Re: OCD and not sleeping

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Sorry you are having such a hard time. Some thoughts about your son: he may be

holding it in all day and then falling apart at night. Kids with OCD are often

good at holding it together at school and then acting up at home.

Evenings/night are often the worst because there is nothing else to distract you

from anxiety, worries, discomfort. A good book for kids is " Up and Down the

Worry Hill " by Aureen Pinto Wagner. He needs to know (and so do you) that he is

not alone and there is help out there. The doctor you are seeing: is he/she a

psychologist or a psychiatrist? The two primary treatments for OCD are exposure

and response prevention (an OCD-specific form of cognitive behavioral therapy

done mainly by psychologists) and medication (prescribed by a pediatrician or a

psychiatrist). They can be used separately or together depending on the

severity of symptoms and the child's willingness to participate in therapy.

Another good book is " Freeing Your Child from OCD " by Tamar Chansky. Dr.

March has one called " Talking Back to OCD " (I think that's the title).

You might also ask the doctor about melatonin to help with sleep. Our 9 yr old

daughter with OCD takes 1-1.5 mg of melatonin most nights and it does seem to

help. You can get a chewable melatonin at Trader Joe's if you have any near

you. There are also tablets to swallow. I think some kids take as much as 3 mg

nightly.

Try to find some time for you either after school or on weekends. Maybe a

mother's helper could watch the kids while you sleep or do something for

yourself. If you can take care of yourself, it will help both you and your

children.

Hang in there. This is a great group and I'm sure many others will have advice

for you too. There is hope and there is help. Our daughter had severe washing

compulsions at the start of the summer and was also depressed. Now, with

medication and ERP therapy over the summer, she is doing much better. She is

not symptom-free and still has a ways to go, but she is enjoying school and

making friends and just plain having fun.

(mom with OCD, 9 yr old daughter with OCD)

>

> Subject: OCD and not sleeping

> To:

> Date: Saturday, October 17, 2009, 3:58 PM

> Hello, Im new here seeking advice

> about my 8 year old son who is showing signs of OCD and is

> not sleeping at night. Let me start out by saying he is a

> good boy with no behavioral problems at all at school or

> home during the day. He is doing well at school and I speak

> with his teach regularly to keep updated on how he is doing,

> she says he is great. He completely changes at night. Its

> like he is a different child. He cant sleep unless he has

> his fan on high, a full cup of water(cant be half way) and

> his night light on, and even with all these things he still

> says he doesn't feel like sleeping sometimes. He says bad

> things come in his head at night, he says he doesn't want to

> think of bad things but he does. We took the night light out

> of his room because we think its causing him to stay up

> longer cause its so bright in there. We also started doing

> half a glass of water instead of a full cup because he is up

> at night going to the restroom too much which is also

> disrupting his sleep. He

> will go crazy if we completely say no water. He cries

> hysterically like its the end of the world to have no water.

> We have been giving him water and leaving his fan on high,

> but we feel by doing this we are backtracking and it will

> make him worse in the long run. We are emotionally drained,

> and dont know what to do. He will be seeing a Doctor on

> Monday for a evaluation but until then we are left to try

> and figure things out for ourselves and to top it off I have

> a 2 year old who requires alot of my time all day and Im

> running on very little sleep. Any advice would be

> appreciated.

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

Hi - OCD is so hard! It sound like OCD rituals from what you describe. The

kind of therapy that you need is called ERP (Exposure & Ritual Prevention). It

is very effective for OCD. As a very small example, you might explain how OCD

works and then try reducing the amount of water in the glass by a few sips each

night. Then you can try to work on the bad thoughts - there are a number of

theraputic exposure ideas for children who have " bad thoughts " . If you need

help finding a therapist, you can post the " area " that you live in and we'll try

to give you some suggestions.

A great book to start with for your son is called " What to do when your Brain

gets Stuck " . It is available on Amazon - it is wonderful & can really help a

child understand what they are going through. For Parents, there are a number

of books that I would strongly recommend - one of those is What to do when your

Child has OCD: Strategies and Solutions - by Aureen Pinto Wagner. It is hard to

understand OCD, but these books may help. You are already far along the path by

identifying what is happening to him at such a young age. It is much easier to

learn the tools to manage OCD when you are young. All my best - in NC

>

> Hello, Im new here seeking advice about my 8 year old son who is showing signs

of OCD and is not sleeping at night. Let me start out by saying he is a good boy

with no behavioral problems at all at school or home during the day. He is doing

well at school and I speak with his teach regularly to keep updated on how he is

doing, she says he is great. He completely changes at night. Its like he is a

different child. He cant sleep unless he has his fan on high, a full cup of

water(cant be half way) and his night light on, and even with all these things

he still says he doesn't feel like sleeping sometimes. He says bad things come

in his head at night, he says he doesn't want to think of bad things but he

does. We took the night light out of his room because we think its causing him

to stay up longer cause its so bright in there. We also started doing half a

glass of water instead of a full cup because he is up at night going to the

restroom too much which is also disrupting his sleep. He will go crazy if we

completely say no water. He cries hysterically like its the end of the world to

have no water. We have been giving him water and leaving his fan on high, but we

feel by doing this we are backtracking and it will make him worse in the long

run. We are emotionally drained, and dont know what to do. He will be seeing a

Doctor on Monday for a evaluation but until then we are left to try and figure

things out for ourselves and to top it off I have a 2 year old who requires alot

of my time all day and Im running on very little sleep. Any advice would be

appreciated.

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group.

It is not uncommon for those with OCD and anxiety disorders, in general, to have

trouble sleeping. When they lie down to sleep, they have nothing to occupy and

distract their minds and it is harder for them to deal with the bombardment of

thoughts and worries.

