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melatonin can cause hallucinations??!!!


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I don't know if anyone knew that, but I was getting REAL concerned because I was awaking with severe panic attacks and I was also seeing things. The vitreous gel in my eye is collapsing, so I thought that was causing me to see things. You do see floaters, blinking lights, etc, but things were changing. Yesterday, however, it was obvious that what I was seeing was an all out hallucination, because it was only on ONE wall of my bedroom, not everywhere else! It was SO weird, ovals with scribbles, all perfectly placed in a checkerboard. It was WEIRD, and I sat up in bed to make SURE I was awake and slowly watched them disappear after about 2 - 3 minutes. They were only on the back wall.

 

I had all kinds of concerns yesterday, and my distraction nearly got us in a very serious car accident.

 

My search also showed that most supplements have 3 - 5 mg of melatonin, and experts think that's far too high, suggesting .1 - .5 mg.

 

So BEWARE!!!

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I take 3 mg. with no problem, ever. I'm glad that you posted the warning; I'm sorry you had to deal with that ! Melatonin, however, remains a safe sleep aid for most people, at doses higher than you suggest. (Note that I wrote "most" people; because side effects of any ingested medication exist and can be serious.)

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Denise, I do think melatonin can cause panic attacks. My dad was having some insomnia issues and took melatonin, it made his heart race so badly that he ended up with a visit to his cardiologist. The cardiologist told him he could not take melatonin because this is a known side effect. Dad felt like he was about to hyperventilate by the time he was given something to counteract the effects.

 

I have heard that mild doses of Valerian Root help with insomnia but do not have the same side effects.

 

Faith

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Neither of them will take it anymore. Both do have trouble sleeping, and always have. My oldest will now drink a small glass of red wine on nights when she feels she will have trouble. The 18yo winds up taking a benadryl, which I don't love, but I guess it's better than never sleeping.

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Guest ToGMom

My chiropractor suggested 5-HTP or L-Tryptophan instead of Melatonin...

 

I have taken L-Tryptophan without ANY side effects and get a great night's sleep!! :)

 

Just a thought...

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I take 3 mg. with no problem, ever. I'm glad that you posted the warning; I'm sorry you had to deal with that ! Melatonin, however, remains a safe sleep aid for most people, at doses higher than you suggest. (Note that I wrote "most" people; because side effects of any ingested medication exist and can be serious.)

 

Excellent point! I can tolerate melatonin, but I have extreme reactions to many OTC and meds that are safe for most people.

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do you think it could cause panic attacks? I was having them at night and didn't understand why they just started up out of the blue. I did start to take a sleep aid that had melatonin in it, and now I'm highly suspect!

 

I'm sure it can. If it can cause heartstopping terror in your dreams your body might naturally react with a panic attack.

 

Magnesium is another great sleep aid. I drink it some nights when I'm needing help getting sleepy but don't have any melatonin around.

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I switched from pure melatonin to Hyland's "Calms" and "Calms Forte'" which do not have melatonin in them, but work just as effectively for sleeplessness. Pure Melatonin get me crazily vivid, and sometimes disturbing dreams.

 

Calms and Calms Forte are safe for children. They also make kids' formula, "Calms Forte' 4Kids" in quickly-dissolving tablets. But I just give the girls Calms and have them suck on them -- they are tiny and pleasant tasting.

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It can cause night terrors. Night terrors will cause your heart to race (like a panic attack) - it will also cause you to have such vivid dreams so that it seems like you are seeing things even when you're awake (I think it is technically in that twilight time when you're not quite awake.) I found that lowering the dose helped me.

 

BTW - 5 - HTP can cause the same thing. Again dosage matters. With 5-HTP you need to start low and slowly increase if you need it.

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I switched from pure melatonin to Hyland's "Calms" and "Calms Forte'" which do not have melatonin in them, but work just as effectively for sleeplessness. Pure Melatonin get me crazily vivid, and sometimes disturbing dreams.

 

Calms and Calms Forte are safe for children. They also make kids' formula, "Calms Forte' 4Kids" in quickly-dissolving tablets. But I just give the girls Calms and have them suck on them -- they are tiny and pleasant tasting.

