Evaluation of sleep, puberty and mental health in children with long-term melatonin treatment for chronic idiopathic childhood sleep onset insomnia

• Published in: Psychopharmacologia 2011-07, Vol.216 (1), p.111-120
• Main Authors: van Geijlswijk, Ingeborg M., Mol, Robert H., Egberts, Toine C. G., Smits, Marcel G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Analysis; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Care and treatment; Central Nervous System Depressants - administration & dosage; Central Nervous System Depressants - adverse effects; Central Nervous System Depressants - therapeutic use; Child; Children; Children & youth; Complications and side effects; Disorders of higher nervous function. Focal brain diseases. Central vestibular syndrome and deafness. Brain stem syndromes; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Insomnia; Male; Medical sciences; Melatonin; Melatonin - administration & dosage; Melatonin - adverse effects; Melatonin - therapeutic use; Mental Health; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Netherlands; Neurology; Neurosciences; Original Investigation; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Psychiatry; Psychological aspects; Psychopharmacology; Puberty; Puberty - drug effects; Sleep; Sleep - drug effects; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - drug therapy; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - physiopathology; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors
• ISSN: 0033-3158; 1432-2072
• DOI: 10.1007/s00213-011-2202-y

Objectives To establish whether long-term use of melatonin influences pubertal development, sleep quality and mental health development in children as compared with the normal Dutch population of the same age. Methods This follow-up research study was conducted in children included in a previous melatonin dose-finding trial. Outcomes were measured using questionnaires (Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and Tanner Stages) adopted for Dutch children. Mean duration of therapy, persistence of effect, adverse events and (other) reasons leading to cessation of therapy were additional objectives of this study. Results Mean years of usage ( n  = 51) was 3.1 years (min 1.0 year, max 4.6 years), mean dose 2.69 mg (min 0.3 mg, max 10 mg). Mean SDQ score, mean CSHQ score and Tanner Stages standard deviation scores did not differ in a statistically significant way from published scores of the general Dutch population of the same age and sex. Conclusions This follow-up study demonstrates that melatonin treatment in children can be sustained over a long period of time without substantial deviation of the development of children with respect to sleep quality, puberty development and mental health scores, as compared with the general Dutch population.