First night with melatonin

Ktllc

New Member
Per difficult child's therapist suggestion, difficult child got his first dose of melatonin last night (double checked with pediatician of course).
His sleep pattern was not good at all. Couldn't fall asleep and then would wake several times, move to the couch, go back in bed, etc.
Within 20 minutes, that little boy was soooo ready for bed! H never woke up and stayed in his bed the whole night! :)
He used to be a pretty heavy sleeper but for the past 6 weeks (?), it has all changed... He was actually happy to take his new "medecine" and reminded to pack it for his overnight trip with husband!
Any idea what a change in sleep pattern could mean??
I'm hoping his behavior will improve with more sleep. This last 2 weeks have been tough.
 

MuM_of_OCD_kiddo

New Member
I find that melatonin works best if you take it as you [or he] go[es] to bed. If there is too much activity and mental stimulation between the time you take it and the time you finally settle into bed and are ready to rest - it seems not to work too well, and sometimes not at all.

If he is young enough for bed time stories, or evening chats - I would do the following - do everything to get him ready for bed: bath/shower, potty, brush teeth, whatever the routine is and tuck him in. Then sit down with him and either read to him quietly [no distractions], play white noise music, or simply sit and talk quietly + positively about how the day went. As you can tell he is dozing off, stop talking and wait another 2-3 minutes and he will be out like a light.

If you take some for yourself, a bit of meditating or relaxation exercises to quiet the mind does wonders. If I take some and the setting is right - I am out within 2 minutes or less...
 

keista

New Member
Any idea what a change in sleep pattern could mean??

Pretty much ANYTHING.

I'm so glad the melatonin is working for him! My girls love, love, love it! I just reordered the liquid drops for DD2 (she still won't take pills and must have any liquid medicine fully hidden in a beverage) Of course, some times they put off taking it because they don't WANT to go to bed, but that's a completely different issue.

Yes, better sleep should help with some behaviors.
 
H

HaoZi

Guest
I find that melatonin works best if you take it as you [or he] go[es] to bed. If there is too much activity and mental stimulation between the time you take it and the time you finally settle into bed and are ready to rest - it seems not to work too well, and sometimes not at all.

We've found that true as well. There's a window for it, and if you miss it sleep can be worse than if you didn't have it at all. Kiddo and I both take it at times and it took a bit of getting used to.
 

fabfive

New Member
difficult child#1 has been taking it for quite some time. Our psychiatrist recommended it and we have had excellent results with it.
 

Ktllc

New Member
Tonight is the second night with melatonin. The couple nights before, he was on the road with husband and actually did not take it (slept most of the trip anyway!lol).
After a big tantrum for splashing his sister with water (while she was fully clothed and just looking at the boys taking a bath....GRRR), I went over the reason why he had been punished and once he apologized, I gave him the melatonin. I asked him to lay down and chill watching the smurfs. He fell asleep within 10 minutes.
He is so happy when he rides the truck... and as soon as he gets home, things go back to "normal". I'm wondering if it's because he can't follow all the interaction and conversations and then the frustration just builds up. On the road, there is not much conversation. He just looks at the scenery, talks to himself and basically is content. What I've noticed is how much he likes going hunting with husband as well. Just be on the hide, walk, wait and observe. I think he could do that for hours.
Sometimes, I feel we should move to Alaska and live in the wild just for difficult child. No school, no other kids to bother him! Hum... one can always imagine.
 

keista

New Member
Sometimes, I feel we should move to Alaska and live in the wild just for difficult child. No school, no other kids to bother him! Hum... one can always imagine.

For some reason I'm thinking that you'd end up with 3 difficult children and one easy child lol

Yes, the quiet, the solitude, the limited external stimuli. If it works keep letting him go.
 
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