Melatonin for 7 year old? Are the benefits worth the risk?

[SpinningTops]

DD is 7. IMO she doesn't get enough sleep. We take her to bed at 7, bedtime story and usually all tucked up by 7:30. It takes her until 9:30 / 10 to get to sleep. She can't switch off.

If we keep her up later it still takes 2 hours for her to get to sleep so just pushes it later. She has been like this since about 4.

She's active in the day, doesn't have screens other than a couple of days a week where she'll have an hour or so of TV before dinner so not down to screen time.

She's up at 6:30/7am most days, a bit later on weekend.

She's away with the fairies most of the time, struggles to concentrate but I think this is down to probable dyslexia.

I wonder whether it's worth speaking to the GP about trying melatonin to help her drift off and if it will benefit her. I'm not sure of risks, but I'm sure there must be some.

Anyone have similar situation and tried it / decided not to try it?

Gp won't prescribe melatonin here it needs to be a paed. Ask for a ref and see what they say? Mine takes melatonin but doesn't sleep at all without it- the longest we've been up is 4 days, taking shifts with them. With melatonin they sleep from 12/1 until 5 ish so a bit of an improvement

Melatonin is fine and I know several people who take high doses every night, no side effects that we’ve noticed. You can buy it online even here in UK. But do ensure you have blackout blinds in the bedroom as street lights and daylight at dawn will wake up us poor sleepers.

My autistic son has been on melatonin for 7 years (he's 14). His whole specialist school is on it apparently. Poor sleep due to lack of melatonin production is a usual characteristic in autism. You say your child is away with the fairies, maybe there is some neurodiversity there? I'd get to the root cause first.

My GP prescribes it but ONLY because the psychiatrist recommended it within the context of autism and he has various checks. GP won't prescribe it to minors otherwise.

Melatonin is ok. My daughter used it for several years from about your daughter's age to 14. The GP would not prescribe it. We had to have it prescribed from the paed team at the hospital.

In our experience, yes and it was from that age we needed it.

Paediatrician prescribed at ADOS (autism assessment). GP now prescribes.

Ah, sounds like there's no point in approaching the GP if they can't prescribe.

My son is awaiting an autism assessment so there could be some ND there but at the moment she's very happy and wouldn't warrant a referral. I do wonder how she'll get on as a teenager though ...

You can buy it online.

I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that with a prescription only medicine.

It's over the counter in most other countries.

Used to be here.

I've never been quite sure why, when you consider what you can buy over the counter.

I'm sorry, I don't know about melatonin, but both of my DC didn't need as much sleep as their peers and have always struggled to get off to sleep. Both are daydreamers and struggle with concentration, unless it's something they love. One in particular is very messy, forgetful, etc, now has an ADHD diagnosis and is on medication (the other won't get assessed). ADHD can present slightly differently in girls.

I might be way off, but it could be worth researching. Speak to your GP or her teacher if you think she might have more than a few of the symptoms.

My DD's GP spoke to Paeds directly and got 'permission' to prescribe it

My 15 year old has been taking melatonin since he was 3. I’m not aware of any side effects apart from lucid dreams if the dose is too high. He was initially given stuff that was prescribed but we now used gummies purchased online. I have a gp friend who asked me to recommend the website I use as he can’t prescribe it but can sign post to a website.

She’s getting 9 hours of sleep, or have I read that wrong?

It’s on the lower side but not extremely low for her age. Some people just need less sleep. If she also regularly has some downtime in the afternoons - eg isn’t in 3 different clubs every day - she might just not be that tired at 7pm. Sleeping 7pm-7am past toddlerhood is not very common in other countries. As long as she’s able to rest a bit physically during the day, it’s not outside of the realms of normality that she may only sleep 10pm-7am. It was the norm where I grew up, and as a nation we weren’t all sleep-deprived.

I don't think this sleeping pattern us very much off the mark - I have 2 dc, 8 yr old will go to sleep between 9 and 10, up by 7 at the latest. Usually more like 6.30.

7 yr old needs a bit more, but will end to catch up at weekends

I don’t know what the risks are.

Yeah, 8.5 - 9 hours. It just seems most of her friends are apparently asleep by 7:30.

She's constantly on the go so doesn't seem tired. Though when I've been to school performances she's the child yawning away.

She's very well behaved at school and compliant (I think there's aspects of masking at school), but she does struggle academically. School are supporting her as if dyslexic but I do wonder whether it might be ADHD instead.

Good call. I went to some training which mentioned melatonin and a lot of the online meds sold as melatonin had other meds in it - I think 15% were seratonin but I may have remembered that wrong.
I'd be happy to give my kids prescription melatonin if needed, but not bought online. Where I live you get signposted to a behavioural intervention in the first place, which does seem to work well.

Perhaps I'm worrying unnecessarily, it just seems she can't wind down.

I think I wonder if she'd find school a bit easier with a bit more sleep but perhaps it wouldn't make a difference.

My daughter was prescribed it when she was nearly 6 (its OTC in my country though so we didn't bother with the prescription version and instead got a cheaper melt in the mouth version). She has always had difficulty falling asleep, from when she was a baby, but at that point bedtime would take hours every night and she wouldn't fall asleep until around midnight and would wake up frequently.

Melatonin was an absolute game changer. She was able to fall asleep, although she still woke up once but would fall back asleep in my room after that. She wasn't on it long term, we stopped it after about a year and she continued to sleep fairly reasonable hours, just needing it occasionally (for instance if her routine got out of whack with holidays). She's 13 now and I don't think she's had it in over a year. The occasional need got much less frequent after she got her tonsils and adenoids out at 10 years old.

Its not for everyone though. Gives me absolutely horrendous nightmares, which is a pretty common side effect I think. So something to be aware of and on the watch out for.

Oh right, you fell into the ‘believing other people’ trap. She sounds like she is doing great.
Even if other parents are telling the truth (which they are not) every child is different. Stay in your own lane.

I met a neighbour once he told me their baby was sleeping 25 hours a day, and I wanted to punch him in the face because I had not slept in months. I still dislike him but it was a good lesson for me. Ignore everyone else.

Good luck.

@SpinningTops if you got to the Gp they can refer you to the sleep clinic. We got melatonin for DD(7) before her ASD assessment. If you tell them she is awaiting assessment the sleep clinic will prescribe it.

It has been a huge game changer for us, having more sleep has meant a much happier child who is able to cope a lot better and had massively reduced her stress / anxiety and meltdowns.

Previously she was sleeping 10/11pm - 5am she now sleeps most nights 8-6.

You can buy it from genuine online pharmacy’s.
https://www.pharmacy2u.co.uk/medicines/circadin-melatonin-2mg-tablets
My friend bought it whilst waiting for a prescription for her little autistic boy. It’s a natural hormone rather than a sleeping tablet. My daughter gets it prescribed as her ADHD meds keep her “wired” so this calms her back down. It might be worth speaking to your GP first though.
Another thing to try is asdas own brand menthol baby bath….. it sold out years ago when parents realised it really helps little ones (and me might I add lol) sleep well. Hope she settles soon for you.

What helps her wind down before bed? My teenage DD is the same (ASD diagnosed at 11). Audiobooks work for her. On a timer so it goes off after an hour, but it helps her wind down and relax.
Sounds like she needs help with the relaxing and winding down more than melatonin

Could you tell me what the high doses are please? DD27 has a prescription for 3mg and it's pretty useless tbh.

She has a yoto player so has audiobooks which turn to sleep radio at 8:30. She also has a cat who she cuddles to sleep. It feels it should be a perfect sleep set up. She'll also read comic books.