I just gave my son 3 mg of melatonin, found out so did dad an hour ago. What do I do now?

8 Dec 2011

The advise is to seek emergency medical attention.

Symptoms of a melatonin overdose may include headache, drowsiness, and upset stomach.

http://www.drugs.com/melatonin.html

Children 6 months to 14 years of age with sleep disorders

Melatonin 2 to 5 mg has been used... hopefully he didn't experience any severe side effects.

9 Dec 2011

How old is your son? I was involved in a research study of melatonin with the U.S. Army several years ago. For grown men, we gave 10 mg of melatonin at bedtime. None of our volunteer "subjects" exhibited any side effects from the use of melatonin. Our pineal glands produce melatonin, a naturally secreted hormone. The melatonin pills are a supplemental dose to tell our bodies it is time to sleep. It is not a drug. The only adverse reaction we found with long-term daily use of melatonin was hair loss after approximately 3 months. Although 6 mgs is a little high for a small child, unless the child is allergic to melatonin it is doubtful that that dose will harm the child. If a double dose occurs again, take the child into bright light, preferably natural sunlight for 45 to 60 minutes. This exposure to light shuts off the body's natural production of melatonin, thereby reducing the total amount of melatonin in his system to a more normal level. Hope this helps.