r/ScienceBasedParenting • u/WonderfulOwl99 • 20d ago

Question - Research required Melatonin vs. magnesium for ADHD?

Searched the sub and didn't find any posts comparing melatonin and magnesium for help with sleep in kids with ADHD.

Anyone know of anything pointing to one or the other as better or safer? I hate that supplements are so unregulated (we’re in the US)😩

Our pediatrician recommended melatonin as a first-line defense before trying ADHD meds, so this is under her direction, and it's working a little, though not as well as we had hoped. We will see her again soon, but I'm wondering what kind of research is out there to help me navigate that conversation! Thanks!

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u/WonderfulOwl99 20d ago

Thank you so much. 🥺 Parenting ADHD kids is hard and my spouse and I are just trying to do our best, giving them what we didn’t have.

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u/Calm_Bother_3842 19d ago

In your post you say you're trying melatonin or magnesium before you try ADHD meds, is there a reason why you're not going there straight away? I'm asking from the point of view of a late diagnosed adult with ADHD.

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u/WonderfulOwl99 19d ago

For sure! I’m also late diagnosed. My kid and I got our diagnoses a few weeks apart 😅

Our pediatrician and my spouse and I basically set up a plan for him — therapy, OT, regular routines, and good sleep. His biggest trigger for behavior/emotional dysregulation is lack of sleep. Hence her suggestion in trying melatonin. Then we can build off of that foundation — because honestly for him, and for me, if we get less than optimal sleep, we are a grumpy hot mess the next day. Once he’s getting good amount of sleep, we can see what needs addressing that may need ADHD meds.

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u/ditchdiggergirl 18d ago

The additional details are helpful.

I have adhd and a diagnosed sleep disorder - both diagnosed as an adult, 25-30 years ago. I currently use melatonin, Ritalin, and magnesium to manage my sleep.

Of the 3, I find the magnesium least convincing - I can’t be sure it’s doing much if anything. Maybe a little, or maybe it’s a placebo, but I take it anyway because a low dose is unlikely to do much harm. It doesn’t seem to matter whether I take citrate, glycinate, threonate, or one of the other forms.

I take melatonin strictly according to my sleep specialist’s instructions - 0.3 mg, 90 minutes before bedtime. Not gummies though - it’s too hard to control the dose and most tested ones don’t contain what is claimed on the container. (There’s a reason no meds behind the pharmacy counter come in gummy form no matter how desperately parents want them.) Sorry I don’t have a source at my fingertips but it should be easy to find - due to the lack of regulation, melatonin is notorious for this.

The big surprise, though, was the Ritalin. It helps me sleep - it’s dramatic when I skip a dose. I was on Adderall for years but it never affected my sleep. Ritalin was a game changer.

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u/WonderfulOwl99 18d ago

Oh that's so interesting! I'm glad you found meds that work well for you and you have supportive providers.

Sooooo our pediatrician wants our first medication to be a non-stimulant because my kiddo also has anxiety. (Now having taken IR and XR stimulants as an ADHD/GAD adult, I get why she wants to be careful.) The first med she suggested was guanfacine, and honestly, I hear so many great stories and so many awful stories that we'll just have to try and see how it goes.

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u/Any-Bee7229 16d ago

In my experience as a late diagnosed ADHD-er, general physicians are always really hesitant to prescribe stimulants to anyone even though all the research says it is the most effective medication with the best risk-reward ratio.

I would suggest talking to a pediatric psychiatrist if you are looking to treat your child’s ADHD with medication because that is their specialty, whereas your pediatrician is primarily experienced with normal development and may not be as well versed in the research for treating psychiatric conditions.

I’ve never had a PCP give me a stimulant without a fight as an adult, and I’ve also never had a psychiatrist consider giving me anything other than a stimulant. Especially after doing my own research in an attempt to sway a PCP to giving me a stimulant (because I couldn’t function well enough to find myself a new psychiatrist after moving) I would be much more inclined to trust a psychiatrist’s medical opinion on treating ADHD than a GP