Sometimes you need to accommodate anxiety and OCD issues, while you are waiting

to get started on the correct type of therapy. The ERP (exposure and response

prevention) therapy is typically started by making a list of the OCD thoughts

and rituals. They then put them in order from least bothersome to most

upsetting. They choose the easiest thing to work on first, while accommodating

the rest. They work their way up the list, taking on more and more, and gain

confidence as they go.

There are some things you can try at bedtime . . . .

Benadryl is a common thing that doctors prescribe for kids to help them fall to

sleep. Our son took it for years. At some point, that stopped working, so we

switched to Melatonin. Anything that helps them to reach that point of sleep

faster, is easier on them. But, please talk to your doctor first about him

taking either. It's best that they know and approve.

Sometimes other things can help too. . . Like relaxation exercises, deep

breathing exercises, or even soft relaxing music. My nephew, with OCD, used to

listen to music while falling asleep, which helped him stay distracted.

gave you some good books to read. Aureen Wagner's is one of my favorites.

Let us know what they diagnose from his evaluation.

Glad you found us and are here. )

BJ

>

> Hello, Im new here seeking advice about my 8 year old son who is showing signs

of OCD and is not sleeping at night. Let me start out by saying he is a good boy

with no behavioral problems at all at school or home during the day. He is doing

well at school and I speak with his teach regularly to keep updated on how he is

doing, she says he is great. He completely changes at night. Its like he is a

different child. He cant sleep unless he has his fan on high, a full cup of

water(cant be half way) and his night light on, and even with all these things

he still says he doesn't feel like sleeping sometimes. He says bad things come

in his head at night, he says he doesn't want to think of bad things but he

does. We took the night light out of his room because we think its causing him

to stay up longer cause its so bright in there. We also started doing half a

glass of water instead of a full cup because he is up at night going to the

restroom too much which is also disrupting his sleep. He will go crazy if we

completely say no water. He cries hysterically like its the end of the world to

have no water. We have been giving him water and leaving his fan on high, but we

feel by doing this we are backtracking and it will make him worse in the long

run. We are emotionally drained, and dont know what to do. He will be seeing a

Doctor on Monday for a evaluation but until then we are left to try and figure

things out for ourselves and to top it off I have a 2 year old who requires alot

of my time all day and Im running on very little sleep. Any advice would be

appreciated.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I'm sorrry you are having such a hard time right now. I have an 8 yr old with

OCD also, and an almost 13 yr old with it.

My daughter won't sleep without a fan on and a nightlight. she used to want  her

overhead light on to sleep. My son has always had sleeping issues as well.

What I did with my daughter was gradually changed the light bulbs down to lower

watts, than went to two nightlights in the room, down to one, etc. I still let

her have her fan on , but although she likes it on high, it has to be on low.

Have you tried a " white noise " machine? I am going to get one for my daughter

because i think the noise of the fan drowns out some of the noises they hear,

which in turn makes their imagination run wild with anxiety and gives them

thoughts.

Maybe try giving him less and less water at night also, or use different cups,

so he is actually getting less. I'm sure your therapist will give you some good

ideas on what to do  also as far as suggestions for ERP

It is very hard not to give into the rituals but yet,when you don't they get

worse and multiply(sigh!!)

Let us know how it goes!!!

Hugs

judy

________________________________

To:

Sent: Saturday, October 17, 2009 3:58:40 PM

Subject: OCD and not sleeping

 

Hello, Im new here seeking advice about my 8 year old son who is showing signs

of OCD and is not sleeping at night. Let me start out by saying he is a good boy

with no behavioral problems at all at school or home during the day. He is doing

well at school and I speak with his teach regularly to keep updated on how he is

doing, she says he is great. He completely changes at night. Its like he is a

different child. He cant sleep unless he has his fan on high, a full cup of

water(cant be half way) and his night light on, and even with all these things

he still says he doesn't feel like sleeping sometimes. He says bad things come

in his head at night, he says he doesn't want to think of bad things but he

does. We took the night light out of his room because we think its causing him

to stay up longer cause its so bright in there. We also started doing half a

glass of water instead of a full cup because he is up at night going to the

restroom too much which is

also disrupting his sleep. He will go crazy if we completely say no water. He

cries hysterically like its the end of the world to have no water. We have been

giving him water and leaving his fan on high, but we feel by doing this we are

backtracking and it will make him worse in the long run. We are emotionally

drained, and dont know what to do. He will be seeing a Doctor on Monday for a

evaluation but until then we are left to try and figure things out for ourselves

and to top it off I have a 2 year old who requires alot of my time all day and

Im running on very little sleep. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Guest guest]

Thank you all for all the suggestions. We have been doing benadryl before bed

just because he will stay up for hours if we don't give it to him. What is

everyone's experience with melatonin with children? Any bad side effects? Any

other natural herbal recommendations for easing anxiousness? Im thinking of

getting some sleepytime tea for him. I had an appt. last week with a new Doctor,

seems very nice but didn't really give too much suggestions on bedtime and

giving into rituals etc. I think they think by counseling him they can figure

out what is behind this, but he doesn't know. He says he cant tell me because

its his brain, only at night though I understand, I also have OCD, and blame

myself for alot of this even though I know it can be hereditary. Can anyone

recommend a good Doctor who handles OCD patients well in my area. I live in Las

Cruces,NM, I hope thats not too much info. Thank you all so much, this group has

helped so much already.

