Keeping My Son Awake at School

We had the same issues with Andy, I can't remember what he was on but we changed it to something else and gave it to him before he fell asleep for the night instead of the morning.

I wish I could remember the name but now we have him off of most of it.

Maybe a nap in the nurses could be built into his schedule. THis could be considered a medical condition so the school should be willing to work with you on this.

If you're sure he's getting enough quality sleep during the night I would go back to the doctor who prescribed the medications and ask for help. Perhaps he could take different meds or take them at a different time. Or perhaps he could stop taking them so that he is more alert. For example, taking an antihistamine for allergies may be less important than staying awake in school. Only the doctor would know for sure.

My grandson sometimes falls asleep in school. He doesn't always sleep very well. His parents worked on his sleep issues. He was afraid to sleep alone and so was sleeping in the same room as his sister. Eventually they tried out putting him in a room by himself while dealing with his fears and he's doing better.

Can you change the time that he takes the meds, M.? Like earlier? Maybe they'd be out of his system?

You might ask the doctor if he can have caffeine in the morning. So sorry about this...

Dawn

I would defiantly go back to the dr and let them know what's going on. Maybe even changing the time he takes the meds could make a difference. Or trying something else to help him sleep at night. You said he takes sleep meds maybe those could be causing the issue. have you ever tried melatonin to help him sleep? I know one of my nephews takes that every night. He also is on ADHD meds. You didn't say if he's tired all day or at a certain point in the day. I agree with Mallory P he may need to take a nap after lunch or something to help rejuvenate him for the rest of his day. Being on those kinds of meds young I sure can be tricky but I applode you for looking out for whats best for him. Some parents would be in denial with something as serious as that.

Good luck and God Bless!!

I'm bipolar type II, and I have taken a certain brand of meds that made me fall asleep like that too. It was awful. The only solution really is to change brands. I know as a child his options are limited, but keeping him on that brand of medication isn't working, obviously.

I understand, my sister is bipolar, meds are a necessity. Call his doctor and let him or her know the situation and how bad it is.

And try giving him lean meat, healthy carbs, and fruit for breakfast, and in his lunch. Low fat cottage cheese, whole wheat toast or crackers, a small handful of nuts, grapes, yogurt, an apple with peanut butter, a lean meat (turkey or ham made from turkey) sandwich on whole wheat bread or pita with low fat cheese are all good choices. (Turkey has a bad rap for putting us to sleep but researchers believe it's the foods we eat with it.)

If he can eat at least some of these foods every 3 hours (a mid morning snack would help) his body will be constantly digesting and delivering a steady stream of sugar into his bloodstream, which should help keep him alert. Candy, soda and other sugary foods aren't good choices as they will give him an initial "boost" but then he'd have the inevitable sugar crash.

If he falls asleep in the morning, then it's because of the sleeping pill he's on. I've had the same issue. 90% of sleeping pills cause drowsiness through the morning. I'm fine around 10am/1030am, but until that, I fall asleep regularly.

I had to start taking my sleeping pill earlier in the evening and falling asleep around 800pm in order to be able to wake up at 630 and be functional enough to take the kids to school.

You might want to see if he can take half doses of the sleeping pill, or if you can change the sleeping pills. (You said you had changed his meds, but I didn't know if you tried his bipolar meds, his sleeping pills or both.)

It sounds as if you've changed meds and now feel that avenue is closed to you, but if he's on several meds, they likely are still the issue. They may be not only making him sleepy during daytime but affecting the depth and quality of his sleep at night. And the interactions of the meds are crucial -- has any doctor really explored every single med and its interactions with every single other med? Has the adjustment and change in meds included changes to the times when he takes things?

Please go back to the doctors and be very clear that they need to work with you on this until it's resolved because it is going to have a big negative impact on his most important job -- school.

School hasn't been in session for very long, and if he has fallen asleep "several times" in those few weeks, you do have a real issue here. Don't let the doctors throw their hands up and say, "Oh, well, we've adjusted things as much as we can and he just has to try harder to stay awake." Change doctors if they are not cooperating. Your son may need an entirely new regime -- or even a new diagnosis?

Continue working with his doctors to alter the type of medication or the schedule of when he takes it. If the problems persist, talk to his school. Is he older (jr high or high school), where his day is split into different classes/periods? If so, maybe he can have a free period early in the day and go take a nap in the nurse's office. Work with his teachers, make sure the school knows what's going on, and see what they can arrange.

Take the sleeping pills earlier in the evening.

I think the reality is that he has no control whether he falls asleep or not.

So I think your question is sort of odd. I see it like this. If you are given anesthesia then asked us how to fight the effects to stay awake....see? He can't stay awake if he's taking meds that put him to sleep. So I am having a hard time with your phrasing.

He has to take the meds, the meds put him to sleep, therefore he IS going to go to sleep every morning regardless.

So the school has to take this into consideration. He needs a place he can go lay down and rest for a little while, like when they go to recess or do something he can do later in the day. Then when it's time for math or reading stuff he can be in class and be awake, fully there mentally.

Like Dawn, I was thinking caffeine. If the docs says it's okay, about 1/2 cup of coffee with sugar and cream in the morning should help him to stay awake without causing him to be over stimulated.