Melatonin anyone?

[MyBlueLobsters]

Has anyone ever given their child Melatonin to help them sleep? How did it go if you did? TIA

[swellmomma]

I give it to all 3 of my older kids. My 2 adhd kids take 2 tabs each, my 5 yr old takes 1 tab. It has been wonderful, without it they are all up until midnight-1am, with it they are asleep no later than 45 minutes after they get it so I aim for them to all fall asleep between 8:30 and 9 pm. SInce starting it I finally had some down time in the evening to clean up, or read a book, or simply relax before bed. They all wake up by 7:30 am now, without the melatonin along with staying up late they were waking up before 6 am, running on empty and down right miserable all day. THings are much better with the melatonin.

[KS_]

Has anyone ever given their child Melatonin to help them sleep? How did it go if you did? TIA

 

We started giving ds (now almost 10) a chewable 500mcg tablet a couple of years ago because he just couldn't wind down at night enough to fall asleep at a reasonable time, and would wake up late, or if woken up, be groggy and very cranky. It has been very helpful. He doesn't always take it now, and I can pretty much tell when he hasn't by when and how he wakes up. Dd has started taking melatonin, too, although she doesn't always have as much trouble falling asleep every night as ds does.

[MyBlueLobsters]

I give it to all 3 of my older kids. My 2 adhd kids take 2 tabs each, my 5 yr old takes 1 tab. It has been wonderful, without it they are all up until midnight-1am, with it they are asleep no later than 45 minutes after they get it so I aim for them to all fall asleep between 8:30 and 9 pm. SInce starting it I finally had some down time in the evening to clean up, or read a book, or simply relax before bed. They all wake up by 7:30 am now, without the melatonin along with staying up late they were waking up before 6 am, running on empty and down right miserable all day. THings are much better with the melatonin.

 

 

How many mg's are the pills your kids take? I got 3 mg tablets. 1/2 of that is 1500 mcgs. The other post said they give their child 500 mcgs. I don't want to overdose him. :001_smile:

[Ria]

I am not comfortable with the thought of giving a hormone such as melatonin to children; the side effects of melatonin can be severe. We opted for valarian root with our kids.

 

Ria

[gracesteacher]

I am hoping that you are talking with your ped on this. I am registered in sleep and know the ill effects of not correcting the sleep problem and medicating it.

There are other methods to train your child/children to sleep.

[PinkInTheBlue]

Hey Ria, quick question. I use melatonin often at nights to relax and sleep. Can you tell me a bit about valarian root? User things like how does it taste? How do you take it? How much? Personal usage info would be extremely useful. I'll look up the technical stuff. Thanks!

[Mom22ns]

I gave my ds who is autistic spectrum 1 mg of melatonin to help him get to sleep for years. He now only takes it on nights he has trouble going to sleep. Yes, we did do this on the advice of the pediatric neurologist. Our pediatrician agreed it was safe way of helping a non-sleeper. Kids on the autistic spectrum often have major sleep issues and this was a major life saver for us and for him. Getting proper rest really improved his nervous system's ability to calm itself and start the day on an even keel.

 

Debbie

[jacqui in mo]

How do you know valerian root is any safer than melatonin? Just the little bit of Googling I've done doesn't give me any assurance that VR is any safer than Melatonin. http://sleep.emedtv.com/valerian-root/valerian-root-benefits-p2.html

(I don't mean to sound snarky. Just want to know what you know (ya know);o)

[OH_Homeschooler]

I take melatonin. I've tried different kinds and the BEST is the 1 mg cherry-flavored chewables from GNC. I like that it's 1 mg instead of 3. I don't think you can overdose per se (unless you really overdo it probably) but I feel better taking the smaller dose, especially since it works. I have learned that a drawback to them is that they are a supplement so they are not as well-regulated as other drugs, another reason I'd stick with the 1mg. And you know, I think kids would like the cherry flavor!

[Susan Wise Bauer]

I am really curious about melatonin--not in our case as a regular medication, but more for jet lag. Hauling those kids to the west coast can be rough. :-) Are there known interactions with other drugs that are dangerous?

 

SWB

[MyBlueLobsters]

I am hoping that you are talking with your ped on this. I am registered in sleep and know the ill effects of not correcting the sleep problem and medicating it.

There are other methods to train your child/children to sleep.

 

Pedi gave permission to use it with my son who has Down syndrome because they tend to have issues sleeping. I haven't given it to him yet, but figured if it was safe for him (3) it would be safe for my 8 yr old.

 

I am really curious about melatonin--not in our case as a regular medication, but more for jet lag. Hauling those kids to the west coast can be rough. :-) Are there known interactions with other drugs that are dangerous?