>

> Hello, Im new here seeking advice about my 8 year old son who is showing signs

of OCD and is not sleeping at night. Let me start out by saying he is a good boy

with no behavioral problems at all at school or home during the day. He is doing

well at school and I speak with his teach regularly to keep updated on how he is

doing, she says he is great. He completely changes at night. Its like he is a

different child. He cant sleep unless he has his fan on high, a full cup of

water(cant be half way) and his night light on, and even with all these things

he still says he doesn't feel like sleeping sometimes. He says bad things come

in his head at night, he says he doesn't want to think of bad things but he

does. We took the night light out of his room because we think its causing him

to stay up longer cause its so bright in there. We also started doing half a

glass of water instead of a full cup because he is up at night going to the

restroom too much which is also disrupting his sleep. He will go crazy if we

completely say no water. He cries hysterically like its the end of the world to

have no water. We have been giving him water and leaving his fan on high, but we

feel by doing this we are backtracking and it will make him worse in the long

run. We are emotionally drained, and dont know what to do. He will be seeing a

Doctor on Monday for a evaluation but until then we are left to try and figure

things out for ourselves and to top it off I have a 2 year old who requires alot

of my time all day and Im running on very little sleep. Any advice would be

appreciated.

>

[Guest guest]

My dd9 began using Melantonin about 3-4 weeks ago, 3mg about an hour before

bedtime, and it has worked wonders!  What used to be a very high anxiety time

for her (and us!) is now calm, and even said she can now " flick away " the OCD

thoughts. She has complained some about being tired the next morning, but she

doesn't seem any more difficult to wake up and get ready for school.

 

I also heard someone else mentioned trying Triptophan (like the stuff found in

Thanksgiving turkeys?) as a supplement to bring about a restful sleep. Anyone

tried that? I don't really like the fact that Melantonin is a hormone, and I've

heard that you may need to increase the dose to keep the effectiveness, and/or

go off it for 6 weeks every year to maintain the effective threshold, so has

anyone else heard that as well?

Subject: Re: OCD and not sleeping

To:

Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 10:02 AM

 

Thank you all for all the suggestions. We have been doing benadryl before bed

just because he will stay up for hours if we don't give it to him. What is

everyone's experience with melatonin with children? Any bad side effects? Any

other natural herbal recommendations for easing anxiousness? Im thinking of

getting some sleepytime tea for him. I had an appt. last week with a new Doctor,

seems very nice but didn't really give too much suggestions on bedtime and

giving into rituals etc. I think they think by counseling him they can figure

out what is behind this, but he doesn't know. He says he cant tell me because

its his brain, only at night though I understand, I also have OCD, and blame

myself for alot of this even though I know it can be hereditary. Can anyone

recommend a good Doctor who handles OCD patients well in my area. I live in Las

Cruces,NM, I hope thats not too much info. Thank you all so much, this group has

helped so much already.

>

> Hello, Im new here seeking advice about my 8 year old son who is showing signs

of OCD and is not sleeping at night. Let me start out by saying he is a good boy

with no behavioral problems at all at school or home during the day. He is doing

well at school and I speak with his teach regularly to keep updated on how he is

doing, she says he is great. He completely changes at night. Its like he is a

different child. He cant sleep unless he has his fan on high, a full cup of

water(cant be half way) and his night light on, and even with all these things

he still says he doesn't feel like sleeping sometimes. He says bad things come

in his head at night, he says he doesn't want to think of bad things but he

does. We took the night light out of his room because we think its causing him

to stay up longer cause its so bright in there. We also started doing half a

glass of water instead of a full cup because he is up at night going to the

restroom too much which

is also disrupting his sleep. He will go crazy if we completely say no water.

He cries hysterically like its the end of the world to have no water. We have

been giving him water and leaving his fan on high, but we feel by doing this we

are backtracking and it will make him worse in the long run. We are emotionally

drained, and dont know what to do. He will be seeing a Doctor on Monday for a

evaluation but until then we are left to try and figure things out for ourselves

and to top it off I have a 2 year old who requires alot of my time all day and

Im running on very little sleep. Any advice would be appreciated.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, . I used to take L-Tryptophan years ago. Then there was some big

problem, where some manufacturer in Japan (I think it was), used some

contaminated product. It killed a number of people, so they pulled it all off

the shelves. But, before that happened, it helped me sleep.

BJ

>

> My dd9 began using Melantonin about 3-4 weeks ago, 3mg about an hour before

bedtime, and it has worked wonders!  What used to be a very high anxiety time

for her (and us!) is now calm, and even said she can now " flick away " the OCD

thoughts. She has complained some about being tired the next morning, but she

doesn't seem any more difficult to wake up and get ready for school.

>  

> I also heard someone else mentioned trying Triptophan (like the stuff found in

Thanksgiving turkeys?) as a supplement to bring about a restful sleep. Anyone

tried that? I don't really like the fact that Melantonin is a hormone, and I've

heard that you may need to increase the dose to keep the effectiveness, and/or

go off it for 6 weeks every year to maintain the effective threshold, so has

anyone else heard that as well?

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

 With my daughter, I have to take her off the melatonin every 8-10 weeks or so

and give her the benadryl instead. Than when I reintroduce it, it works! I don't

know why this is so, but I have been doing this for years.

When she takes the benadryl she needs more and more for it to be effective and

than she gets up to where the highest dosage won't even work.

Hugs

Judy

________________________________

To:

Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 1:28:03 PM

Subject: Re: Re: OCD and not sleeping

 

My dd9 began using Melantonin about 3-4 weeks ago, 3mg about an hour before

bedtime, and it has worked wonders!  What used to be a very high anxiety time

for her (and us!) is now calm, and even said she can now " flick away " the OCD

thoughts. She has complained some about being tired the next morning, but she

doesn't seem any more difficult to wake up and get ready for school.