 

:iagree: This is a good product for both children and adults. It used to work for me. Unfortunately, the now-35-year-long run of insomnia eventually conquered the "Calms" and I no longer buy them.

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While I don't doubt that it can cause problems for some people, it has been a God-send for my 12yods. He takes 1mg sublingually. He's usually asleep before it dissolves. If he is still awake, he takes a second one. He's never needed more.

 

He had suffered for years with insomnia, which meant that *I* never got any sleep because he would freak out, worrying about how he was going to feel the next day if he didn't sleep, keeping himself awake crying and crying out in frustration. It was horrible. I LOVE MELATONIN! I've even started using it occasionally after events that normally cause me to fret. I've never had any negative side effects.

 

My mom takes Valerian tablets. They stink! But they work for her.

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Denise, I do think melatonin can cause panic attacks. My dad was having some insomnia issues and took melatonin, it made his heart race so badly that he ended up with a visit to his cardiologist. The cardiologist told him he could not take melatonin because this is a known side effect. Dad felt like he was about to hyperventilate by the time he was given something to counteract the effects.

 

I have heard that mild doses of Valerian Root help with insomnia but do not have the same side effects.

 

Faith

 

Wow! This SHOCKS me!!! Thank you for writing!!!

 

I never knew melatonin could cause panic attacks! I almost called 911 twice because my heart was racing SO fast, and I was also having chest pains. SCARY!!! Then the hallucinations...... it was So scary!!!

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We LOVE both melatonin and Valerian root in our house. My DH does not sleep unless he's had a dose of both about 20 minutes before bed time. Our first night married was horrible. Then he wondered why I took a 3 hour nap the next day. That's when he finally admitted that he did not pack his usual "sleeping meds". So we ran to the store right then and got them. I don't know how people can live for more than a few days on the little bit of sleep he normally got before the miracle combo we have now.

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Wow, I'm so glad I didn't read this thread a few weeks ago!

 

I am SO sorry you're reacting so badly to the melatonin!

 

I have a panic disorder, and am on medication for it, along with depression meds. Insomnia was one of my biggest issues. We'd tried melatonin with no effect a few years back. Recently we added an ADD med (a stimulant) to the mix, which about killed me the first week but is now actually helping. But sleep was still an issue, so I added melatonin. Amazingly, it WORKS for me ... which is odd now that you've posted, because if it's possible to react badly to something, I will react badly to it. My doc has to start me on micro-doses of everything.

 

Every body processes things differently. I do hope you can find something else that will help you sleep! (And now I hope I don't panic about panicking while taking the melatonin! Ack!)

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While I don't doubt that it can cause problems for some people, it has been a God-send for my 12yods. He takes 1mg sublingually. He's usually asleep before it dissolves. If he is still awake, he takes a second one. He's never needed more.

 

He had suffered for years with insomnia, which meant that *I* never got any sleep because he would freak out, worrying about how he was going to feel the next day if he didn't sleep, keeping himself awake crying and crying out in frustration. It was horrible. I LOVE MELATONIN! I've even started using it occasionally after events that normally cause me to fret. I've never had any negative side effects.

 

My mom takes Valerian tablets. They stink! But they work for her.

 

We love it in our home, too. Our AS ds has used it for several years and it has been a lifesaver for us. "which meant that *I* never got any sleep" I completely understand. Its medically documented that a significant number AS children are also melatonin deficient.

 

I do believe that for folks who are not melatonin deficient, it probably does cause adverse reactions. Thankfully, it is down-right cheap and can be tried without any lasting effect.

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Wow, I'm so glad I didn't read this thread a few weeks ago!

 

I am SO sorry you're reacting so badly to the melatonin!

 

I have a panic disorder, and am on medication for it, along with depression meds. Insomnia was one of my biggest issues. We'd tried melatonin with no effect a few years back. Recently we added an ADD med (a stimulant) to the mix, which about killed me the first week but is now actually helping. But sleep was still an issue, so I added melatonin. Amazingly, it WORKS for me ... which is odd now that you've posted, because if it's possible to react badly to something, I will react badly to it. My doc has to start me on micro-doses of everything.

 

Every body processes things differently. I do hope you can find something else that will help you sleep! (And now I hope I don't panic about panicking while taking the melatonin! Ack!)

