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 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.