3 Strategies To Manage The ADHD Medication Rebound

Parents coping with their kids’ ADHD typically have difficulty managing the “rebound” period that can occur at night when ADHD medications’ effects start to wane.  “He starts to get really hyper again and it’s like clockwork,” says Mary R., a mother of 9-year-old Brennen with ADHD, who saw positive effects with medication but needed solutions to help her manage the nightly routine. Mary tried the following suggestions for one week:

1. First, she kept a nightly log of when the “rebound” effect occurred and established it was around 7 p.m. at night. 
2. She then made sure Brennen completed all homework, chores, and other tasks prior to the rebound period so he could better manage the tasks. 
3. At 7 p.m. she turned the TouchPoints on to help mitigate the rebound hyperactivity and left the TouchPoints on until he was settled and calm in bed.

“Night time is much more peaceful in our home now,” Mary reported.  “He used to mess with the dog, antagonize his sister, and have a really hard time settling down and falling asleep. Now he is much calmer and focused and I don’t have to follow him around and make sure he isn’t acting up.”  Mary noted that on sports nights, when Brennen cannot finish his homework before 7 p.m., she has him use TouchPoints during his homework time to help him sit still and focus.  “It just seems to take the edge off his need to constantly move and things go much smoother.”