# Melatonin question - please answer!



## Heavenly (Nov 21, 2001)

My almost 18 month old has never slept well. She is still waking every 45-60 minutes all night long. I am barely able to function anymore. I have perfect strangers asking if I'm alright because I look like I'm going to fall over. I don't feel safe driving my kids around. I am irritable all the time. I just cannot keep going like this! I bought some liquid melatonin but I have no idea how much to give her. I have Vivitas SleepRight liquid melatonin. 1 ml has 3 mg of melatonin in it. I have severe insomnia problems and I take 2 ml (6 mg) every night before bed and I am actually able to fall asleep really fast. How do I know how much to give her. I have her some two nights ago. I gave her 1/2 ml which would be 1.5 mg of melatonin and it did absolutely nothing. She still woke up every 45 minutes all night. Is that too small or too large of a dose? I know for myself that if I take too much (one night I accidentally took 3 ml (9 mg) and I was jittery all night) that it backfires on me. Should I try giving her less or more? I am going to lose my mind if I don't get some sleep! On top of everything I have chronic fatigue syndrome, serious digestive problems, an autoimmune bladder disorder and I'm bipolar. This lack of sleep can't go on.


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## wannabe (Jul 4, 2005)

I would try less. If you're 60kg and take 6mg, and she's 10kg, the she'd need 1mg or LESS (dose scaling isn't linear). But it's not going to help her sleep if she's waking from hunger or pain, or if her brain just doesn't "get" sleep.

That sounds very hard. That is a LOT of waking! And with other kids and your health probelms - eeek! Is there anyone who can spell you for some of those wakings? Have you read all the books (No cry sleep solution for toddlers and Sleepless in America). Would night weaning change things? Could there be diet issues making her uncomfortable? Have you talked to your ped about it? There are sleep specialists who can help figure out if there's something biologically wrong (and sometimes there is, just like when adults have insomnia). I'm SURE that someone on here has actually been to see Ferber himself and wasn't just sent away to CIO.


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## moonfirefaery (Jul 21, 2006)

My son is 2, and if ever I give him melatonin, it's 1mg--very rarely 2mg if I give it to him in a way that I think he might not take it all. Try giving her half a mL?


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## sbgrace (Sep 22, 2004)

My son is three and takes .25 mg. I'd try a much smaller dose for her--like .25 of a mg. and see if that does it!


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## warpinmama (Jul 1, 2007)

my heart goes out to you...sounds like you are really going through it.

I just wanna tack on to what wannabe said, there could be something going on, if your babe is wakin that often. i would think that the chances of insomnia being the culprit for an 18 mo would be low. But it definately sounds like ya need some real support or changes. Is night weaning, or dh taking some of the wakings, or can you nurse her and sleep at the same time(what I do)?

If you feel sure about giving your daughter a medicine to help her sleep, have you already tried homeopathy? It is overall considered safer and very effective~especially with children. I only offer this because Melatonin is a synthetic hormone and pretty strong, I am a little surprised that a Ped would rec it actually. I would be a little weary about giving my daughter a hormone at this time just cause she's at a pretty critical developmental place hormonally, neurologically, physically.

Anyway, there are tons of homeopathic and herbal formulas out there that I'm sure would work really well. they probably sell some where you bought the melatonin

Definately do what you need to do, I just wanted to let ya know about the hormone thing and some alternantives~(I have worked in the health food industry for over 10 years now and most of the people I've encountered don't realize that melatonin is a hormone)

Hope it gets better!


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## SublimeBirthGirl (Sep 9, 2005)

THe studies I've looked at for melatonin in children all seemed to indicate that it helped them fall asleep but not stay asleep.

I have sometimes used Herbs for Kids Chamomile Calm or Valerian Super Calm.


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## Heavenly (Nov 21, 2001)

Yeah the melatonin still didn't work. I don't know what to do. I am at my end. I just started screaming shut up at her over and over again at 4 in the morning. Don't bother telling me its wrong, trust me, I know. I am just completely and utterly exhausted. I can't cope with my older two children and I am feeling sick all the time. I love her to death but sometimes I really wish I hadn't had a third child. Then I wouldn't have wasted my kids childhood in a fog or angry at them all the time. I know night weaning is an option but she freaks out if I don't go to her. DH has tried multiple times but she screams so much she chokes and vomits, even with him holding her. She wakes up the whole house. She is going through a really mommy clingy phase right now. I don't co-sleep. I have severe problems sleeping and i just can't do it. The only problem is she has a twin bed and there have been alot of nights that I have fallen asleep in there for awhile and now she wants me in there with her all the time. I CAN'T do it - I just lay awake for hours getting more and more angry. I know co-sleeping works for alot of people but not for me. This is my 3rd child so I trust me, I have tried it, I just cannot sleep while co-sleeping.


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## wannabe (Jul 4, 2005)

I've shouted "just sleep!" at 4am too. it's not a time when we're really in the most logical or sensible frame of mind, is it? Although what a story it would have made if she'd said "oh, OK" and rolled over and gone to sleep









Have you spoken to your ped about seeing a sleep specialist?


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