Hello moms...
I already used my...LET US KNOW WHAT HAPPENED button for my Melatonin question, so I have to let you know what happened in the ask a question collumn :)
My sons psychiatrist said not to give it to him...in fact he's not being cooperative at all with me, so it's no wonder he said NO!!
When it comes to my son, who has ADHD...I don't find it helpful at all. It might have something to do with his messed up sleep schedule ( He won't fall asleep till 1 or 2 am, so I in return let hi sleep in until 11 in the afternoon) and then it starts all over again!
I did take it myself and even gave it to my 7 year old who has a hard time falling asleep and it worked GREAT!!
As soon as I get my son back on a SCHOOL schedule (I hope) I am going to try it again.
I know there were alot of oms who were wondering about it also...If you do end up trying it, could you please let me know how it worked for you.
P.s. I also just asked a question about a good psychiatrist in or around the Livonia area. If you know of 1, can you please let me know :)
Ok I went through this exact same thing and what I did was find a PEDIATRIC SLEEP SPECIALIST - they are hard to find but if you want the name of mine PM me and I will send it to you. He may know of one near you. It took us about 2months but it worked wonders!!!
Melatonin is a naturally occuring hormone . Some people don't make enough, especially as we age. My hubby has a sleep disorder and the specialist has him on 15mg. a night. (He started at 3mg.) The SPECIALIST says it is completely natural, and has no side effects. I would give it to him if it helps. It cannot hurt him.
My daughter has Asperger's. She has a really hard time shutting her brain off at night. It can take her 3 hours to fall asleep, then should be wake up in the middle of the night and be up for another 3-4 hours! It's crazy! We started her on Melatonin about a year and a half ago. For us, it's a miracle! She generally falls asleep within 20 minutes and sleeps through the night. If she wakes up because she has to do a potty run, she can and is totally coherent, but is able to fall asleep again soon after. I guess her body just doesn't product enough melatonin on its own. For us, it's totally helped!
my 3 year old has taken it for the last year because he just doesn't seem to shut off this was under the advice of our ped. it helps him fall asleep but not stay asleep. I think if he could swallow a small pill the long release would probably be more beneficial but he is only 3 and does not get it.
Just a suggestion, you might try calling NAMI in your area, they may know of some good psychiatrists for you!
Good luck, I hope you get him to a cooperative doctor quickly. It cannot be good for his school situation for him to sleep that late, and schools are not usually very willing to understand this kind of a medical issue for what it is. They would rather blame kids and parents instead. I wish you luck with that, but hope it all resolves quickly once you find a good psychiatrist who is helpful!
M.
The Psychiatrist said No.
He is a medical Doctor....
his sleep problems could be for any reason which you do not know, the reason. It could even be stress or other school/home factors.
Regardless... if you give it to him, without knowing why.... then that is like "experimenting' on your own son. It would be guess work.
That is not good.
Or, if your son is on other medications for his ADHD... then anything else you give him, could possible cause more problems or maybe his ADHD medications are affecting his sleep, too.
You do NOT know that.
Many are believers that ADHD is controlled by diet. And calcium is, just FYI, excellent for sleep difficulty. So have a glass of milk or yogurt before bedtime. If your son won't take pills, then offer calcium in other forms like the glass of milk or yogurt.
But I do suggest looking into ADHD and diet. And another FYI, consider unpasteurized dairy. If you need a link, let me know. But it does make a difference. Unpasteurized organic milk.
ADHD is known risk factor for insomnia. I don't know why the psychiatrist told you not to give your son melatonin, you should ask him what his reason is before giving it. It may interact with something that he is giving your son. My son has great results from melatonin, but I am giving it to him under the advise of a medical doctor and would not give it to him if my doctor told me not to. However, if I disagreed with the doctor, I would see another and get a second opinion, which is what it sounds like you are doing.