 

I also heard someone else mentioned trying Triptophan (like the stuff found in

Thanksgiving turkeys?) as a supplement to bring about a restful sleep. Anyone

tried that? I don't really like the fact that Melantonin is a hormone, and I've

heard that you may need to increase the dose to keep the effectiveness, and/or

go off it for 6 weeks every year to maintain the effective threshold, so has

anyone else heard that as well?

From: damians_wifey@ sbcglobal. net <damians_wifey@ sbcglobal. net>

Subject: Re: OCD and not sleeping

To: @ yahoogroups. com

Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 10:02 AM

 

Thank you all for all the suggestions. We have been doing benadryl before bed

just because he will stay up for hours if we don't give it to him. What is

everyone's experience with melatonin with children? Any bad side effects? Any

other natural herbal recommendations for easing anxiousness? Im thinking of

getting some sleepytime tea for him. I had an appt. last week with a new Doctor,

seems very nice but didn't really give too much suggestions on bedtime and

giving into rituals etc. I think they think by counseling him they can figure

out what is behind this, but he doesn't know. He says he cant tell me because

its his brain, only at night though I understand, I also have OCD, and blame

myself for alot of this even though I know it can be hereditary. Can anyone

recommend a good Doctor who handles OCD patients well in my area. I live in Las

Cruces,NM, I hope thats not too much info. Thank you all so much, this group has

helped so much already.

>

> Hello, Im new here seeking advice about my 8 year old son who is showing signs

of OCD and is not sleeping at night. Let me start out by saying he is a good boy

with no behavioral problems at all at school or home during the day. He is doing

well at school and I speak with his teach regularly to keep updated on how he is

doing, she says he is great. He completely changes at night. Its like he is a

different child. He cant sleep unless he has his fan on high, a full cup of

water(cant be half way) and his night light on, and even with all these things

he still says he doesn't feel like sleeping sometimes. He says bad things come

in his head at night, he says he doesn't want to think of bad things but he

does. We took the night light out of his room because we think its causing him

to stay up longer cause its so bright in there. We also started doing half a

glass of water instead of a full cup because he is up at night going to the

restroom too much which

is also disrupting his sleep. He will go crazy if we completely say no water. He

cries hysterically like its the end of the world to have no water. We have been

giving him water and leaving his fan on high, but we feel by doing this we are

backtracking and it will make him worse in the long run. We are emotionally

drained, and dont know what to do. He will be seeing a Doctor on Monday for a

evaluation but until then we are left to try and figure things out for ourselves

and to top it off I have a 2 year old who requires alot of my time all day and

Im running on very little sleep. Any advice would be appreciated.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi. My Mom said she experienced some stomach pain with Melatonin, but our son

has not. It's helped him quite a bit.

The sooner they can get to sleep, the better. Then they don't have time to lie

there with their mind going. The more the mind goes, the more anxiety they

have. Eventually, our son would get to the point that he was having anxiety

about having anxiety.

Is there a reason you don't want to use Benadryl anymore? Sounds like it's

working for you. We've used both. We switched to the Melatonin because after

years of using Benadryl, it stopped being as effective as it once was.

I was checking the ocfoundation.org website to see if there was anyone listed in

your area, but they are all in Albuquerque. Is that too far to drive?

What you could do, is call the docs listed in Albuquerque to see if they can

suggest anyone down your way. Or if you insurance allows you to go out of

state, you could check in Arizona, to see if anyone is closer. I noticed there

were some listed in Tucson. Not sure how far that is for you though.

You can go to the ocfoundation.org website and look at the doctor listings to

see what might work for you. Once you are in the opening page, if you look over

to the right you will see a link that says Find a Doctor - Online.

If you have any anxiety clinics around, you can also try there. They often

treat OCD, since it is an anxiety disorder. Or try to find an OCD group near

you. You can ask them about recommended therapists. Just make sure the

therapist uses CBT/ERP (Cognitive behavioral therapy / Exposure and response

prevention). The ERP is crucial in helping those with OCD improve.

Be kind to yourself. I know it is hard. I feel guilt for having exacerbated

our son's anxiety and OCD, due to my ongoing heart problems, for years. Yet,

some things are just out of our control. I try to just focus on the " now " and

what we can do to help him. Carrying guilt like that is so damaging. (((hugs

to you)))

BJ

[Guest guest]

I only see one listed that works with kids in NW - it's Albuquerque - based on

looking at a map, this seems too far away. Might be worth a call at least to see

if they can recommend anyone else. I did not find anyone in El Paso TX either,

so hopefully someone her will have a personal experience that they can give you.

Be sure to ask (even though it says this) if they work with OCD kids, and if

they use ERP, and how many OCD kids a year they work with.

LeCaptain, EdD, ABPP

2741 Indian School, NE

Albuquerque, NM 87106 US

Phone: Ext. 168

Fax:

Child, Adol, Home Visits, Accepts Medicaid, OC Spectrum Disorders, BDD, ERP, CBT

I was disappointed but not surprised to find a gap in coverage in your area. I

should emphasize that if you are at councelors that want to find " what is behind

this " , then you know you are at the wrong place. There is no reason for OCD in

most cases - it is no-one's fault. It is a chemical imbalance for either

medical or genetic reasons. It is not a logical brain problem - it is

illogical, and therefore ERP therapy is the one that works best. It retrains

the brain, instead of dealing with underlying trauma.

We also had to drive 2.5 hours each way, so I know how frustrating this can be.

I hope someone has a better reco for you.

