Younger DD was diagnosed about a month ago with ADHD (hyperactive-impulsive). We started with the generic of Ritalin LA (long acting). The initial dose was 10 mg and the doctor said that if that wasn't enough, then move her up to 20 mg. (FYI she is 6.5 and weighs 40-45 pounds depending on the day.....)
The improvement is remarkable. We left her at 10 mg for 2 weeks, but the teacher then reported some struggles late in the day. We increased to 20 mg. Almost immediately, we started seeing an increase in symptoms again. Although she was getting good reports from school, at home it was as bad as it ever was (impulsive behaviors, hyperactivity, incessant talking, etc.)! So we went back to 10 mg. She's been on that for about a week. This is better for us at home, but school is again reporting issues in the afternoon.
And through all this, her sleep has really suffered. In the Lounge thread about ADHD and sleep I mentioned how she used to go to bed at 8:30/9 and sleep fine. Now it's like she can't wind down and she is routinely up until 10/10:30 and sometimes as late as 11/11:30.
She has to get up at 7 for school. DH says she gets up fine and she is still getting good reports from school (with the exception of issues in the afternoon).
Has anyone experiences a worsening of symptoms with an increased medication dose? In reading about side effects, this doesn't seem to be a common reaction.
I know a lot of people use melatonin. I wonder if that what we need to start doing?
Thoughts? Experiences?