Avoiding ADHD during bedtime

If your child's teacher says he/she isn't paying attention in class, adjusting the bedtime routine may be your best solution. Research shows some kids with ADHD simply have bad bedtime routines. I think that's amazing news! I do have a child who has a hard time paying attention and I do not want to give him medicine unless it's absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, he does not come in to our room to sleep, but he does have some sleep issues. So I am going to look into it further. What do you guys think about this sleep and ADHD symptoms connection?

FROM NBC:Doctors say managing kids' bedtime routines is key in controlling symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder -- and may cure something doctors are calling "Faux ADHD."

Irritability, easily distracted in class, loss of focus- these are hallmark signs of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. While medication helps many kids with ADHD -- some doctors are prescribing a change in bedtime routine.

And it's working for kids with so-called "faux adhd." Dr. Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman - New England Center for Pediatric Psychology: "That is a condition that looks exactly like ADHD except for one very important difference. It does not respond to medication."

Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman and her colleagues at the new England center for pediatric psychology have been treating ADHD cases for decades. They found getting kids into bed -- and then making them stay in their bed all night long -- was a major problem for parents. Dr. Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman - New England Center for Pediatric Psychology: "This was a real mini-disaster in the house every evening."

Doctors assessed the families, and gave parents tailored techniques on how to enforce regular bedtimes and keep kids from crawling into bed with them in the middle of the night. It alleviated those mini-disasters and daytime ADHD symptoms for many kids. Experts say this gives children a level of self-confidence they can't get any other way. Dr. Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman - New England Center for Pediatric Psychology: "When children are able to control staying in their room all night and self-soothe, then they are able to control themselves during the day."

Other doctors say it makes sense -- and can help moms and dads, too. Kate Eshleman, Psy.D. - Cleveland Clinic: "If parents are better able to manage kids' sleep behaviors, they're better able to manage other behaviors also." Making daytime and nighttime a little easier for the whole family. Experts say if improved bedtime rituals don't help symptoms, it may be true ADHD, and a neurological assessment is warranted.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Suicide Risk with Medication

I had to share this story from CNN about really young kids and suicide. I do think there are kids who have ADHD who need medication, but it is petrifying to think that medicine could lead to a child taking his/her own life. If any of you have children with ADHD tendencies or have kids on medication for it, please read this story!

FROM CNN: It's been six months since nine-year-old Montana Lance hanged himself in his school's bathroom. Why he did it continues to haunt his family. The parents want to know if a drug Montana was taking for Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is to blame.

When Montana Lance was found dead at Stewart's Creek Elementary, parents in the colony couldn't believe a nine-year-old boy would hang himself in a school bathroom. "It's just sad. I just can't imagine what would make a nine-year-old boy feel this way." The autopsy report said amphetamines were found in his blood.

Montana's parents did not go on camera, but they said Montana had been taking a new medication for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder called Vyvanse. It went on the market in 2007. Since then, there have been more than 130 individual safety reports to the FDA concerning Vyvanse and suicide, from people as old as 54, as young as 6. FDA data says 37 Vyvanse patients who considered suicide were younger than 10.

There were at least two seven-year-olds who completed the act. According to the CDC, in all of 2007, only four people under the age of 10 committed suicide in the U.S. "For the most part, it is a very safe medication." Dr. Syed Quaudri prescribes Vyvanse for some of his pediatric patients. He told me there is a known risk for all stimulants and ADHD drugs especially if there are symptoms of bipolar disorder or depression. "So when you don't treat that and you're just treating ADHD, yes, you are going to have somebody who is depressed and irritable, and can commit suicide."

The maker of Vyvanse, shire, would not comment specifically on Montana lance, but sent this statement: "It is important to note that simply because there is a specific medication present in a person's system at the time of their passing, it does not mean the medication had any correlation with the cause of their passing." On the medication guide for Vyvanse, the FDA warns of new psychotic symptoms linked to amphetamines, and tells patients to tell their doctor about any family history of bipolar disorder or suicide. Montana's mother said she suspected her son was bipolar, but it was never diagnosed. Melissa Petty leads the North Texas add support group. "It's too quiet. this would be a difficult place for a person with ADHD." She's also the parent of an ADHD child. She says parents need to trust their instincts and ask questions before their child is prescribed any ADHD drug.

And make sure you see a child psychiatrist, not just a pediatrician. "These medications are serious. They're expensive. You need to have somebody who has experience treating ADHD in children, and has lots of experience." The Lance family still believes that Montana was bullied into suicide. But they continue to look for other reasons a nine-year-old would end his own life.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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