My 6 yr old with severe ADHD is on Concerta. He takes it at like 8am. He cant fall asleep till like 11pm-1am. We were using Melatonin which worked great but not anymore. The Dr. prescribed him Clonidine to sleep at night. Something about that doesn't sit well with me & I'm nervous to give him this. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with this??
Anyone familiar with giving 6yr old Clonidine to sleep?
Question posted by tammydonny on 6 Nov 2009
Last updated on 28 September 2021
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27 Answers Page 2
yes..my daughter, now 10 but has adhd..and same thing happened with melatonin..she was put on.1 mg of clonidine..works very well..no side affects and she is not groggy in morning
My son is 19 yrs old but when he was around 8 or 9 yrs old his doctor put him on clonidine 0.1 mg for insomnia... I realize that this med is used for a blood pressure medication, but it is a old medication that has been around for a lot of years and has multiple uses... Like I said my son took it at a young age for insomnia and I actually took it for insomnia and I'm currently still am taking it to this day for my insomnia, and my son just started back on it himself last month... So I don't think your son will have any issue taking the clonidine... I would at least give it a shot and see how it works!
I have a 3 yr old grandaughter who is on 0.1 mg of clonidine. I'm really concerned about her because she walks around like a zombie when she's not sleeping her mom says it keeps her from having tantrums but she doesn't have them when she's with me. I don't like the way she acts when she on this med what to do
I am having the same issue with my 3 yr old grandson. His mother just put him on clonindine and I do not see any behavior issues while he is with me. It really worries me that he's so young and being medicated for something that only seems to affect him when he is home with her?
My 16 year old and 7 year old boys both have ADHD. They both take clonidine at bedtime. My 16 y/o takes .3 mg and my 7y/o takes .1mg. We tried the melatonin an it gave them severe night terrors. The clonidine works wonderful. My 7 y/o has a rare growth order as well and we have to treat the ADHD very carefully and lightly. Before the clonidine it took atleast 2 hours to get him to sleep. My older boy would be up all night some nights. Lack of sleep is very detrimental to learning and behaving at school.
I am very familiar with this. My daughter, 6yrs old, has severe ADHD and was on Focalin XR with Clonidine. She is now on Concerta with clonidine and this really helps. I too had concerns and was asking my sisters who are nurses about this, since it is a blood pressure medicine, and they disagreed at first. After awhile it became a must that i try something and now i wouldn't change it for the world and they agree. She sleeps now and I am very pleased with this medicine. Again to each its on but it really helped her. Benadryl did nothing and it is not intended for extended use. Hope this helps
I have a 10 year old son with ADHD and taking 27mg of concerta. About an hour before bedtime we give him "Sleepytime Tea" spiked with 3mg of melatonin, the tea is chamomile and spearmint and we sweeten it a little with honey; there is another tea called "Sleepytime Extra" that has Valerian root in it, which we haven't tried yet. This has worked sooooooo well for us, no more bedtime nightmare! The maximum "safe" dose of melatonin for kids is 10mg, but we have only needed three. Find the tea in the tea section and the melatonin in the vitamin section of your local grocery store. Also, when I put my boy to bed, I rub his back to help him relax into sleep. Takes like 10 minutes but he's out like a light.
My eight year old granddaughter has taken Clonidine for 2 & 1/2 yr. She takes .1 mg. Katie goes to sleep within 30 min. of taking the med. I notice she walks in her sleep as well as seems to have more dreams. So far we do not notice any really bad side effects. At least she rests well for school. She is also on Risperadal. Her doc recently increased her to .2mg. of clonidine But it made her sleep too deeply & we cut it back, which still lets her rest. I hope all goes well for your child. i call my phamacist with med questions often.
You do know how dangerous this drug is to discontinue, don't you?
I have 6 year old twins, both on Vyvanse(30mg) for their ADHD and now taking Clonidine (1/2 tablet 0.1mg) to help alleviate tics. Though it was not prescribed for a sleep disorder, one twin does take a second dose at night; I have to give it to him about 3 hours before bedtime, otherwise he gets sleepy during dinner and if we keep him up (to take his bath, etc) he seems to catch a 2d wind and then we have a tough time getting him down. I wouldn't be afraid to try the med, but be willing to tinker with when you give your son the dose.
I take it myself, 41 years old and .3 mg. Give it to him only 1/2 hour before you put him to sleep, if you haven't figured stout yet. Since this is years old. IT takes affect and then gets his head to be like out of it. And he won't remember much of what has happened while he was on it. Anyway, I know its 7 years later, but I just saw it. And on the topic, my son is 8 and on 60mg of Vyvanse and its working wonders in school. Just the go to bed please. Before 1am.
my son is 6 years old and is on concerta and he has trouble going to sleep, so the Dr told me to give him Melatonin it worked for a little while now it doesn't do anything we get him to bed between 11-2 so I know how you feel and what your going through.
Exactly!! I will say he is now taking Clonadine .05mg and Melatonin at bed. It works great. What do you think about trying that? Would love to stay in touch, added you as a friend. Thanks
Hello all, my son is on .3mg of Clonidine and melatonin at night. And it works well. I saw that someone document their son is on .5mg at night and I believe he is younger than my son. My son is 11. I saying this because my son pediatrician told me .3mg is too much. And my son is big for his age too. 5 feet and 170 pounds. So can anyone tell me how much clonidine is safe in a 24hrs period for children with ASD? Thank you
I raised my sons melatonin to 10mg. So your son is about 10 now, i don't know if you will get this or not. But now my son is on Vyvance and it works great in school, but getting him to sleep is very hard. He will lay there and just stay in bed for an hour and then get up cause he has to pee and is thirsty. But then goes back to bed, and stays there for a few more hours and is still awake. He wakes up at 8am and we give him the med at 9am and jeese, he is up sometimes until 1am. Dr just gave him .1 of Clonidine and said he could go up to .2 and He is 8 and only 56 pounds. I am 41 and 157 pounds and take .3 of it. I don't think he should be on that much. It scares me a lot.
