When our son was on Ritalin, we noticed huge improvement on day one. However, he was very young, so the small dosage worked at the time. Now that he's older, he tends to need much bigger dosages of whatever we try to get results.

As far as sleep, many kids with ADHD end up taking melatonin to help fall asleep at night. You might ask your daughter's specialist what he/she thinks about that option. In our son's case, he can't naturally fall asleep on his own because he has too much energy. It was a problem before he even started medication, but for some kids, medication can cause sleep issues. If you find something that really works for the ADHD but just causes sleep problems, definitely ask about melatonin.

Good luck!

My 5 year old son just started taking Ritalin LA 10mg. We noticed small changes at home but he continues to talk excessively and continues to tantrum. The school however, has noticed positive changes with quiet times during the day and an improvement with social interactions. I was told by the Dr. you should notice a change and see it working almost immediately. So far, we have not had any major issues with his sleep. Going to bed is tough, but it is still light out when he goes to bed due to the time of the year, which may be contrinuting to him not wanting to go to bed.

I hope this helps. It has helped make the end of the year for him at school a little more successful.