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

---

Stop Taking Blood Pressure Medications with Your Doctors Approval

I have been swallowing three varieties of blood pressure pills... Read More

Meridia Lawyer: Meridia Diet Pill Side Effects

Following the recall of Fen-Phen and Redux in 1999 (two... Read More

Web Therapy: Enhancing Patient Communication with Web Access

According to Jennifer Lyons' chart, she's just a bad slip... Read More

Medical Collections

Although you make a patient feel better, there isn't usually... Read More

Implant Dentistry ? The Convenient and Safe Alternative to Dentures

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

Bextra, Vioxx and Side Effects ? Do You Need Aa Lawyer?

The recent withdrawals of the prescription medications Vioxx and Bextra... Read More

What You Should Know About Mixing Medications and Diet...

I had a call the other day from a potential... Read More

CRP And Your Heart

Monitoring your CRP level is vitally important because it is... Read More

Cholesterol Treatments Options: Statins

Satins are pharmacuetical drugs that work by restricting the enzyme... Read More

Whats a Good Arthritis Medicine for Me, Doctor?

Pain is the body's warning signal that something is wrong.... Read More

New Treatment for Peripheral Neuropathy

Millions of Americans suffer with Peripheral Neuropathy and until recently... Read More

A Look At Acid Reflux Treatment

Heartburn is a by-product of digestion, specifically affecting the esophagus... Read More

Be Informed About The Medications You Take

The recent withdrawal of the prescription drugs Vioxx and ... Read More

How to Make Changes in Your Healthcare Organization

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

Coumadin Users Can Avoid Unnecessary Complications By Wearing Identification

The police arrive at the accident scene promptly. A driver... Read More

Stem Cell Research

How To Buy Your Way Out Of An Early Death... Read More

Building A Medical Spa Inside Your Existing Medical Practice

The physicians conundrum: Everywhere, physicians are contemplating or engaged in... 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

Seroquel Side Effects: Effects of Seroquel Worth the Risk?

Seroquel is an atypical antipsychotic drug that is used to... Read More

Lunesta Revealed: 7 Things You Must Know Before You Buy Lunesta Prescriptions

Lunesta is a newly released sleeping pill. Marketed as a... Read More

Online Pharmacies are Making it Possible for Internet Consumers to Acquire Prescriptions Online

Internet Pharmacies are convenient and quick, but some websites selling... Read More

Alzheimers Toxin May Be Key To Slowing Disease

Australian scientists say they have identified a toxin which plays... Read More

Treatment for High Blood Pressure

The treatment of high blood pressure is one of the... Read More

Aleve, Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra: What You Need To Know About Arthritis Pain Medications

Recent controversy about the safety of pain medications for arthritis... Read More

10 Steps To Detoxification

Technology. We live in a grand time of technological development.... Read More

Medical Billing Software Takes the Stage

Medical Billing SoftwareThe practice is running smoothly, with patients coming... Read More

Rezulin Liver Failure Causes FDA to Recall Drug

Rezulin, a prescription type 2 diabetes drug has been withdrawn... Read More

Natural Vitamin E Combined with Vitamin C for Treatment of Alzheimers Disease

Checklist of Treatments for Alzheimer's DiseasePart 2 of 82. Vitamin... Read More

Acid Reflux and Your Diet

There is an undeniable connection between the occurrence of acid... Read More

Cetyl Myristoleate Seperating Fact From Fiction

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

The Basic First Aid for Child Care Programs

We cannot help but accept the fact that children do... Read More

Lumbar Puncture: This (Really) Is Spinal Tap

I couldn't resist the title's corny riff on the name... Read More

Increasing Patient Care and Reducing Liability in Seven Simple Steps

When an unconscious patient arrives in the ED, every hospital... Read More