Melatonin for sleep problems with anxiety DD15 - any experience?

[StaplesCorner]

DD has developed severe anxiety and depression she has been accepted on the waiting list for CAMHS but in the meantime she is having to sleep with me and not managing to get to sleep till about 12-1am, then normally wakes with nausea and panic around 5am - she has to be up at 7.30 for school. I am at my wits end I've had so little sleep - I have left a message for GP asking if we could talk about a prescription but what - melatonin maybe, and does it work - or, as I have read, does it make anxiety worse?

(Have also posted in Teens)

Just in case you are interested I have had a lot of responses to this on the Teens board will try to link:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/teenagers/3272011-Melatonin-for-sleep-problems-with-anxiety-DD15-any-experience

Hi

DD15 who has ADHD finds melatonin very helpful - been using it for a year

Recnetly, with added anxiety, we've added - on the recommendatin of our pharmacist - Phenergan (an antihistamine) - recommended dose of 2-5 tablets for 10 years and up. She's taking 3 and says they really help. Its an over the counter one and doesn't conflict with her other meds.

Our DS (14) has Epilepsy, ASD and other sensory issues and he's been on 6mg melatonin (as well as Epilepsy meds) for 2 years now. It works really well but we can only get it from the hospital consultant- our GP won't prescribe it. I'm not sure if it's because the hospital prescribed it first? It takes about 20 mins to work unless he's on any kind of screen i.e. Phone, as screens emit blue light which interferes with the mechanism of sleep/melatonin production (or ingested melatonin).

We remove all screens about half to an hour before bed, and he has the melatonin, falls to sleep pretty quickly after.

He gets better quality sleep now, but the nature of his Epilepsy means that his sleep can be disrupted (he has night seizures) but this has helped massively.

He was under CAMHS for a small while as he's very anxious and low confidence (with self harm threatened) but no longer under their care once Epilepsy diagnosed. Other things diagnosed later (still waiting for auditory processing disorder testing - most results in and pointing to a formal diagnosis).