Melotonin for sleep problems?
- Thread starter Masta
- Start date
Here's what I feel about Melatonin....LOVE IT! Absolutely the most wonderful stuff around. Wish I owned stock in the company!
OK, here's what I know, correct me if I'm wrong anyone.
Melatonin is a natural hormone that our bodies produce when it starts to get dark outside. This is to prepare our bodies to go to sleep. Some ppl have an adequate supply and some have little or none. For those who have none like my difficult child, he would not go to sleep until he dropped from sheer exhaustion sometime around midnight and would be back up in about 3 hours. Since discovering Melatonin, he now goes to be at a normal time and sleeps for the most part all night. It regulates our sleep cycle and helps get us back on a regular schedule. Now when he is cycling, the BiPolar (BP) will override the melatonin but this only happens a few days every 6 weeks or so. Then it back to working like it should.
The dose of Melatonin can vary, type in Melatonin on a google search and see what comes up. When I started giving Melatonin to my difficult child at age 3 we started with 1mg and that was plenty. After about a year we upped it to 2 and now he takes 4mg at night.
Be ready, it will either work wonders or not at all. My difficult child goes to sleep within 30 minutes of taking it and he is OUT. My sister in law has tried it for insomnia and it is like taking water, no help.
Hope it gives you some relief, it is a miracle when it works
Oh, and be sure and get it from a reliable place that lists it as a standardized formula or whatever they call it. Get the one with the least added fillers in it. It can be bought just about anywhere on the vitamin isle.
Good luck,
Donna
OK, here's what I know, correct me if I'm wrong anyone.
Melatonin is a natural hormone that our bodies produce when it starts to get dark outside. This is to prepare our bodies to go to sleep. Some ppl have an adequate supply and some have little or none. For those who have none like my difficult child, he would not go to sleep until he dropped from sheer exhaustion sometime around midnight and would be back up in about 3 hours. Since discovering Melatonin, he now goes to be at a normal time and sleeps for the most part all night. It regulates our sleep cycle and helps get us back on a regular schedule. Now when he is cycling, the BiPolar (BP) will override the melatonin but this only happens a few days every 6 weeks or so. Then it back to working like it should.
The dose of Melatonin can vary, type in Melatonin on a google search and see what comes up. When I started giving Melatonin to my difficult child at age 3 we started with 1mg and that was plenty. After about a year we upped it to 2 and now he takes 4mg at night.
Be ready, it will either work wonders or not at all. My difficult child goes to sleep within 30 minutes of taking it and he is OUT. My sister in law has tried it for insomnia and it is like taking water, no help.
Hope it gives you some relief, it is a miracle when it works
Oh, and be sure and get it from a reliable place that lists it as a standardized formula or whatever they call it. Get the one with the least added fillers in it. It can be bought just about anywhere on the vitamin isle.
Good luck,
Donna
Lothlorien
Well-Known Member
Melatonin is very helpful. I have at times given Missy 3 mg tabs of Melatonin and it does help her go to sleep. I do notice some behavioral changes the next day, however. Missy is fairly sensitive to medications.
If you notice a behavioral problem, you can try Valerian root. It comes in a liquid form and I've put it in chocolate milk to mask the smell (smells like stinky feet). That also causes Missy to have behavioral problems, but maybe you'll have better luck with one or the other.
If you notice a behavioral problem, you can try Valerian root. It comes in a liquid form and I've put it in chocolate milk to mask the smell (smells like stinky feet). That also causes Missy to have behavioral problems, but maybe you'll have better luck with one or the other.
totoro
Mom? What's a difficult child?
Love it!!! I take it 3 mg at night and it really helps me sleep through the night. We give it to difficult child 3mg as well about 1/2 hour before bed she has slept better since taking it, she still has night terrors but she sleeps through the night. We also give her Valerian Root during the day to help calm her down some times. We give easy child/difficult child 2 liquid melatonin, it is sublingual,she holds it for a few seconds and it seems to help, she was having nightmares as well...
Good well.
Good well.
pepperidge
New Member
I have also read that melatonin can cause depression. So it might be a reason to try the smallest dose you can.
1 mg seems to help my oldest (who is still pretty small, 75 lbs) go to sleep, though he may be needing more.
1 mg seems to help my oldest (who is still pretty small, 75 lbs) go to sleep, though he may be needing more.
totoro
Mom? What's a difficult child?
Hmm. I wonder if I should cut difficult child's dose in 1/2... of course I asked psychiatrist about it and she said "It is fine" I am beginning to wonder about her psychiatrist??? Her quickness to say yes to anything without having difficult child's chart or info in front of her....
Sharon1974
New Member
JK uses melatonin on occasion when he can't sleep. He takes 3 to 6mgs. We try 1 3mg tablet and it usually works, when it doesn't then we give him another one. We don't use it every night, but it definitly works when we do use it. I have tried it for myself a couple of times with good results. DEX said it never worked for him. We have not noticed any side effects at all.
Be sure to take it right around dinner time for best effectiveness. Too late and you end up wide awake later on. Too early and you fall asleep while trying to get ready for bed.
Our 9 year old takes it when he's really anxious but he's gotta do it at dinner time to give enough time to work for him. Otherwise, he's up for the night.
Start with a small dose and work up until you find something that kicks in. Might take a week or two to find the correct dose.
Our 9 year old takes it when he's really anxious but he's gotta do it at dinner time to give enough time to work for him. Otherwise, he's up for the night.
Start with a small dose and work up until you find something that kicks in. Might take a week or two to find the correct dose.
hearts and roses
Mind Reader
My difficult child will ask for it about once or twice a week if she's been having trouble sleeping and it helps her to STAY asleep. difficult child's problem with sleeping isn't falling asleep, it's staying asleep and the melatonin helps.