Melatonin, Sleep Enhancement, and ADHD

Overview

Melatonin is a natural hormone, which is produced and secreted by the pineal gland. Melatonin plays an important role in the regulation of many hormones in the body. Among its key roles, melatonin controls the body's circadian rhythm, an internal 24-hour time-keeping system that controls when we fall asleep and when we wake up.

Melatonin is also a very powerful antioxidant. In one study, melatonin was 60 times more effective than Vitamin C or water-soluble Vitamin E in protecting DNA from damage. Preliminary evidence suggests that it may help strengthen the immune system.

There are numerous claims and theories concerning all the things that melatonin may do and as a result it has become one of the popular life extension and life enhancing supplements that are currently available on the market today.

Uses

The most accepted function of Melatonin is it role in sleep regulation. Melatonin supplements help induce sleep in people with disrupted circadian rhythms. Melatonin is significantly more effective in decreasing the amount of time required to fall asleep, increasing the number of sleeping hours, and boosting daytime alertness.

Melatonin is purported to be one of those miracle substances that has a hand in everything. This may be due to the fact that during the height of the antioxidant craze, Melatonin was found to be a more powerful and more universal antioxidant than both vitamin C and vitamin E. Whatever the reason, Melatonin ostensibly plays a role in numerous health conditions.

Here is a partial list:

• Insomnia
  
• Osteoporosis
  
• Menopause
  
• Depression
  
• Eating Disorders
  
• Breast Cancer
  
• Prostate Cancer
  
• Cancer-related Weight Loss
  
• Sarcoidosis
  
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
  
• Epilepsy
  
• Sunburn
  
• Viral Encephalitis
  
• Heart Disease

Since a lot of evidence for many of these claims is rather light and since I am not trying to sell you melatonin supplements, I am going to focus only on its role in sleep enhancement.

Insomnia

As many parents realize, drugs like Ritalin are not without side effects. One of the major complaints that parents have is that their children who take Ritalin can't fall asleep at night. Many parents report that their children, who may be only five or six years old, are wide awake until 11 pm or later.

Melatonin may be able to help these children. Since it is the primary chemical in the body that helps to induce sleep, children who suffer from insomnia often find that Melatonin restores their normal sleep cycle and helps them to be more awake and alert during the day.

How to Take It

There are currently no guidelines as to how to take Melatonin. Sensitivity to Melatonin is an individual thing and doses that are ineffective in one person may be too much for someone else.

The best approach for any condition is to begin with very low doses and slowly add more until you get the effect that you are seeking.

In children, it is best to start with a dose of about 0.3 mg/day or less. Although current research suggests that even doses as high as 10 mg are perfectly safe, it is best to proceed with caution.

In adults, 3 mg is usually a safe starting dose and you can increase it or decrease it as you see fit.

Availability

Melatonin is readily available in most health food stores in the United States and it is very cheap. In Europe it is a controlled substance. Most Europeans who wish to use Melatonin find it cheaper and easier to have it shipped from the US.

Adverse Effects

Melatonin is one of the least toxic substances known. In one extensive clinical trial, a high dose of 75 milligrams of melatonin per day was given to 1400 women in the Netherlands for up to four years with no ill effects.

The only consistent side effect of high doses has been drowsiness and a slower reaction time.

Other common complaints include:

• Vivid dreams or nightmares
  
• Stomach cramps
  
• Dizziness
  
• Headache
  
• Irritability
  
• Decreased libido
  
• Breast enlargement in men
  
• Decreased sperm count

These side effects were in healthy people. We also don't know how melatonin may affect people suffering from disease.

Possible Drug Interactions

Melatonin may interact or interfere with other drugs.

These include:

• Antidepressant Medications
  
• Antipsychotic Medications: many of these medications are now being used in treating children with ADHD and Bipolar disorder
  
• Benzodiazepines
  
• Blood Pressure Medications
  
• Blood-thinning Medications, Anticoagulants
  
• Interleukin-2
  
• Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
  
• Steroids and Immunosuppressant Medications
  
• Tamoxifen

If your child is taking any of these things, you should consult with his doctor before giving Melatonin.

Also, caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol can all diminish levels of melatonin in the body while cocaine and amphetamines may increase melatonin production.

Conclusion

Often children with ADHD have a great deal of difficulty falling asleep. This can be due to the medications that they are taking or just be one component in the spectrum of their problems. When used properly, melatonin may be a safe and effective way to handle sleep problems in ADHD children.

