[Nevada Jen]

Can someone elxplain melatonin dosing in a kid to me. DS is 6. He definately has sleep issues. I just started giving him melatonin before bed. I can't figure out what a normal dose is. I have read bewteen 2 and 5 MG and read .3 MG's somewhere else. I don't want to overdose the him by accident. He weighs 50 pounds.

It works great, no crazy nightmares wakes up easily etc. . . My concern is that today about mid day he was complaining to the school nurse that his heart was beating to fast. She said it was but since he just came in from recess she wasn't too concerned Of course, she doesn't know that I had started giving him melatonin either!

Thanks in advance!

[aspenhall]

Melatonin breaks down as your body absorbs light. It only stays in your system a few hours. However, there have been cases of allergic reactions to certain types of melatonin. The safest seems to be the man-made types, not "natural". I use a spray (fast absorbtion) made by Nature's Miracle. I would use a half spray. A was tiny, but after talking to my ped and a pharmacist I never worried about overdosing. I was told close was good enough. Obviously an adult dose may have some bad affects though.

I would look at the brand and source of your melatonin but I also wouldn't be too worried.

[ajjhmf]

J is 12, but has been on melatonin for something like 6 years now. Our psychiatrist prefers 3mg regular release and up to 5mg timed release for kids his age and under. The best bet is to start small and move from there. The only side effect we have ever noted was that if the dose was too high, his sleep worsened because of nightmares.

[DPline]

My 8 year old son takes it on an as needed basis to counteract sleeplessnes from ADD meds.
He is around 48 inches and 45 lbs and we use the 3mg tablets. I have confirmed that dosage with his doctor and my pharmacist and so far we have been lucky with no side effects.

[Biblemom]

My FD started taking it last month. She is just over 40 lbs at 5 years old. He said to start with 1 mg and wait 2weeks to see how it works. We could increase up to 3mg if needed.

[Nevada Jen]

Thank you all for the advice. We went down to .5 mg's and that seems to work just as well as the 1 mg. Really, I think he just needs a push to get him to give up thinking for the day and go to sleep. This has made a huge difference in his ability to wake up in the morning and function before noon. We should have tried this a long time ago!

[sassafras]

I really depends on the kid. Mine takes 5 mg at night but my pediatrician's son who has autism takes like 20!

[devildogwife]

Just call your son's doctor and ask. Cameron was on 7.5 mg every night. Really just depends on the kid.

[parenting-over-40]

Not to derail the thread here but Hello DDW! Good to see you back on the boards. You have been missed. Prayers!

[devildogwife]

Originally Posted by parenting-over-40

Not to derail the thread here but Hello DDW! Good to see you back on the boards. You have been missed. Prayers!

Thanks. I check in occasionally when I get a break from school.

[Nevada Jen]

Yes! Good to see you! I have been taking Melatonin myself and I am shocked at the difference it makes. I sleep like a normal person now and I am so much more effective than I used to be that I pity the poor folks who have to keep up with me at work!

[qs mom]

I have found that effectiveness varies by brand also. Natures Bounty seems to be most effective for my son. He takes 5 mg. He was up to 9 mg on another brand, with no effect.