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Original poster

Would you use sedatives?

81 replies

LilianGish · 08/09/2007 13:37

Quite surprised to hear that some parents would use sedatives to help young children sleep. Wondered how common this was - it would never have occurred to me to do so, I didn't even realise they were so freely available. Are they for parents who can't be bothered to establish a sleep pattern and don't want to be disturbed or am I just missing a trick?

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 08/09/2007 22:04

I've had bouts of intense insomnia since I was 13 and have used sedatives from time to time to help me finally fall asleep.

expatinscotland · 08/09/2007 22:05

Sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture, after all.

Bubble99 · 08/09/2007 22:11

I also agree with an earlier poster that (unless a child has liver/kidney problems) it is very difficult to overdose on these meds.

I read a thread a while ago about a mnetter whose child had got hold of and drunk most of a bottle of Calpol. Went to A&E who were (relatively) unconcerned.

With regard to the McCann case. Sorry, but it is relevant to this thread, syringes are given with bottles of Nurofen (not a sedative, I know) to make it easier to give to a child.

tomandrom · 13/12/2007 14:54

I give Medised if my children are very snotty, as it dries up the mucous so they can actually breath at night rather than gasping to open their mouths and waking up miserable. I wouldn't suffer through that without medication that would make it better, so why should my kids? I never give more than the rec. dose.

TBH, it doesn't 'knock out' my kids any more than Calpol does.

MellowChristmasEveryone · 13/12/2007 14:59

I have gave both DC Medised. We have ran out at the moment but as soon as DS is unwell I will get more.

He seems to constantly have runny nose in this weather and sometimes I feel the need to sleep for a whole night.

Thankfully he seems to sleep throughout the night a bit more often but if someone had gave me a prescription for a sleeping aid when he was younger I think I would have gave them to him, he was a terrible sleeper.

orangehead · 13/12/2007 15:02

A friend of mine got measles when she was pregant, her daughter is now 25. She is austic, deaf, blind and has a mind of a 3 year old and she does not sleep at all. They had no choice but to use sedatives when she was younger.
From what I have heard they are only prescribed in extreme circumstances and when other stratergies have failed

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