Melatonin

[ICantThinkOfAUsernameH]

Ds (4 on mon) has been seeing community peads for about 2 years for certain behaviours of his.
Sleep has always been awful, he's been perscribed melatonin and had first dose and gone to sleep almost instantly, how long will it last?
I feel like I've drugged him :(
Diagnosed dyspraxic but she said she thinks he's ASD but won't re assess until his sleep is better in case his behaviour is down to tiredness?

So guilty I feel like I've drugged him :(

Both - refuses sleep but also wakes frequently

Sleep is crucial for development. So he is getting the sleep he needs and you are able to rest knowing that he is asleep. You are doing the right thing by everyone :)

My dd is the same age. Her sleeping is awful!!! We've just started using this as she'd take ages to go to sleep. She does still wake in the night but we're hoping she'll develop a better cycle as she's cranky.

I also use it on my other dd who is six and has asd and ADHD. Her behaviour gets worse when tired. But I figure they need it. It's not a drug so much as a hormone and is widely available in the US and abroad it's only here you need a prescription. Honestly don't feel bad. I felt terrible when giving my baby formula and not breast milk and now two have melatonin and one has ADHD meds.

We used it sparingly to try and 'reset' ds's body clock. Once he was back in routine, I'd stop giving it.

Our ds (10) needs it at bedtime or his behaviour is impossible. We do not use it every night and dose is low (2mg) adhd x

My DS has been on this for years. He has ASD and ADHD and without it he never slept.

You're not drugging him. Melatonin is the hormone that your body naturally produces to give you that sleepy feeling you need in order to go to sleep. In some people - particularly those on the spectrum - they don't produce anywhere near enough, so they don't get to sleep or hardly sleep if they do. All you are doing is replacing that hormone.

You're doing the right thing.

Thank you so much for your replies I feel a lot better about it. I'm "new" to all this, always known DS was different and it's finally been acknowledged. He slept 8pm-2am without waking which is long for him then he was wide awake so think I'll ask for the slow release.

When does the feeling of guilt go away? :(

Melatonin is a naturally occurring chemical in the brain. You're simply 'topping up', like taking multivitamins. Harmless and definitely the least invasive option for children with sleep difficulties
I'm pleased the community paediatrician opted for Melatonin first, some jumps straight to sleepers, such as Promethazine which is actually an antihistamine but works well as a sleeper

Thank you for the replies, it seems to be going ok but still waking frequently after a few hours. Don't want to use the Phenergan (sp?) yet.