Melatonin Questions (And Complete Shock)

[APToddlerMama]

So, I went out and bought melatonin for my 22 month old today (all sorts of issues, no diagnosis--possibly ASD, definitely SPD), and gave him about .4mg (cut up a 1mg tab), and he went to sleep in literally 10 minutes, compared with the normal 90-120 minutes AND went to bed an hour and a half early.

So that is wonderful, right? Except now I'm panicking a little like I maybe didn't do my research enough. The bottle said that it was just for adults over age 18, keep out of reach of kids, etc., but I had read about so many people using it with kids. I am just wondering though, if you are using/have used melatonin with your kids, did you just buy the adult kind and give it to them or is there a specific "child" kind??

[Lilypie32]

I would talk with your child's doctor before giving any medications whether "natural" or not. I take liquid melatonin myself but would never give it to my child without first talking to my doctor.

[askew]

We did .25mg of melatonin a night for a month with our DS, mainly to reset his internal clock and get him to be okay putting himself to sleep. It worked great, he would be asleep in 15 min instead of 2 hours. The thing is, he still did not sleep better during the night. He would wake up at 2 AM wide awake and ready to play. So we stopped. But it was amazing for that time, no fights getting to sleep and all. It comes in liquid by the way, by Source Natural, orange flavor and you can give as much or as little as you want that way.

[sbgrace]

Melatonin has been wonderful for my son. He finally gets the rest he needs. We've been doing it (.25 to .5 mg.) for 2.5 years now. First, a therapist suggested it. I was too nervous. Then a metabolic neurologist suggested it. Still nervous. Then, a geneticist (completely different hospital and state) suggested it. And...we did it and I so wish we had done it sooner. All my research led me to feel this is safe for my son and far better than the health and emotional effects of lack of sleep.

Melatonin is great for going to sleep. It generally does nothing for those kids who wake frequently though. It's a go to sleep rather than remain asleep help.

[Kailey's mom]

My dd takes the 3mgs that one could buy in almost any store. It has the warnings on it also. Her docs all know that she takes it, no problems there. I hope you are able to get some much needed rest!!!!

[changingseasons]

We also recently started melatonin for DD, and I am also in complete shock. 10 minute bedtime instead of 1-2 hours! Amazing. We use the Thorne 1mg capsules, recommended by our DAN! doc. I cut down to 1/2 a capsule, thinking that 1mg might be too much for DD (she's 28mo, around 26lbs), but she started waking frequently again (she had been sleeping more restfully all night.) We're back on 1mg tonight, so we'll see how that goes.

[APToddlerMama]

So my excitement has turned to being totally freaked out. My son slept 8 hours which was great, and then he woke up and started throwing up and has very loose stool... Any connection to melatonin?? I am hoping it is just some other stomach bug but am now feeling like the worst mom ever .

[Kailey's mom]

Originally Posted by APToddlerMama

So my excitement has turned to being totally freaked out. My son slept 8 hours which was great, and then he woke up and started throwing up and has very loose stool... Any connection to melatonin?? I am hoping it is just some other stomach bug but am now feeling like the worst mom ever .

oh no my dd never had that kind of reaction to the meletonin. My guess is that it's a stomach bug. (hugs)

[RiverTam]

It's the melatonin.

Vomiting, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea are a known side effect of melatonin. It can trigger Crohn's disease.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mel...SECTION=safety

(For the record, I've used melatonin and support the use of melatonin when needed. But some people have bad reactions to it, like any other drug or supplement. I don't think trying it makes anyone a bad mom.)

[APToddlerMama]

Originally Posted by RiverTam

It's the melatonin.

Vomiting, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea are a known side effect of melatonin. It can trigger Crohn's disease.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mel...SECTION=safety

(For the record, I've used melatonin and support the use of melatonin when needed. But some people have bad reactions to it, like any other drug or supplement. I don't think trying it makes anyone a bad mom.)

Can the reaction be this delayed? (9-10 hours)

He now has a fever, so I am guessing that it probably is a stomach bug, but I am still nervous about trying it again. Maybe in a few days.

[APToddlerMama]

Just wanted to update to say it was definitely the flu so as to not unfairly give Melatonin a bad name. He apparently infected his little friends over the weekend too...

[karne]

Originally Posted by RiverTam

It's the melatonin.

Vomiting, abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea are a known side effect of melatonin. It can trigger Crohn's disease.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mel...SECTION=safety

(For the record, I've used melatonin and support the use of melatonin when needed. But some people have bad reactions to it, like any other drug or supplement. I don't think trying it makes anyone a bad mom.)

I hadn't seen this before.

One of mine takes melatonin before bed. We discussed w/pedi very recently, and it didn't seem to be a cause for concern. And, our pedi is pretty conservative regarding meds or supplements of any kind.

[APToddlerMama]

Originally Posted by karne

I hadn't seen this before.

One of mine takes melatonin before bed. We discussed w/pedi very recently, and it didn't seem to be a cause for concern. And, our pedi is pretty conservative regarding meds or supplements of any kind.

I think it is very rare. I had to google "Melatonin and Vomitting" to even find anything and the day before I had researched for hours...