Does anyone give their children this for sleep issues? My ds hasn't been a great sleeper for a few years but it's gotten worse over the last six months. He's only sleeping from 10pm to about 5am and is up at least once each night. His worst nights can have him up every hour or so for about 30 minutes. He's exhausted and falling asleep in the middle of the day but I don't dare let him sleep during the day since his nights are so difficult. And, quite frankly, I can hardly keep my eyes open some days when I've been up and down with him all night.

I think I remember Marcia writing about one of her children taking this but I'm not sure if it's safe for me to give him without a doctor's approval or how much help it might be. Does anyone have any experience with it?

By Tarable on Wednesday, January 3, 2007 - 02:41 pm:

Jordan takes it on school nights to relax her mind enough to let her fall asleep. I did ask her dr before giving it but she said it was fine, but that was because she is on other medication for ADHD..

Sometimes I don't think it really does any good but then others it seems to give her exactly what she needs to calm down and fall asleep. But her problem has never been staying asleep. It has always been falling asleep that was a problem. She would go to bed and lay there until 3 or 4 in the morning sometimes because she couldn't get her mind to quit.

Since your son is 8 if I read your profile correctly I might call and ask the nurse at his dr's office if it would be okay to try, especially if he is on any other medication.

Good luck and I hope it works for him if you decide to try it.

By Marcia on Wednesday, January 3, 2007 - 03:20 pm:

Yes, it was me. One of my girls takes it before bed, and more at midnight. She is also on a few other drugs - trazodone, clonidine and chloral hydrate. Most people could have surgery if taking those drugs, but she still wakes up.
Her neurologist, who is an amazing doctor, suggests melatonin before putting kids on any other meds for sleep.
I know of a couple of kids who take it without any other meds, and one who takes it along with her meds for ADHD, and they all sleep very well since starting it.
I would highly recommend it, and I hope you both get some decent sleep soon!!

By Tink on Wednesday, January 3, 2007 - 11:27 pm:

Thanks to both of you. Since he's not on any medications, I'll think we'll try a small dose to see how it helps. Sleep issues go hand in hand with autism for many kids plus I talk in my sleep, dh is a sleepwalker and my brother and Seth both deal with night terrors. It really isn't any wonder he has trouble getting a good night sleep. Until it starts affecting his schooltime, we won't give him meds for this but I've heard such good things about melatonin that I feel comfortable giving it to him. Thanks for your input, ladies!

By Anonymous on Thursday, January 4, 2007 - 12:38 am:

I truely wish I would have never read this because now I feel obligated to respond. I am using anon for professional reasons. ARE YOU CRAZY??? You should never just start any medication without supervision especially if this child has autism. There are side effects to melatonin that should be considered. This truely needs to be discussed before trying. Please keep this posted.

By Tink on Thursday, January 4, 2007 - 12:22 pm:

Since I don't know who this is or how much you may know about my son and his situation, I'm not sure how much credit I can give your reply. My question was for others' experiences with melatonin and what possible side effects there could be with it. If you have some input *on those points*, I'd be more than happy to listen. If all you want to point out is that I must be crazy to contemplate giving it to him, I'm afraid I can't give your rude response any credit whatsoever. If you have professional reasons for using anon, please at least list your credentials to give me some reason to take you seriously.

By Anonymous on Thursday, January 4, 2007 - 03:06 pm:

Tink, I am sooo sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. That was me as an over tired, over stressed person who goofed. This will be my last post on Mom's View so I'll put it out there. I am a physician who lost a child last night (not my own, but I claim them all). When I read that you were considering giving your child Melatonin with only the advice of other people with completely different circumstances, different living environment and no notification of your M.D. I reacted. There are drug interactions with Mel. and there are extreme side effects if the dosage isn't monitored. I wish you well. I am truely sorry.

By Kaye on Thursday, January 4, 2007 - 03:12 pm:

I had no idea we had and MD posting here.

Tink, I do know some about your son. I think if you have researched it and you think it might help that I would certainly try it.

In general I know docs have been well schooled, but nothing matches mommy intuition. I also know that you are smart enought that if you had any doubt you would talk to your md about it.

By Tink on Thursday, January 4, 2007 - 03:50 pm:

Kaye, I didn't know we had a physician on this board, either.

Anon, I'm terribly sorry about your loss last night. One of my best friends is a pediatrician and I know how hard she takes it when one of her patients passes away. My ds's ped isn't into any herbal or alternative medicines and already pushes me to have him on some type of medication as it is. I really don't feel comfortable approaching her with the idea of him taking melatonin. Once we've tried it, I'll let her know so that she'll be aware when prescribing other Rx but she really only sees him for typical childhood issues. The friend of mine that is a pediatrician has given me some good literature about melatonin but I always like to get "real moms'" experience with things that are so far beyond my experience.

Thank you for explaining your position.

By Heaventree on Thursday, January 4, 2007 - 04:41 pm:

Tink, Sorry for high jacking your post.