I am a P.A. and work in child psych. The first thing i would ask is the dose of the Concerta and the weight of your child. The dose may be too high. Also, was he sleeping well before the Concerta, or is sleep a chronic problem? Is the problem sleep or is it behavioral (meaning he will not stay in the bed?) Concerta should only last 12 hours, so taking it at 8 am may be too late anyway as he should have about 11 hours of sleep , and should be in bed before 8 pm (depending on his daytime scheduule.) He may be missing his body's natural winding down time as he is on the Concerta at that time, and may be getting his second wind. Several things to think about.
Why did your doc change if the Melatonin worked so well? I have no problems using Clonidine in a 6 YO for sleep (usual dose is 0.1 mg 1/2 before bed) but do NOT use it if i can lower the Concerta or change the time it is given and get the same results, or even change from a 12 hour stimulant to an 8 hour (like Metadate CD) to enable the child to fall asleep sooner. If it is behavioral in nature, your family needs parenting classes and/or therapy to assist.
Make sure you have good sleep habits, meaning no TV or computers (bright flickering lights wake up the brain) or food at least one hour before bed. Relaxing books, bath and dimmed lights during this time help, as does same bed time and wake time 7 days a week. If the child will not stay in the bed, then there needs to be a consequence for this behavior.
Clonidine works well and i have never seen any serious side effects. Beware that it does need to be titrated up and down - should not be stopped abruptly as it can effect the blood pressure if stopped abruptly. i have otherwise seen no alterations in BP in children on this med and we use it all the time. It works really well.
Hope this helps!
Tammydonny,
I can see where your doctor was going with this med, but I would be really hestitant to use it on a six year old. Just out of curiousity, how much Concerta is your son on? I would've thought that the doctor would just decrease his dosage of that. If that made his ADHD worse, I would think he might try a lower dosage of Concerta ER (extended release). Just a thought. Anyway, good luck with the sleep problem. Since benadryl didn't work well, maybe he could try a low dose of Vistaril. It's an antihystamine too, maybe it would work.
This is how I feel, he started on 18mg, then 27mg, and currently 36mg - All ER. We did try lowering and the 36 works so much better, but the sleeping has to be fixed. His dr gave me the clonadine and basically said try this, if you are not happy with the results, then he might change him to ritilan 2x's day.
I have a 7 year old and he takes
1/2 clonidine in am and pm of 0.1 mg and it does help for sleep
But in the morning he is like as live wire a and he has a hard time settling down to ge t ready for the morning and school bus
I have a 7 year old and he takes
1/2 clonidine in am and pm of 0.1 mg and it does help for sleep
But in the morning he is like as live wire a and he has a hard time settling down to ge t ready for the morning and school bus
I have a 7 year old and he takes
1/2 clonidine in am and pm of 0.1 mg and it does help for sleep
But in the morning he is like as live wire a and he has a hard time settling down to ge t ready for the morning and school bus
It clearly states every where not to give this med to anyone under 12 years old. Plus no where does it state that is what this med is for, I don't understand why your doctor would prescribe that for you child. I would definetly get a second opinion on that one. I would even try using benadryl at night time. Have you ever done that? At least until you find something. I work for a physchiatrist and he prescribes benadryl alot for his patients to sleep. I wish you good luck, and I would stay away from that med. Michele
Thanks for your reply. This is my feeling too. Benadryl has an opposite effect for my son. Unfortunately we didn't find this out until we took our first plane ride... Imagine how the other passangers felt sitting next to me!! Thank You!
Anyone familiar with ADHD will tell you that Benadryl doesn't work for helping someone get to sleep. And just because the med recommends to not give it to someone under 12 doesn't mean they can't/shouldn't take it. I too have a 6 year old (twins) who have been prescribed clonidine to take the edge off and deter tics. They were prescribed .01mg and take only 1/2 the pill with their ADHD med. It has helped to control the tics that seemed to be brought on by the ADHD med. Based on my experience, I don't see a problem with following the doctor's orders.
Many drugs are used to treat symptoms other than their original use. Viagra is used to treat pulmonary hypertension in both men and women and we all know what it's intended use is. I would suggest getting second opinions from a psychiatrist as well as the pediatrician.
I have to admitt that clonidine is a scarey medication when you are looking at your child. But it is the drug of choice used in pediatrics when children with ADHD cannot sleep. I also have a child on medication and it had been mentioned to us as well. Our son is currently waiting for a sleep study, taking melatonin and it is working well for him. If this was not working we too would be using the clonidine. The child has to sleep or the symptoms of the ADHD worsen
It is commonly prescribed as a sleep aid for kids and adults of all ages. You should have found that when you googled it. My son has taken it for atleast a year, maybe two now, and he is just now 12. I would find a pediatrician that you trust, of course always verify, but if you trust a random stranger on the internet more than your kid's doctor, there is a problem some where.
Hello my daughter also suffers from severe ADHD also anxiety and she's currently taking clonodine to sleep for over a year now her appetite has increased and we haven't had no problems and she's in perfect condition of health
Clonidine is one of safest medication. Do not worry. Make sure he is on the lowest possible dosage.
Related topics
concerta, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd), sleep disorders, clonidine, melatonin, sleep
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