need info on melatonin please

[janebrain]

Hi All,
usually I post at PE or SA but have a more general question. My difficult child 2 is having a lot of trouble with insomnia and a co-worker suggested 2.5 mg of melatonin (she likes the sublingual kind). difficult child 2 is nearly 17 yrs old, has had sleep problems for a couple of years now. Her dad (is no longer living) told me he had insomnia as a teen and her older sister , difficult child 1, also did. difficult child 1's therapist kept insisting she needed structure--regular bedtime, etc. but difficult child 1 still couldn't sleep even when she was in an Residential Treatment Center (RTC) with super structure. They put her on Seroquel to help her sleep and another Residential Treatment Center (RTC) later on put her on Trazedone. So, I am suspecting that difficult child 2's sleep problems come legitimately.

Any thoughts or suggestions welcome, am thinking of ordering the melatonin and trying it but wanted your ideas first!

Thanks,
Jane

 

[BusynMember]

Melatonin was very effective for us when my son needed it. It's not a drug--I'm not sure if it's an herb or what, but it worked for us.

 

[Penta]

My girl was prescribed Seroquel for her sleep problems and it worked well, but the expense was too much for us, so recently she switched to Melatonin 3mg and says it works just as well. She has had sleep problems since childhood and i wish I had discovered Melatonin way back then!

She's now 19.

 

[craftysis]

Melatonin isn't an herb or drug, it's a hormone your body naturally produces to establish sleep rhythms. For whatever reasons, some people produce less than normal amounts (I know this has been shown for some with autism, but I don't know about other issues) or have to take medication that otherwise interferes with normal sleep (eg, Ritalin).

My 12yo brother has had liquid melatonin in a glass of milk before bed, and it has really helped regulate his sleep. He uses about 1mg each night, but its available in a variety of forms (eg, time-release) and strengths. Generally, its recommended to start with the lighter doses as it's possible that too much melatonin can actually have a negative impact on normal sleep.