Anon,

I can't speak for Tink, but I hope you are not leaving because of a disagreement on the board. We are all different and entitled to our own opinions. Sometimes when going Anon we are too liberal with our words. I can see your concern; I just think that perhaps your message was lost in your choice of words.

I personally love the diversity of women on the board from all professions and all walks of life. Just like in real life we will have disagreements. What makes us better friends is staying despite those disagreements and moving on.

Hang your stethoscope at the door; you are a Mom as well I presume.

By Luvn29 on Thursday, January 4, 2007 - 04:48 pm:

I completely agree with Heaventree!

Tink, I have no experience with it, but just wanted to say good luck. I certainly understand sleep issues. My daughter started having night terrors at just several months old! And she is ten and still has mild versions of them.

By Marcia on Thursday, January 4, 2007 - 04:54 pm:

Tink, have you googled it? I did after the first anon post last night, just in case I was missing some info and I was really harming my child instead of helping her. There's lots of great info out there, and lots to do with autism and melatonin.

By Melissa on Thursday, January 4, 2007 - 09:02 pm:

My nephew is autistic. My sister and her DH who is a physician, researched it well and find melatonin helps him a lot. Of course as with any med you should let their Dr. know.

By Kittycat_26 on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 06:58 am:

I'm sorry and maybe this isn't the time or place but I find it crazy that anyone finds it necessary to even respond to an anonymous post such as the one above. I hold very little credibility to someone who obviously does not post often and jumps in like that. Then the excuse that was given. Maybe I'm a doubter but this poster is a little bit smelly to me.

Tink, I think you are perfectly justified and I think it's great that you are at least looking outside the box for a solution. Will it work and is it appropriate, I don't know? However, at least you are willing to do some research on it.

By Tink on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 01:09 pm:

After discussing all of this with my DH and again with my pediatrician friend, we've decided to start him on it. Last night was an up and down all night kind of night and I'm exhausted. DH pointed out that it's gotten progressively worse just in the last month, which coincides with some emotional issues he's having. My hope is that this will change some bad sleep habits and that once he's gotten back into the habit of sleeping through the night, etc. that he can stop taking it.

Thank you for your input, ladies.

By Heaventree on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 01:12 pm:

Good luck Tink, hope all goes well for you and your DS. You mentioned that things have become progressively worse in the last month, could this be due to the holiday season and being off routine and normal everyday schedules?

By Beth on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 09:57 pm:

I actually mentioned this to may sister who has a 5 year old who is autistic. He has sleep issued also. She said she has been unable to find it in the liquid form? Any suggestions?

By Marcia on Friday, January 5, 2007 - 10:36 pm:

I buy the kind that melts in your mouth. She could dissolve them in a syringe with a bit of warm water.

By Tomsmom on Saturday, January 6, 2007 - 02:01 pm:

Hi Tink,

Just another positive note about melatonin. I went through a period where I regularly gave my now almost 7 yo DS 1 mg (chewable variety, you migh try Trader Joe's), and it was extremely helpful with establishing a regular sleeping pattern. I don't give it to him regularly anymore, but I do when he is very wound up, or we are away from home & he has trouble getting to sleep. At the time, though, it was truly a sanity saver for all of us. I read a lot about it before deciding to try it, and the percentage of postitive parent reports far outweighed negative reports.

By the way, I just joined this board & came upon it at first while Googling fine motor delays & kindergarten & then came upon some of your earlier posts. Feel somewhat like a stalker ackowledging as much, but I was struck by some of our similarities - I live outside of Modesto, but it's a second home of sorts because my son gets occupational therapy and private tutoring there (he has dyspraxia). I also have an almost 5 yo daughter named Bella, and we're Italian. As much as I generally like where we live, I do sometimes feel isolated & like I'm cut off from the culture of the bigger cities where I lived pre-kids (Seattle, NYC, SF), which is not to say that I'd trade our life now for that - just that I wish that I still enjoyed the same sense of community that I felt there. On the other hand, thank God for message boards.

Anyway, just wanted to acknowledge our similarities & say "hello." I'd love to compare notes about providers & such in the Modesto area if you're ever up for doing so. We finally found a fabulous speech therapist for Thomas in Turlock, and despite the cost associated with it, it still feels very much like we won the lottery.

Best,
Laura

By Tink on Saturday, January 6, 2007 - 03:20 pm:

Hi, Laura! It's nice to "meet" you. I'm so glad to hear that you've had a positive experience with melatonin. I wondered if TJ's might carry it so I'll head there this afternoon. I talked to Seth about it and he was so happy to hear that he might get a good night's sleep.

I don't know much about dyspraxia except that it's a disorder that makes it so that the body doesn't do what you want it to do. Really, that's all I know. I'm really impressed with the services available for disabilities in this area, considering how remote it is in some ways. Have you tapped into Valley Mountain Regional Center yet? If you'd like to email, drop me a line at t i n k a m a r i n k a t g m a i l d o t c o m without the spaces. Don't worry about feeling stalker-ish. Now if you want to meet in a dark alley, late at night, I'll be concerned!

