Melatonin

Judy - posted on 01/08/2013

I give small dose of melatonin 3mg to my 8 yr old diagnosed adhd aspergers son 1 hr before bed and it has helped in sleep, he also is on concerta 2 xs daily. I hope this is of some help

Sheree - posted on 01/07/2013

I have a 6 yr old with adhd, odd, sensory processing disorder, severe autism and anxiety and I find the melatonin really helps with his sleep and his impulsive actions (slightly) and him getting a good nights sleep also helps with his behaviour a little too... My son takes melatonin drops so you don't have to give him tablets

Shelly - posted on 01/07/2013

i have an 8 year old autistic child who also has adhd and odd and he takes melatonin every day and it does help him sleep.

Sara - posted on 01/02/2013

My son is on it now ur seems to help with falling asleep at first but I do not see any improvements with his sleeping he is still up all thou the night n up real early

Amber - posted on 12/29/2012

It should be fine to give your three year old one of the dissolvable melatonin tabs. I would really ask a doctor or the employee at gnc about giving it to a 17 month old. I doubt they will keep it under their tongue long enough to let it dissolve properly, and I am not sure that the dosage would be safe. You may be better off finding a liquid and giving your 17 month old just a tiny drop and seeing how they handle it. The employee at a store like gnc or vitamin world may be able to tell you what dose to use. Just make sure you are buying the liquid or sublingual dissolvable tablets and notnthe pills. Those are not safe for young children, too high of a dose, and I doubt a child under six could swallow them. Good luck. Hope you get some sleep. I have a newborn that wont sleep more than an hour at a time with three hour crying fits in betweeen, so I feel your pain. Personally, I dont think i would use any sort of herb, vitamin, or medication with a child under two without asking a professional.

Amelia - posted on 12/28/2012

Hey , i have a question about this medication ? I have a 17 month old and a almost 3 yr old , and i just got them back from cps foster care , and since they came home they have not been sleeping :( i dont know what to do anymore :( my sister in law said her doctor recomended it to her for her children when they were the same age ? Im kinda scared to give it to my kids ! I really dont want to hurt them and im really needing sleep and i havent been able to get them into a new doctor so if anyone has any advice i would love to hear it ! Thanks !!!

Amber - posted on 07/20/2010

GNC sells sublingual melatonin that tastes like cherries. Vitamin World sells it in liquid that also tastes liek cherries, but it is more expensive than the sublingual pills from GNC. My doctor told me it is perfectly fine for my daughter to chew the subliguals. My 5 year old daughter is Autistic and she takes it at night. It is the only thing that helps her get to sleep. I would double check with his doctor before giving it to him, just because he is on other medicine and you never know... plus, the doctor will be able to tell you what dosage to try.

Helen - posted on 07/20/2010

Hi there, we have found melatonin a fabulous medication to help our son sleep. There is an option of getting it in capsule form and sprinkling it into a drink for those who find it hard to take tablets. I know that I would certainly not be without it now. Apart from anything else my son feels so much better about going to bed as it relieves the anxiety about not being able to sleep

Eva - posted on 07/20/2010

I give my 12 year old a combination of 3mg of melatonin with 1/4 tsp GABA powder. GABA calms the central nervous system and melatonin acts more neurological. Great combination, this way she feels very revived in the morning.

Bettie - posted on 07/20/2010

My son's therapist recommended melatonin to help him sleep but i can't find it in a drop or capsule form. has any of you see either of these forms and if so what store did ya see them at?

K - posted on 07/15/2010

I have used Source Naturals Liquid Melatonin for years, first for my SPD daughter and later when my 10 yr old Aspie started having trouble shutting down at night.....she would get full of anxiety thinking about the school day or how something went down with a friend. My kids would not take a pill and the liquid is easy and has a nice orange flavor. Oral tactile issues make it impossible to use pills :-(

Frances - posted on 07/14/2010

my son is 6 and he has adhd and aspie and he was taking the melatonin for a couple years now and at first it worked really well for him like someone said before it is all natural and something our bodys make anyway and it stoped working for him now the doc put him on clonidine and i was nervous about it but he said he wanted to try it and he woke up the first morning after using it and said mommy i like that medicine it helped me sleep which was good because i was tired of hurting watching him struggle with not sleeping.

Christi - posted on 07/14/2010

i take melatonin at night and my sister, who is autistic and has aspergers takes it as well. it helps their mind slow down so they can relax and fall asleep.

Shalyn - posted on 07/14/2010

my has autism, among other things. We used melatonin for about 3yrs. when it stopped working. He was on 6mg, which is way past what he should have been on. A lot of parents that I know tell me that it eventually stops working. We recently switched to trazadone, so we'll see.

Annmarie - posted on 07/13/2010

shop around, you can get it in liquid form too!

