Summer’s almost over, time to make yet another attempt to dial in Lily’s medication.   We haven’t found the right meds yet.  We’re been trying since 2nd grade and now she’s going into 6th.  We’ve tried almost every kind and have come to the conclusion that stimulants just don’t seem to work for her.  Some of them suck all the personality out of her;  she withdraws into a hoody with dark circles under her eyes.  Others seem to make her more irritable and moody.  All of them take away her appetite and make it even more difficult for her to sleep.  

Lily’s never been a great sleeper.  As an infant she needed lots of movement to fall asleep–rocking, walking, jiggling and once she finally fell asleep she was easily awakened by the slightest noise.  Friends would describe taking their baby to parties with them and letting the kid sleep in front of the speakers.  We had to tip toe around the house to keep our baby asleep.  

As a toddler, we worked hard to establish a regular bed time with minimal parental book-reading and drink-getting.  Eventually, Lily was easy to put to bed, but it took awhile for her to finally fall asleep.  She is still that way and has a hard time settling down at night.  I’ve heard that a lot of kids and adults like Lily have a hard time turning their brains off at night.

This leads me back to Lily’s medication.  After meeting with her psychiatrist, we decide to try another direction, a non-stimulant drug called Intuniv.  Intuniv is a long acting form of Tenex (guanfacine). Although Tenex is primarily used to treat high blood pressure, it is often used to treat children with ADHD.  Lily’s doctor thinks that could help with the anxiety of starting 6th grade.  Lily has been on it a few days and has been sooo drowsy.  I come home from work and she can hardly keep her eyes open until bed time.  Hmmm… we’ll have to keep a close eye on that.