Best - in NC

>

> Thank you all for all the suggestions. We have been doing benadryl before bed

just because he will stay up for hours if we don't give it to him. What is

everyone's experience with melatonin with children? Any bad side effects? Any

other natural herbal recommendations for easing anxiousness? Im thinking of

getting some sleepytime tea for him. I had an appt. last week with a new Doctor,

seems very nice but didn't really give too much suggestions on bedtime and

giving into rituals etc. I think they think by counseling him they can figure

out what is behind this, but he doesn't know. He says he cant tell me because

its his brain, only at night though I understand, I also have OCD, and blame

myself for alot of this even though I know it can be hereditary. Can anyone

recommend a good Doctor who handles OCD patients well in my area. I live in Las

Cruces,NM, I hope thats not too much info. Thank you all so much, this group has

helped so much already.

>

[Guest guest]

Don't blame yourself. I, too, have OCD, but my daughter's symptoms are quite

different from mine. It is clearly not something she " learned " from me. She

inherited either the OCD or the tendency to OCD, just as my other daughter

inherited my touchy stomach. my 9 yr old takes 1-1.5 mg melatonin each night

with no noticeable side effects.

Unfortunately, I don't have therapist suggestions for you, but you need to ask

if this person does exposure and response prevention therapy. This is the

proven treatment for OCD (as well as meds). You can talk about it forever, but

it will not decrease the compulsions. Think about another fear behavior. If

you are afraid of dogs, you can talk about all the reasons why you are afraid,

but unless you start with gradual exposures (pictures of dogs, looking at dogs,

and finally touching or patting a dog), you will never learn that most dogs will

not hurt you. This is especially true if you run away (avoid), in which case

the dog will likely chase you thus strenghtening your fear response and

increasing your avoidance of dogs.

Hoping someone can give you a therapist recommendation.

(mom with OCD, 9 yr old daughter w/ OCD)

>

> Subject: Re: OCD and not sleeping

> To:

> Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 1:02 PM

> Thank you all for all the

> suggestions. We have been doing benadryl before bed just

> because he will stay up for hours if we don't give it to

> him. What is everyone's experience with melatonin with

> children? Any bad side effects? Any other natural herbal

> recommendations for easing anxiousness? Im thinking of

> getting some sleepytime tea for him. I had an appt. last

> week with a new Doctor, seems very nice but didn't really

> give too much suggestions on bedtime and giving into rituals

> etc. I think they think by counseling him they can figure

> out what is behind this, but he doesn't know. He says he

> cant tell me because its his brain, only at night though

> I understand, I also have OCD, and blame myself for alot of

> this even though I know it can be hereditary. Can anyone

> recommend a good Doctor who handles OCD patients well in my

> area. I live in Las Cruces,NM, I hope thats not too much

> info. Thank you all so much, this group has helped so much

> already.

>

>

> >

> > Hello, Im new here seeking advice about my 8 year old

> son who is showing signs of OCD and is not sleeping at

> night. Let me start out by saying he is a good boy with no

> behavioral problems at all at school or home during the day.

> He is doing well at school and I speak with his teach

> regularly to keep updated on how he is doing, she says he is

> great. He completely changes at night. Its like he is a

> different child. He cant sleep unless he has his fan on

> high, a full cup of water(cant be half way) and his night

> light on, and even with all these things he still says he

> doesn't feel like sleeping sometimes. He says bad things

> come in his head at night, he says he doesn't want to think

> of bad things but he does. We took the night light out of

> his room because we think its causing him to stay up longer

> cause its so bright in there. We also started doing half a

> glass of water instead of a full cup because he is up at

> night going to the restroom too much which is also

> disrupting his sleep.

> He will go crazy if we completely say no water. He cries

> hysterically like its the end of the world to have no water.

> We have been giving him water and leaving his fan on high,

> but we feel by doing this we are backtracking and it will

> make him worse in the long run. We are emotionally drained,

> and dont know what to do. He will be seeing a Doctor on

> Monday for a evaluation but until then we are left to try

> and figure things out for ourselves and to top it off I have

> a 2 year old who requires alot of my time all day and Im

> running on very little sleep. Any advice would be

> appreciated.

> >

>

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

> Our list archives feature may be accessed at: 

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group//

> by scrolling down to the archives calendar .  Our links

> may be accessed at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group//links

> .  Our files may be accessed at

> http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group//files

> .

> Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D.(http://www.ocdawareness.com ),

Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.( http://www.worrywisekids.org ), and Dan Geller, M.D.

> (http://www2.massgeneral.org/pediatricpsych/staff/geller.html

> ). You may ask a question of any of these mental health

> professionals by inserting the words " Ask Dr.(insert name) "

> in the subject line of a post to the list.  Our list

> moderators are Castle, Judy Chabot, BJ Closner, and

> Barb Nesrallah.   Subscription issues or

> suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list

> administrator, at louisharkins@...

> .   Our group and related groups are listed

> at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ocdsupportgroups/links

> .  OCF treatment providers list may be viewed at

http://www.ocfoundation.info/treatment-providers-list.php

> .

> NLM-NIH Drug Information Portal may be viewed at

>

http://druginfo.nlm.nih.gov/drugportal/drugportal.jsp?APPLICATION_NAME=drugporta\

l

> .  OCF recommended reading list may be viewed at

http://www.ocfoundation.org/ocd-oc-spectrum-disorders-book-list.html

> .