 

Kristen, don't panic about taking melatonin. My reaction was immediate, only I didn't realize it was from the melatonin so I kept taking it. I had immediate panic attacks which awoke me out of a sound sleep. I do not remember having had nightmares beforehand, but who knows? I also had hallucinations but thought it was from the gel collapsing in my eye. Yesterday was when I realized it wasn't from that. I did a google search and it all makes sense now.

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I take 3 mg. with no problem, ever. I'm glad that you posted the warning; I'm sorry you had to deal with that ! Melatonin, however, remains a safe sleep aid for most people, at doses higher than you suggest. (Note that I wrote "most" people; because side effects of any ingested medication exist and can be serious.)

 

:iagree: Dd12 takes 3 mg. per night with no side effects, thank goodness.

 

Benedryl can have the same side-effects. So there should be a caution out for that as well, since it's another med that is rather common.

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Melatonin should only be taken if one is deficient. Otherwise, it can cause problems (nightmares) being one of them. It is a synthetic hormone. A big deal. Taken overtime it can inhibit the bodies ability to produce melatonin on it's own and so creating a dependency on the supplemental form. I am surprised to hear of moms giving it to their children? I take 3mg of a time release version before bed and a .5mg sublingual if I wake up at night. I have slept the best I have in years. I am so thankful for this supp and I've tried everything else. I've never had nightmares or disturbing vision of any kind.

Edited by mommyjen
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I would see someone in the room with me while I was asleep. It was so real that I called 911 at least twice. I woke up about the time I finished dialing. I would have trouble dialing since I was asleep, and once awke I would realize an intruder wouldn't give me that much time to call for help. Another time my husband awoke to find me running around the bed screaming. (I didn't fall off, but I don't know how.) I know I was screaming the other times also, because my throat hurt when I awoke.

 

When that was happening, I was involved in a large internet support group for brain tumor patients. In some studies melatonin at very high levels was shown to help brain tumor survival, so many of the folks on that list (or their loved ones) were taken nearly 20 mg a night. No one there ever mentioned/experienced night terrors. I learned about that possible side effect here. I never took melatonin again or experienced a night terror again.

 

However, I know it is a rare side effect, and I give melatonin to some of my kids. For one of my one of my sons; it is a lifesaver. The difference in how he acts the next day is night and day when he is taking melatonin.

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I am surprised to hear of moms giving it to their children?

 

Our pedi recommended it. Dd12 just can't sleep well. If she doesn't take it, she stays awake until between 2:00am and 3:00am easily. So do I in fact, but I am on Ambien. If she tries to go to bed before 2:00am, she lays awake and often ends up having a bad dream later in the evening. If she waits until she feels naturally tired around 2:00am, she sleeps until 12:00pm or 1:00pm. So she often takes the Melatonin around 11pm and still doesn't feel tired enough to fall asleep until about 12:30am. I'm amazed that it works so quickly for some people. I had no idea because that certainly isn't our experience. Maybe some people are just prone to insomnia?

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Our pedi recommended it. Dd12 just can't sleep well. If she doesn't take it, she stays awake until between 2:00am and 3:00am easily. So do I in fact, but I am on Ambien. If she tries to go to bed before 2:00am, she lays awake and often ends up having a bad dream later in the evening. If she waits until she feels naturally tired around 2:00am, she sleeps until 12:00pm or 1:00pm. So she often takes the Melatonin around 11pm and still doesn't feel tired enough to fall asleep until about 12:30am. I'm amazed that it works so quickly for some people. I had no idea because that certainly isn't our experience. Maybe some people are just prone to insomnia?

 

Ds' psychologist recommended it us as well.

 

Benedryl can have the same side-effects. So there should be a caution out for that as well, since it's another med that is rather common.

 

 

For the sake of clarification, melatonin isn't a med. I would also warn against the use of benadryl, on a regular basis, for sleep issues; not implying this poster said that... just sayin :001_smile:

 

I'm amazed that it works so quickly for some people.

 

 

Our ds literally drops like rock about 5-10 minutes after he takes his nightly dose of 1.5mg. We are concerned about the long-term effects of his use, but his quality of life has increased immeasurably since he started.

Edited by Purpledaizy
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  • 10 months later...