Jackie - posted on 07/12/2010

I give my Aspie a half of a 3mg Melatonin in his sippie (crushed of course) everynight. If he doesnt get it then he cant get good rest. He tosses and turns all night and his little legs dont stop moving. I have asked my doctor and he said that it was perfectly safe since Melatonin is naturally occuring the body anyway. My doctor said that there is a study going on now about the Melatonin levels in Autistic/Aspergers children now as to wether they have enough or not.

Kim - posted on 07/12/2010

I have 2 children with ADHD. My 11 year old also has PDD-nos and other problems that have been really hard on him and on us. He takes Concerta, and my 10 year old takes Strattera. I talked to their psychiatrist before I put them on melatonin, and it's not contra-indicated. It's become part of their bedtime routine. They get melatonin and fish oil, and the older one also takes risperdone, then they brush their teeth and go to bed. Since it's part of the routine it's never been a problem.

I wish I could help with getting him to take his pills. He probably stresses out about it which makes his throat constrict, exacerbating the problem. Maybe you could have him practice with something small and innocuous, like tic tacs, or sugar babies? I'd probably ask him to close his eyes and see if he can practice feeling his throat opening up like when he yawns. If he can get comfortable with that taking pills should become easier for him.

Sharla - posted on 07/12/2010

My son takes melatonin to sleep. He was on perscription meds to sleep for a while because with out the meds he doesn't sleep for days at a time. After a while we switched to the melatonin just to see if it would work and to get of so many perscription drugs. It really does work. Now my son swallows pills easily but before we use to crush it in applesauce or pudding and that works just as well and he took it without any problems. You just start with a low dose and see if it works and how long it takes for him to start winding down. It now usually takes 45 minutes to an hour for it to really kick in with my child so we know when to give it according to when we want him to go to sleep. If you have any other questions please let me know

Sue - posted on 07/11/2010

Melatonin is a life saver in our family. And you don't have to worry about nervousness in swalling pills, they are very tiny and melt in seconds,under the tongue if they don't like to swallow. My gr.son lives with us, he has aspergers and sleep has always been a problem until I read about melatonin on here.. I asked his Ped's dr. and he said yes give it a try. Now he goes to sleep within 30 minutes and sleeps thru the night and is in a much better mood when he wakes up. I wish I had known about melatonin yrs ago.. Some kids have nightmares and there are some other side effects you need to be aware of and look out for, so go on line and look them up. Good luck..

Sue - posted on 06/11/2010

My pediatrition just told us to try melatonin for our 8yr old gr.son(diagnosed with aspergers 2yrs ago) and it works like a miricle on him. I give him one 3mg pill, dr said thats all a child needs is 3mg. He likes to swallow it not let it disolve like it says on the bottle. I give it to him right after supper (6:30) and he is yawning and ready for bed by 7:30-8. He goes right to sleep and stays asleep all night.



He use to stay up all most all nite with us going to sleep before him. I use it during the week so he is rested for school and he can still get up on time in the mornings,,which I was worried about it making him too groggy, but not the case. He seems so much better with not having so many melt downs either and is actually laughing these days,,something we haven't seen so much of for years. I would suggest tying it,, the results for us were immediate, that night was the first time in 8yrs he slept.

Cheryl - posted on 05/31/2009

hi, i use melatonin for my 5 year old son who is autisic, it works very well for him, i put one tablet in a cup of tea and mix it up, so he doesnt know it's in there, and within about 20 mins he falls asleep, without it he would go on all night.

Linda - posted on 05/29/2009

I have been using melatonin on my son for the past ten years, and I have not had any problems. I use the strips that dissolve on the tongue. I have in the past used the pills and crushed them and then put them in his milk. I would like to know where you purchased your stips from the cherry flavored ones. The only only ones I have been able to purchase are from Canada and they are chocalate flavor. My son does not like chocolate at all but he does love cherry. I would be appreciative the place of the purchase and especially if it is in the states. Good luck in your decision of what you should do about the melatonin. Make sure that if you try it you give it some time at least a month to see if it is working or not since it is natural it takes some time to get into the system.

Kayla - posted on 05/29/2009

My 7 year old has been on melatonin for the past 3 years and it works wonders. If he doesn't take the melatonin he stays up all night. We started with the 1mg, then went up to 3mg, now he takes 5mg.

Maronica - posted on 05/29/2009

Melatonin really works good but after a while it made my son aggressive, but so does not sleeping lol. His twin brother who isn't autistic, but has really bad adhd takes hydroxyzine for sleeping because his adderall xr also keeps him awake. The melatonin comes in a pill form but u don't swallow it. They dissolve under your tongue so if you decide to try it get the 1mg tablets and try 1 mg the first night and if that doesn't work the next night try 2 of the 1mg tablets. They normally go to sleep with in the hour and sleep all night. I really hadn't tried it on my son with adhd so I can't give u any advice on that, but with my other one it worked wonders other than after so long it made him get aggressive.

