

[Guest guest]



try adding in a small 1mg of melatonion in the late afternoon 5 or so that is when the body starts to up the rate then a dose at bedtime seems to really help

Caudle

The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart....

bedtime meds

Anyone here have to give their children bedtime meds? Once upon a time melatonin was enough.....It's not anymore. My son was recently awake for three days straight! I had to take him to the E.R. because his developmental ped was unavailable (holiday weekend) just to have his vitals take to make sure that he was ok from a medical standpoint. His is on stimulant meds, but he has not had any increase in his meds in over a yr, but all of the sudden he cannot sleep at night. Anyone else have experience with their children not sleeping at night? Now we give him melatonin AND benadryl at bedtime. I really don't want this to become his routine! He has an appt for Monday afternoon. I have talked to his Dr. a few times via phone though. This stinks! We tried to decrease his stimulant meds and he became aggressive to his siblings and destructive to the house. I would rather not have to up him in the morning and down him at night, but I guess that might be his reality.

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