Sleep Disorders or Not

I am so sorry to hear what a challenge this is for you and your granddaughter! I am not a professional. I do not know about the medicine. Maybe camp was a bit of a challenge for her this year and she came home expecting to snuggle up to you to sleep and stablize, then the meds somehow also disrupted her body chemistry. Are you able to hold off the nighttime change for a while longer? Let her know you are available for her always and at another time she will be in her own bed. I have had my own sleep challenges with my daughter but she is almost three. We always slept together until our move a couple of months ago. We have had some challenges since. Having out of town guests and us sleeping together again set us back again for a little while. I lay with her a little bit. When she gets out of bed over and over I say in a firm voice It is time for bed, now. And she goes reluctantly and whining sometimes. I had a family bed vision but being a full-time single-mom I need a break somewhere. So I understand if it is just time for you to make the change. Often by twelve years for girls the craving for adults subsides and independence is full on. If you can not wait that long, do what you need to do! Put your oxygen mask on first! And, know you are making the right decision!!!
Many blessings!!!
P.S. I applaud you for going drugless with your granddaughter. Find a holistic dr. or research on line if you can, so the change is least tramatic, and most beneficial to her system. Even making a few phone calls to the right people may do the trick. Of course I do not know her condition and I am not in a position to diagnose care either way. There are many so many alternatives to supporting to our bodies' wellness than medicine. If you have slept with her this long you know plenty about her. Your intuition may be telling you something.

L.:
I think that the week at the camp has your granddaughter's sleeping pattern all out of wack. Especially because of the crying at nighttime. Just give her a few more weeks and see if she will resort back to sleeping through the night.
P. S

L.,
my husband is on staterra and he learned real quick he has to take it at night b/c it does make him sleepy and it does give him a good night sleep. He also has to take his with food b/c it would make him feel sick to his stomach. Maybe if she does take it at night she will sleep better. The only thing is that if he has to get up with my girls in the middle of the night he does have a hard time getting back to sleep...try it at night in hopes to get a good nights sleep!!!

L.

Hey L., my son is on Stratera and he takes it between 6 & 7 each evening (it's important for it to be taken around the same time each day) because it does make him drowsy. I think too that your grandaughter is trying to adjust again coming home from camp. She may still be feeling uneasy from her camp experience (all the crying from the other kids). Her routine was interupted and may take a little while to get it back into sync. Try the meds in the evening (we take it in jello because he has a hard time swallowing pills) right after dinner. Good luck!
~L.

Please work with the doctor on this! Many of the meds she may be on (based on what I'm reading in your letter) cannot be stopped cold turkey -- can have an effect called Discontinuation Syndrome -- makes her actually physically sick.

You need to talk to her doctor. It is often not a good idea to stop medications cold turkey. With some medications, there is a several week period of adjustment in which sleep, GI track, and other things can be affected. These often get better once the body is acclimated to the new medicine. Also, some medicines are best taken at night and some in the morning, depending on the medicine and on the person. You will need to consult the doctor about this. Is her behavior during the day "okay" with or without the ADHD medicine?