Over recent months more & more parents are saying that it is becoming more increasingly difficult to get melatonin in liquid form from their family doctor or from springliegh family centre who is only prescribing tablets. A child at any age will struggle to take tablets let alone an autistic child who at the best of times hates taking any medicine, please could anyone having these difficulties please let me know through the forum so valerie and i can bring this issue up at the next meeting we have with children with disabilities partnership group meeting in september. 

many thanks 

neil

Hi Neil,

With regards to melatonin, I was informed on June 12th about melatonin by Paula Lavette at Springleigh, yet was passed around to my GP etc before finally being given a prescription on August 17th by Dr. Holly. I specifically asked for liquid form yet Dr. Holly informed me that melatonin only existed in tablet form, I told her I knew other parents who had difficulty administering tablets and she then said there is a capsule form which could be opened and sprinkled on to food but that I must be mistaken as there is no liquid form of melatonin available, I think It's bad enough I have been passed around services and struggled to receive a diagnosis, not to mention not having adequate sleep for 8 years without being misled. Let me know if I can help in anyway resolve this problems for other parents.

Meg

meg at August 22, 2010 at 4:06 PM

Hi Neil,

 

With regards to melatonin, I was informed on June 12th about melatonin by Paula Lavette at Springleigh, yet was passed around to my GP etc before finally being given a prescription on August 17th by Dr. Holly. I specifically asked for liquid form yet Dr. Holly informed me that melatonin only existed in tablet form, I told her I knew other parents who had difficulty administering tablets and she then said there is a capsule form which could be opened and sprinkled on to food but that I must be mistaken as there is no liquid form of melatonin available, I think It's bad enough I have been passed around services and struggled to receive a diagnosis, not to mention not having adequate sleep for 8 years without being misled. Let me know if I can help in anyway resolve this problems for other parents.

 

Meg

 see the expiry date nov 2011

taken from the n.i.c.e website

http://www.nelm.nhs.uk/en/NeLM-Area/Evidence/Drug-Specific-Reviews/Melatonin-in-paediatric-sleep-disorders/

The costs of treating a patient with melatonin can vary substantially, for example the costs of product available from two of the major specials suppliers in the UK vary between £4.20 and £30 a month to treat a patient with 3mg daily. The cost of using Circadin® (as recommended by the MHRA where clinically appropriate) at a dose of 2mg daily would be £14.40 for 28 days, but any paediatric use would be off-label.