>

[Guest guest]

my son takes melatonin and its great! he used to be up hours at night worrying

about all the stuff he worrys about .with melatonin he gets a great nights

sleep.

he STILL cant wake up in the morning, but he could never wake up in the morning

(any one have any thoughts about that??) and at least now i know that he slept

havent seen any adverse side affects from the melatonin.. i highly recommend it.

good luck

judy

(mom with OCD, 9 yr old daughter w/ OCD)

>

> Subject: Re: OCD and not sleeping

> To:

> Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 1:02 PM

> Thank you all for all the

> suggestions. We have been doing benadryl before bed just

> because he will stay up for hours if we don't give it to

> him. What is everyone's experience with melatonin with

> children? Any bad side effects? Any other natural herbal

> recommendations for easing anxiousness? Im thinking of

> getting some sleepytime tea for him. I had an appt. last

> week with a new Doctor, seems very nice but didn't really

> give too much suggestions on bedtime and giving into rituals

> etc. I think they think by counseling him they can figure

> out what is behind this, but he doesn't know. He says he

> cant tell me because its his brain, only at night though

> I understand, I also have OCD, and blame myself for alot of

> this even though I know it can be hereditary. Can anyone

> recommend a good Doctor who handles OCD patients well in my

> area. I live in Las Cruces,NM, I hope thats not too much

> info. Thank you all so much, this group has helped so much

> already.

>

>

> >

> > Hello, Im new here seeking advice about my 8 year old

> son who is showing signs of OCD and is not sleeping at

> night. Let me start out by saying he is a good boy with no

> behavioral problems at all at school or home during the day.

> He is doing well at school and I speak with his teach

> regularly to keep updated on how he is doing, she says he is

> great. He completely changes at night. Its like he is a

> different child. He cant sleep unless he has his fan on

> high, a full cup of water(cant be half way) and his night

> light on, and even with all these things he still says he

> doesn't feel like sleeping sometimes. He says bad things

> come in his head at night, he says he doesn't want to think

> of bad things but he does. We took the night light out of

> his room because we think its causing him to stay up longer

> cause its so bright in there. We also started doing half a

> glass of water instead of a full cup because he is up at

> night going to the restroom too much which is also

> disrupting his sleep.

> He will go crazy if we completely say no water. He cries

> hysterically like its the end of the world to have no water.

> We have been giving him water and leaving his fan on high,

> but we feel by doing this we are backtracking and it will

> make him worse in the long run. We are emotionally drained,

> and dont know what to do. He will be seeing a Doctor on

> Monday for a evaluation but until then we are left to try

> and figure things out for ourselves and to top it off I have

> a 2 year old who requires alot of my time all day and Im

> running on very little sleep. Any advice would be

> appreciated.

> >

>

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

> Our list archives feature may be accessed at:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group//

> by scrolling down to the archives calendar . Our links

> may be accessed at

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group//links

> . Our files may be accessed at

> http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group//files

> .

> Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D.(http://www.ocdawareness.com ),

Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.( http://www.worrywisekids.org ), and Dan Geller, M.D.

> (http://www2.massgeneral.org/pediatricpsych/staff/geller.html

> ). You may ask a question of any of these mental health

> professionals by inserting the words " Ask Dr.(insert name) "

> in the subject line of a post to the list. Our list

> moderators are Castle, Judy Chabot, BJ Closner, and

> Barb Nesrallah. Subscription issues or

> suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list

> administrator, at louisharkins@...

> . Our group and related groups are listed

> at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ocdsupportgroups/links

> . OCF treatment providers list may be viewed at

http://www.ocfoundation.info/treatment-providers-list.php

> .

> NLM-NIH Drug Information Portal may be viewed at

>

http://druginfo.nlm.nih.gov/drugportal/drugportal.jsp?APPLICATION_NAME=drugporta\

l

> . OCF recommended reading list may be viewed at

http://www.ocfoundation.org/ocd-oc-spectrum-disorders-book-list.html

> .

>

[Guest guest]

Hi-

I was just reading some posts and ran across yours. I see you live in Las

Cruces. I live in El Paso and I just want you to know that there are no OCD

therapists in this area. The closest one is in Albuquerque. They had a 3 month

wait when I called ( I call LeCaptain) This was a year ago.

My daughter has OCD. She is 16 now, was officially diagnosed at 11,however has

had is since she was quite young. I have researched extensively to find someone

here in this area that truly knows and understands OCD. Sadly, there is none.

My daughter has always been functional as her OCD is more mild to moderate,

however it has gotten worse in the past few months. What has helped us

tremendously in the past was to attend the OCD conferences that are held every

year. They are wonderful and so informative. They are for everyone and have

workshops or sessions for everybody associated with an OCD patient ( parents,

siblings, clinicians,) They also address all the spectrum disorders that go

along with having OCD, I bet they have about 100 different sessions you can

choose from to attend. They also have all the experts in the field there that

are right at your fingertips to speak with.

If you haven't been before or if you haven't even heard about them, I will be

more than happy to tell you more about them. The first time we went was in San

Diego. The ONLY reason my daughter wanted to go was to meet another kid with

OCD. That was extremely important for her. We went for 3 years in a row, but

have not been able to attend the past two years. She has really missed that.

It's so hard to watch our children go through all that they do, knowing we can't

help them.

There are some really great books out there to help the parents as well as

children.

I wish I had better news about qualified help in our area.

If I can be of any other help, please let me know. Maybe we can meet one day.

It's always good to have an understanding ear.

