Melatonin from GP?

[changeforthebetter]

DD on (a very long waiting list) for more in-depth AS screening. In the meantime she tosses and turns every night and can't get to sleep till 1030-1130. She is trying very hard. We've done all the good sleep hygiene things (routines, wind-down etc.) but nothing helps. When she finally falls asleep she can sleep ok but is obvious exhausted the next day at school. Pale, dark circles under her eyes, irritable. Reading around AS I know some kids are prescribed melatonin but the people I know who get this px get it via a specialised facility for diagnosed SN. We are a long way from that and I have an exhausted, unhappy child (sibling sleeps fine)

Anyone have any thoughts. She had a full range of medical tests to rule out physical causes a couple of months ago.

My GP said he couldn't, but the psych (camhs) prescribed it for us (eventually). I think a GP can only prescribe if a psych or a pead oversees the prescription.
You don't necessarily need a dx, although that may depend on area I suppose - it can be prescribed according to need, but again I don't know how typical that is.

Is it affecting her ability to get up for school etc? Has her teacher mentioned her being too tired to concentrate?

She is struggling with maths a lot, despite working hard. Lots of exercise doesn't seem to help. She has been seen by CAMHS but unfortunately the psychiatrist has referred her on now so we can't get back to him. I have an email address because they asked me to email some information a while back. I'll try that approach. Seems like the GP route alone isn't going to help

She even says to me that she wants to sleep. And hates being awake. She used to sleep ok when younger.

You can order it on ebay from the US. Its fine as over there you can buy it in health shops over the counter, just like you used to be able to do here.

I got mine from biovea website.
Cost about £8 I think.
Worked winders for ds1 Nd we inky needed to use it for about 3 months.
For him it was that he had got into a habit/worry of nit being able to get to sleep.
The melatonin worked really well to help him drop off.

My son had it and it helped him generate a sleep pattern. Our consultant said as it was not licenced in the UK so our GP would not prescribe it without her generating the 1st prescription

YY to what amum said - our paed wrote to our GP to ask them to prescribe it, and now it is on a repeat prescription at 6 monthly review.

You won't get it here via a GP because it's off licence. The licence in the UK only covers over 55s with insomnia. The Consultant who prescribes it does so by taking personal responsibility for any ill effects. GPs will often prescribe it once a Consultant Paed asks them to do so, because they have had the initial request from someone experienced in that area.

Be careful of buying online. Many melatonin preparations are bovine melatonin, rather than the synthetic melatonin that we get here.

Thanks for the replies everyone

DSs prescriptions were initiated by CAMHS and now given by GP. For DS2 he saw the sleep doctor before his ASD was confirmed and was prescribed melatonin. Both have recently had their prescriptions altered to 'Circadin' from melatonin as apparently it is now licensed.