I have already asked this question in another post but i have only had a couple of replies and the time is nearly up before we take John back to the hospital for his next check up and we still haven't come to a decision so i thought i would put it in this section to see if i get any more response

I was wondering if any other mothers have put there children on Melatonin to help them sleep if so what have the results been like????????

I have just been asked if we wanted to include John in a clinical trial which is just about to start as its not available on prescription over here as yet.

My understanding is that it is widley used over in the U.S.A. and we are getting quite exhausted not getting enough sleep, it would be beneficial for the whole family if we could try and regulate Johns sleep not only for him but us as well.

obviously i would like all the info and feed back first before i would consider it

thanks

I don't know if this helps but I have worked at a vitamin store for three years and I sell a ton of Melatonin. I have never had anyone that gets it for thier kid.

Also have you ever taken it? Whenever I have taken it I have terrible nightmares.

I've giving it to my 12 yo old daughter to help her fall asleep. She didn't have any side effects the next day from it. I gave her half the dose which is also what I take. I found this

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/75/89832.htm?z=1728_00000_1000_ln_01

I have heard of kids taking it, with success!! I also have seen mom's complain of there children having strange dreams, not always nightmares. If my daughter was not taking clonidine, and we were still having sleep issues I would try it.

I
Also have you ever taken it?

No, I haven't taken it, I don't take anything to help me sleep, I'd worry incase i went into a deep sleep and woudn't hear the kids when they woke.

My daughter is on Adderall XR 20mg in the morning she has a horrible time going to be so the DR prescribed her Clonidine 0.1mg 30 min before bed. I tell you it works :D . She hasn't had a sleepless night since starting these meds. HTH
Robin

My daughter used to take melatonin after supper to help her fall asleep earlier. It worked like a charm with no side affects. It is a natural hormone that helps regulate your sleep and is perfectly safe. I would, of course, discuss your concerns with your son's doctor. My daughter's ped assured us that it was safe and affective and also confirmed it with a child neurologist that she knows.

The great thing about Melatonin is that if you use it consistantly every night at the same time, your sleep pattern changes and after a few months you don't need to take it anymore. There have been times where I started giving it to her again because of a schedule or medication change, but she's never had to take it for more than a few months at a time.

Just be sure that you get a good quality synthetic product. The all-natural form sometimes can be contaminated or impure (unfortunately, herbal and natural remedies are not regulated by the FDA).

I don't know about kids taking it but I have been taking it since 1997 or so... I love it and have my bottle waiting for me before bed. I take 1 1/2 each night (3 mg pills) and I sleep really well on it. The dreams usually only come on hard the first week. Mine have always been pleasant, but I am sure that if you deal with a lot of bad dreams, it might step that up temp... And that goes the other way as well. ;)

It doesn't make me that tired any longer, but when my girlfriend takes it, it knocks her out. I just sleep much harder and wake up fresh.

David

Thanks, for the replies

another question - how would i find out if it was a good quality synthetic product?

I will not be getting this from a health store, its going to be on perscription form Johns Dr. So with this in mind doesnt it have to be a good one :confused:

I would just flat out ask if it is good quality, I would think they would use a good one. But you never know.

Thanks, for the replies

another question - how would i find out if it was a good quality synthetic product?

I will not be getting this from a health store, its going to be on perscription form Johns Dr. So with this in mind doesnt it have to be a good one :confused:
Well, I just made sure I was buying it at a well known pharmacy and I only baught a brand name that I knew had a good reputation. But if you're doctor is giving you a prescription (never heard of a prescription for an herbal suppliment), than I'm sure it's a good quality product. Although it doesn't hurt to ask if it's synthetic.

my son who is adhd and now on strattera instead of ritalin has been on melatonin for just over 12 months he has had to have it increased by the doctor once you give it 1 hour before bedtime and 6 nights out of 7 it works like magic you can also get nightime milk that contains melatonin from a lot of supermarkets in england so if you can get some of that it may help because melatonin is a hormone and it is naturally in milk but higher in the cows at certain times of the day or night good luck

It would be extrememly unusual for a child to be low on melatonin. Their hormones are very high at this age. Be sure he is getting out to get sun at daybreak (open his windows at night) Try a hot bath 2 hours before bedtime, the body temp falling down induces sleep. Maybe valerian or chammomile tea, and a sleep pillow would help also. At his age, good sleep habits are everything. and no TV before bed.

Below is a link to the abstract of this study on the use of Melatonin for sleep - you can access the full document for free, but it was hotlinked, so I couldn't post a URL that worked. If you click on the "full document" button and follow the links, you will be able to read the entire study if you want!

http://www.mdlinx.com/NeurologyLinx/thearts.cfm?artid=1149272&specid=11&ok=yes

Effects of exogenous melatonin on sleep: a meta-analysis

Brzezinski A, Vangel MG, Wurtman RJ, Norrie G, Zhdanova I, Ben-Shushan A, Ford I.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.

Exogenous melatonin reportedly induces drowsiness and sleep, and may ameliorate sleep disturbances, including the nocturnal awakenings associated with old age. However, existing studies on the soporific efficacy of melatonin have been highly heterogeneous in regard to inclusion and exclusion criteria, measures to evaluate insomnia, doses of the medication, and routes of administration. We reviewed and analyzed (by meta-analysis) available information on effects of exogenous melatonin on sleep. A MEDLINE search (1980 to December 2003) provided English-language articles, supplemented by personal files maintained by the authors. The analysis used information derived from 17 different studies (involving 284 subjects) that satisfied inclusion criteria. Sleep onset latency, total sleep duration, and sleep efficiency were selected as the outcome measures. The study effect size was taken to be the difference between the response on placebo and the mean response on melatonin for each outcome measured. Melatonin treatment significantly reduced sleep onset latency by 4.0 min (95% CI 2.5, 5.4); increased sleep efficiency by 2.2% (95% CI 0.2, 4.2), and increased total sleep duration by 12.8 min (95% CI 2.9, 22.8). Since 15 of the 17 studies enrolled healthy subjects or people with no relevant medical condition other than insomnia, the analysis was also done including only these 15 studies. The sleep onset results were changed to 3.9 min (95% CI (2.5, 5.4)); sleep efficiency increased to 3.1% (95% CI (0.7, 5.5)); sleep duration increased to 13.7 min (95% CI (3.1, 24.3)).

Brendan was on melatonin for a while and it worked well especially when used with a regular nightime routine.

My daughter is on clonidine 0.2 mg and 3 mg of melatonin and she falls asleep well but she still is getting up faithfully with in 2-3 hours of sleep wired for sound.HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!