Charlie - posted on 05/27/2009

ive recently started giving my son melatonin---its working fantastic,we use the capsules,and i open them and slip it into his yogurt when hes not looking...........its making such a difference in my household,we arent tired and have more energy for our son who was diagnosed with ASD about 6 months ago
good luck
best wishes
charlie
:)

Tonya - posted on 05/26/2009

I GIVE MELATONIN TO MY 4 YEAR OLD WHO DOES HAVE ADHD.. HE DOESNT TAKE MEDS FOR THE ADHD I THINK HES TO YOUNG BUT I DO GIVE HIM THE MELATONIN AT BED TIME.. HE WONT SWALLOW PILLS SO I GOT A PILL GRINDER FROM CVS AND GRIND IT UP AND PUT IT IN HIS MILKRIGHT BEFORE I LAY HIM DOWN AND IT PUTS HIM RIGHT TO SLEEP ALL NIGHT.. THE ONLY THING I DONT LIKE IS THEY GET USE TO IT PRETTY FAST AND U HAVE TO GIVE LITTLE MORE SOMETIMES OR STOP IT FOR A COUPLE NIGHTS SO IT WILL KEEP WORKING BUT I LIKE IT!!!

Deana - posted on 05/25/2009

i have 3 yr.old who has autism and he takes melatonin to help with sleep and it workd for my lil man his dr. talk with me bout it cuz it is all natural so i tried and it works but i have heard from other it hasn't work for there child so everyone is different but talk with your dr and see..i know i also have trouble w/my son takeing medicine so what i do is crush it an dput in lil amount of applesauce,yogart.anything theysay u can even put in there drinks..well good luck to you..

Daphne - posted on 05/25/2009

My son (age 10) takes 1 mg of melatonin everynight. I have to get the lower dose at GNC. His doctor said that it is a hormone that his body is supposed to produce but doesn't. He now gets to sleep no problem and stays asleep. The melatonin that I buy disolves in his mouth. It is cherry flavored (I think). He just sets it on his tongue and it disolves. No swallowing. Hope this helps.

Kelly - posted on 05/24/2009

My daughter is 9 and she use to not want to go to bed b/c the dr. said her mind was so stimulated by the things in her room,I give her melatonin and about 15-20 min. later she is out and sleeps all night,but I only give it to her for school nights! She was diagnosed with severe AD/HD when she was about 6!

Anneka - posted on 05/21/2009

Quoting Faith:

My son had a hard time getting to sleep before he ever started medicines of any kind. It's a given at our house - melatonin or awake. There is occassional breakthrough problems with hard to get to sleep even with the melatonin. But without it, he's awake. He can literally stay up all night.

Melatonin is not dangerous to try, it is a natural sleep substance the body is supposed to make anyway. Worth the try in my book. (Though my son can swallow 5 pills at once. I'm a one at a time a certain way person myself.)

My son has ALWAYS had sleep problems. He actually had night terrors when he was younger, but after a few years, he grew out of it, thank GOD!! And he does still have a lot of nightmares and things, but my husband is in the Air Force and has been in Korea for the past year and we are staying with my parents until he gets back and then we're moving again. So he's had a LOT of transitions lately and even more to come....so hopefully once we get to our next assignment it will be a little easier for him. I really would like to try him on melatonin when we get to our next duty station if he's still having problems, but is there any other way to take it if he can't swallow the pill? (crushing it and mixing with applesauce or something?) Thanks very much for your help : )

Anneka - posted on 05/21/2009

Quoting Amy:

my son has aspergers and he is twelve. he has been taking the max dose of melatonin this year but still no joy with slep. he suffers severe migraines also so is on epilim for that

I am kind of concerned about anything they give him (my brother), because he also suffers from migraines.  My son, however, just has sleep issues and that's really the only thing that he would possibly need medication for. he has attention problems a little, but I'd be afraid to give him anything because I'm scared it will zone him out. I just use a lot of redirection and it works fairly well. I'm sorry to hear that the melatonin didn't work for your child. Hopefully you'll find something that will. I know it's hard to see them all tired and exhausted. : ( Thank you for your input : )

Amy - posted on 05/21/2009

my son has aspergers and he is twelve. he has been taking the max dose of melatonin this year but still no joy with slep. he suffers severe migraines also so is on epilim for that

Faith - posted on 05/21/2009

My son had a hard time getting to sleep before he ever started medicines of any kind. It's a given at our house - melatonin or awake. There is occassional breakthrough problems with hard to get to sleep even with the melatonin. But without it, he's awake. He can literally stay up all night.



Melatonin is not dangerous to try, it is a natural sleep substance the body is supposed to make anyway. Worth the try in my book. (Though my son can swallow 5 pills at once. I'm a one at a time a certain way person myself.)