I seldom have problems with even very high doses of melatonin. I don't take it very often, however.

I was considering giving a low dose to our dc before a very long overnight (transatlantic) flight that we'll be taking in a few months. Now, I'm not so sure. In the past, I've given them Dramamine. But I don't like that very much. They really do need something for the flight. I am not one to give them stuff on a regular basis. I don't believe that children should rely on sleep supplements, unless if absolutely necessary ... My dc do not sleep well on flights.

Perhaps I should give them valerian instead? Will that be effective? :confused:

Thank you.

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Melatonin should only be taken if one is deficient. Otherwise, it can cause problems (nightmares) being one of them. It is a synthetic hormone. A big deal. Taken overtime it can inhibit the bodies ability to produce melatonin on it's own and so creating a dependency on the supplemental form. I am surprised to hear of moms giving it to their children? I take 3mg of a time release version before bed and a .5mg sublingual if I wake up at night. I have slept the best I have in years. I am so thankful for this supp and I've tried everything else. I've never had nightmares or disturbing vision of any kind.

Very well said.

I'm surprised that some take it every night. I'm particularly surprised that children are given it on a regular basis.

I can handle up to 12 mg at night. Less than 3 mg does absolutely nothing for me.

I have recently tried taking 3 mg or so if I wake up in the middle of the night.

No problems for me.

 

Again, if anyone has suggestions as to what to give our dc (ages almost 13 and 11) for our long transatlantic flight, please do share.

I want something that's safe, but also very effective. They absolutely must get some sleep on this flight. The next day will be crazy and so sleep is essential. Dd has a terrible track record of not sleeping on flights. Ds is not much better, either.

Melatonin - 3 mg - Time Release?

Dramamine ??? - not my favorite, but tried in the past

Valerian - capsules are too big - at least the ones we have

Hyland's Calms Forte (as previous poster suggested)?

 

Thank you. :)

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We found that it varies with the brand. We use melatonin to combat jet lag when we travel back and forth to the US and occasionally for sleep issues. One brand (Nature Made) gave both James Bond and I crazy dreams (he got nightmares, which for a war vet is awful), but melatonin from Nature Made and Sundown have absolutely no side effects at the same dosage.

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Melatonin is illegal and not available over the counter (not sure if its available on prescription or not) here in Australia. While I dont really approve of our stringent laws around nutritional substances a lot of the time- I do get that melatonin is not something to take lightly. I bought some from the U.S. once and even a small dose really messed me around.

I don't think it's sensible to mess with your hormones just because you can buy something easily. And I would not give it to kids.

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Melatonin is produced naturally by your body - except for some people who don't produce it or at least enough. 5-HTP is a precursor to melatonin. I take 5-HTP because my body has a hard time making that. I also take melatonin because even with the 5-HTP supplementation, I still need it. The debilitating pain I get from not sleeping for weeks on end definitely trumps any fears I have of messing with my hormones. My hormones are already messed up. That's why I take these things.

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We found that it varies with the brand. We use melatonin to combat jet lag when we travel back and forth to the US and occasionally for sleep issues. One brand (Nature Made) gave both James Bond and I crazy dreams (he got nightmares, which for a war vet is awful), but melatonin from Nature Made and Sundown have absolutely no side effects at the same dosage.

Thank you. I'm confused, however. So is Nature Made good or not? :confused:

 

I do get that melatonin is not something to take lightly. I bought some from the U.S. once and even a small dose really messed me around.

I don't think it's sensible to mess with your hormones just because you can buy something easily. And I would not give it to kids.

Peela, love your new avatar. You and your dd are gorgeous. :grouphug:

I agree with you. I don't understand how some take melatonin every single night. I don't think that can be a good thing. I used to think it was fine. But giving it to kids on a regular basis, :001_huh:??? I couldn't do that.

In all my research, two things stuck out for me:

1. Do not take melatonin every single night

2. Do not give to children

 

Peela, would you suggest anything for a long flight if your kids could not sleep? Valerian or Hyland's Calms, etc.? Or, as my dh would say, nothing at all?

 

Thank you.

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Peela, would you suggest anything for a long flight if your kids could not sleep? Valerian or Hyland's Calms, etc.? Or, as my dh would say, nothing at all?

