“What medicine is good for children's sleeping issues?”
My son is 7 years old and he has trouble falling asleep. What medicine is good for children's sleeping issues?
7 Answers
There are no sleep medications FDA approved for insomnia in children. I would NOT use Benadryl chronically. I refer my patients to Richard Ferber's books on this subject. You can find these at a local book store or online.
I would suggest trying Melatonin or some hot milk. Melatonin is a natural hormone produced in the brain when you are really in a deep sleep, it’s over the counter. Also, look at his sleep regimen, and sleep hygiene and diet. Reduce any fructose late at night, and no vitamins B12 or B 6 at bed time. I’ve seen all of this in my practice. Last, but not least, pray with him, and ensure that he is safe and start a sleep routine at night.
Hope that helps.
Hope that helps.
Thank you for your question at FADT. So I will start by saying that the first advise for a child with sleeping issues is non-pharmacological. Typically in medicine we use the milder treatments first, going to stronger treatments gradually if the previous treatment did not work. So it is advised that the first step would be home remedies including sleep hygiene, then going up to psychotherapy, and then going up to taking medication under the advise of a doctor. I hope this helps, thank you! Dr. Dodd, MD.
Benadryl drops.
You need to begin with a good bedtime routine. Pick a wake-up time that works for him and STICK TO IT 7 DAYS PER WEEK. 9 hours prior to that, develop and do the same, about a 30-min process to given his body a clear message that it is time to relax and fall asleep, back rubs, epsom salt baths, reading, music. YOU WANT TO AVOID ANY SCREENS - TV, phone, computer within 1 hour of bed as the blue and green light components can suppress the body's melatonin (the chemical that helps you fall asleep when it is dark). Also, 4-500mg magnesium gluconate or citrate-natual calm is a powder you dissolve in water, amazon has natural calm gummies. This should help 1/2-3/4 of kids. If not add melatonin up to max 15mg. Also need a cool, quiet, dark, and comfy environment
There are better ways to deal with this. In general, medication would be strongly discouraged. Talk to your internist. If necessary get referred to a sleep specialist who specializes in pediatric sleep or, if appropriate, a pediatric psychiatrist.
Melatonin at the right dose and the right time is a good first step.
