Sleeping through Adderall?

[somerset]

So difficult child's been on Adderall XR 10 mgs for 1 1/2 weeks. THe idea was to get her up earlier and for her to feel motivated and have some energy. I give it to her around 7 am and she sleeps for another 5+ hours! How can she sleep on that? She's taking 20 mgs celexa and 50 mgs trazadone at night. She was taking that before the adderall. We've got a sleep study next month because she needs to sleep so much and gets so exhausted (she was like that even before the depression). We're going to see a new psychiatrist on March 1st, and I wonder if it's even worth it to keep her on the adderall because it affects her appetite, and she's underweight. ANybody else's child sleep soundly after taking Adderall?

 

[InsaneCdn]

Hmmm.... I'd be guessing either the medication isn't the right one (or the right dose...)... OR the sleep issues are so huge that NOTHING overrides the need for sleep.

 

[DDD]

Has there been any positive change since you started the medication? If the only result is that she sleeps more I don't see any reason to continue. The stimulant medications are quick in/quick out...they don't require extended use to see whether they help or hurt the situation. I'm no expert but I personally have never heard of sleepiness as a side effect. Sorry it didn't help. Hugs. DDD

 

[somerset]

The first 2 days she was a tiny bit more peppy when she did wake up. I don't think anyone but me would have noticed the difference. Definitely no significant positive effect.

 

[myeverything04]

Hello,
My difficult child has been on Adderall XR 10mg a day since October and does not sleep more or less on it. We did use (and sometimes still do) Melatonin at night as it keep her up for the first few weeks. However, my difficult child went from 66 lbs to 55 from October 16 to the end of December and since our pediatrician has been, in my opinion, blowing us off, I took her off the Adderall on Sunday. We have a weight check tomorrow but I will say that she has eaten like a hog since I took her off it. Of course it was a very hard choice but she has lost so much weight. I would give it another week or so to see if there if a difference once it's been in her system for a bit but I will say that for a child who is already underweight, I'm surprised her dr prescribed Adderall

 

[Mama Raygun]

Just a thought...maybe the Trazadone Is what keeps her knocked out. I wonder why she would be on something like that if she has issues with extreme tiredness. My only experience with it is they give it to addicts in rehab who can't sleep due to withdrawals. I have been on adderal tho, i would suggest making sure she is already up when you give it to her, if she's in bed half asleep when she take it I could see falling back to sleep. I was on 10 mgs however I don't think it was xr, and it def made me very awake! Make her get up and move around, eat something & shower. If that doesn't help maybe her dose needs upped or the traz taken down?

 

[DDD]

How long has she been on Trazadone? difficult child#2 is ADHD and AS. He has taken Trazadone for years to help him sleep. Any chance that she doesn't really need that medication? Yeah, I know I'm not a psychiatrist, lol, but it does seem odd that a child who sleeps so much that she needs a sleep study is taking a medication that is often used to induce sleep. DDD

 

[somerset]

THe trazadone is because she has trouble falling and staying asleep. This problem predates her depression. Basically, at night she has trouble getting to sleep, often wakes up and can't get back to sleep for a few hours, then by early morning she is sound asleep and almost impossible to wake. Her sleep schedule would not matter so much if she did homeschool, but we tried and it unfortunately it did not work for her.

 

[DDD]

I see. Did you ever try otc Melatonin before the Trazadone? LOL...why to heck am I trying to find an answer for your family when you have a great brain and good medical professionals??? Sometimes I get too eager to help and then have a "Duh, DDD" moment. I'm thinking of you with caring thoughts and good intentions.
DDD

 

[DaisyFace]

Somerset--

Get some bloodwork done. It sounds to me like her levels are out-of-whack...she may not be eating right, or not getting enough of what she needs in her diet. If her iron or thyroid levels are low...you can give her all the stimulant you want and it won't give her any more energy. That's where I would start...

Good luck!

 

[BusynMember]

If the Adderrall isn't helping her, I'd get rid of it. And maybe it's time to reassess the Trazodone. Kid's bodies do change as they get older. Maybe something else would work better? Celexa can make you tired too. I don't think it's supposed to, but everyone is different. All antidepressants put me to sleep and I stay asleep. I have taken Paroxotene for about fifteen years now and I still have to take it at night because an hour after I do, I can't stay awake. Is she tiny? I always had strange reactions to medications and was told that it is partly because I'm so small (don't know if this is true).

 

[somerset]

DDD-
I don't know about the medical professionals - I'm still in the process of finding the right ones within our HMO - but the great brain part I'll take! We did try melatonin, but sadly it didn't help.

Daisyface - we've had bloodwork done several times, and found nothing. She's now getting a gastrointestinal workup which includes more exotic bloodtests.

Thank all of you for your ideas and your support!