 

.

 

I am more inclined not to give anything, myself. Planes nowadays have great entertainment systems.

Do they normally have trouble sleeping?

I have never given my kids any kind of tranquilliser apart from breast milk when they were little, but there has just been no need so I might not be the person to ask!

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I am more inclined not to give anything, myself. Planes nowadays have great entertainment systems.

Do they normally have trouble sleeping?

I have never given my kids any kind of tranquilliser apart from breast milk when they were little, but there has just been no need so I might not be the person to ask!

:iagree:

And I think this is where we see a major difference in culture.

I don't know anyone who would give tranquilizers to their children for a plane flight. In fact I really don't know anyone who would give their child tranquilizers unless they had a major health problem and were prescribed it by the doctor.

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I don't know if anyone knew that, but I was getting REAL concerned because I was awaking with severe panic attacks and I was also seeing things. The vitreous gel in my eye is collapsing, so I thought that was causing me to see things.

 

I'd give better than even odds it is still just the vitreous gel. It can do wieeeeeerd things. (Now then, if you are seeing everything upside down, go to the hospital.:))

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Melatonin can be very helpful and is often prescribed for young adults, especially those on other medications. If you are taking some script for another issue it might cause sleep disorders. Melatonin doesn't interact with meds. That makes it very useful.

 

I take it every night. There is suspicion that I am one of those people who doesn't make enough or is resistant. 3mg doesn't have any effect on me whatsoever. I take 6mg at night and ...maybe...if I am lucky... I will be able to fall asleep 90 min later.

 

I could happily take a larger dose but I chose not to.

 

It doesn't give me any nightmares. If I am particularly sleep deprived due to not taking it for a while (I try every now and then) then I will have very intense dreams for a while. I think it is more of my brain doing an intense REM cycle than anything else.

 

Adolescence is a time of a lot of brain activity. That is when my sleep problems started. I have classic delayed sleep phase disorder. My life would have been much improved if it had been taken seriously and I had some help.

 

Tranquilizers and other sleep aids prevent motion sickness. If you ask your doctor for a way to help your child not puke on a car or plane trip he will tell you to dose with benedryl. Dramamine etc are all strong sleep aids to prevent vomiting.

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Yep, we've heard that if you only have horrific nightmares...you're lucky. We opted to just not take it.

 

I'm glad you're okay.:grouphug:

 

I don't know if anyone knew that, but I was getting REAL concerned because I was awaking with severe panic attacks and I was also seeing things. The vitreous gel in my eye is collapsing, so I thought that was causing me to see things. You do see floaters, blinking lights, etc, but things were changing. Yesterday, however, it was obvious that what I was seeing was an all out hallucination, because it was only on ONE wall of my bedroom, not everywhere else! It was SO weird, ovals with scribbles, all perfectly placed in a checkerboard. It was WEIRD, and I sat up in bed to make SURE I was awake and slowly watched them disappear after about 2 - 3 minutes. They were only on the back wall.

 

I had all kinds of concerns yesterday, and my distraction nearly got us in a very serious car accident.

 

My search also showed that most supplements have 3 - 5 mg of melatonin, and experts think that's far too high, suggesting .1 - .5 mg.

 

So BEWARE!!!

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My chiropractor suggested 5-HTP or L-Tryptophan instead of Melatonin...

 

I have taken L-Tryptophan without ANY side effects and get a great night's sleep!! :)

 

Just a thought...

 

We do use Melatonin every once in a while, but really prefer L-Tryptophan.

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I had the vivid nightmares for about the first week that I took melatonin. I kept taking it because I was post-surgery and desperate for sleep. I adjusted to it after that week. I give myself breaks from it. About once a month I take a few days to a week off of it. It can be a powerful supplement and I know several people who cannot take it. I tell people to proceed with caution.

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Our pedi recommended it. Dd12 just can't sleep well. If she doesn't take it, she stays awake until between 2:00am and 3:00am easily. So do I in fact, but I am on Ambien. If she tries to go to bed before 2:00am, she lays awake and often ends up having a bad dream later in the evening. If she waits until she feels naturally tired around 2:00am, she sleeps until 12:00pm or 1:00pm. So she often takes the Melatonin around 11pm and still doesn't feel tired enough to fall asleep until about 12:30am. I'm amazed that it works so quickly for some people. I had no idea because that certainly isn't our experience. Maybe some people are just prone to insomnia?

