i think if he has been getting up alot at 1 or 2 am to eat then its prob a habit now. his body will automatically think he is hungry at that time. i dont know if its the meds or not. we only got up to 27mg for my ds and he didnt do well at all on concerta. with any meds we have given him a few snacks before he goes to bed or he has a hard time falling asleep. we do carnation instant breakfast with a snack of crackers or yogurt or anything he wants. then 30 minutes later when we go to bed i let him bring a bag of mini muffins with him. so i was thinking, maybe u could give him a few snacks before he goes to bed so he wont be hungry in the middle of the night. when he gets up have him go back to bed. if he doesnt eat anyones things then he gets to pick a snack the next morning. if he is absolutly hungry at night and its from his meds wearing off then maybe u can give him a snack or 2 to bring to bed so he isnt get up and so he isnt eating candy and other ppls things. hope to help.
kim
rosalie6839711.7652199074First off, it is sooooooo comforting to know that our family is not the only one experiencing this problem.. Second, I am sorry that you are also going through the same ordeal. We just found out today that because of the meds that the kids are on, when they come off of the meds, they wake up in the middle of the night and their body is telling them to eat and eat right now.. Even after all the disciplining, punishing, etc... When they wake up feeling like that; they will do it until they make the feeling stop.. I can't offer any advice except what we were told. Set up signs for the child to read. When they wake up, it says to wake up mommy and daddy to make him something to eat. OR, have a little "alarm" that goes off when a door is opened so that you wake up when your child gets up and you can make them something to eat.. In addition, before bed, offer your child foods/snacks with protein such as nuts, eggs, etc... This helps curb the hunger..
my son is 7 with ADHD and bipolar. he takes 27mg concerta, 10mg lamictal in the AM, 5 mg at night, and 0.2mg clonidine to help him sleep. he also wakes up anywhere between 2 and 4 am to eat most nights. no matter what i do, he doesn't stop. even setting limits did nothing. i told him to wake me up, he doesn't. i'm afraid he is going to hurt himself or burn the house down (he has tried to make popcorn). setting out a snack he is allowed does nothing, he will get what he is wanting right them. it does not matter what time we eat dinner or how much he eats at dinner or even throughout the day. when i asked his doctor about it he said to just let him have a snack (he is underweight anyway). so in the meantime i just try to make everything as safe as possible for him.
I quickly skimmed the posts, but could your son be growing? My son takes concerta, 5 years now, and when he starts to really eat, it is just him going through another growth spurt. He makes up for the days and nights that he really doesn't eat. If you saw my son, he looks like a typical 11 year old, not skinny and not heavy. You would never be able to tell he was on meds either. We do know when they wear off and when he will start to eat by now.
I just wonder if it is a plain growth spurt and he is hungry.
< =text/>_popupControl(); I just saw something on a cable health network about this very topic. The mom was at her wit's end about her son getting up and eating all night when his meds wore off. The nutritionist had a great idea. She found this neat lunchbox thingy at the Container Store, three levels with a handle. She suggested the top layer contain turkey sandwich squares (no mayo for obvious reasons and the turkey promotes sleeping) and the other layers contain other healthy snacks like carrot sticks or nuts. Prepare it before your child goes to bed and let him carry it to his room when he goes. That way he can get a snack, you control what he eats, and the whole house isn't necessarily disrupted when he wants a snack.
It sounds like a good idea to me, although I do have reservations about my child being awake, eating, while I am asleep.
bpqw thanks for the lunch box idea. i could use that for my son when i send him to bed with a snack. he would love it!!
kim