 

SWB

 

On the bottle it says not to use if you have an autoimmune disease, depressive disorder, are pregnant or lactating. It says it's a 100% vegetarian drug free sleep aid. HTH

[jacqui in mo]

Anyone know why you shouldn't use Melatonin when you have autoimmune disease?

[MyBlueLobsters]

Anyone know why you shouldn't use Melatonin when you have autoimmune disease?

 

 

Okay I take that back....it says "consult your physician before use if you have an autoimmune disease" sorry :)

[Sara R]

I get 3 mg tablets from Costco. Using a pill-splitter I break them up in tiny pieces for the kids. One tablet lasts 1-2 weeks, split between 3 kids. With it, they fall asleep within 30-45 minutes. Without it, they don't fall asleep until after 10. I've found that too much melatonin can lead to weird dreams, so I like using the smallest effective amount.

 

I don't know how much of this is placebo effect, and how much is the melatonin, but regardless, it works here.

[Niffercoo]

I have been giving my children who are on the autism spectrum melatonin for sleep for the last 2 years. They each take 1/2 mg. under the tongue.

 

This was approved by their developmental pediatrician, and re-approved by my son's neurologist when he started taking medication for his seizures.

[melissel]

I have a friend with sleep cycle issues who's working with a renowned sleep researcher, and she takes a teeny weeny dose herself--something like .3 mg, I think. Far, far less than the amount in the pills I had just bought that I thought were already tiny! The amount for children should probably be miniscule. ITA with being very careful with this for children. It is, after all, a hormone.

[abreakfromlife]

If you are self-medicating with this, you are not supposed to take it long-term. If a dr. is prescribing it, that's another ballgame, but on its own, melatonin is supposed to only be used for short-term things...........we used it for our kids at thanksgiving and christmas, b/c they would get so excited and wound up and with crazy schedules they weren't sleeping well and were tired and ornery on the holidays......not fun. I bought the 3mg tabs and cut them in half for all my kids....the petite kids were great with the half tab; my husky boy needed the 3mg, but it works great.....They are out like a light in 15 minutes!

[Staci in FL]

My daughter, adopted internationally, has struggled with sleep since we met her. Starting at about four years of age, she was working off of about six hours of sleep a night with no nap. By the age of eight, she was getting about five hours of sleep. She just couldn't shut down. She had always struggled with school work. We finally took her to be evaluated by a pediatric neurologist, who suggested occupational therapy and vision therapy to correct the struggles with learning. After a year of OT (including metronome therpy) and VT, both professionals released her, as they said there was nothing more they could do; they had taken her as far as they could. While we saw a little improvement in school work, the results from the hours and cost of OT and VT seemed minor.

 

Meanwhile, the OT and the pediatrician had - in passing - mentioned melatonin several times. One day last November I saw melatonin in the vitamin section of the store. I bought the 1 mg tablet bottle. That night I gave my daughter 2 mg, as the recommended child dose is 3-10 mg. She fell asleep by 8:30. I could not believe it. Since November, she has had no trouble with falling asleep with 2 mg of it. But the unbelievable part of the story is that her school work has improved dramatically. She is now enjoying reading. She can get through math without crying. Her handwriting is neat. We've had four wonderful months of great school days. The poor child was so sleep deprived that she just couldn't focus, cope, or think!

 

My guess (and the guess of the professionals we dealt with)- though I don't know this for certain - is that she had some exposure to alcohol while in the womb. After doing some research, I discovered that people who have had some sort of brain damage don't produce melatonin like the rest of us. So, they need the extra melatonin to help them shut down at night. For our daughter, this seems to be what was going on.

 

I don't know if there are any adverse effects with melatonin and other drugs. Our daughter doesn't take anything else, so I'm just not sure about that. I will tell you that for us, it was the missing piece of the puzzle for our dear daughter.

 

I hope that story helps someone!

 

Staci

[LNC]

In my experience, Ped Neurologists prescribe melatonin for sleep issues related to profound disabilities and blindness - causing day and night reversal. Also, they prescribe for children with autism.

[Ottakee]

We use it here for 13dd on a daily basis and for 12dd as needed. Our psychiatrist, neurologist and endocrinologist all said it was safe for my girls to use. They have been using it for several years.

 

Right now 13dd takes 3mg per night. The doctors said she could take much more if needed but the goal is the least amount possible. We have found that it really helps her mood disorder, etc. as well---don't know if it is just because she is sleeping better or if it really helps with moods.

 

Some kids can get nightmares on it which is another reason to start with a very low dose and work up.

[Ria]

Hey Ria, quick question. I use melatonin often at nights to relax and sleep. Can you tell me a bit about valarian root? User things like how does it taste? How do you take it? How much? Personal usage info would be extremely useful. I'll look up the technical stuff. Thanks!