 

I think some people are prone to insomnia. I suffer from it and have since I was a teenager. Both dh and one son are "night owls". I think their natural body rhythm is set to a later time than most peoples.

 

We love it in our home, too. Our AS ds has used it for several years and it has been a lifesaver for us. "which meant that *I* never got any sleep" I completely understand. Its medically documented that a significant number AS children are also melatonin deficient.

 

I do believe that for folks who are not melatonin deficient, it probably does cause adverse reactions. Thankfully, it is down-right cheap and can be tried without any lasting effect.

 

I agree my one son that we use it for is AS and it makes a world of difference in our quality of life. We only use it on the weekend because that is when it is important that we all get enough rest.

 

For our family not using anything is a disaster. I have tried it. I have spent the last week up until the wee hours of the morning with insomnia. Normally I can go to sleep very quickly but when this hits I sleep any where from 2-4 hours a night and then survive the day. This usually goes on for a couple of weeks. After that something in my system adjusts and I am back to normal with my sleep cycle.

 

DS that uses melatonin is out of control (literally cannot control his emotions) if he doesn't get sleep on Saturday nights. We have most of our responsibilities on Sunday and it is cruel (to me at least) to have high expectations of him on Sunday but not give him the one thing that can help him meet them. He needs to sleep on Saturday night and so he takes melatonin then.

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I have to say it- I feel sad and disturbed that so, so many people on these boards- which might be a cross section of U.S. community- need or choose to take so many medications (natural or not) for so many things. I really wonder if you think it is normal-does everyone you know take so many things- for depression, ADHD, sleep- not just adults but the kids?

I think it is a sign of a very disturbed society that so many people are so medicated and need medications to just get through the day, or the night. Not just a few- but so many people- and the poor kids.

Sorry- it just hit me that people discuss these things here all the time to the extent that it seems everyone thinks it is normal to reach for pills for everything.

I dont even like the"take a pill" approach to natural medicine, or the mentality that if its "natural" it must be ok, though I fall into that pattern at times myself- I am still wary of it.

Why are we SO out of balance that we are so sick, so disturbed? Why do our kids need medications, for goodness sakes?

I like to go for the root causes- the out of balance lifestyles, the stress etc and i KNOW its not always simple or simplistic. And I know every single case is different, and if my kid was unable to sleep, night after night, I might as a last resort give them melatonin too- maybe. I doubt it would ever get to that but I can't know that for sure.

These things are all just dealing with symptoms. Uncomfortable, difficult to live with symptoms. But if you sit on the symptoms, make the symptoms go away temporarily for the sake of comfort- without dealing with the cause- the underlying discordance in the system- eventually a different symptom will manifest and then another medication will be prescribed.

I just think its sad.

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Ds15 is an Aspie and often an insomniac. I let him read all night if he feels he needs to. I just require him to get up in the morning and not be grouchy. At least once a week he reads all night, very rarely two nights in a row; however, and through repeated practice, his moods are not worse after being up all night. It was not always thus, but routine is critical to managing his obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and staring at the ceiling in the dark has never, in my experience, led to good things for anyone I know. This, for him, is a life skill. I can't see encouraging dependence on medication for anyone inclined to insomnia as a long term issue. On the other hand, I take benadryl pretty often at night, especially since I discovered it's really good for preventing managing incipient migraines. Waking up pain-free, if a little groggy is gold.

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ehhh...I think that when you post about a medication you are likely to hear from the people who take it and not from the people who don't. And, clearly, there are people who benefit from certain medications...it seems very...Tom Cruise?...to question the necessity. I'm sure there are some people who are mis-diagnosed and taking medications that they don't need, but there are certainly people who are able to live more fulfilling lives due to science. I take melatonin sometimes, without any issues, by the way, and it helps me sleep. Occasionally I can't fall asleep without it, and I wouldn't be able to function without sleep the following day. I don't take ANY regular medications, nor does anyone else in my family of 6...with exception of my youngest son who requires an inhaler when he plays basketball. I suppose he could avoid the medication by being less active, but that seems like a bad trade. ;)

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Do they normally have trouble sleeping?

