Autism-World

Q: My son who is autistic has just been prescribed melatonin 3mg at night to help with sleep and behaviour, hes had it for two nights now and if anything hes got worse and appears scared and really agitated, any one have any ideas or similar experiances or does any one know of any side effects of this stuff. sensible answers only please.

Answer:

Well, most scientific studies on melatonin have shown no adverse effects. Some side effects have been reported, however, when melatonin is used alone or with other drugs. Some of these are nausea, confusion, morning sleepiness and headaches. There have also been very few reports of more serious effects.

The most common seem to be headaches, dizziness, nausea and drowsiness – the rate of these side effects is similar to a placebo.

If your son is scared or agitated it sounds as if you should give the doctor a call. I am not a doctor and have not worked with autistic children. It’s possible there is an adjustment period, but it is also possible that melatonin will not work for your son and maybe you should discontinue it.

Good luck to you both!

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 17th, 2007 at 10:08 pm and is filed under Ask and answer, Autism Treatment.