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Break from Melatonin

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We went to the consultant yesterday and it's (another) new one. However she was brilliant, made a point of engaging with Eli, and as soon as I asked about melatonin she agreed although she doesn't like to prescribe it to children under 11. She had her first tablet last night , was asleep by 9:20!! She woke at 3:40am but was soon tucked back down with a drink and her tom and jerry dvd and slept til 10am!

 

She is slightly more hyper today, whether that's down to the melatonin or the fact she's just had a good nights sleep i don't know!! :thumbs:

Thats great :thumbs:>:D<<'> LOL Dan (4) also loves Tom and Jerry :lol:

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I take melatonin too. Very good this helps your daughter since any Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) implies a sleep "difference;" in fact, I can actually forget to sleep.

 

One caveat with melatonin: It acts upon the neurotransmitter GABA; a side-effect can be nightmares. If this does begin to occur with your daughter, likely melatonin is factor. I've definitely noticed I recall my dreams, in detail, with melatonin. I know a sleep routine and schedule are optimal if nightmares are problematic.

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Hi

 

My son is on melatonin and it has helped a great deal. He's nearly 8 and has been on it for 3 years. I've always seen medication or any description as a last resort, but we'd worked through various long-term strategies/programmes which didn't help (ie Solihull approach, etc). When you're exhausted it's difficult to try some of these things, but it's worth sticking with it to see if there are any improvements before trying medication. For example, a set bedtime routine at a reasonable hour:

 

after dinner, wind things down - avoid exercise ie trampolining, football, etc, electronic games, etc (basically anything which will stimulate the brain)

avoid sweets, fizzy drinks, etc - ie anything with sugar or caffeine

bath time - start of set routine whereby kiddo can wash and still have a bit of playtime too

supper - ie toast and milk (or similar)

bed - story (read) or audio story

try introducing incentives

 

It could be you've tried these things, but whilst they might not work miracles, they can definitely help. If you do pursue melatonin with your GP, s/he may initially be very reluctant since it is unlicensed in the UK (my son's consultant had to write to our GP before he'd issue prescriptions). It's a natural hormone that kicks in quite quickly that is available in tablet or capsule format. I know it can be difficult to get a child to take medication, but it's worth trying to get them to knowingly take it - my son used to refuse, but then he got to the stage where he realised when he did take it that he slept well and felt the benefits. He now asks for it, if I forget! One thing to note is that melatonin will not keep a child asleep - it simply helps get them off to sleep and so it may be that kiddo will awaken after a few hours.

 

Caroline.

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My ASD son aged 6 years has been told by Cahms, gp and peads to take melatonin, none of them cn prescribe it so after ordering some online I have been trying to encourage him to take it. He wont, refuses to swallow the tablet, can I add to his food or a drink to hide it? Just wondered if it would still be slow release or not, does anyone know??

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The thing is, melatonin works as melatonin is actually produced by the human body but in some case not enough and less as we age through it is thought calcification, where I understand the gland that produces melatonin is the pineal gland, in the past called the third eye; ( <------- that thing there in pink in Sanscrit), and it does so with darkness, that being leave the light on forget it, you are fighting against natural sleep. But as we near the need to sleep the clue perhaps is in the lighting, dim it to stimulate the gland to do it's stuff and to help it on it's way and if it is tolerated, warm milk helps due to the fact milk contains melatonin and tryptophan of which melatonin is derivative of the latter, both of which aid sleep.

 

But as I age, I am finding I have to understand the mechanics of what is going wrong in order for me to take various medications, for them to work as I do believe belief is a large proportion of medicine where it's action is subtle and not the cudgel A bomb effect of some preparations that lead to other issues arising. And so as a mechanical mind I read a lot as I understand the body is an intricate bio feedback mechanism and so it is interesting to read about the pineal gland and what makes it work, where medical science has discovered it is linked to light sensors in the back of our eyes to action the production of the sleep inducing hormone melatonin and there regulate circadian rhythms that aid us through the course of the year.

 

 

And so there the clue perhaps which probably most definitely applies in my case; computer screens, games machine screens, the tv, it's all light thus telling your pineal gland it is not time to sleep. Where I have discovered when reading a book it actually induces sleep and that I think is because pages of books tend to be of a subdued colour and are non reflective, so reading, although the mind is doing something where perhaps it shouldn't, the light sensors in the back of the eyes are picking up low light and so telling the pineal gland to get on with producing the precursor to sleep which in my case always comes not very long into getting into a story in a book.

 

 

But although I am of a mechanical mind I am also suspicious and perhaps conspiratorial and so suspect where melatonin works, it's natural and big pharma does not prosper where alternatives exist and work and are easily available and so I wonder, medics not prescribing what works, I wonder how much influence big pharma has with our buyers and prescribers of medicines ?

 

But just having looked at my supply of the stuff it is from Biovea so what an other has recommended in relation to this would be a good guess as to where to get it, but me, I have no qualms about self medicating once I understand the mechanics of the problem and medicinal action and as to medical science, I am fully capable of understanding what I read, because I cross reference everything and am careful where I obtain my information where peer reviewed medical papers are often my sources and where I don't understand I rip ideas down to the component parts and build the understanding up from the basics for I am self taught in all that I at excel at. Aspieness does have it's positives !

Edited by Sa Skimrande

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Aspieness does have it's positives !

 

Hear! Hear! I think the fact that people with AS overanalysing things can be a real bonus because we look into things more and not go with the herd mentality. We don't just accept things "as is".

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