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 Vol. 17 No. 5, May 2007
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AAP Grand Rounds 17:58-59 (2007)
© 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics

UNIFORMED SERVICES; DEVELOPMENTAL/BEHAVIORAL PEDIATRICS

Melatonin, Sleep, and ADHD

Source: Van der Heijden KB, Smits MG, Van Someren EJW, et al. Effect of melatonin on sleep, behavior, and cognition in ADHD and chronic sleep-onset insomnia. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007;46:233–241; doi:10.1097/01.chi.0000246055.76167.0d[Medline]

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

Researchers from multiple institutions in the Netherlands collaborated to investigate whether treatment with melatonin could improve objective and subjective measures of sleep, behavior, cognitive performance, and quality of life in medication-free children diagnosed with ADHD and chronic sleep-onset insomnia (SOI). This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study included 105 children, age 6–12 years, diagnosed with ADHD and SOI. ADHD was diagnosed in accordance with guidelines from the AAP and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. SOI was defined as complaints of sleep-onset problems expressed by parents and/or child, occurring on at least four nights per week for longer than one year, average sleep latency (time from lights out until sleep onset) exceeding 30 minutes, and average sleep onset later than 8:30 PM for children at age six years and for older children 15 minutes later per year. Exclusion criteria included an IQ <80, pervasive developmental disorder, chronic pain, known disturbed hepatic or renal function, epilepsy, and the use of melatonin, stimulants, neuroleptics, benzodiazepines, clonidine, antidepressants, hypnotics, or ß-blockers in the four weeks prior to enrollment.

Participants were randomly assigned to receive fast-release tablets of melatonin (3mg if <40kg; 6mg if >40kg) or identical-appearing placebo tablets at 7:00 PM for four weeks. These . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Mike Dubik, MD, FAAP
Pediatrics, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA