HI all,
2 weeks ago ds's neurologist upped his one seizure medicine Topamax by
just 25 mgs the middle of the afternoon dose. Well since then he
can't stay asleep longer than 15 minutes and it take about 2 hours to
get him to go back to sleep.
It is driving me crazy. He is pdd-nos, non-verbal but his
receptive language is just beginning to click. Since being very
ill in Feb. his balance has been awlful and it is finally to the point
where when he is walking around in his crib I am not afraid of him
hurting his head. Since Feb. I have been walking and rocking him
to sleep and then transfering him into his crib after he is
asleep. Well, it is getting tougher to do this since he is 39lbs
and 38 inches tall I am a mere 5 foot 2.
I know that he has the ablility to put himself back to sleep because he
will do it at naptime but nightime is a whole new ballgame. For
example he fell asleep tonight at 9:25pm I put him in his crib at
9:40pm and he woke up about 10:00pm. I left him in his crib and
then when I thought he was tired enough to go to sleep I picked him and
and started to walk him. (I know every bad) He is now back in his
crib and talking away.
Any ideas would be grately appreciated. We need to get our sleep
schedule back. Prior to this little 2 week episode he has always
been a great sleeper. Thanks in adcance for your help.
Looking forward to reading your responses.
I took topomax for about 3 weeks and I couldnt tolerate it because it gave me insomnia. I COULD NOT really sleep. It was like this annoying half sleep... Maybe that is what is happening? I dont have seizures, I was given it for migrain prevention. Good luck with everything.
He might just need a few weeks to adjust to the med change...I know with Mason this happens everytime we have an upping of his doseage, or a change all together...if you can stick it out another week or so, you might start seeing improvement.
Otherwise there is melatonin...it's a natural hormone supplement...we have had to use it a couple of times for just a few short weeks here and there. It helps get Mason to sleep, but it seems to be short lived and lasting only 3-4 hours.
You did not cause your son's sleep problems, even if you did what some professionals say is a "no-no." Children with autism have unique challenges when it comes to sleep, and we just have to do our best.
Here are some resources which might be helpful to you:
Articles at highly trustworthy sources:
http://www.autismsa.org.au/pdf/strategies/IS21_Sleeping_Prob lems.pdf - "Sleeping Problems" information sheet from the Autism Association of South Australia.
http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=528&a=3376 - "Helping your child with autism to sleep better" from the National Autistic Society in the UK.
http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/Medical/goodnight.html- "Establishing Positive Sleep Patterns for Young Children with Autism" by the Indiana Resource Center for Autism.
Other articles:
http://www.angelfire.com/tn3/task/sleep.html - from Tennessee Autism Spectrum Kids. Lots of links.
http://groups.msn.com/TheAutismHomePage/sleep.msnw - another article with lots of links, including a New Scientist article that claims that too much tv watching reduces natural melatonin levels.
Resources for documenting sleep problems:
Note: The resources in this section were found through links at http://www.adoptmed.org/topics/childrens-sleep-habits-questi onnaire.html:
http://www.kidzzzsleep.org/pdfs/04CSHQAbbreviated.pdf - Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire
http://www.kidzzzsleep.org/pdfs/04CSHQ-SubscaleItems.pdf - What the questionnaire scores mean -- ie are you dealing with parasomnias, anxiety, etc.
http://www.kidzzzsleep.org/docs/sleepdiary.xls - sleep diary example
Good luck with everything.
Niki