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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by chefmws on April 18, 2002, at 14:44:53
need some help please!!!
my 12 yr old step son has been diagnosed since age 5 as being ADHD / ODD. we have used ritalin, dexadrine tabs and spanules, adderall XR, clonodine (catapres) for the ODD, medidate and concerta. recently we have had, what we can call, a few seizure episodes. and in the last couple of weeks he has been suffering greatly with insomnia. his pschy and we think that he is now also suffering from depression. we have tried wellbutrin SR with limited success and have just now started celexa and klonopin (clonazepam). the klon is being given at night and before bed. he is getting less sleep now since starting the klonopin than before. from the posts i have read klonopin is supposed to have just the opposite effect.
also at our insisting we had a ct scan done. that showed what appeared to be a lesion on the left temporal lobe. a follow up MRI did not show anything clinically conclusive. the neuro we went to has not ruled out seizures and we have an EEG scheduled for the first week in may.
what i am trying to get at is this.... does anyone know of klonopin causing increased insomnia in ADHD patients? any other information you all might have will be read with great interest.thanks
Posted by katekite on April 18, 2002, at 19:23:21
In reply to klonopin, insomnia, and ADHD/ODD, posted by chefmws on April 18, 2002, at 14:44:53
celexa can be activating, is he taking it at night?
does he sleep better with a low dose of ritalin/stimulant or without? I ask this because I've discovered I fall asleep much better with it than without.
kate
Posted by Spongemomsquarepants on April 18, 2002, at 22:52:36
In reply to klonopin, insomnia, and ADHD/ODD, posted by chefmws on April 18, 2002, at 14:44:53
> need some help please!!!
>
> my 12 yr old step son has been diagnosed since age 5 as being ADHD / ODD. we have used ritalin, dexadrine tabs and spanules, adderall XR, clonodine (catapres) for the ODD, medidate and concerta. recently we have had, what we can call, a few seizure episodes. and in the last couple of weeks he has been suffering greatly with insomnia. his pschy and we think that he is now also suffering from depression. we have tried wellbutrin SR with limited success and have just now started celexa and klonopin (clonazepam). the klon is being given at night and before bed. he is getting less sleep now since starting the klonopin than before. from the posts i have read klonopin is supposed to have just the opposite effect.
> also at our insisting we had a ct scan done. that showed what appeared to be a lesion on the left temporal lobe. a follow up MRI did not show anything clinically conclusive. the neuro we went to has not ruled out seizures and we have an EEG scheduled for the first week in may.
> what i am trying to get at is this.... does anyone know of klonopin causing increased insomnia in ADHD patients? any other information you all might have will be read with great interest.
>
> thanks
Hi,I would do a full work up. Klonopin in also an anti-convulsant or seizure med. He may be having pseudo-seizures, which look very real, but are stress, not abnormal electrical activity in the brain. (I do have a son with eplilepsy)
Wellbutran can lower seizure threshold also. Have they discussed this with you or parents?Klonopin does not make my 54 lb son who is on a whopping 6 mg of klonopin a day tired. He takes Clonodine to get him to fall asleep. It does not cause insomia for him though. (he is just wound up) Ted has been on klonopin 6 out of his 10 years on this planet.
I would do the CT scan MRI and a PET scan. Leave no stone unturned.
Best of luck.
Viki
Posted by chefmws on April 19, 2002, at 9:07:33
In reply to Re: klonopin, insomnia, and ADHD/ODD, posted by Spongemomsquarepants on April 18, 2002, at 22:52:36
vicki,
we have also done a full blood workup. only thing of significance was low blood sugar. his older sister is hypoglicemic. a PET scan has not been mentioned by anyone yet. i will bring this up with my wife. thanks.these seizure like episodes could be pseudo. we are just not sure. he is only 75 pounds soaking wet and we would love to do something to increase his weight as well.
we gave him a break on all of his meds during spring break. we stayed at home so that we could monitor him. (he was not on the klonopin or the celexa at that time) this was done with the permission of the pschy doc. by the 5th day he was saying and asking to be put back on his meds... he did not like how he was feeling. he esp wanted to get back on the AD, saying that he felt very depressed. we are also having great problems at school getting him to just behave.
the neuro even mentioned bipolar. i am a little leery of branding him that since he is changing and taking lots of new meds and that he is entering puberty as well. i do not want him to be misdiagnosed and us do more damage by putting him on meds that are not needed and can have severe side effects.we had stopped the wellbutrin because of a possible severe recation with the dexadrine. the klonopin was started as an anti-seizure med but the insomnia side effect is just tearing him, his teacher,schoolmates and us up.
i can see how stress could play a big role in all of this. i am just not real sure how to get a 12 yr old to talk about his stresses without making him feel worse nor do i know what activity he could be involved in that would be a stress reliever. he does not like to play any sports and would much rather be inside on his computer or N64 or building with his conex.
i am starting to ramble on here. thanks for reading.
i do appreceiate your comments and suggestions and hope that all gets better with you and yours.thanks
mark
Posted by Ritch on April 19, 2002, at 10:12:22
In reply to Re: klonopin, insomnia, and ADHD/ODD » Spongemomsquarepants, posted by chefmws on April 19, 2002, at 9:07:33
> vicki,
> we have also done a full blood workup. only thing of significance was low blood sugar. his older sister is hypoglicemic. a PET scan has not been mentioned by anyone yet. i will bring this up with my wife. thanks.
>
> these seizure like episodes could be pseudo. we are just not sure. he is only 75 pounds soaking wet and we would love to do something to increase his weight as well.
>
> we gave him a break on all of his meds during spring break. we stayed at home so that we could monitor him. (he was not on the klonopin or the celexa at that time) this was done with the permission of the pschy doc. by the 5th day he was saying and asking to be put back on his meds... he did not like how he was feeling. he esp wanted to get back on the AD, saying that he felt very depressed. we are also having great problems at school getting him to just behave.
>
> the neuro even mentioned bipolar. i am a little leery of branding him that since he is changing and taking lots of new meds and that he is entering puberty as well. i do not want him to be misdiagnosed and us do more damage by putting him on meds that are not needed and can have severe side effects.
>
> we had stopped the wellbutrin because of a possible severe recation with the dexadrine. the klonopin was started as an anti-seizure med but the insomnia side effect is just tearing him, his teacher,schoolmates and us up.
>
> i can see how stress could play a big role in all of this. i am just not real sure how to get a 12 yr old to talk about his stresses without making him feel worse nor do i know what activity he could be involved in that would be a stress reliever. he does not like to play any sports and would much rather be inside on his computer or N64 or building with his conex.
>
> i am starting to ramble on here. thanks for reading.
>
> i do appreceiate your comments and suggestions and hope that all gets better with you and yours.
>
> thanks
> mark
Hi there,Kate's remark about the Celexa should be considered. SSRI's are all notorious for worsening sleep. Also, SSRI's can interact with stimulants to produce agitation (possibly med-induced hypomania, too). I was trying dexedrine recently with Celexa and I had to drop the Celexa dosage down a LOT. In fact, I almost quit taking it altogether. Also, I have become resistant to Klonopin's ability to put me to sleep. It still works great for anxiety, but it won't keep me asleep without help. I take a combination of Depakote, Klonopin, and Neurontin all at bedtime and that works quite well.
good luck,
Mitch
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