HELP! 4yo WAY too hyper!

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-24-2006
HELP! 4yo WAY too hyper!
5
Thu, 07-26-2007 - 5:18pm

Hi all. I have a 4-year-old boy, Kyle, and a nearly 4-month old boy, Luke. Kyle either has PDD-NOS or Asperger's, and probably ADHD too! (Just like a cousin of his - sigh.)

Kyle is so hyper that we are not able to give enough attention to our baby! And I am REALLY starting to resent Kyle for that. I mean the kind of hyper where you could put Kyle in a padded room so he really could bounce around the room chanting about poop NONSTOP. DH and I are at the end of our ropes with it. It is so disruptive to our family. I don't know what to do. It's pretty much every day that this happens - starts before nap time and lasts until bed. (And Kyle usually will NOT nap and yet doesn't get enough sleep at night.) I can't help but sometimes wish my first son DIDN'T have these issues and was more like his brother, who seems NT so far. It just should not be that we have to spend more time with our first son than with our new baby. That isn't right or fair to Luke.

It doesn't seem to matter if I keep Kyle busy with activities during the day. He's hyper regardless of it. It's like there is a moment where the "hyper" switch gets turned on and doesn't get turned off until he falls asleep at night.

Does anyone have experience with this? Do you think melatonin might help? Or do you think he might have to be put on an ADHD medicine before kindergarten?

There is no way we can continue living like this. It's not life - it's torture every night. Kyle just does not know when to stop. He hardly ever listens to us and delights in upsetting us, especially the baby. He is often "mean," such as mocking the baby's cries.

I love Kyle (I really do), but he makes it very hard to like him.

HELP!
Michelle
Mom to Kyle (5-28-03) and Luke (3-38-07)

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-18-2006
Thu, 07-26-2007 - 7:48pm

Welcome to the bored. DD is 5.5 and went through that. She was the kind of kid that would wear you out just sitting and watching her go. we've done so many things in the past year and a half that I'm not sure what worked. Some things worked for a while but quit, others worked, but brought out other negatives. You said he's not getting enough sleep. Is there a reason (other than the hyper)? Does he snore? I would have a full physical done and ask for a referral to an ENT to get his adnoid and tonsils looked at. Some kiddos with hyper activity are simply hyper because they're tired. He may not be sleeping well becuse of snoring. After you rule out anything physical I would start with the Melatonin. It may help his internal clock get with what he really needs. He may be less hyper if he's getting more sleep. Do a search on here or the ADHD board for dosing.

Lastly here's what we've done with DD: Started with Clonadine. A blood pressure medication used in little ones with ADHD. It calmed her down, but wore off quickly.
We then switched to Tenex, similar to Clonadine, but doesn't wear off as fast. Also calmed her down, but didn't get rid of the rages. Then added Risperdal. That was a wonder drug. . for 5 months. Rages were gone, she was pretty calm, and not a zombie. Risperdal has a reputation for wearing off after about 6 months. We then dropped that and did just the Tenex for a bit. Impulsivity showed up. Added Adderall to the Tenex. She was less impulsive and better able to focus. She also became more obsessive. This is the drug I credit for making me looking into Asperger's. At her last dr visit dr took DD off both medications and put her on Abilify. Abilify works like Risperdal, but doesn't have the reputation for wearing off. After checking with my insurance and finding out Abilify would run my $120 a month I checked with the dr about going med free fo a while so we have something to compare th Abilify to. We are currently med free and doing well. We still have hyper days, but they seem tied to her sensitivities. The more chaotic her environment the more she acts out. We started Melatonin last night to help her get sleep (because our sleep is now messed up without meds). She slept well last night, but had rough day. It's pretty chaotic at daycare, so it's understandable.

Anyway, that's the last year of our life on various medications. Hope it helps some.

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2001
Thu, 07-26-2007 - 10:02pm
You gotta do what you gotta do.

 


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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-16-2006
Fri, 07-27-2007 - 8:25am

Hi Michelle
My 4 yr old Adam is PDD and we just had him evaled for ADHD and according to the psych doc he didn't meet all the criteria for ADHD but his PDD is why I see ADHD symptoms.
We just started him on Adderall XR and it's too soon to see anything yet.

I have a heads up with the side effects but at the end of the day it's suppose to keep him more focused.

I said I'd never medicated my kid LOL well, that was then this is now.
We have a year before he goes to kindegarden and I wanna mold him the best I can with therepy and and other medical interventions.

Have it looked into IF you are that worried

Good Luck
Nora

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
Fri, 07-27-2007 - 8:27am

Michelle,


My personal

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-06-2007
Fri, 07-27-2007 - 4:01pm

Hi Michelle,
I have a 4 yo exactly like that the only thing he is the youngest of 3 but I feel because of him I am unable to spend the time with the older 2 that they need. He was diagnosed with PDD and ADHD when he was 3 and 1/2. He was put on Ritalin LA with clonodine. Before this we were unable to go to dinner, movies or family functions because he was so hyper. Today he is able to focus and play where before he was even unable to sit and play with cars. He seems to enjoy things more now. We came to the conclusion of meds only because he was so hyper he would be unable to get the therapy needed for his PDD. It has been a year and he is now talking in sentences and is really blossoming. I also wanted to mention your son can not control this and is not doing the things on purpose even though it seems like that. I know it is hard but hang in there and mabey have an eval. done by his doctor to see if there is any help he can give. Hang in there it will get better.

Love,
Sabrina