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car2

re melatonin/ can i double the dose??

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My son has been taking 2mg of melatonin for 2 weeks now and all has been wonderful!!!! But..........during the last five days it has been taking longer to take affect (UP TO TWO HOURS!!) Needless to say that this is causing Dan's behaviour to get worse again, if it carries on can I request a larger dose?

Also, iv'e jusy applied for dla for dan and written in depth about his awful sleep pattern, just worried that now he is on the melatonin and sleeping better, will the penalise us for it?

Many thanks, sorry to witter on!

caroline x

Edited by car2

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I posted already today regarding my sons melatonin and the response I got reminded me of the discussion I had with Dan's paediatrician- she said that we can try dan on 2mg for 2 weeks and then up the dosage- i was sent 30 tablets, so does that mean that i have to double the dose to 2 tabs per night or order stronger tabs?? Please forgive me for being so dense- it's all french to me!!!!!!

Thanks again

caroline x :blink::huh::tearful::wacko:

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I merged your two melatonin topics for ease of reading.

 

Our son has 2 x 2mg capsules each night (started on one).

 

You can double the dose, but you should speak to your pediatrician first, not least because you will run out in half the time and need to exaplin why you need a repeat prescription twice as soon!

 

Simon

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Our paediatrician put ds2 aged 3yrs straight on to 6mg a night! He never mentioned introducing it gradually - does that make any difference to it's effectiveness?

 

The magic of it wore off very quickly (after a month or so I think!) :crying:

 

 

Nikki.

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Don't worry about the DLA you should put the worst night scenario down and mention you are trying melatonin as it is proof that he is a poor sleeper.

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i would phone them and check...

 

el started on 3mg and after about six months she needed to go up she is now on 6mg....fingers crossed so far so good. although it doesnt keep her asleep, we still get the disrupted sleep cos she has terrible nightmares and quite often wakes up in a state, it takes ages to get her calm and back to sleep again.

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We were told to start on 2mg for the first two nights and if it didn't work, up it 4mg, then 6mg if necessary. But not to go higher than 6mg without consulting the paed first. This is because different amounts are necessary for different children, we were told to just find the lowest does that works.

2mg didn't work, but he's been on 4mg for 2 months now (and so far, so good). I asked if we could just get 4mg capsules, but they only come in 2mg, and 3mg. However we open the capsules and mix them into juice or water - it works much faster this way (advice from someone on the forum). C says it doesn't really change the taste of the juice, and he can't taste it at all in apple juice.

C takes his melatonin at 8.20, brushes his teeth and goes up to bed, night-light on, 20 minutes with a book, then I sit with him till he falls asleep. He's sleeping by 9.05 pm. (Must never deviate from routine, or world will end :lol: , love him to bits!). Apparently, creating the right atmosphere is all part and parcel of it working.

We keep C off it at weekends and holidays, to try to stop him from getting used to it and it losing it's effectiveness. However, he sometimes asks for it on a Friday or Saturday night when he's still on the prowl at 2am.

I would just phone up the paed and say you need to up the dose, therefore you will be requiring a repeat prescription sooner.

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Have you been giving the melatonin every night? I have heard that if it's used without a break it loses it's effectiveness (this is the same for most sleeping aid medication)

 

Bill takes 5mg which knocks him out within... usually taking anything from half an hour to two hours to work. I give him it at 6.30pm. However, I do stop using it on holidays and tend not to bother with it on a Friday night.

 

Try leaving off for a few days then using it again to see if the effectivenss increases with a break.

 

Flora

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I've also heard about the need for a break with Melatonin, or you might have to use ever larger doses. There's something about all that on this article

 

http://www.raysahelian.com/melatonin.html

 

Bit worried by that article saying it can affect sex organs and that only 0.5mg twice a week is recommended for children.

 

I was under the impression melatonin was pretty safe. Too tired tonight but will have to do some googling I think..

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