Melatonin from US for child?

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Are there any downsides?

DD may have ADHD. She's 7, she's on a waiting list for an assessment. She finds school difficult.

She finds it difficult to get to sleep. It takes her hours to drift off. Once asleep she stays asleep until morning.

We won't be able to get melatonin without a diagnosis. But it seems very easy to get from the USA.

I'd get a low dose (1mg) from a reputable website (pipingrock).

Would this be dreadful parenting? To get prescription drugs from abroad? I'm torn on what the right thing to do is.

You will have to disclose this to her paediatrician when you receive her diagnosis and make a formal request for medication to help her sleep.

I would strongly advise you to not give your child this.

Have you gone to the uk gp to ask about it? I woukd try and do it properly first.

Melatonin is prescribed for children in the UK I don't know what strength. You could check the pharmacy book I think it's called BNP. I had some kids on my NHS sleep course about 5 years ago. I use 20mg melatonin myself when I can't get Phenergan. Piping rock are great.

I know someone who does but she got the ok from a uk gp first. She now gets it from USA though as they do gummies which she prefers to the liquid.

I would also add, our son received melatonin without a diagnosis for a very short period of time, ( it didn't work ) so you absolutely can go through the right channels now.

I don’t know why my reply was automatically hidden? I was just saying how go to uk gp first!

We used to buy melatonin in the Co-op in Italy years ago. You can buy it in Lidl in Spain.

I think I've seen 2mg is a dose used for children so this would be half that.

Other countries sell it over the counter,but it has to
be prescribed in the UK I think it has to be by a paediatrician ,but you can then get a repeat prescription from the Gp .

I don't think the GP would prescribe but I can ask.

Her sleep isn't completely horrendous. Just up until 11pm or so but then sleeps well. I just feel perhaps she'd cope better at school with more sleep.

Yes, that's what I thought. GP won't prescribe initially.

Lots of parents with child with ADHD or Autism do, because it is so hard to get the consultants appointment in the first place to get a prescription.
When we finally saw a consultant there was absolutely no judgement that we had bought melatonin from the USA, they were very understanding that lots of people had been pushed into this situation and took over the prescribing of it for us.

If you decide to try it, I'd start with the lowest dose possible ( maybe halves your tablets) and not use it every night. Could you do a "reset" night every Sunday evening when you do warm bath, calm story and melatonin and go to bed early.

I take it regularly but over the years have had to take increased doses to have the same effect!

GP’s cannot prescribe Melatonin it needs to be done by a Paediatrician or via one, for which a diagnosis is required. My DD is prescribed it and even though she’s diagnosed, the GP had to liaise with her Paediatrician

I think its fine but if you can afford it I would just pay for a private paediatrician to write a prescription.

We have just started giving this to DD10 who has suspected ADHD.

she wasn’t going off to sleep until 2am most nights. That isn’t any good for anyone. We tried all the sleep hygiene techniques first.

I ordered from piping rock 1mg gummies and made sure they were FDA approved.

its like any other vitamin in other countries. I know we’re probably risking a SS investigation but I’d like to think they would understand why we have resorted to it. I’ve done sleep courses and all sorts, DD says her brain goes too crazy at night.

Apparently GPs can now prescribe it? I read it’s a new change. Can’t remember where I read it though!

Officially yes you should wait for diagnosis. Unofficially, I bought it for DD for a while. I’m AuDHD, she’s a lot like me, but paeds won’t assess because she functions ‘too well’. She wasn’t sleeping til 11 either. She was exhausted. I couldn’t get her in the morning. I had no time to myself in the evening because she was up and down (whatever reward chart/discipline). This was the one thing that helped. She didn’t have it for long. Now she has magnesium gummies which work well. She’s 11 now. She sets an alarm for her gummies herself. She goes to bed by 9.30 and gets herself up for school (I’m around but she doesn’t need nagging). At 6, I’d never have imagined she could do this. I used Piping rock BTW.

My son has ASD and is prescribed 2mg melatonin via the Paediatrician. My daughter (8) had horrific sleep but no diagnosis and GP recommended 'warm milk' (didn't help). My FIL visits US regularly and brings the 1mg gummies back with him and she has one a night. Has made a massive difference.

I did this. The system was so slow. We used the gummies occasionally and they really worked x

Do exactly what you’re proposing for exactly the same reasons OP. We halve a gummy and give it to DS so about 0.5g a few nights a week. He gets off to sleep quickly and wakes up rested, we get a bit of a breather. Piping Rock is quick and relatively inexpensive. Check out Emily Oster’s research on it. Meet DD where she’s at. Don’t apply anyone else standards but your own.

I’d try to get a doctor or nurse to discuss frequency even if they won’t prescribe. One of my DS (now 4) has been on it from age 2, and a teenage niece from 5 or 6. Dosage and frequency and what time to give it have been adjusted by age, weight, sleep problems or improvements. We’re in Canada so it’s easy and cheap to get, but the guidance has made a difference. It’s like a miracle so I’m sure I would have overused.

There were also lot of things we had to do while doing the melatonin that now have us using it much less.

Morning outdoor time without sunscreen
Evening active play before bed
10 min minimum outdoors at or after sunset and then bed and bath right after
A few diet things they had us try which didn’t work for us.
Just added a very light weighted blanket
Only one story and one song and then sleep music before bed

There were lots of others I don’t remember. And thankfully they didn’t have us test all at once.

My 8 year old is very similar. I'm trying magnesium gummies while I figure out what to do, and they seem to be helping.

Does anyone know the criteria for kids getting it in the uk? Is it trouble getting to sleep, only certain hours or what?

What was his sleep like before?