My experience:

My own disclaimer: do not give any medicinal nor herbal remedies to your child before checking with their pediatricians!

I have a small child who does not need to sleep. I know what you are thinking, all people need sleep. Not her. I have begged, cajoled, demanded, hit the roof, disciplined, ran myself ragged keeping her busy all day long so she would be tired at night, rocked, sang, read, watched boring movies, coslept, bought expensive heavy blankets, bought every sleep promoting product known to man......with no results whatsoever.

So when her specialist suggested that we try melatonin, in my sleep deprived stupor, the usual scariness of giving her any medicine or herb was overrided by a need for sleep. Of course I bargained and finally came to the conclusion that her brain was also sleep deprived and needed rest. So I gave melatonin a try.

Have to say that I am not thrilled. Of course with a special needs child, things work differently too. Give her Benedryl and she bounces off of the wall. Give her anesthesia and she laughs and giggles like she is drunk but does not go to sleep for medical tests. Her specialist reasoned that this is the reason melatonin did not work for her. I kept it up about 3 weeks before giving it up on the melatonin. It never helped her sleep better.

The taste is not medicinal at all. It is a tart and sweet flavor that does not linger in my mouth. Years ago I had tried melatonin when I was working night shift and having problems sleeping during the day. I do not remember it helping me much then either.

Description:

Melatonin comes in different sizes and shapes. The Melatonin liquid comes with a dropper and the serving size is 4 dropperfuls. The ingredients from the bottle: "Water, Ethyl Alcohol, (as preservative), Fructose, Natural Raspberry and Vanilla Flavors, Colored with Caramel (contains wheat). No Yeast, Milk, Egg, Soy, Artificial Colors or Flavors, Starch." There are 15 servings per container. Children may use less, by physician's order.

Likes:

I would like it to work to help regulate our sleep cycles but it did not. Taste is okay.

Dislikes:

Did not work for us.

Warnings:

"If you are under medical supervision or using any tranquilizers or sedatives, seek the advice of your healthcare professional prior to using. Consult your physician before using if you have an autoimmune condition or depressive disorder or are a pregnant or lactating. People with allergies to gluten or wheat should consult their healthcare professional before taking this product. Not for use by children under 12 years of age. Do not take when operating machinery or driving a vehicle. Store in a cool, dry place. Keep out of reach of children." From the bottle's side.

For more information:

Talk to your doctor.

Location:

This product is available from many online retailers and at drugstores.

Final thought:

Would have been nice to have an herbal remedy to help us sleep better!


Recommended: No