Aibu to want melatonin prescription for child?

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Nearly 10. Over 3 months not being able to sleep. We’ve sorted the night wakes but she can’t drop off til 11 or later. We’ve tried everything, had professional help etc, nothing working. We are all at our wits end. She was a perfectly normal 11 hour sleeper before that, no issues at all.

Has anyone with a child with no additional needs managed to secure a melatonin prescription for their child? I know children with autism who have prescriptions but no one without any additional needs. Just wondering if she needs a reset. It’s the only thing we haven’t tried.

Melatonin is not licensed for use in children in the UK, at all. It is only licensed for use in adults over the age of 55.

Medicines are used off- licence, but that needs careful consideration of the risk/ benefit, hence why specialist advice needed I think.

The BNF ( British National Formulary) online lists potential side effects if you are interested in knowing about them.

I would use proper blackout blinds not an eye mask. They’re not comfortable IMO.

Make sure she gets plenty of exercise and I mean plenty. They need about two hours a day which is incredibly difficult to achieve on a school day but try as much walking as you can.

Have you got any audio books she can listen to in her darkened room at bedtime? Nothing too exciting though

I would also suggest telling her it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t sleep, she can just lay there and rest. This might take her mind off not sleeping which in itself wil make it harder to sleep!

My 9 year old sleeps pretty well but that’s because he’s constantly on the go - regularly clocks up 20,000 steps a day. My 7 year old doesn’t - she doesn’t do anywhere near as much physical activity which I’m sure is the problem.

No Kitkat1985 it’s you that’s confused. There are two things at play here - marketing license, which enables a drug firm to sell its product via prescription and an import license. And it is perfectly legal to import melatonin for personal use, and you don’t need a prescription because the varieties sold are not prescription lines.

My son was prescribed Circadin (branded melatonin) for a while. We could have got it ongoing but our experience was this......first week, slept like a baby - seemed like a magic bullet! 2nd week - initial impact wearing off and back to struggling. 3rd week - back to square one, confidence in bits.
He then wanted to stop taking them, so he did. Declared he was then sleeping better than ever. Our experience wasn't good. I'd avoid it.
Instead we use Dr Guy Meadows "Good Sleep guide" for techniques and also a vitamin blend off amazon Called "Neuro Night complex" black pot.

Kitkat1985

Heres the govt link which explains it better.

www.gov.uk/guidance/import-a-human-medicine

I would also suggest telling her it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t sleep, she can just lay there and rest. This might take her mind off not sleeping which in itself wil make it harder to sleep
This is SPOT ON advise and actually the whole premis of the Guy Meadows book. The more you try and pursue sleep, the more it will evade you. It sounds counter intuitive but it's true. The solution is for your DD to accept her sleeplessness phase and accept that whilst bed rest isn't amazing ...it's pretty good and will give her the energy she needs to get through her day. There is so much in the media and press about the imortance of a great nights rest that this just ups the anxiety levels and fears which prevent sleep. So you have to ignore those media messages. Btw ....11 hours a night sounds v unrealistic.

There's a thing in the Guy Meadows book that has always struck a chord with us. It's called the "Olympic Podium of Sleep". Your DD has to imagine a medals stand.
Gold medal - goes to the person that stays in bed and has a good nights sleep. It's the top medal obviously.
Silver medal - goes to the person that stays in bed. They accept that they might not be able to sleep, but remain in a state of calm wakefulness accepting the various thoughts and feelings that come and go. They accept that body rest alone is good and will give them strength to accept the next day with renewed energy.
Bronze medal - stays in bed, but is frustrated and mentally battling sleeplessness.
No medals - pacing around, doing stuff, not in bed.
So - aim for Silver .............that's a good one. Gold cannot be controlled. But Silver is attainable for anyone.
Project unwelcome thoughts onto a virtual pin board. Lie back and imagine the thoughts pinned up onto the board.
It's a good visualtion for a troubled mind.

Hi all
Ok - I’ve bought those herbal melt things thanks Jeanie - I’m all for placebo effect, thank you. I think mind over matter will help her.
Re eye mask she’s worn for years and loves it but I’ll try blinds too as it’s very light currently. I’ll also remove her big night light, it’s a dim orangey light but possibly not helping.
Re reassuring, we’ve done this. Always say rest is as good as sleep. She’s calmer now but this week has been very bad. It’s annoying too as it sets us on edge - being woken is killing me and I find it hard to sleep if I know she isn’t. So trying to be calm is hard as naturally we are utterly stressed. I’ve kept it in pretty well for weeks but lost it last night after 2 nights where I slept badly (as she wasn’t asleep when I went to bed) and then she deliberately woke us up when I’d just got to sleep. I couldn’t help it. I am just so tired.

I’m so pleased you’re not about to order online!
I’d go right back to bedtime routine. Tiring activity, all screens off, lavender bath, some reading, if she can’t get to sleep maybe an audiobook or relaxing music.

