Let's talk about melatonin

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seeker

Thu, Oct 08 2015, 5:31 pm

Well that's inspiring, but I do something like that every night and it's not helping. Glad you were able to solve your problem behaviorally. I guess it was a different issue. No, mine is not bratty though perhaps doing a little more limit testing. The little one is a little more spoiled but she is probably mostly off schedule due to being sick and on medicine over the last week. The big one has always had a hard time settling down, not a calm personality, from infancy never learned how to self-soothe despite all efforts, and just takes a reeeeally long time to fall asleep sometimes. Normal routine has us up to functional though not easy, and now we need to re-establish that. Hopefully this will get us a jump-start and we can take it from there. Right now it's 8:30 and both kids are asleep - not for very long so far but it's the earliest they've been asleep in maybe a month, I would be relishing the quiet right now except I'm on such a sleep deficit myself already that all I want to do is join them!

seeker

Thu, Oct 08 2015, 5:33 pm

Yes thanks amother, a weighted blanket is a great idea. I think right now we need more drastic immediate crisis intervention but I should really get that too. I wonder where I can get one that works well and doesn't cost too many arms and legs, I've seen them run pricey... also seen DIY instructions that I may take a second look at but I'm not very handy with sewing so I don't think that would be better than buying in this case.

amother

Vermilion

Thu, Oct 08 2015, 5:44 pm

You are going to get a million different answers from a million different people. Personally I have a child on the spectrum and he has trouble falling asleep. I have another child who is a terror with his siblings at night - and probably is pre ADHD.
I have spoken to their pediatrician and my sons ADHD/Autism doctor and he urged me to continue meletonin.
My suggestion...have an honest conversation with your pediatrician. My kids take the .5 mg chewable from Trader Joes. I break it in half for my 5 year old and my son on the spectrum takes up to a MG and his twin takes when he feels he needs it (he tells me).
For those who say "meletonin causes gynomastia"....I call your bluff - show me scientific proof...if that was the case - we would have a bunch of bunch of giant boobied kids running around. Just because its a "hormone" does not make it THAT hormone....those scare tactics are just the kinds of things that stress mothers out who need to use it.
Anonymous because of some identifying information...and I discuss this regularly with friends.

seeker

Thu, Oct 08 2015, 5:50 pm

Yeah I thought soy was the one we blame for gynecomastia with the combination of it containing phytoestrogens or whatever plus the fact that it's everywhere now so people end up having quite a lot of it.

MagentaYenta

Thu, Oct 08 2015, 5:57 pm

Gynecomastia is associated with medicines such as Risperdal as well.

Skippy!!

Thu, Oct 08 2015, 6:29 pm

https://www.kidsoc.org/news/pr.....nts-1

miami85

Thu, Oct 08 2015, 6:37 pm

Putting this out there as this was something I found out when doing my own research, I know it won't help everyone, but something to think about.
I know I got a little jealous when I hear my friends all have their preschoolers in bed by 6-7pm and mine are still bouncing around at 8, 9, and on rare occasions 10pm, I could have them all ready for bed by 6:30, but they wouldn't fall asleep before 9 I was going nuts, but then I noticed something else, instead of 5:30-6:30 am that they were waking up, my kids were waking up 7:00-7:30. Then I read on a sleep website that preschoolers need between 10-13 hours of sleep. 9pm-7am=10 hours, thus my kid was getting enough sleep.
I even resorted to melatonin to help regulate their sleep, and even with a 5mg dose (that's the dosage I found, but no sideeffects)--sometimes sleep would not come until they were ready to go to sleep. That's the nice thing about it is that it doesn't force sleep on anyone--unlike Benadryl which can leave you feeling groggy.
Another important consideration, Circadian rhythms are a powerful thing, it's the natural sleep/wake cycle we follow. I remember throughout my childhood and high school years, that if I really wanted to get things accomplished during major study seasons that I would have to "obey my body clock" and take a nap. (Although since having kids, I guess my body has adapted, but I do finally go to sleep earlier, that or I'm just getting older) It took one of my kids until he was over 4 years old to cut out the daily nap--mind you he was still taking 2 hour+ naps at 18 months, whereas a different child only took 1 long nap during the day and he's early 3 and its starting to fade--I.e. different kids with different body clocks.
Also consider how YOU and your husband--I need to be in pjs, with my blanket, not to warm not too cold, go to the bathroom and maybe a drink of water. My husband can just fall asleep whererever and whenever. Consider your child's sleep personality as well.
Thus, my point is before putting "all your eggs into a melatonin basket" think about your kids' sleep and wake patterns, do they need to nap? How many hours do they sleep? If they don't have to get up for school, how long do they naturally sleep? It could just be that your kids take a long time to fall asleep, think about your evening unwinding routine and how long it is? (or that you are just so zonked that you are dreaming before you hit the pillow) and after that analysis, figure out if the melatonin is necessary--which after y"t it very well may be.