By Ginny~moderator on Saturday, January 6, 2007 - 03:28 pm:

While I don't have Anon's credentials, and might have phrased it slighly differently, I agree with her main point, and that is that you should NOT give your child any medication that is intended to make the child sleepy without talking with your doctor, especially because your child is autistic. My oldest has Aspergers and was hyperactive (I guess that may be ADHD these days), and even then - back in the early 60's - it was clear that with autistic children many medications worked just the opposite of what they were intended to produce in the general population - especially tranquilizers, ritalin, and others.

And, in general, I think it is a big mistake to give your child any medication, over the counter or otherwise, that your child's doctor has not suggested or approved - including such "safe" drugs as Tylenol.

While I haven't vetted Anon's credentials - that is, I don't know if she really is a doctor or not, and have no way of knowing - you do know that most of the other people posting on the board are (a) laypersons and (b) don't know you or your child. They can relate their own experiences and their child(ren)'s experiences, but that's all. Heck, even my veterinary technician son, whom I consult when someone posts a question about dogs or cats, will always say, first of all - check with your vet, because he hasn't seen the animal and doesn't know its history. Certainly your child deserves as much caution.

By Ginny~moderator on Saturday, January 6, 2007 - 03:48 pm:

I did a google, and found myself at the drugs.com site drugs

Here are some of the things this site says:
"Melatonin has not been evaluated by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, or purity. All potential risks and/ or advantages of melatonin may not be known. Additionally, there are no regulated manufacturing standards in place for these compounds. There have been instances where herbal/ health supplements have been sold which were contaminated with toxic metals or other drugs. Herbal/ health supplements should be purchased from a reliable source to minimize the risk of contamination." ,,,

Here is the University of Maryland Medical Center's website, which seems to have a fairly favorable view of Melatonin. UMaryland, but has cautions on doses for children under 15, noting that more than the most minimum dose can produce seizures, and notes: "Because of the potential for side effects and interactions with medications, dietary supplements should be taken only under the supervision of a knowledgeable healthcare provider."

And, from Consumer Reports: ConsumerReports Sleep Problems

By Tink on Saturday, January 6, 2007 - 04:10 pm:

Thank you for your concern, Ginny. As I've said, my DS's pediatrician isn't someone I feel comfortable going to with this issue. No matter how safe it might be, she would prefer to put him on medication, no matter what. I am trying this under the supervision of *a* pediatrician, just not *our* pediatrician. I've read the warning about herbal supplements that most carry and I have read and am bookmarking the article from Consumer Reports so that my DH can read it. I've tried all the recommended methods to help a child sleep and I really think this goes beyond sleep training and a good bedtime routine. I knew that you'd chime in with a note of caution but this really isn't something I'm jumping into with no research of my own. Thank you again.

By Ginny~moderator on Saturday, January 6, 2007 - 06:06 pm:

If you have consulted a doctor, that's another story. I am curious, however, why you don't trade "your" pediatrician for the "a" pediatrician. I fully understand your concern about "your" pediatrician - all too many doctors (and teachers and school counselors and child psychiatrists and a whole host of others) are entirely too quick to recommend and even insist on drugs for children with psychological problems. Here's a link to the last of a series of articles in the NYTimes about children with special needs - and this last article is specifically about parents who chose not to use drugs to control their children's behavior. NYTimes. I am registered with the Times, and I think you may have to register to read these articles. I can assure you that the Times has never sent me any emails or in any other way (as far as I can tell) used my registration information, so I think you can feel safe about registering. At any rate, I think these articles are worthwhile for parents who are raising special needs children, and I sure wish I'd had some of this information when my oldest son was around 4 - 13 years old.

By Tink on Saturday, January 6, 2007 - 06:27 pm:

We live in an city with lots of people commuting to the San Francisco area for work. My friend (the pediatrician) works about an hour and a half away so it would be difficult to see her everytime one of my dks needed a doctor's attention. She also doesn't have hospital privileges at any of our local hospitals. Believe me, I truly wish that she was available to my dks. I'll read that article now. Thanks, Ginny.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Sunday, January 7, 2007 - 09:24 am:

Tink, I have no idea about the Melatonin. I can only suggest that you do all the research you can before starting anything that can alter the bodys state. Which it sounds like you have.

I however would like to acknowledge you and the other ladies for the way this thread was handled. Much thanks from me and the other moderators... We all know how hard it is not to attack someone coming in under anonymous, especially as it was done on this thread but you all handled yourselves very well.. Thanks, ^5..

As Ginny stated, we don't have Anon's credentials and to the best of our knowledge we do not have any doctors that post at Mom's View. So unless she would like to contact the moderation via email and explain her credentials, please do not assume that we have a doctor that post to this site..