My LO was told by his doctor that melatonin would help calm his very restless sleep so we tried it. The doctor did not recommend a dosage so he started with 5mg the first night. The next day he was groggy and disoriented all day. Regardless of this apparent reaction, I gave him 5mg the next night. The second day was worse than the first. So we reduced the dosage to 2mg for the third night. Still a mental "train wreck" the next day. I have not given him any melatonin since that third dose. I has taken almost a week for his daytime demeanor to recover, if not totally.
I have read past articles and questions/comments about melatonin on this website. Has anyone else experienced a similar reaction to melatonin?
I get seasonal effective disorder, or what they call SAD.
In the dark gloomy days of winter , I can't sleep, but I'm so groggy I don't feel like doing anything. I feel like a bear trying to wake up from hibernation. If you read about bears and why they hibernate it's very interesting and not unlike what happens to are bodies in the north.
I think there is actually to much melatonin in are bodies, with no sunlight that melatonin supplements make it so much worse.
So I think your LO needs some sunlight. The opposite of what the doctors are saying.
I get SAD in the summer too. I'm just realizing that , this summer we got rid of are pool, and I had much less exposure to the sun. And I actually had less anxiety this summer. I'm going to try sun therapy this winter.
Id try get your loved out side and fresh air a little sun. If possible.
Are bodies need a balance.
I could be very wrong here. This is just my theory, and seems to be how my body works
There's several factors that go into it.
An easy one is to block all the blue and white lights in his bedroom. Look at all the clock, TV and pc power LED's. Put a piece of black electricians tape over all the blue and white ones. Evolution has programed our brains to equate blue and white lights as sunrise and day time. Red lights imitate the warmth of a campfire at night.
Along the same thought, you could also try blue blocker glasses an hour before bed.
Also, is the TV on all night long? Instead of having the TV on, try books on tape (CD's or MP3's) or an audio bible. I use an audio bible once in a while. It plays on an endless loop so it doesn't really matter where it starts or I fall asleep.
Is anything else changed here other than the addition of this single dose of this supplement in this dosage. This isn't sounding like melatonin to me. Can you tell me if there are any other medications, any other changes playing into all this?
I think I would consult the doc who knows your loved one best. This sounds like something's being missed. I sure wish you luck and hope you'll update.
I started giving my mother who has dementia 6 MG, it wasn't helping, the doctor told me to try 10MG, it made it much worse. She was up at night, walking around, turning on lights, talking to inanimate objects. She's never done that before. I will stop tonight and see what happens tomorrow.
Thanks for your post. Solidifies my thinking of melatonin side effects for people with dementia.
I used to give my Husband Benadryl because he had allergies. I took one one evening I had some bug bite or sting and it was driving me bonkers. So I took one....I could barely function the next morning. I thought if this little pill did that to me I can just imagine what it is doing to my Husband with dementia...talk about adding a "foggy brain" to dementia. I tossed out the bottle.
melatonin was suggested by his doctor, I gave it to him a few times and did not notice any difference so the bottle went to the back of the linen closet, it is probably still there 10 years later.
Everyone can react differently to any medication (this includes supplements and OTC meds)
If you are giving a person with dementia anything keep a close eye out for any reaction and they may not be able to tell you what is going on so you have to be observant.
Keep working with his doctors to find something that will help him...and you sleep well at night.
Melatonin is a hormone that is naturally produced by our pineal gland.
Normally, our body makes more melatonin at night. Levels usually start to go up in the evening once the sun sets. They drop in the morning when the sun comes up. The amount of light we get each day -- plus our own body clock -- sets how much our body makes. It helps our brain know when it's time to sleep and wake up.
It does NOT make you sleep like a sleeping pill.
Also, melatonin is considered a food supplement, therefore does not come under the regulation of the FDA. This means that what you are buying:
- may not actually contain melatonin
- may not have been made in a clean, sterile environment
- the pills may not be a consistent dosage even within the same bottle
- the dosage per pill may not match what the label says
- there is no "known" dosage that a person should take since we are all unique individuals.
This is true of ALL supplements.
I don't know if there's ever been a respected large-scale clinical study for any single brand of melatonin to prove it even works.
On maybe the 5th night, I remember having this incredibly vivid dream: I got up in the middle of the night and went around the house making sure all of the doors and windows were closed and locked. I remember my dog, Gus, walking beside me, glued to my side; when I was in the dining room checking those windows, I remember the feel of his fur under my hand while I was petting him.
When I woke in the morning, I began to suspect that I hadn't been dreaming; rather, I think I had been sleep-walking. My dreams are not usually that clear and vivid, and I can never remember having a dream where, after, I can recall what something I touched in it felt like.
I haven't taken a melatonin since then.