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Behaviour/development

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3 year old wakes up all night. Melatonin not working anymore

2 replies

Emz2019 · 30/07/2020 08:08

My 3 year old has been on and off poorly through his life with needing major operations on his heart multiple times, and other surgeries. I noticed he was a bit different from my other children before his second birthday. He stopped smiling and making eye contact and didn’t respond to his name. A hearing test was done and my child could barely hear. So he was quite a few issues going on already but then the behaviour on top which we are now waiting for an autism assessment, so he goes to bed about 8 pm but it can vary between 6:30/8:30 depending on what we have been doing as he gets tired easily. He wakes up about 11pm and is up till gone 5am. He wakes up my other children, he wakes up my partner who has to be up for work early, I seen a doctor in the hospital who is the one sending him for the autism assessment along with the lady from speech therapy, and this doctor put him on melatonin, he has been on melatonin previously after his last heart surgery as he wasn’t sleeping well in the hospital and waking up all the other children on the ward, so the melatonin helps him get to sleep at bed time, but then after 3/4hours Of sleep he’s wide awake, with him not being able to hear very well he sits and babbles so loudly Like shouting, and is waking every one up. The doctor said I could give him another dose of melatonin if he woke up and I have been but it has no effect on him at all. I have to often take him into the car on the drive way and sit in the car with him so that everyone else can sleep in the house. He doesn’t talk or understand so I can’t tell him it’s the middle of the night and we must be quietly. I don’t know what I can do. Has anyone been through this? I am so tired! I don’t know why he doesn’t need hardly any sleep

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CP2701 · 30/07/2020 11:27

I had the opposite problem with my daughter who has ADHD. Her problem was getting to sleep, not staying asleep. Melatonin was perfect for her, as it helps get you to sleep, that is all.

The paediatrician once changed her medication to something called cercadin. I hope that's the correct spelling! It didn't work with her at all as supposedly, it helps with staying asleep as opposed to going to sleep. She had no issues staying asleep once she was out so this made her sleep worse.

Perhaps you could enquire about it though as it sounds like it could work for your little one?

Emz2019 · 30/07/2020 11:37

Thank you, I’m Waiting for the doctor to ring to see if we can try some different medication

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