God Bless,

Debbie

> >

> > Hello, Im new here seeking advice about my 8 year old son who is showing

signs of OCD and is not sleeping at night. Let me start out by saying he is a

good boy with no behavioral problems at all at school or home during the day. He

is doing well at school and I speak with his teach regularly to keep updated on

how he is doing, she says he is great. He completely changes at night. Its like

he is a different child. He cant sleep unless he has his fan on high, a full cup

of water(cant be half way) and his night light on, and even with all these

things he still says he doesn't feel like sleeping sometimes. He says bad things

come in his head at night, he says he doesn't want to think of bad things but he

does. We took the night light out of his room because we think its causing him

to stay up longer cause its so bright in there. We also started doing half a

glass of water instead of a full cup because he is up at night going to the

restroom too much which is also disrupting his sleep. He will go crazy if we

completely say no water. He cries hysterically like its the end of the world to

have no water. We have been giving him water and leaving his fan on high, but we

feel by doing this we are backtracking and it will make him worse in the long

run. We are emotionally drained, and dont know what to do. He will be seeing a

Doctor on Monday for a evaluation but until then we are left to try and figure

things out for ourselves and to top it off I have a 2 year old who requires alot

of my time all day and Im running on very little sleep. Any advice would be

appreciated.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Judy, how long does she stay off the Melatonin before reintroducing it again?

Sent via BlackBerry by AT & T

Re: OCD and not sleeping

To: @ yahoogroups. com

Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 10:02 AM

 

Thank you all for all the suggestions. We have been doing benadryl before bed

just because he will stay up for hours if we don't give it to him. What is

everyone's experience with melatonin with children? Any bad side effects? Any

other natural herbal recommendations for easing anxiousness? Im thinking of

getting some sleepytime tea for him. I had an appt. last week with a new Doctor,

seems very nice but didn't really give too much suggestions on bedtime and

giving into rituals etc. I think they think by counseling him they can figure

out what is behind this, but he doesn't know. He says he cant tell me because

its his brain, only at night though I understand, I also have OCD, and blame

myself for alot of this even though I know it can be hereditary. Can anyone

recommend a good Doctor who handles OCD patients well in my area. I live in Las

Cruces,NM, I hope thats not too much info. Thank you all so much, this group has

helped so much already.

>

> Hello, Im new here seeking advice about my 8 year old son who is showing signs

of OCD and is not sleeping at night. Let me start out by saying he is a good boy

with no behavioral problems at all at school or home during the day. He is doing

well at school and I speak with his teach regularly to keep updated on how he is

doing, she says he is great. He completely changes at night. Its like he is a

different child. He cant sleep unless he has his fan on high, a full cup of

water(cant be half way) and his night light on, and even with all these things

he still says he doesn't feel like sleeping sometimes. He says bad things come

in his head at night, he says he doesn't want to think of bad things but he

does. We took the night light out of his room because we think its causing him

to stay up longer cause its so bright in there. We also started doing half a

glass of water instead of a full cup because he is up at night going to the

restroom too much which

is also disrupting his sleep. He will go crazy if we completely say no water. He

cries hysterically like its the end of the world to have no water. We have been

giving him water and leaving his fan on high, but we feel by doing this we are

backtracking and it will make him worse in the long run. We are emotionally

drained, and dont know what to do. He will be seeing a Doctor on Monday for a

evaluation but until then we are left to try and figure things out for ourselves

and to top it off I have a 2 year old who requires alot of my time all day and

Im running on very little sleep. Any advice would be appreciated.

>

[Guest guest]

My 6 yr old son has been on it for almost a year and except for a few times when

his anxiety was super high, I have never had to adjust the dosage. Ihave not

noticed any side effects either. My husband also takes it as he works third

shift. Doesn't seem to work as well with him some days but he isn't willing to

up his does either. But with my son-no problems.My son's pdoc did want him to

get more tryptophan anturally (bascially eat more turkey-lol). He said this

would help his mood and boost the effectiveness of the Melatonin.

> > >

> > > Hello, Im new here seeking advice about my 8 year old

> > son who is showing signs of OCD and is not sleeping at

> > night. Let me start out by saying he is a good boy with no

> > behavioral problems at all at school or home during the day.

> > He is doing well at school and I speak with his teach

> > regularly to keep updated on how he is doing, she says he is

> > great. He completely changes at night. Its like he is a

> > different child. He cant sleep unless he has his fan on

> > high, a full cup of water(cant be half way) and his night

> > light on, and even with all these things he still says he

> > doesn't feel like sleeping sometimes. He says bad things

> > come in his head at night, he says he doesn't want to think

> > of bad things but he does. We took the night light out of

> > his room because we think its causing him to stay up longer

> > cause its so bright in there. We also started doing half a

> > glass of water instead of a full cup because he is up at

> > night going to the restroom too much which is also

> > disrupting his sleep.

> > He will go crazy if we completely say no water. He cries

> > hysterically like its the end of the world to have no water.

> > We have been giving him water and leaving his fan on high,

> > but we feel by doing this we are backtracking and it will

> > make him worse in the long run. We are emotionally drained,

> > and dont know what to do. He will be seeing a Doctor on

> > Monday for a evaluation but until then we are left to try

> > and figure things out for ourselves and to top it off I have

> > a 2 year old who requires alot of my time all day and Im

> > running on very little sleep. Any advice would be

> > appreciated.

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > ------------------------------------

> >

> > Our list archives feature may be accessed at:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group//

> > by scrolling down to the archives calendar . Our links

> > may be accessed at

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group//links

> > . Our files may be accessed at

> > http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group//files

> > .

> > Our list advisors are Gail B. , Ed.D.(http://www.ocdawareness.com ),

Tamar Chansky, Ph.D.( http://www.worrywisekids.org ), and Dan Geller, M.D.

> > (http://www2.massgeneral.org/pediatricpsych/staff/geller.html

> > ). You may ask a question of any of these mental health

> > professionals by inserting the words " Ask Dr.(insert name) "

> > in the subject line of a post to the list. Our list

> > moderators are Castle, Judy Chabot, BJ Closner, and

> > Barb Nesrallah. Subscription issues or

> > suggestions may be addressed to Louis Harkins, list

> > administrator, at louisharkins@...

