Anyone here take melatonin?

[newmomto1]

So I have sleep issues (nothing new!). I have been taking a low dose of ambien every night for a long time. I am looking for other options though.
I am curious if you do take melatonin...
What dose do you take?
When do you take it?
How well does it work for you?
Do do have any side effects from it?
Do you recommend a specific brand?
TIA!

[crayonblue]

YES! And so do my girls. I give my 4 year old 1/2 mg. My 10 year old takes 1mg and I take 2mg. It has absolutely changed ALL of our sleeping of the better!

[JBaxter]

yup. I do on occasion Jack about 4 nights a week 3mg kids chewable

[hillview]

yes. I take 1mg often. It helps me a lot. I take a brand from whole foods. Kids not yet but considering it for DS2. No side effects for me.

When I say often I will take it for a week or 4 days and get back on track when I am struggling to sleep and then go off of it for a month or more. I take it more when I travel etc. I'd avoid ambien often ....

[elliput]

I do occasionally, but I have weird dreams when I do. My kids get it on a more regular basis, as they both have difficulty winding down in the evening. My 9yo gets 2mg, and my 5yo gets 1mg. We have been using Mel-O-Chew from Maxi-Health.

[lalasmama]

I'm the cautionary tale here... I took it a few times, and ended up having freaky-real nightmares each and every time I took it. We tried different brands with the same results. And not just "yikes that was a bad dream" dreams, but waking up screaming, drenched in sweat nightmares.

DH has always had a hard time sleeping too, however, once his doctor put him on 50mg of trazodone each night, he's sleeping like... well, like a typical man ;)

DD uses melatonin on occasion with mixed results. But this child seems to fight anything that will make her sleep, so she's not a fair example.

[ladysoapmaker]

We use it doe DD#2. And I will take it occasionally if I can't get my mind to stop racing. I find it helps. Though if I take it too many days in a row I start waking up about 2 to 3 hours before I need to be up and even if I get back to sleep it's not restful.

When DD#2, who occasionally has trouble winding down, takes it and within 15minutes she's out. When we go camping in the summer, I'll give it to her, have her lay down on the sheepskin at my feet while we adults talk and she'll be out like a light.

Jen

[kdeunc]

DS2 uses it somewhat regularly. He has ADD and is extremely sleep sensitive. We have not had any side effects in the year or so we have been using it. We use Natrol 3mg, dissolving table.

[ray7694]

I tried it an it did nothing for me. If I can't sleep I have to take Ambien to knock me out.

[queenmama]

If I'm in a particularly bad stretch of insomnia I take this:
http://www.drwhitaker.com/featured-products-2/extra-strength-restful-night-essentials

It has melatonin AND valerian.

Despite the reviews, it has helped me stay sleepy during night wakings so I'm not laying awake in the middle of the night if something has roused me (usually my dog). I wish I could take it now but I'm nursing AND bedsharing so I just have to suffer with a lack of sleep for the time being. :P

Lara

[TwoBees]

I took it regularly before I got pregnant with DD2, and I feel that it helped me sleep. I used Nature's Bounty brand, 3 mg I think.

[Raidra]

I used to take a brand that I got from the grocery store, and the key for me was to take it about 15 minutes before I wanted to be falling asleep, then make sure I was in bed and ready to go to sleep a few minutes before that 15-minute mark. If I missed the 'window of opportunity' it didn't do anything. I stopped taking it while pregnant, then after I started using another brand which gave me very disturbing, almost-waking dreams. I'm used to bad and weird dreams, but these were strange in that I couldn't tell if I was asleep or awake. Anyway. I posted on here about it and was told about GNC's Zipmelt brand and that works wonderfully. No side effects and I don't need to worry about a 'window of opportunity'. I haven't been taking it regularly for the last couple of months because I've been sleeping okay, but there has been a night here or there where my mind has been racing and it's worked well still.

I need to find something to keep on hand for my kids.. both Colwyn and Lachlann will occasionally have major trouble falling asleep and I'd really like to have something to give them.

[Tondi G]

My husband and DS take 3mg of melatonin as needed. Works like a charm. We've used the Jarrow Mello-tonin http://www.jarrow.com/product/366/Mellow_Tonin
and also Natrol, I believe.

[nfowife]

I used the natrol drops with DS for about a year and it helped a lot. I liked the liquid drops because I could go down to a very small dose that way, smaller than I could find in tablet form (he was down to .25mg after the first 2 weeks on it).

[Indianamom2]

DD uses melatonin as needed. She takes 3mg, but has always had trouble falling asleep since birth. It definitely helps her fall asleep with no negative side effects. It can, however, cause hallucinations, just as an fyi. I have a feeling that's what Lalasmama was experiencing.

[elephantmeg]

I take 2.5-5 mg depending on what is going on. I work nights and some times I get into a time when I wake up around 12-1 and can't go back to sleep. Which isn't a problem unless I am between 2 12 hour nights. So when I start with that problem (usually when I am stressed out about something) I take melatonin. DS (8) takes melatonin quite often, even before being on stimulants for ADHD. He takes 2.5-3 mg. We use the strawberry flavored ones (natrol fast dissolve) from walmart

[sntm]

1 mg for me


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