Anthony Kane, MD
ADD ADHD Advances
http://addadhdadvances.com

Attention Publishers: This article is available for your website or ezine. For an ezine, send an email to: melatonin@addadhdadvances.com. For a website send an email to: melatoninhtml@addadhdadvances.com

Anthony Kane, MD is a physician and international lecturer. Get ADD ADHD Child Behavior and Treatment Help for your ADHD child, including child behavior advice, information on the latest ADD ADHD medication help, and help with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Sign up for the free ADD ADHD Advances online journal. Send an email to subscribe@addadhdadvances.com

---

Emollients and Lubricant Drugstore Laxatives

Stool Softener Laxatives - EmollientsStool softeners and emollients work by... Read More

Treating Neuromas - Ten Tips

A neuroma is an inflamed nerve. In the foot, the... Read More

The Importance Of Using Electric Wheelchairs To Improve Mobility

No person likes to feel housebound and dependent on others.... Read More

Lipitor Lawyer: Statin Drugs Cause Muscle Damage in 98%

Doctors have been encouraged to prescribe the cholesterol-lowering drugs called... Read More

Relafen: A New Drug with an Old Danger

Individuals who regularly take Relafen (nabumetone) or other anti-inflammatory medications,... Read More

Implant Dentistry ? The Convenient and Safe Alternative to Dentures

If you are missing a tooth or a group of... Read More

Physicians, Chiropractors and Physical Therapist Agree on a New Treatment for Low Back Pain

One of the most prevalent and difficult health conditions to... Read More

Mind Altering

"It's a chemical imbalance." I've heard those words so many... Read More

New Company Helps Another Medical Condition Become: ?Acceptable? Dinner Conversation

Recently once taboo subjects like plastic surgery have become acceptable... Read More

Prescription Drug Benefit Cost Understated by $324 Billion!

When the legislation was passed for Bush's prescription drug benefit... Read More

Death by Fluoride

A wee bit of fluoride makes teeth and dentists happy,... Read More

Arthritis Pain Relief : Questions To Ask Your Healthcare Provider

A great place to begin taking charge of you arthritis... Read More

Chronic Head, Facial, Or Neck Pain That Won?t Go Away - Could It Be TMJ?

I stumbled across TMJ when I needed treat a literal... Read More

Spin Control: What to Do When Youre Dizzy

Dizzy Dean, the great baseball pitcher of the 1930s-1940s, once... Read More

Zoloft Side Effects: Akathisia and Violent Behavior

Zoloft is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor); a prescription... Read More

4 Reasons to Feel Safe Submitting an Electronic Medical Claim

Electronic Medical ClaimFor years, both practices and patients have had... Read More

How to Make Changes in Your Healthcare Organization

For many of us change is a difficult process. In... Read More

Cetyl Myristoleate Seperating Fact From Fiction

I am a strong believer in Cetyl Myristoleate for the... Read More

An Introduction to Acid Reflux Disease

Acid reflux disease, also known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or... Read More

Ephedra Product Ban

Ephedra is a naturally occuring herbal dietary supplement that has... Read More

rX My Heart and Hope to Die

This must be a mistake! How could his drug costs... Read More

FDA Orders Search Engines to Stop Online Pharmacies

How Does Online Pharmacies Affect Pharmacy Leaders?With cheaper drugs made... Read More

Resperate or RESPeRATE - this device controls blood pressure however you spell it!

Resperate is natural and powerful and it puts you in... Read More

Benign Tumors Of The Cervix

Endocervical polypsEndocervical polyps are the most common benign neoplasms of... Read More

Catch The Wave

There has never been a better opportunity for chiropractic medicine?and... Read More

Can You Always Trust Your Dentists Recommendations?

Can you always trust your dentists' recommendations? Think for yourself... Read More

Clinton on South Beach Diet

Clinton's recent quadruple bypass surgery has been largely debated. Being... Read More

Stem Cell Breakthrough: Can You Now Make Your Own?

Over the past few years, stem cells have been getting... Read More

Eliminate Agonizing Hand Pain Quickly and Easily!

According to Dr. Nathan Wei, "The hand and wrist are... Read More

How You Can Erase Low Back Pain Using the Latest Medical Techniques!

"If you're one the nine out of ten adults in... Read More

Kids and Medication Part I

We have all talked a lot about the problems in... Read More

Curing Lou Gehrigs Disease

ALS is the disease that took the life of the... Read More

Talking Money with Your Doctor: Drugs and Tests for Less

Would you buy groceries without knowing their prices? I suspect... Read More