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Melatonin in ADHD and Sleep Problems

Melatonin - Production and Release in Children and Adolescents With ADHD and Chronic Sleep Problems and Effects of Melatonin on Sleep

Status
UNKNOWN
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04318067
Acronym
MELAS
Enrollment
80
Registered
2020-03-23
Start date
2020-09-01
Completion date
2024-11-30
Last updated
2022-05-09

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Sleep Disorder

Keywords

Melatonin, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Sleep problems, Dim Light Melatonin Onset

Brief summary

Treatment with melatonin is often initiated on an insufficient basis as it has not been established prior to starting the treatment whether or not the child had delayed release of endogenous melatonin. At the clinic, it has furthermore been observed that the length of time a child experiences an effect of melatonin treatment varies substantially. In a clinical context, treatment with melatonin is used increasingly (www.Medstat.dk). However, there is no tradition in Denmark for measuring the endogenous melatonin level before initiating such treatment. Hence there is no way of knowing to what extent the sleep problems were indeed caused by delayed melatonin release. There seem to be no studies on the difference in the effect of melatonin treatment of children and adolescents depending on whether or not they have delayed DLMO. Likewise, there are no studies including adolescents. As can be seen, it is important to gain more knowledge about the normal release of melatonin, and the release of melatonin in a group of children and adolescents with a variety of psychiatric diagnoses. It is also essential to investigate whether there are any differences in the release of melatonin in children and adolescents with chronic sleep onset problem and children and adolescents who do not have sleep problems.

Interventions

Melatonin 3 mg is given ones a day - at bedtimes for 6 month

Sponsors

Sygehus Lillebaelt
CollaboratorOTHER
Allan Hvolby
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
6 Years to 13 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Children aged 6-13 years referred to the child and adolescent psychiatric department for examination/treatment for ADHD * Verified Cronical Sleep Problems * Measured Dim Light Melatonin Onset

Exclusion criteria

* IQ below 70 * Autism Disorder * Actual or former treated with Melatonin * Allergy to melatonin

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Sleep onset Latency (SOL)6 monthHow long time does the child use falling asleep after lights out
Sleep onset6 monthTime where child falls asleep
Total Sleep time6 month

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - Scale Score (ADHD-RS)6 monthA Scale Score measuring ADHD symptoms on a 4 point Likert Scale (0-3) . 18 Question with a Total max score of 54, Total minimum Score is 0 . Higher score is more symptoms.
Side effect Rating Scale6 monthRegistration of 17 known possible Side Effekts on a Likert Scale 0-9 point each, With a total score of 153 points which indicate many and serious Side effect and a minimum of 0 , which indicate Zero side effects
Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale (WFIRS)6 monthEvaluation on different Quality of Life (QoL) scores. 50 Question Measuring QoL in School, Family setting and Social activities on a 4 Point Likert Scale (0-3) with af total max score om 150 (minimum 0) - A higher score is more difficulties and lower Quality of Life
Dundee Difficult Times of the Day Scale (D-DTODS)6 monthOn a 4 point Likert scale (1-4) the instrument asses the impact on Child and Family Self-Esteem and Quality of Life . Total max is 40 points and indicates low QoL and Minimum score is 10 and indicate Normal functioning and High QoL

Countries

Denmark

Contacts

Primary ContactAllan Hvolby, MD, Ph.D
allan.hvolby@rsyd.dk0045 99447300

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026