[Peggy]

My daughter's doctor wants her to go back to school off of medication. She is going into 5th grade. I have no problem with this. Because when she is in a routine, she does quite well, and does not seem to need medicine. She is more likely to react to new environments that have a lot of noise and activity. This also makes sense becuase she was also diagnosed with PTSD. The reason I am writing, is that without the medicine, she seems to need a lot more sleep. I am a little worried she may be very sleepy in school. Her doctor said this is a pretty typical reaction. I was just wondering how long she will be like this.

[Dr. Art]

Your doctor is right. Often children become sleepy when they go off stimulant meds. This is especially true if they do not have ADHD. Quite often children with PTSD are misdiagnosed with ADHD. I'd follow your doctor's advice...it's good advice.

Regards

[Peggy]

Thanks, you have said what I suspected. Her therapist has also said the same thing. I really like and trust her psychiatrist. I am not doubting his advice, I just wanted to make sure the sleepiness was nothing to worry about and how long it takes to go away. My daughter is also a little nervous about not being on medicine. She is worried she will be sleepy in class. I am hopeful that she can stay off of medicine completely.