DD3 was prescribed Melatonin by our GP (in Ireland) as she has Autism and her sleep patterns are a nightmare for the whole family.
It took 3 of us to hold her down and give her the liquid, so after some research we purchased Melatonin tablets from Wallgreens chemist in America, where you can actually just walk in and buy Melatonin off the shelf. Have told our GP who has no problem with it, 240 x 3mg tablets for less than a months supply of the liquid.
It's used a lot in America for travel, people take it before flying to relax them.
DH has used it on occasion, said it doesn't put you to sleep but helps you feel more relaxed so you can fall asleep.

Raving, thanks so much butvweve beeb doing all that for 3 months and although the night wakes have stopped the sleep still won’t come til late.

And I’m not asking for 11 hours, it’s just what she was doing before. She’s clearly tired and yet can’t sleep.

I love the podium idea, I’ll talk her through that. Silver would be great.

She hates noise, and we don’t stay silent but arecquiet. Are ear plugs a bad idea? Am I creating a rod for my own back? I don’t want her to only sleep in silence but to try and get through this blip?

I found doing some of these relaxation exercises helped my teens when they were having trouble sleeping too.

www.audible.co.uk/pd/Rays-of-Calm-Audiobook/B004F49XTG?qid=1563530639&sr=1-1&pf_rd_p=c6e316b8-14da-418d-8f91-b3cad83c5183&pf_rd_r=DV2NB7SXV0D3E73G9JJK&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1

There are quite a few free options and she could try something like headspace.

Audiobooks can help. I agree with the daylight and exercise and blinds. It may take a combination of factors. An Epsom salts bath can be very relaxing due to the magnesium.

Maybe try figuring out was it causing it

Instead of trying to fight the symptoms

Surely something must have changed in her life that caused this behaviourly change? Something bad happened to her. School being a bitch? Kids bullying her?etc
Violent nightmares (heck i was so scared of going to bed when i was young. I had terrifying nightmares a few times a week)

Yeahnah- it was a gradual fear of scary stuff, age aporopriate films and books which just scared her. We’ve taken away all scary stuff and she says it’s no longer fear of scary stuff. She’s just frightened of not sleeping.

I haven't read all the posts so I apologise if this has been suggested already, have you considered, researched, tried to contact a child psychologist/counsellor? I would recommend that before a 'short, sharp, shock' of medicine. Good Luck though, it sounds like a very tough situation.

Yeah done the Ed psych thing. She hated it. Didn’t really engage. Gutted.

Honestly do not stress about piriton! She could have it every day if she had hayfever or another allergy it isn't harmful. If it helped her then give it for a few nights and let yourselves all have a rest! My dd was only just 1 when my gp told me to use it. Its not going to harm a 10 year old. It might help her get into a good routine.

Bobster - really? You think I should do it just to break the pattern?

DS uses a mask and earplugs. We live in a quiet area, but it's how he is, some ASD traits. On the whole though, I'd be cautious of extensive use of material aids or crutches. These only offer short term benefit and can result in an arduous, complex bedtime ritual which will have everyone banging their heads against the wall. Also not sustainable on school overnighters etc. They put sleep on a pedestal of importance; and that is the exact opposite of what you need to be doing in order to achieve it.....remember it's counter intuitive, don't pursue it.
Also you and your partner have to fake a chilled laissez faire attitude at night ...,maybe sleep will come tonight, maybe it won't - hey ho. Make her goal to simply stay in bed with a calm state of mind. Be very very careful not to project any annoyance or frustration you feel onto her, it won't help.

I was given some in the US by a pharmacist to help me sleep with a very snory DH. They worked incredibly well and I brought a few bottles back. I order them from the US now and take 2 x3mg a night. It means I can sleep in the same bed as DH without his snoring affecting me.

The only side effect I've had with it is it gives me acne on my back, presumably with the hormone.

A bowl of breakfast cereal before bed is also good. Hunger can certainly cause sleeplessness.

.....and avoid asking her first thing "how did you sleep?" ....again it puts it on a pedestal. If she stays in bed for a complete night, doesn't pace about or come find you, remains relatively calm then you should really congratulate that in itself. The sleep you have to understand becomes the by-product not the goal. It's a different way of thinking.

MrsG - I’m struggling with that. Mostly great and then I lose it which totally undermines all our hard work.

I think the podium idea could help us all to focus on the right things.

MrsG - you’re so right. Our whole lives are revolving around this. And I told her that this morning in my lose it moment. I feel dreadful, like months of hard work has berm undone.

Op, if you asked your doc about this I'm certain they would say try piriton, it's not a long term solution but sometimes you just need a reset! Lack of sleep, whatever it's cause isn't good for you, and can have a knock on effect with other things like anxiety. I'd give it for a few nights and then try without, or just half a dose. I bet she feels more relaxed just for having some sleep.