Yes, dd has huge problems not sleeping on flights. I wouldn't normally mind, but we've had problems before upon landing. We land and since most of have slept, we're doing okay considering. She's now the one who's close to tears and exhausted. Plus, no help whatsoever even with carrying her own carry-ons. She can barely walk. Drives me bonkers. This time around, the trip will be more tiring than usual. Long transatlantic flight - overnight followed by a train into Central London, catch the Eurostar to Paris (maybe she'll sleep then) and then get to our accommodation in Paris. We're talking a good pretty much 24 hours ...

Dh believes in not giving them anything. I tend to agree, but am wishy-washy for special circumstances like this one. :confused: I want her to sleep so she doesn't drive me or herself crazy. That's all.

I grew up taking Dramamine on all flights and car trips not to sleep, but because of my very severe motion sickness.

 

:iagree:

And I think this is where we see a major difference in culture.

I don't know anyone who would give tranquilizers to their children for a plane flight. In fact I really don't know anyone who would give their child tranquilizers unless they had a major health problem and were prescribed it by the doctor.

:iagree:

Huge differences in cultures and perspectives.

I won't go there! :lol: :leaving:

 

Tranquilizers and other sleep aids prevent motion sickness. If you ask your doctor for a way to help your child not puke on a car or plane trip he will tell you to dose with benedryl. Dramamine etc are all strong sleep aids to prevent vomiting.

Precisely why I always took them as a child and sometimes still need to.

 

We do use Melatonin every once in a while, but really prefer L-Tryptophan.

:iagree: and Valerian also. I alternate with all of them when needed.

 

I have to say it- I feel sad and disturbed that so, so many people on these boards- which might be a cross section of U.S. community- need or choose to take so many medications (natural or not) for so many things. I really wonder if you think it is normal-does everyone you know take so many things- for depression, ADHD, sleep- not just adults but the kids?

I think it is a sign of a very disturbed society that so many people are so medicated and need medications to just get through the day, or the night. Not just a few- but so many people- and the poor kids.

Sorry- it just hit me that people discuss these things here all the time to the extent that it seems everyone thinks it is normal to reach for pills for everything.

I dont even like the"take a pill" approach to natural medicine, or the mentality that if its "natural" it must be ok, though I fall into that pattern at times myself- I am still wary of it.

Why are we SO out of balance that we are so sick, so disturbed? Why do our kids need medications, for goodness sakes?

I like to go for the root causes- the out of balance lifestyles, the stress etc and i KNOW its not always simple or simplistic. And I know every single case is different, and if my kid was unable to sleep, night after night, I might as a last resort give them melatonin too- maybe. I doubt it would ever get to that but I can't know that for sure.

:iagree:

Agreeing with everything you say.

It's almost as if we've become a generation/culture where we cannot have our kids endure any sort of difficulty or discomfort. Ourselves also. Dh could have written your post. I tend to take things if and when I really need them. Otherwise, I try to use them minimally. Have never, ever given them to my dc. Only dramamine for very long flights.

Have you seen American TV commercials - all the ads for medications? Magazines also. Take this for depression. Don't deal with the problem. Just pop a pill mentality.

I could go on and on also. Few seem to want to deal with the underlying cause/s.

Adults, that's one thing. But giving meds so freely to kids is shocking to me. We spent years serving as directors in junior youth and youth camps. Always shocked at how many were on meds for non-physical issues.

As another homeschooling mom recently wrote to me - she said how shocked she was that some of these moms who are so anti-vaccine are giving supplements and/or meds left, right, and center to their kids - heaven forbid if their kids have to deal with ANY discomfort, sadness, minor depression, insomnia, etc.

An adult may need to take supplements from to time in order to function - to drive, to teach their kids, to be at work. But I think that kids, on the whole, should not get too accustomed to these supplements so young. If they start with say 3 mg of melatonin. Soon that won't be enough. Soon they'll be needing more ... and more ... and more ... It will not end and the underlying cause will not magically disappear.

 

Yes, it is judgemental, but it is also how I see it- and it's not attacking any individual, more a collective mentality in our society.

:iagree:

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