melatonin?

As I have mentioned before...my daughter doesn't sleep much. She wakes every 45 minutes or so, usually in night terrors. She goes to sleep fine, just never falls in a deep sleep.

At her doctor's appointment today, her pedi asked me why I never tried melatonin, as he had suggested before. I was really hesitant to use anything but her doctor said that it is unhealthy for her to not be sleeping. If it doesn't improve in 3 months, he wants to do a sleep study.

So WWYD? Would you do the melatonin? If I don't, we won't get the sleep study.
ETA: She is 2.5, will be 3 on 3/31

Melatonin is natural and better than not sleeping or putting her on meds.

I would if the dr suggested it.

Quoting SemiCharmed:" As I have mentioned before...my daughter doesn't sleep much. She wakes every 45 minutes or so, usually ... [snip!] ... sleep study. So WWYD? Would you do the melatonin? If I don't, we won't get the sleep study. ETA: She is 2.5, will be 3 on 3/31"

your body produces melatonin to help you sleep. It's natural.

my 3 year old asks for it.. she sleeps better when she gets it.

my older 3 kids (8, 8, 10) ask for it before a busy day so they get a good night sleep.

love it.

Quoting Up In Smoke Signals:" Melatonin is natural and better than not sleeping or putting her on meds."

Rationally, i know this.
I just feel like a smurf mom for giving her something to sleep. But really, i am so used to not sleeping, it has no effect on me anymore. I haven't slept a single night thru in just over 5 years.

But now that I know that it might be negatively effecting her.... I feel like a bad mom for NOT giving her something.

And night terrors are awful  

I'd do it. Poor baby is probably exhausted. I hope it gets better.

This may sound dorky but.... On Dr. Oz last week or so they had a segment on Melatonin. YOu must follow proper dosing instructions cause you can take to much. Most poeple think its natural so they can take as much as they want but you aren't supposed to. I would try it as recommended to see if that helps before going to more serious measures. Sorry you are having a hard time with it and sorry for her! Hope you get some resolution soon 

Quoting snglemama:" your body produces melatonin to help you sleep. It's natural. my 3 year old asks for it.. she sleeps ... [snip!] ... better when she gets it. my older 3 kids (8, 8, 10) ask for it before a busy day so they get a good night sleep. love it."

Have you ever noticed any side effects? I asked her Dr. if there was anything that I would need to watch for and he said no.

I don't know why i am so freaked out by this.

Quoting SherryandMatt:" This may sound dorky but.... On Dr. Oz last week or so they had a segment on Melatonin. YOu must follow ... [snip!] ... going to more serious measures. Sorry you are having a hard time with it and sorry for her! Hope you get some resolution soon "

She does actually get good sleep from 5-7am. I didn't mention that. But the rest of the night is broken up. I kept a journal for a month and she averaged 5x a night waking up. Some nights it was every 30 minutes. It just doesn't seem normal. she also sleep walks pretty often.

Doc said 2mg, all I could find was 3mg but I could break it in half and give her 1.5 to be safe.

My son with autism is 5 and has gotten melatonin almost every night for the last 1.5 yrs. He gets .75-3mg a night, we always start out low and just give him more as needed. I get the 3 mg and cut them up.

We occasionaly give it to our 2 yr old as well (.75-1.5mg)

My oldest's night terrors pretty much stopped once he was actually getting enough sleep, a lot of the time if they aren't sleeping, it's enough to trigger it.

Quoting SemiCharmed:" Have you ever noticed any side effects? I asked her Dr. if there was anything that I would need to watch for and he said no. I don't know why i am so freaked out by this. "

no.. none. and I've talked to a doctor too, and reserached it on my own as well.

Quoting SemiCharmed:" She does actually get good sleep from 5-7am. I didn't mention that. But the rest of the night is broken ... [snip!] ... sleep walks pretty often. Doc said 2mg, all I could find was 3mg but I could break it in half and give her 1.5 to be safe."

That's what I would do. Start low and see if it makes a difference. It might be just the thing she needs. Don't feel like a smurf mom. Sometimes people just don't make enough of a certain chemical and need a little help.

Quoting SemiCharmed:" She does actually get good sleep from 5-7am. I didn't mention that. But the rest of the night is broken ... [snip!] ... sleep walks pretty often. Doc said 2mg, all I could find was 3mg but I could break it in half and give her 1.5 to be safe."

on amazon you can order it in liquid form and give more accurate dosage. Lola takes hers in a little root beer. She always asks for her "special root beer" lol

Quoting snglemama:" on amazon you can order it in liquid form and give more accurate dosage. Lola takes hers in a little root beer. She always asks for her "special root beer" lol"

The liquid works great for knocking them out quick, but I find (especially with the night terrors) it doesn't keep them out as long.

They do have a slow release one as well OP, but you have to swallow it whole for it to work so probably wouldn't work so well.

<blockquote><b>Quoting SemiCharmed:</b>" Rationally, i know this. I just feel like a smurf mom for giving her something to sleep. But really, ... [snip!] ... it might be negatively effecting her.... I feel like a bad mom for NOT giving her something. And night terrors are awful  "</blockquote>


Yes night errors are the worst   I hate it when thy happen. Luckily dd is starting to outgrow them but she had one a month or so ago and he freaked me out so bad I was crying cause I thought she was possessed or something. All I could think of was the exorcist movie and I actually woke her up which I don't normally do urging them but I almost took her to the hospital I was mortified.