Jump to content
ACN Latitudes Forums

Melatonin


mommy11

Recommended Posts

My sons DAN doctor recommended I give him melatonin at night. My son has always had a really hard time falling asleep at night and when his tics are increased (which they have been the past 4 months) its even worse.

 

Anyhow, I don't know if it is just the extra sleep or if the melatonin itself is helping decrease his tics a bit, but i am seeing a difference. Any thoughts? They are still there, don't get me wrong, just a bit milder....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi mommy

 

yes, melatonin does promote sound sleep and therefore can increase relaxation, decrease stress= reduced tics.

 

It is VERY important to always start with the lowest dose available of melatonin and then gradually work up if needed. Different people need different amounts of it and if one takes too high a dose it can have the opposite effect by making one very edgy and sleepless!

 

glad it is helping your son

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

I am considering melatonin for my 12-month-old son. :P I would love to get some sleep again. I haven't had a decent night's sleep in over a year, and bless his heart...I'm sure he'd like to sleep better, too. He's a very high-functioning Asperger's type. He is very hyper at bedtime, and then he wakes up so many times during the night. Sometimes, I think I'm awake more during the night, trying to get him back to sleep, than I am asleep.

 

Anyway, I will only use natural treatments. So, this brings me to some questions concerning melatonin. I need someone to point me to a natural source (in other words, not synthetic), and it also must be from a biblically clean source. For example, if it came from pigs, I would not use it. Also, are there any products that come in liquid form?

 

And my final question is: What dosage should I use? I've read that the dosage must be very low for infants and young children.

 

I've used a children's valerian and chamomile tincture, and it does nothing to help. If I can find a natural safe source of melatonin, I'd like to try this.

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To the mom of the 12 month old.

 

One thing Id like to add is that I really really think you should ask your doctor about melatonin and whatever other alternative treatments you would like to use. Your child is very young and I know I only speak for myself on this board but Im not sure giving a child that young melatonin or anything else is a very good idea without consulting a doctor. Its such a little body to put stuff into , you never know how something could react in someone so young, you know?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

for those that have used this,

Does melatonin just help you fall asleep quicker? My son doesn't have trouble falling asleep once he's in bed, but he can go till midnight if I let him. It is often 10:30 - 11:00 before he is ready to settle, mainly because of his getting ready for bed routines take him forever (as does most things). And then he is hard to rise in the morning.

 

Would this help him get sleepy earlier in the evening? I would love him to be early to bed, early to rise.(healthy, wealthy and wise wouldn't hurt either!) Are you supposed to feel refreshed in the morning or want to sleep later?

 

 

Thanks

Faith

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi faith

 

we have found the dose of melatonin to be critical in this and very variable from person to person

 

if my son had more than 300 MICROgrams it made him restless and next day groggy

 

my husband needs around 3 MILIgrams but uses it very infrequently unless really needed

 

I find 600 MICROgrams most helpful when insomnia strikes. otherwise 300micrograms is enough

 

correct dose should promote sleepiness followed by sound sleep and no groggys the next day

 

Our bodies normally produce melatonin (from the pineal gland) and theoretically it should begin to be released as the sun sets preparing us for the sleep that would come with total darkness

However, in our modern world of electric lighting we seldom have total dark. any glimmer of light causes the pineal to switch off melatonin!!

so very few of us are getting the right levels of melatonin in our systems anymore and this seriously hampers sleep

 

we found taking melatonin about an hour before we want to fall asleep helpful.

only used when really needed rather than daily

 

we also try to ensure no LED or night lights and thick curtains etc to keep rooms as dark as possible.

 

melatonin is also part of the serotonin biochemical pathway btw

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cautionary note on Melatonin.....

 

according to Wilkapedia (at the bottom) melatonin is not recommend for use in people with autoimmune disorders..it can aggravate symptoms. (hence, no good for PANDAS, etc.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cautionary note on Melatonin.....

 

according to Wilkapedia (at the bottom) melatonin is not recommend for use in people with autoimmune disorders..it can aggravate symptoms. (hence, no good for PANDAS, etc.)

 

that is very odd because all the information I have is that melatonin helps to LOWER inflammation and MODULATE the immune system unless I am missing something......

 

now when it comes to HIGH DOSES that is another matter............

 

I would be cautious to read into one referenced paper on a Wiki article that it may have immuno boosting properties but rather look at a lot of other evidence too IMHO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been doing some more digging around on the immuno properties of melatonin and found this which I think explains a lot re the TIMING of melatonin as well as the DOSE being critical in this, and that also it seems that some studies indicate and *initial* boost to immune system and then an ebbing of this with continued use.

 

again reinforcement that the doseage of melatonin sold in many health stores is waaaaay too high and that micrograms are better than miligrams here. I wish my hubby would lower his, but he doesnt take it iften, only when feeling totally sleep deprived. He is a nightowl anyway, which is also I believe not good for the melatonin/sleep/biorythm system

 

here is that article I just found

http://www.annieappleseedproject.org/melimsys.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did find several studies stating the same thing about Melatonin....I just wanted to put the heads up out there so people could be aware and that particular article was just one I referenced. I am sure it can benefit many people...just a word of caution on it.

 

I started researching Melatonin when I started using it..for me, it made me edgy and I got twitchy eyes. Since stopping Melatonin, I am no longer that way.

 

A couple more quotes from articles I found:

 

Many people are discouraged from taking melatonin. People with the symptoms of severe mental illness, severe allergies, auto-immune diseases, or immune system cancers such as leukemia should not be taking melatonin. It is also not recommended during pregnancy or for women who want to conceive (http://www.teleport.com/~for/#1). There have not been many significant studies done with this drug. While it appears to be safe, melatonin has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

 

Melatonin is a new discovery. It has yet to go through the extensive studies which most hormones and other dietary supplements go through. It seems to have many positive effects on the body. Distributors of the drug are making all kinds of unproved claims. Advertisements claim that melatonin enhances your sex life, helps you exhibit more energy and assists you in gaining muscle (http://home.prizim.com/ebfitness/meltr.html). Caution is recommended when taking melatonin. Dr. Wurtman says of melatonin, "These pills are being sold without certification by the Food and Drug Administration, and this worries me terribly." He goes on to say "We've purchased melatonin from some health food stores and checked the purity. These tablets are not pure. People should not take melatonin for the time being except under controlled research conditions." (http://www.vitawirse.com/melatoni.htm). Melatonin is a substance that could be very useful in many treatments once the right research has been done. Many manufacturers are making a lot of money off of people who do not know what they are taking. Melatonin is at a very experimental stage right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, I absolutely agree it is info that needs to be here so all can check into it for themselves before using melatonin, PMom

 

 

I dont think it is something that should be used regularly or continuously either. Only when needed.

It is a hormone and all hormones impact other things and so caution sure is needed, and I really do agree that the unregulated sale of it, especially in doses greater than 300micrograms is somewhat dangerous

 

would you mind telling what dose you were taking that made you feel bad? I know that if I really need to sleep, taking 300 micrograms is usually perfect and 600 micrograms when I am anxious etc seems to work better.

Any more than that makes me feel very wired and next day I feel totally spaced out.

 

my son hasnt had it in years, but it really did help him at a time when his OCD was very bad and he couldnt sleep properly at all. he never took more than 300 micrograms nightly over a period of about a month

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...