Guest guest Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 well, my son darian is 5 yrs. old and is starting to wake up at night, usually around 3-4 a.m and doesn't go back to sleep. i'm very exhuasted, what should i do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 My son is nine, and has never been much of a sleeper. I've tried Melatonin, and it didn't work for us. This has been a particularly bad week for sleeping. When he gets like this, I have to shock his body back into some type of rhythm. I give him Benadryl or Zyrtec. He sleeps through the night, and it seems to reset his clock, so we are on a somewhat more normal sleep pattern. His allergies have been acting up this week, so I was able to give him Zyrtec last night, and we all slept through the whole night - yea!! IF your son has allergies, and you give him the Zyrtec, cut it in half. It's very strong. I would definitely try the Melatonin first. I'd much rather go the natural route, and it works for a lot of people! Gayla To: Texas-Autism-Advocacy@...: marleetor@...: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:57:36 +0000Subject: oh man!! well, my son darian is 5 yrs. old and is starting to wake up at night, usually around 3-4 a.m and doesn't go back to sleep. i'm very exhuasted, what should i do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 A word of caution is that all natural does not necessarily mean " all right " . Melatonin does have some effects that would include drowsiness, of course, but we have seen in several patients a tendency to increase dosage. The body accomodates pretty quickly to this and then when you quit giving it, you have the worst case of insomnia in the world. I would try something more gentle. I think that tryptophan is much more desireable if you can get it. Here is a link where they do sell it. 60 caps for 39.96. It doesn't have the side fx of melatonin and helps with gentle, effective sleep. http://www.healthproducts-usa.com/lidtke_tryptophan.htm?s=gawa & adgroup=Tryptopha\ n & kw=tryptophan Jeff Cunningham, DC , TX www.zoesplaceclinic.com oh man!! well, my son darian is 5 yrs. old and is starting to wake up at night, usually around 3-4 a.m and doesn't go back to sleep. i'm very exhuasted, what should i do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 A word of caution is that all natural does not necessarily mean " all right " . Melatonin does have some effects that would include drowsiness, of course, but we have seen in several patients a tendency to increase dosage. The body accomodates pretty quickly to this and then when you quit giving it, you have the worst case of insomnia in the world. I would try something more gentle. I think that tryptophan is much more desireable if you can get it. Here is a link where they do sell it. 60 caps for 39.96. It doesn't have the side fx of melatonin and helps with gentle, effective sleep. http://www.healthproducts-usa.com/lidtke_tryptophan.htm?s=gawa & adgroup=Tryptopha\ n & kw=tryptophan Jeff Cunningham, DC , TX www.zoesplaceclinic.com oh man!! well, my son darian is 5 yrs. old and is starting to wake up at night, usually around 3-4 a.m and doesn't go back to sleep. i'm very exhuasted, what should i do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I use the liquid melatonin by Source Naturals for my 6yr old son and 10 yr old daughter. Sometimes you have to play with the dosage though since everyone is different. I believe 3mg is recommended for adults. I give my kids 1 mg as recommended by their doctor and they start getting drousy within about 15 to 20 minutes after taking it. I have noticed if I give them anymore then 1mg then it will not work at all or have the reverse effect. So I would start out with 1 mg first. Also, calcium/magnesium supplements before bedtime help. There's some stuff called " Natrual Calm " that has calcium and magnesium and is supposed to be really good. I havent tried it myself but I have heard good things about it from other people. Hope this helps! Subject: oh man!! To: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Date: Thursday, July 17, 2008, 9:57 AM well, my son darian is 5 yrs. old and is starting to wake up at night, usually around 3-4 a.m and doesn't go back to sleep. i'm very exhuasted, what should i do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Melatonin helps my son fall asleep, but he still has a problem with night-time waking. We just got a prescription for extended release melatonin, which we are hoping will help reduce the night-time waking. I've heard it might be available over the counter, but our doctor wrote us a prescription anyway. Geraldine _____ From: Texas-Autism-Advocacy [mailto:Texas-Autism-Advocacy ] On Behalf Of Marlee Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 9:58 AM To: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Subject: oh man!! well, my son darian is 5 yrs. old and is starting to wake up at night, usually around 3-4 a.m and doesn't go back to sleep. i'm very exhuasted, what should i do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 in addition to all the otc meds as options, make sure you're not reinforcing your son getting up at an early hour. as long as the bedroom is safe, as long as you have a monitor nearby to hear if he is in distress, leave him in his room. don't run to get him because he's up playing. by doing so you just tell him that it's ok to get up at 3:00 in the morning. if he's able to open his door, put one of those plastic knob locks on his side of the door so he can't turn the knob. sometimes, waking up can just be a habit. Subject: oh man!! To: Texas-Autism-Advocacy Date: Thursday, July 17, 2008, 9:57 AM well, my son darian is 5 yrs. old and is starting to wake up at night, usually around 3-4 a.m and doesn't go back to sleep. i'm very exhuasted, what should i do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 We tried Melatonin for over a year. We started with 1mg and then went to 3mg per the developmental pediatrician. We could go as high as 4mg I believe for my 40lb. kiddo. However, it started losing it's efficacy and we are now on Trazadone. It's an antidepressant that makes you quite sleepy. Most nights it works but nothing has been perfect. Cook Children's inpatient (we have not been in it) uses Trazadone, so I hear for sleep too. Good luck and I hope it keeps working for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 Cold laser is the application of low level laser light (0.5 mw, 635 nm). Originally developed for physical medicine and cosmetic applications, it is also used for energy medicine applications. By that I mean, treatments like acupuncture, but without the use of needles. I have used it successfully for a severely regressed child who had severe sleep disturbance, who never slept more than 40 minutes or so at a time for over one year in addition to seizures. After one 30 second application, the child slept four hours. He had several treatments over a period of months. He now regularly sleeps 8 hours plus naps, and seizures are reduced but not eliminated. He does have periods of sleep disturbance on occasion. I have used cold laser for other neurological conditions, like tremors and migraines. Thre are a number of practitioners using the Erchonia laser and can be found at erchonia.com. It is not all that expensive, and some insurances reimburse for it, but not all. I charge $45. N. , DC, MPH > > > > In a message dated 7/17/2008 1:09:14 P.M. Central Daylight Time, > drbailey@... writes: > > Erchonia cold laser > > > > > What in the world is Erchonia Cold Laser? What does it do? Is it > expensive? Who administers such a thing? Remember, you're talking to autism parents > here--usually very strapped for cash. > > > CReece > > > > > > > > **************Get fantasy football with free live scoring. Sign up for > FanHouse Fantasy Football today. > (http://www.fanhouse.com/fantasyaffair?ncid=aolspr00050000000020) > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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