> > . Our group and related groups are listed

> > at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/ocdsupportgroups/links

> > . OCF treatment providers list may be viewed at

http://www.ocfoundation.info/treatment-providers-list.php

> > .

> > NLM-NIH Drug Information Portal may be viewed at

> >

http://druginfo.nlm.nih.gov/drugportal/drugportal.jsp?APPLICATION_NAME=drugporta\

l

> > . OCF recommended reading list may be viewed at

http://www.ocfoundation.org/ocd-oc-spectrum-disorders-book-list.html

> > .

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

What I do with my daughter , I wouldn't try it unless you have checked with your

doctor first. I keep her on the benadryl, and like I said , I have to keep

raising it, in order for it to be effective , than once she is up to 150mg of it

and she 's not sleeping , I go back to the melatonin.

Than when the melatonin doesn't work anymore, I go back to the benadryl. The

time frame is different all the time.

 Each of the meds usually work for a few months before I have to switch ,

sometimes a little longer. I have done this with her for 3 years now, because

her doctor,as well as myself feel it is much safer than having her on the dozen

or so different meds she has been on for sleep.

Hugs

judy

________________________________

To: OCD < >

Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2009 8:16:25 PM

Subject: Re: Re: OCD and not sleeping

Judy, how long does she stay off the Melatonin before reintroducing it again?

Sent via BlackBerry by AT & T

Re: OCD and not sleeping

To: @ yahoogroups. com

Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 10:02 AM

 

Thank you all for all the suggestions. We have been doing benadryl before bed

just because he will stay up for hours if we don't give it to him. What is

everyone's experience with melatonin with children? Any bad side effects? Any

other natural herbal recommendations for easing anxiousness? Im thinking of

getting some sleepytime tea for him. I had an appt. last week with a new Doctor,

seems very nice but didn't really give too much suggestions on bedtime and

giving into rituals etc. I think they think by counseling him they can figure

out what is behind this, but he doesn't know. He says he cant tell me because

its his brain, only at night though I understand, I also have OCD, and blame

myself for alot of this even though I know it can be hereditary. Can anyone

recommend a good Doctor who handles OCD patients well in my area. I live in Las

Cruces,NM, I hope thats not too much info. Thank you all so much, this group has

helped so much already.

>

> Hello, Im new here seeking advice about my 8 year old son who is showing signs

of OCD and is not sleeping at night. Let me start out by saying he is a good boy

with no behavioral problems at all at school or home during the day. He is doing

well at school and I speak with his teach regularly to keep updated on how he is

doing, she says he is great. He completely changes at night. Its like he is a

different child. He cant sleep unless he has his fan on high, a full cup of

water(cant be half way) and his night light on, and even with all these things

he still says he doesn't feel like sleeping sometimes. He says bad things come

in his head at night, he says he doesn't want to think of bad things but he

does. We took the night light out of his room because we think its causing him

to stay up longer cause its so bright in there. We also started doing half a

glass of water instead of a full cup because he is up at night going to the

restroom too much which

is also disrupting his sleep. He will go crazy if we completely say no water. He

cries hysterically like its the end of the world to have no water. We have been

giving him water and leaving his fan on high, but we feel by doing this we are

backtracking and it will make him worse in the long run. We are emotionally

drained, and dont know what to do. He will be seeing a Doctor on Monday for a

evaluation but until then we are left to try and figure things out for ourselves

and to top it off I have a 2 year old who requires alot of my time all day and

Im running on very little sleep. Any advice would be appreciated.

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Judy, for the details. I'll check with our pdoc before I have to try it.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT & T

Re: OCD and not sleeping

To: @ yahoogroups. com

Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 10:02 AM

 

Thank you all for all the suggestions. We have been doing benadryl before bed

just because he will stay up for hours if we don't give it to him. What is

everyone's experience with melatonin with children? Any bad side effects? Any

other natural herbal recommendations for easing anxiousness? Im thinking of

getting some sleepytime tea for him. I had an appt. last week with a new Doctor,

seems very nice but didn't really give too much suggestions on bedtime and

giving into rituals etc. I think they think by counseling him they can figure

out what is behind this, but he doesn't know. He says he cant tell me because

its his brain, only at night though I understand, I also have OCD, and blame

myself for alot of this even though I know it can be hereditary. Can anyone

recommend a good Doctor who handles OCD patients well in my area. I live in Las

Cruces,NM, I hope thats not too much info. Thank you all so much, this group has

helped so much already.

>

> Hello, Im new here seeking advice about my 8 year old son who is showing signs

of OCD and is not sleeping at night. Let me start out by saying he is a good boy

with no behavioral problems at all at school or home during the day. He is doing

well at school and I speak with his teach regularly to keep updated on how he is

doing, she says he is great. He completely changes at night. Its like he is a

different child. He cant sleep unless he has his fan on high, a full cup of

water(cant be half way) and his night light on, and even with all these things

he still says he doesn't feel like sleeping sometimes. He says bad things come

in his head at night, he says he doesn't want to think of bad things but he

does. We took the night light out of his room because we think its causing him

to stay up longer cause its so bright in there. We also started doing half a

glass of water instead of a full cup because he is up at night going to the

restroom too much which

is also disrupting his sleep. He will go crazy if we completely say no water. He

cries hysterically like its the end of the world to have no water. We have been

giving him water and leaving his fan on high, but we feel by doing this we are

backtracking and it will make him worse in the long run. We are emotionally

drained, and dont know what to do. He will be seeing a Doctor on Monday for a

evaluation but until then we are left to try and figure things out for ourselves

and to top it off I have a 2 year old who requires alot of my time all day and

Im running on very little sleep. Any advice would be appreciated.

>