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Tell me about your experiences with using melatonin, please?

(49 Posts)

By Mon 29-Jun-09 13:59:16 Add message | Report | Contact poster

Hi all,

My DS3 is almost 5 and autistic.

His sleep has been increasingly poor - waking up in the small hours and not going back to sleep - so we have been prescribed melatonin.

It's not the slow release stuff as he wouldn't take a capsule, it's the liquid.

He woke up at 3.30 a.m. this morning and at 4.15 there was no sign of him going back to sleep so I tried giving him melatonin. It worked, and quite quickly, but he was very fast asleep this morning and we had great difficulty getting him awake and up for school.

I am wondering whether we should set a cut-off point in the evening - say 9.45 p.m. - to administer it if he is not asleep. If we do this, is he more/less likely to wake up around 3-4 a.m.?

All experiences/advice gratefully received!

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Wed 08-Jul-09 14:00:50

give it till 2.30 or 3 no later ds wakes up at 4.30 sometimes too its a hard one as you want them to bed at reasonable time and as it gets them off and doesn't keep them asleep its a difficult one we do have at least 2 bad ones a week but more good than bad now

just set routine to give melatonin at 8.30 and aim for 9pm bed tonight we have to tweak routine every now and then but it does go back to normal again

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Wed 08-Jul-09 13:45:13

Ds is sleeping and I cant wake him up. He fell asleep at 8.45pm last night (yeah) but woke up at 4.30am. Now he's been asleep for 45 mins and its impossible to wake him up. He must be so tired but I dont want to mess his routine up.

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Sat 04-Jul-09 19:36:25

4 mths now as is ay if you mess with it too much give to early or too late it doesn't work as well and i gave it earlier as he was being hard work was hot and bothered and i should have learnt my lesson from last time lol ive done it all properly tonight and he is now asleep me and dp are off out for meal so my mum hopefully will have a settled little boy to watch

good luck for tonight hope it works as well x

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Sat 04-Jul-09 18:56:56

Oh dear bubbla, How long have you been using it?

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Sat 04-Jul-09 08:51:57

thank you stary think i need big hug ds woke at 8.30 pm was still up at 2am bad bad night last night lol glad so far so good for you

enjoy your evenings i love being able to pick up a book and read again or put a film on and watch it all the way through lol

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Fri 03-Jul-09 22:30:02

I dont want to be too previous as this is only the second night and this is quite un like me but can I give you a big kiss bubbla? Again we have given the melatonin early and Ds fell asleep just past 9. If you hadnt of said, I would still be giving the melatonin at 9.30 and he would be falling asleep at 11pm onwards. Literally in for the first time ever I have an evening. Especially as DS2 has also fallen asleep. I barely know what to do with myself grin

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Fri 03-Jul-09 17:00:32

just make the point really cant seem to settle off to sleep and being up till that time is not good for either of you

as soon as paed heard he cant settle she didnt hesitate in writing out script for him and has repeated them since too

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Fri 03-Jul-09 16:54:31

It will be one of the first things I'll mention when I go see him Monday! I shall cry if I have to!! I might even stamp my feet wink

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Fri 03-Jul-09 16:48:13

make sure you get in there first and say we want a prescription for melatonin if you can i have several people who use it for the children for the same reason we need it were all struggling were all sleep deprived and ds behaviour is worse without sleep and you cannot cope when both so tired

this paed should be happier to do so its not normal to have so little sleep and i noticed ds was "more" autistic when tired iykwim when he has slept he can hardly be noticed as being different when tired its plain for everyone to see

his much happier now he always seemed so troubled

Add message | Report | Contact poster By Fri 03-Jul-09 16:24:36

Thanks for your replies, sorry I didn't reply earlier, I was having a much needed nap whilst I could get the chance grin

we're seeing a different paed on Monday, so hopefully this one will be a little more sympathetic. The other one was very nice, but just seemed to go on and on about how fascinating Tom was, and what an interesting character he was etc. I found it quite strange tbh. He's referred us to a paed nearer home though, so hopefully this one will be able to actually offer us some help rather than commenting on how fascinating my ds is... hmm

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Tell me about your experiences with using melatonin, please?