<p>I have ADD and I have a lot of trouble falling asleep at night. Right now I am a senior in high school and have to wake up at 5:50 for school. This qaurter I cannot wake up at all for school I can't fall asleep until about 3:30 it has gotten so bad I am probaly in danger for failing due to abscenses. I was wondering if anyone has any strategies that have helped them or your children with the early wake up? The medication I am on is Vyvanse (SP?) 30 Mg.</p>
<p>I, too, have problems with insomnia (I even made a thread like this a few days ago, heh). I suppose the one thing that's sure to help me fall asleep is reading a boring textbook. There's really nothing quite like academics to make you want to close your eyelids and drift off!</p>
<p>Of course, it takes some willpower to read a textbook in the middle of the night, so that's always prevented me from using this technique. But if you're determined and motivated, maybe you'll have better luck with it. :)</p>
<p>My dd often has trouble sleeping especially when shes on stimulants.</p>
<p>For a few years she was also on risperdal which helped a great deal with her sleeping and appetite.</p>
<p>Have you tried Melatonin? The sublingual tablets work quickly.</p>
<p>There are homeopathic and herbal sleep remedies that can help. Talk to your doctor about the timing of when you are taking your medication. Have you ever tried guided meditation? You can get meditation cds at your local bookstore. All of these things have helped my kids.</p>
<p>PS-A good herbalist at a health food store can help with the homeopathic/herbal remedies.</p>
<p>I have ADHD, and i used to have trouble falling asleep. I would actually get kind of panicky at night, when I was supposed to be sleeping. ADHD is often paired with anxiety, and when I saw my doctor and was diagnosed, the medicine she prescribed to me helped me go to sleep a lot faster.</p>
<p>There could be any number of reasons. </p>
<p>If you're on stimulants, it may well be the culprit. Is your heart rate elevated? Do you feel sleepy? I ended up chronically sleep deprived with even the smallest doses of Adderall because it just didn't wear off by the time I needed to go to bed. If you take a dose in the late afternoon/evening, that might be the cause. Sleep medication might help you fall asleep, but it isn't a good long-term solution because you don't get as deep sleep.</p>
<p>Or it might be the ADD. Does your brain just not turn off? Do you keep paying attention to noises? For me, having a white noise machine (or just a white noise CD on repeat) is the only way to switch off my brain.</p>
<p>Also make sure you have good "sleep hygiene." A ritual before bed helps your mind and body know it's time for sleep. Brush your teeth, etc. only right before you're going to sleep and you can get a sort of Pavlovian response going. It'll give you a chance to clear your head from studying, too, so you're not mulling over your homework/life so much. And keep your bed for sleeping only! Doing homework, reading, talking on the phone, etc. will break the association of the bed being for sleep. Do your homework at a desk, do your reading in a comfy chair, and so on.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I currently have the same problem on stimulants and only recently got to a near-stable dosage of my meds. I found out that using sedatives (don't use it everyday for fear of addiction as it changes the natural body chemistry), basically the OTC diphenhydramine (Benadryl). For something taken every night I recommend (herbal, natural, safe) melatonin and valerian root which calms and puts your body into a mood for sleep. If you can't sleep DO SOMETHING ELSE. Tosing and turning trying to sleep is simply wasting your time. Though my sleep schedule sometimes is wacked and I crash in the afternoon even with my meds (fatigue from lack of sleep =)</p>
<p>^ I have OCD and I have suffered from Imsomnia</p>
<p>Here's my advice, before you get on a medication</p>
<p>-Go visit your physician, tell him/her your symptoms and ask for his opinion on herbal medicine and/or insomnia medication</p>
<p>-Are you stressed? If so, lower your stress by eating right, getting some good exercise and do activities to relieve stress.</p>
<p>-Try breathing exercises before sleep, or drink some chamomile tea.</p>
<p>-Take an antihistamine like Alegra; antihistaminic medication is non-prescription and has a somnolence side effect (it'll make u sleepy) antihistamine is used for alergies and to relive cold symptoms.</p>
<p>Did you have trouble sleeping before you went on the Vyvanse? Have you ever tried any other meds? I would definitely talk to the doc who's prescribing the Vyvanse about your sleep problems. It just might not be the right medication for you.</p>
<p>My son's taking Vyvanse but it doesn't seem to affect his sleeping much ... he's been on Concerta too, but switched after it seemed to stop working.</p>
<p>Amitrytolene, a low dose anti-depressant used to treat fibromyalga, non-pain migraine systems and other neuro-firing issues, will cause three or four hours of sleeplessness in teens, before making them crash out asleep. This UP and Crash cycle is not seen in adults. Timing of taking meds is important and may be different for teens, and changes in college.</p>
<p>ADHD/hyper-bright is often associated with hyper-sensitivity to stimuli. Really smooth sheets and jammies may help. </p>
<p>Develop bedtime rituals and don’t read or do homework in bed. Being in bed should signal sleep. Staying awake in bed doing homework signals wakefulness.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone. I am still on Vyvanse, I think it was stress that was really getting to me because I have been having an easier time falling asleep the last couple months.</p>
<p>its best to take the medicine as soon as u get up, cuz its a stimulant it will keep you up if you wait to take it, could be why not going to sleep</p>
<p>Holdencaufield23</p>
<p>Have your medication changed. I had a doctor put me on, Stratera, for ADHA, which is not a stimulate. I lost weight, couldn’t sleep, felt nausea and light headed. Eventually I felt bad enough that I just stopped taking it, which you should not do. I finally went to another doctor and he prescibed me Conserta. He started me out at the lowest dosage for an adult I think it was 8 milligrams. Then he gradually upped my dosage until it was working and I felt comfortable. I am naturally hyper and it turns out that taking Conserta, which is a stimulant, however, it does not make me feel hyper… I can make sense of my thoughts. I have been taking Conserta for roughly five years and I have never felt better. If need be get another opinion.</p>
<p>A friend had tough time with ADD meds and insomnia. He dropped those meds, increased his physical exercise a little bit and takes a store brand antihistamine two hours before bedtime. In bed he tops it off with a really dull/known book. He’s been doing this for 10 years.</p>