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Children's health

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Original poster

anyone had experience of giving LO MELATONIN?

13 replies

mad4myboys · 04/12/2009 11:31

Been prescribed some for ds1 whos 3.6 for 2 weeks....am i likely to have a problem getting him to sleep without if afterwards? Are there likely to be any side effects? The leaflet inside says nothing..

OP posts:
fairydust · 04/12/2009 11:39

dd was on it as roughly the same age as your ds as her sleeping became a nightmare and she only slept for 2hrs in a 24hr period.

dd was on it for about 3 months i then started giving her 3/4 of a dose then half and then nothing and it seemed to work well for her i spilt the tablet into o.j

coppertop · 04/12/2009 11:50

My ds has been taking this (on and off) for the past couple of years or so.

"am i likely to have a problem getting him to sleep without if afterwards?"

Often it can just be a case of using the melatonin to get a child into a better sleeping pattern. Once the new pattern is established you may well find that you don't need the melatonin anymore. It depends on why it was prescribed.

"Are there likely to be any side effects?"

Generally I would say no. One thing I have found though is that when ds uses one particular brand of slow-release melatonin he has nightmares frequently. With the generic one we get now, there are no side effects that I've noticed.

Original poster
mad4myboys · 04/12/2009 12:58

thanks. its called kidnaps....

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Original poster
mad4myboys · 04/12/2009 19:01

bump.

OP posts:
lou031205 · 04/12/2009 21:00

dd has kidnaps. She has been on 2mls since January & it is a Godsend. It is a synthetic version of our natural hormone, so not a 'drug' as such.

No likelihood of side effects or dependency AFAIK.

DD has 2mls & within 5 mins begs for bed. Without it, she is up for hours.

mummytopebs · 04/12/2009 21:08

Can i just ask why your dc are on this drug? My dd has always had night terrors but at the moment she has had one every night for the last 4 weeks, I am seeing her psychologist on Wednseday and was just wondering if melatonin might stop the nightmares

Original poster
mad4myboys · 05/12/2009 08:16

you may see another thread i have posted about his health? There has been alot going on since his birth.

He was prescribed this to try to get 2 weeks of 'rested' sleep to see if it changes his behaviour in the day as he is so tired all the time. HE has sleep apnea and also ENT investigations going on as poss adenoids etc.

To anyone else, i had an awful night! He woke up about 1.30 and was kicking and screaming shouting he wanted to watch tele. He woke everyone up, ds2 crying etc etc. Anway i ended up having to bring him down. He stayed awake for 1.5 hours!!!!!!!!!!!

he was really angry. Any ideas???

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lou031205 · 05/12/2009 10:27

mad4, what time does he go to bed? Ime, melatonin is a synthetic boost of the already present natural hormone. If DD is overtired, it is much less effective than if not. She goes to bed at 6.30.

DontEatMountains · 05/12/2009 10:42

Ds has his meletonin with his tea around 6pm and then goes to bed at 7pm for sleep at 8pm. He was prescribed 4mg per night but by giving it early we are only using 2mg. It is the point at which the child's body is getting ready for sleep that is supposed to be important. For us it needs an early does to get him to bed. at a reasonable time. However if he is really tired then he goes to bed around 6pm for sleep at 7pm.

We were prescribed melatonin to treat a sleep issue. ie 2hr bursts of sleep with total of 4-6hours per night. No naps in the day unless unwell. This had been going on for over 4 1/2 years before we were prescribed the melatonin.

When he is poorly we find the melatonin affects his asthma and he gets claggy chested. So he doesnt take it until he gets better. The effects of the melatonin wear off and we find when he is not taking it failing to sleep is a problem and sleep quality is effected. However the ability of settling him into bed has been improved so that even without the melatoni bedtime routine is much improved. However we do not tell ds he is not getting his melatonin and keep giving him a drink at the time and setup that would normally when taking the meds.

Original poster
mad4myboys · 05/12/2009 10:49

i really dont know what to do now. The hosp said it takes about 45 mins to work. Yesterday had been at preschool all day and will go up at 7pm, story then asleep for 7.15pmish....

Last night gave at 6.15pm and then he was nearly falling asleep on sofa but fighting the sleep, took him up at about 6.50pm and he was almost asleep, put him in bed and made up a v short story as moaning about the book i chose and then was asleep before i turned the light out....he woke at about 1amish but ds2 had woken him up. Dh doesnt want to give it to him again as it says it does wear off quickly (about the time he woke up) but i think that he was like he was BECAUSE he was woken up if that makes sense?

He was then asleep at about 3am abd then was awake at 7.30am usually wakes just before 6am. Hes not himself this morning (mind you neither am i!) he has quite bad asthma so im now concerned about that!!

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DontEatMountains · 05/12/2009 11:35

The asthma wise is only if they get a cold. It is because they sleep deeper. It does wear off quicky but that is because the dose given is to aid sleep falling rather then slow release which means drip effect over the night. If he wasnt woken up by ds2 i suspect he would have slept most of the night. He will not be quiet himself for a few days due to catching up on sleep deprivation and the fact that it initially makes them a bit groggy in the day.

We have had major improvements in ds' behaviour since starting with the melatonin. prior to melatonin we had around 16 specialists for various things including ASD. It is beginning to become appart that his behavioural issues were down to the lack of sleep and he is a much nicer child when he has it. If you are concerned about the asthma dont give it to him if he is a bit wheezy at bedtime. It was only the fact that ds suffers badly from chest infections and is very prone to them. SO when he has a cold he comes off the melatonin and goes back when clear.

I would personally give it to him a bit longer unless his asthma is bad and if you are concerned about the asthma ring the hospital with a direct question about the impact on the asthma on monday. It will help / improve things if you give it to him. Try a week and then reassess. Takes at least a week to rebalance the situation.

I understand your concerns. Ds is much calmer and initially it felt like I had a different child rather then mine to start off with. I have come to realise he is the same just more rested and calmer.

Original poster
mad4myboys · 06/12/2009 07:44

thanks for the reply. Gave it to him last night and he was asleep about 7.45pm then woke at about 9.45pm needing a wee, he slept but then woke at normal time of 5.45am. He is very aggressive this morning. A very horrible child. i know thats awful to say but he is at the moment. Its definetly worse as time goes on. Start to worry about ADHD and the like but i know there is a sleep problem. He was coughing almost non stop through the night but he isnt 'ill'. Also yesterday he didnt eat a thing until teatime, does this suppress their hunger?

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Original poster
mad4myboys · 06/12/2009 07:46

on that note, he has just polished off 2 bowls of cereal so cant be a hunger thing...

One thing i have noticed is that he is particularly aggressive/angry until he eats or drinks. i know that must be a blood sugar level thing, all kids are like that arent they?

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