amother

Vermilion

Thu, Oct 08 2015, 8:08 pm

I hear that - unfortunately my kids wake up at the crack of dawn no matter what time they go to bed. I see the difference when my kids go to sleep at 10 and wake up 5:30 or go to sleep at 6:30 and wake up 5:30. I truly believe my kids are a case where they dont produce enough of their own - but I am not paying for a blood test - especially since my ASD son is absolutely horrified by needles. But yes, if your kids sleep in, then I dont see the need for it as much.

seeker

Thu, Oct 08 2015, 9:22 pm

Problem is that by the time my kids fall asleep (lately) they have more like 7-8 hours left to sleep before they need to get up for school, and that's assuming they don't wake up in middle. And they clearly aren't just those people who need less sleep (though I suspect the older one may be on the somewhat lower end of sleep need, just not by THAT much) because the morning wasn't any more fun than the night was. I had to literally peel them off the beds at the last minute and stuff their floppy limbs into clothes manually so I could heave them out the door only five minutes late. Crammed some yogurt up their snoring noses and hoped for the best.

mommy best

Thu, Oct 08 2015, 9:50 pm

I realized when I have melatonin my kids woke up more refreshed and on there own. Not too early but an our before they needed to leave for school instead of 20-30 min. Before school. It was great no rushing.
About dosage I use the drops and I give 3-5 drops. Start with little if they stay jumpy and don't relax after 15 min I give a few more drops.
The bottle says 10 drops =1mg
Good luck

Ruchel

Fri, Oct 09 2015, 3:55 am

You'll read it's a "vitamin" on American Jewish forums. It's a hormone. I would hesitate even to take myself as an adult.

amother

Blonde

Fri, Oct 09 2015, 4:50 am

My son is on the spectrum and melatonin didn't help at all. He would lay in bed cranky and overtired from the melatonin and still not fall asleep. Or he would fall asleep but wake up three hours later with insomnia. Sad

Going to try the weighted blanket.

Notsobusy

Fri, Oct 09 2015, 5:54 am

I have one daughter who takes melatonin. She needs a lot of sleep, always slept more than my other kids. If there's no school she'll sleep till 11. She used to suck her thumb and she fell asleep instantly. Since she stopped sucking her thumb she has such a hard time falling asleep. She doesn't come out of bed or ask for drinks like her siblings, but she can just lay for hours and not fall asleep. I always hesitated to start with melatonin, I was afraid of the possible side effects and I was scared she would become dependent on it. She finally asked me if I know about this pill that some of her friends take and it helps them fall asleep, can I PLEASE buy it for her because she hates not falling asleep. So I discussed it with my pediatrician and he said he has no problem with it, and I should definitely let her take it. B"H it works for her.

morah & mommy

Tue, Jun 07 2016, 9:06 pm

My son just turned 4 and I took away his pacifier. Even with his pacifier it took him close to an hour to fall asleep, but now without it bedtime is endless! He can't relax his mind on his own. I've been giving him melatonin because he is so tired all day every day he can't function. Should I give him back his pacifier?!

mommy best

Tue, Jun 07 2016, 10:31 pm

morah & mommy wrote:

Did he get melatonin also when he had his pacifier?

amother

Slategray

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 3:14 am

Yes please give him back his pacifier! I promise you when he will feel ready he'll give it up. Taking away something from a child that comforts him is very hard for the child. My daughter gave up her pacifier when she was over 7, she is a bright mature kid and it didn't effect her in any way.
Of course only in bed and not to walk around with it during the day.

the world's best mom

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 7:22 am

Skippy!! wrote:

https://www.kidsoc.org/news/press/entry/the-dangers-of-melatonin-in-children-a-problem-of-overuse-by-parents-1

I just want to request that all mothers who are thinking of giving their children melatonin read this first.

There are doctors who say melatonin is safe. Others will say it is not. The question is, how can anyone know how it will affect fertility until these kids who are taking it grow up and have children of their own? Only then can we determine if there is a greater incidence of infertility on children who have taken melatonin.

It reminds me of that drug that was once considered safe to use to fight morning sickness. Mothers began to use it, without ever stopping to realize that there was no way to know the affects it might have on the baby. Until a whole bunch of kids were born with birth defects. Then they stopped using it, but it was too late for those poor kids who were affected.

Even if the chances are slim that a person's fertility can be affected by taking melatonin, I am not willing to take that risk. There's just too much at stake.

morah & mommy

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 7:51 pm

Mommy best: No I did not give him melatonin when he had his pacifier.

Amother: He was very excited to throw out his pacifier because now he was "so big" and if I offer it back I don't know if he will agree. When your daughter gave up her pacifier at age 7 did she have trouble falling asleep on her own? How does he learn to self-soothe?

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