Melatonin Question

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-21-2006
Melatonin Question
15
Mon, 03-19-2007 - 10:15am

Hi.

My son does ok staying asleep, but struggles falling asleep. (well, both my asperger's and nt have trouble settling in). I'm interested in giving them melatonin... If I buy the 1 mg pills and split it, do you think that would be ok? my younger nt son wakes in the night sometimes once a night, a few times a week (I know, minor compared to what some of you have to deal with...). For us, staying asleep was never the issue, getting to sleep was. My older son as long as he's only on the risperdal (have tried concerta and stratetta, but they don't really have any effect), gets to sleep between 8:30 and 9:15 (we get in to bed between 8:15 and 8:30 each night).

Anyhow, I'm babbling. I'd like to try to help them get to sleep and reduce their restlessness and wondered if anyone uses it themselves (which I'm also considering!), or for their nt and non-nt kids. Thanks!

Nicole

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-22-2003
Mon, 03-19-2007 - 10:52am

Hi Nicole~

Having read so many positive experience posts from the ladies on this board, we recently began giving it to our 9 y/o Aspie. He takes one 3mg tablet every night around 7:45-8:00 p.m. and he's almost always asleep before 9:00 p.m. (School starts really early for our kids. The "tardy bell" rings at 7:45 a.m.)

He takes Concerta and was always having trouble with falling asleep and waking up really early. But the Melatonin has been a mini-miracle for him. Even HE notices the difference. Prior to the Melatonin it was not unusual for him to be awake until 10:30-11:00 p.m. every night. He simply couldn't "relax his brain" (his term) enough to fall asleep.

HTH and GL!

Amy

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-21-2006
Mon, 03-19-2007 - 11:17am

Thanks Amy!

That does help. The concerta wreaked havoc on Dominic (8 1/2 yo aspie). there were NO benefits from it (he wasn't doing any better in school with concentration or impulsivity), so his doctor pulled him off it.

Also, he is rather small (he will 9 in november), he is only 44 1/2 inches tall and weights approximately 50 pounds... the risperdal has definitely increased his appetite and we increased from 1 mg a day to 1.5 mg a day and his has grown even more! I'm not worrying yet, since he's still very slender and welcome a few "heatlhy" pounds, BUT... if he gains any more weight we'll have to think about other options.

I'm going to try giving them both melatonin (.5 mg each), and see how it goes!

Thanks again!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2003
Mon, 03-19-2007 - 12:10pm

My kids both take 3mg. I've heard with melatonin that more is not better so starting low is a good idea and then work up if you need to. I didn't know that yrs ago when we tried it so we just started with the 3mg. They've done great on it.

Samantha

Samantha
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
Mon, 03-19-2007 - 1:04pm

Melatonin has helped us.


I would start with the smallest dose and increase the dosage if needed.


My son takes 0.5mg (500mcg)

-Paula

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-23-2003
Mon, 03-19-2007 - 1:05pm
Hi there my ds David weighs 60 lbs and is 52 inches tall and just turned 9 in Jan.He has been taking 1mg of the melatonion for about a month or so now.It has been wonderful for him.He goes to sleep much easier at night.My ds is like yours it would take him forever to fall asleep but once asleep he stays asleep.It use to take him anywhere from 1 to 2 hours a night to fall asleep.Last night was his first day back to school from spring break and he was asleep with in 30 min of going to bed.So much nicer then having to fight him every night.I told his Nuero about him taking the melatonion and said if I wanted I could give him up to 3mg of it a night.He said since the 1mg was working I could just stick with that.The best thing I love about is I don't have to give it too him all the time.He falls asleep fine on weekends and days out of school he doesn't need it either.Dawn



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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-07-2003
Mon, 03-19-2007 - 3:16pm

I began using it a few weeks ago with my 10yo nt ds (maybe ADD). We had so much success I began using it about a week ago with my 3yo nt dd. Neither was a good sleeper, taking hours to fall asleep at night. My 3yo gave up regular naps two years ago, didn't fall asleep until 10-11pm (or later) and would get up between 6-7am. Melatonin has been such a WONDERFUL product for helping them both fall asleep!!! Even tho' dd still gets up around 7am, at least she falls alseep earlier, and she's better rested. I used to have to force ds out of bed around 8am (school starts at 9:15am), but now he awakens on his own before that, fully rested.

I started my 10yo (approx 65-70 lbs) at .5 mg, but lately I've been giving him .75 mg. At first all I could find were 2mg pills that I was splitting for my 10yo, but I found some orange flavored liquid sublingual (under the tongue) melatonin from an online pharmacy (thru eBay) that we've been using instead. I discovered that even with a pill splitter, it's really hard to evenly split the pills, so the dosages I was giving my ds were somewhat erratic. He's happy to take either version, though, and he even requests the melatonin when I forget because he hates lying in bed for hours unable to fall asleep.

My 3yo (approx 40 lbs) is taking .25 mg, and it's working well for her, too.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-03-2006
Tue, 03-20-2007 - 9:07am

i just read through these posts and have 2 comments:

1) melatonin was a blessing for my son. he fell asleep in 15 minutes as opposed to 3 hrs. i have used melatonin myself.

2) my son turned 9 last december. he weighs 112 lbs and is 4ft 9 inches. a few of those pounds came from risperdal. compared to the weights of the other children that have been listed in this post, my son seems huge. does any one have a big child?he gets his build from my side of the family. we are solid build and most are of average height. i'm the smallest in my family - 5ft tall and just a few lbs more than son.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2003
Tue, 03-20-2007 - 9:18am

My son (and daughter) have always been on the higher end of the growth scales. Ds is 11yrs old, almost 12. He's been growing like a weed, an inch in the past month. He's now 125lbs and 5'3" tall. He's only got about an inch to go and he'll be as tall as me. He can't wait!

When he was 9.5 he was 4'6", a little shorter than your ds.

Samantha

Samantha
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-03-2004
Tue, 03-20-2007 - 10:03am

Malcolm and several of his buds are huge! I don't know what Malcolm weighs but it is certainly over 100 lbs and he is 9 years old. He is also as tall as 13 year olds at least. I have to weigh and measure him soon, just out of curiousity.

AND he has a buddy a full year younger than him who is taller AND weighs more. Plus several more pals as tall as him, AND his girlfriend is also tall. MInd you, none of them are really overweight, just getting all muscular.

When I see other kids, I freak out cuz they are so teeny!!! The summer we tried NT camp, I was certain they had directed us to the wrong group...

Sara

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-16-2006
Tue, 03-20-2007 - 10:28am

Well now I feel like my kids are just amazons, as my daughter is 4 and is 4'2 or 3....(and my 5yr old is 4'6)lol..anyhoo she takes 3 mg of melatonin and it has been a godsend. She is tall and skinny as she is only 38 lbs...but both dad and I are tall, and were skinny kids until college.

I only just recently found the 1 mg melatonin pills and may cut her back to see how she responds. I used to use melatonin frequently - I went back and forth to europe for work for several years and I used to use it and valerian root tea to help me jump time zones...

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