 

I will let my sons (ages 11 and up) take one capsule at night on an as-needed basis. My doc is okay with this. It seems to help relaxation somewhat. I have occasionally taken 2 capsules at night, again, only as needed.

 

Ria

[Ria]

How do you know valerian root is any safer than melatonin? Just the little bit of Googling I've done doesn't give me any assurance that VR is any safer than Melatonin. http://sleep.emedtv.com/valerian-root/valerian-root-benefits-p2.html

(I don't mean to sound snarky. Just want to know what you know (ya know);o)

 

First, I've talked to my doc about my son's sleep issues, and my occasional sleeplessness issues. That's first and foremost...I don't believe in self-medicating. My youngest has had pretty severe sleep issues since he was 5 or 6. Things are much better now, but believe me when I say we all lost sleep over this. LOL.

 

My doc said I could try melatonin. It gave me horrific nightmares. I woke up screaming and in a sweat....this has never happened to me, ever, except the three nights I tried the melatonin.

 

Given my reaction, my doc suggested trying either valarian root or just giving benedryl when ds is having a sleepless night. Here's how we work it now: if he's worried he might not sleep, we will give one v-root capsule. If, however, he wakes us at 2 am because he hasn't gotten to sleep, we'll give the benedryl.

 

I'm comfy with this, and my doc is comfy. It's working. Had I not had the reaction to melatonin I might not feel as uncomfortable about it as I do.

 

Ria

[Robin Hood]

I have a non sleeper who also rises early. I asked the pedi about it and she advised use for about 2 weeks to perhaps jump start a sleeping routine, then ween off. I tried it with dd and she did sleep better by the end of the second week. After weening her she is back to not sleeping.

 

She started to concentrate better but there is just too much unknown for me to continue. Oatmeal makes one sleepy, but I have doubts about the happiness of my family having oatmeal for dinner or dessert. Chocolate or complex carbs are also suppose to be good before bedtime to induce sleep. Not too much though.

[catalinakel]

We just got a diagnosis of Asperger's for our 12 year old who has had issues with falling asleep for many years. The neurologist said to try melatonin, using a very small amt. to start. I have not done it yet, but feel better knowing that so many of you have used this with your kids. I trust this dr. when he says it is safe. And I know that sleep deprivation for years can be very detrimental to health and well being.

 

I know valerian works(old hippie here!), but also believe that it could become addictive...and as one who deals with brain chemistry issues and sleep issues, I believe that it is not necessarily inappropriate to use a hormone since so much of sleep and well being have to do with brain hormones.

[Robin Hood]

My doc said I could try melatonin. It gave me horrific nightmares. I woke up screaming and in a sweat....this has never happened to me, ever, except the three nights I tried the melatonin

Ria

 

Interestingly, I had a reversal of the same when I recently took cough syrup with codeine for a flu and cough, and another time when I took benedryl just to get a good nights sleep. Combined, it was a total of 4 nights on different occasions. On the morning after 3rd night of the codeine I made the connection, thinking it was just a bad flu at first. It only took one of the benedryl. Besides the horrific nightmares, a mean headache accompanied me all day, too, with both drugs. Never happened before last year. I am now trying melatonin and haven't had any side effects, but I can't say it is really helping me sleep either. I am sticking with chocolate.

 

My 10yo became worried about me when she overheard me mention these side effects to my dh and the Nut threw out the benedryl. I had already gotten rid of the codeine.

[Cindyg]

Life saver here.

 

My son could not sleep from birth. This was a horrible, debilitating issue in our family. Nights were horrible, all night long. It would take us 2 hours to get ds to sleep. He would sleep for 30 minutes, and wake up screaming, requiring another 2 hours of snuggling and comforting to get back to sleep. Rinse and repeat all night long.

 

Mornings were horrible. We couldn't get anywhere before noon because everyone was exhausted and frustrated.

 

We tried Melatonin "just once" when he was six. Fifteen minutes later, he fell asleep peacefully for the first time in his life. It was a miracle. We've not missed a night since. It's been five years now, and we do feel that Melatonin will be a life-long thing for him.

 

On the rare occasions now that ds can't settle down or can't fall asleep, invariably I find his Melatonin on the floor in the morning. :)

 

He gets 1/2 mg, sublingually.

 

Once he accidentally got a triple dose, and the next morning, he reported nightmares. So, if you find that Melatonin gives you nightmares, you might try a much smaller dose.

 

And, like someone else posted, a single crumb will knock ds out. A couple of times in the 5 years, he accidentally got a crumb in the morning, and it has the same effect that it has at night. :)

 

And, we've discussed this with three doctors. None had any concerns at all.

[GailV]

Hey Ria, quick question. I use melatonin often at nights to relax and sleep. Can you tell me a bit about valarian root? User things like how does it taste? How do you take it? How much? Personal usage info would be extremely useful. I'll look up the technical stuff. Thanks!

