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GAPeachTTC
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Dr. Oz dangers of melatonin
GAPeachTTC
member
Did anyone see this story on yesterday's show? Dr. Oz had a sleep expert on who said that most people should not take Melatonin, and that if you take it you should only take 1/2 to 1 mg. He said only shift workers and possibly the elderly need it, and it should never be given to kids. My Autistic Son takes 1 mg every night, and actually so do I. It has been the only way we get him to go to bed without screaming for hours. They suggested relaxation exercises instead, yeah that should work for a 2 1/2 year old with Autism!
Has anyone had any recent conversations regarding Melatonin with a health care provider?
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Re: Dr. Oz dangers of melatonin
I did not catch this yet, but plan to look into it further when I have some time.
In addition to autism, my 3 y.o. has a sleep disorder, pediatric myoclonus of sleep. Basically, when he is sleeping, he twitches to the point of disrupting his sleep. We see a pediatric neurologist, specializing in sleep disorders, that is touted as one of, in not the best in our state. We were in for our 6 month check in this past July and he is still very OK with our son taking 1 mg of melatonin in addition to the prescription drug he takes to calm his twitching.
Like I said, I haven't seen this yet... What were the reasons for not using melatonin in kids?
My daughter's neurosurgeon prescribed 3 mg per night for her. I haven't seen or heard of any 'dangers' associated with it. Now I'm gonna have to look into it.
He basically said that many people were taking way too much, since many Melatonin pills are 3-5mg, and that it's a sleep regulator meant to be taken for a short time period. It tells your body that it's night time, but it it's not a sleeping pill. At the end of one segment, he mentioned that it shouldn't be given to children, but then didn't say anything else about usage for children. What I took away was that most people take too much and take it long term, but I didn't really hear any proof that it was dangerous. My Son sleeps so much better since he started taking it and only cries for 30 minutes to an hour at bedtime versus the couple of hours he used to. I'm inclined to keep using it.
I didn't see the segment, but my guess is that he wanted to catch people who are taking it without a dr's supervision since you can purchase it OTC. Remember that any "advice" he gives on T.V. probably also has a large dose of CYA.
just follow up with your doctor..