 

Valerian root has a high level of tannins. If you react to tannins, it isn't an option. Dh was taking valerian for sleep, but realized that tannins give him headaches and also make him jittery. I had read some herbal information somewhere or other (Rosemary Gladstar, maybe?) that valerian does speed some people up rather than calm them down -- perhaps the tannins are why. His doctor mentioned that tannins and phenols are a problem for a LOT of people.

 

His doctor gave him the go ahead on melatonin, but said he needed to take it in absolute darkness. We haven't researched that tidbit yet. The doctor said even a light shining on, say, your leg would wipe out the effect.

[Lovedtodeath]

You really don't need a large dose. I used to have a 3 mg pill and it gave me headaches. I now have 300mcg and it works well. DD takes a little less than half, I cut it off. We take it when our sleep schedule gets wacked out, but not regularly.

 

I am going to try Gaba now, as I am having a lot of anxiety. It is recommended for kids. I have always heard that melatonin is not.

[swellmomma]

How many mg's are the pills your kids take? I got 3 mg tablets. 1/2 of that is 1500 mcgs. The other post said they give their child 500 mcgs. I don't want to overdose him. :001_smile:

 

They are 3 mg tabs, so my oldest get 6 mg's and the 5 yr old 3mg. They ped says the dose I give them is fine and it works. 1 tab for each of the oldest does nothing.

[TeacherZee]

Interestingly, I had a reversal of the same when I recently took cough syrup with codeine for a flu and cough, and another time when I took benedryl just to get a good nights sleep. Combined, it was a total of 4 nights on different occasions. On the morning after 3rd night of the codeine I made the connection, thinking it was just a bad flu at first. It only took one of the benedryl. Besides the horrific nightmares, a mean headache accompanied me all day, too, with both drugs. Never happened before last year. I am now trying melatonin and haven't had any side effects, but I can't say it is really helping me sleep either. I am sticking with chocolate.

 

My 10yo became worried about me when she overheard me mention these side effects to my dh and the Nut threw out the benedryl. I had already gotten rid of the codeine.

 

Benedryl knocks me out completely. My mother on the other hand didn't sleep a wink when she was prescribed it due to her sleep issues. She turned into the Duracell bunny instead:001_huh::glare:. Her doc has her trying melatonin now but I don't know if she has started taking it yet.

[Jaxmum]

My son is now 16 . He had serious sleep issues- no naps after 18 months, could not go to sleep till about 11, 12 pm, and often woke up several times. I heard about melatonin, gave him a dose, and that night he slept through the night. He was almost 4 then, and not speaking. After a month of wonderful, blessed 12 hour a night sleep he began talking in sentences.

[Cindyg]

My son is now 16 . He had serious sleep issues- no naps after 18 months, could not go to sleep till about 11, 12 pm, and often woke up several times. I heard about melatonin, gave him a dose, and that night he slept through the night. He was almost 4 then, and not speaking. After a month of wonderful, blessed 12 hour a night sleep he began talking in sentences.

 

Wow. Great story.

 

Is he still on Melatonin?

 

I do believe that Melatonin is GOOD for these kids who can't sleep.

[katilac]

this site lists the meds you shouldn't take w/melatonin (unless you talk to your doc): http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/melatonin-000970.htm

 

Melatonin definitely helps me, and helps my dd8 even more markedly. I'm pretty confident with using, although of course we take care, and if I wanted to use it nightly or several times a week, I probably would speak to a doc. A

 

Although there aren't many formal studies, that's balanced, to me, by the thousands upon thousands of kids who have used it under a doctor's advice (very commonly for kids with autism and other issues, for years and years now). I think that is just as likely to turn up some horrific side effect as a limited research study.

 

I have heard lots of stories like Jaxmum's, and I have one of my own to share, take it for what it's worth. My uncle is actually the person who first told me about melatonin (sleep issues are RAMPANT in my family). He was a functioning alcoholic all of his adult life, tried and failed many times to get and remain sober.

 

*cue dramatic music*

 

Knowing he also has sleep issues, a friend offers him melatonin one night. He takes it and SLEEPS, sleeps through the night like he swears he never, ever has in his life. Keeps taking it. Feels dramatically better in every way - rested, less depressed, more focused.

 

Gets sober, as he has done many times. STAYS sober, as he never, ever has. And is still sober ten years later (truly, the man was never sober for more than a couple of months since he was sixteen).

 

Entirely ancedotal, but he insists that, after starting melatonin, he was able to get sober because he no longer felt awful all the time and no longer needed to self-medicate with alcohol.

[Jaxmum]

In reply to CindyG- my son still takes it, although I think his need for it is growing less and less. I think some people really need it. My husband also uses it to combat jet lag.