Waiting for ADHD Medication (Inclu. Melatonin)? What Are Your Options While You Wait — or Are You Looking for an Alternative?

If you've been told your child may have ADHD, or they already have a diagnosis, you may have found yourself facing another frustrating question:

"What are we supposed to do while we wait?"

For some families, the answer can be months — sometimes 15 months or more — before they can access the assessment, specialist appointment or medication pathway they've been waiting for.

And meanwhile, your child still has to get through school.

They still have to concentrate.

They still have to sleep.

They still have to manage their emotions.

And you still have to watch them struggle.

I know this feeling because I lived it.

When my own son was struggling, I remember being told that we needed to wait.

Wait for assessments.

Wait for appointments.

Wait to see what the professionals recommended.

And potentially wait again for medication.

But waiting doesn't make the difficulties disappear.

At the time, I didn't know there were other ways of looking at what was happening inside his brain and nervous system.

I was simply a mum trying to help my child.

And, like so many parents, I was exhausted.

So I painted my kitchen!

Honestly, I did.

I needed something I could actually do.

While I was painting my kitchen, I came across the book The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk.

It made me start thinking differently.

Instead of simply asking:

"What label does my child have?"

I started asking:

"What's happening in their brain and nervous system — and what can we do to help?"

That question ultimately led me down a completely different path.

And eventually, to neurofeedback and amino acid therapy.

For families waiting for ADHD support, the waiting can feel like a lifetime.

And even once you receive a diagnosis, the journey isn't necessarily over.

You may then be waiting to see a specialist, discuss treatment options, start medication or find the right medication and dosage.

And sleep can become another issue entirely.

For many children with ADHD or other neurodevelopmental differences, sleep can be incredibly difficult.

They may struggle to fall asleep.

Their minds may seem to race.

They may wake during the night.

Or they may be exhausted but somehow unable to switch off.

And that's often when parents start hearing about melatonin.

Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the pineal gland in the brain.

As daylight fades, melatonin production naturally increases, sending a signal to the body that it's time to prepare for sleep. In the morning, melatonin levels fall, helping us wake up.

One common misconception is that melatonin is a sleeping pill.

It isn't.

Melatonin doesn't simply force the brain to sleep.

Instead, it acts more like a messenger, helping tell the body that bedtime is approaching.

Think of it like dimming the lights in a theatre before a performance starts.

It helps set the stage for sleep — but it doesn't guarantee the show will begin.

For some children, particularly those with neurodevelopmental conditions, melatonin can be a valuable part of their sleep support.

It can help some children fall asleep more quickly and establish a more predictable sleep routine.

And for parents who have spent months or even years battling bedtime, that can feel life-changing.

Potential benefits can include:

• Falling asleep faster
• Reduced bedtime anxiety
• A more predictable bedtime routine
• Improved sleep duration in some children
• Less stress around bedtime
• Better sleep for the whole family

For some families, melatonin can provide valuable short-term relief while other factors affecting sleep are addressed.

If you'd like to understand more about melatonin, including how it works, potential benefits, side effects and the questions around longer-term use, I've written a separate, more detailed guide:

👉 Melatonin for Children: What Parents Need to Know

Although melatonin is often described as "natural", it's important to remember that it is a hormone.

Many children experience no noticeable side effects, but some can be more sensitive.

Possible side effects can include:

• Morning grogginess
• Headaches
• Daytime tiredness
• Irritability
• Dizziness
• Vivid dreams or nightmares
• Restless sleep

And then there is another issue parents sometimes report:

"It works brilliantly… but only for a little while."

This is something I hear from parents regularly.

They give melatonin.

Their child falls asleep within 20 or 30 minutes.

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

And then…

They're awake again.

Sometimes an hour later.

And rather than being sleepy, they seem wide awake, energetic or restless.

The natural assumption is often:

"Perhaps they need a higher dose."

But with anything affecting the brain, more isn't automatically better.

Some children can also respond unexpectedly to substances intended to promote calm or sleep. Parents sometimes describe this as a paradoxical reaction — where instead of appearing calmer or sleepier, the child becomes more alert, restless, emotional or energetic.

The terminology and evidence around "paradoxical excitation" specifically with melatonin aren't as well established as the term might suggest, so I don't want parents to assume that this response definitely means melatonin is causing a particular biological reaction.

But the observation itself is important.

If something intended to help your child's sleep appears to be making sleep more difficult, it's worth reviewing what's happening with the appropriate professional rather than simply increasing the dose.

This is where the conversation becomes more complicated.

Melatonin is widely used in children, but there are still gaps in our understanding of long-term use throughout childhood.

Researchers continue to investigate questions around areas including:

• Hormonal development
• Puberty
• Growth
• Bone health
• Long-term neurodevelopment

There isn't convincing evidence that appropriately used melatonin causes brain damage in children.

But that doesn't mean we have decades of high-quality evidence answering every question about continuous use from childhood onwards.

In simple terms:

Long-term harm hasn't been established — but long-term safety isn't something we should simply stop questioning either.

That's why it makes sense for melatonin use to be reviewed regularly with the prescribing clinician, rather than assuming that because something is helping today, it necessarily needs to continue indefinitely.

For a deeper look at this subject, read:

👉 Melatonin for Children – The Complete NeuroBalance Guide

This is where my own journey took me in a completely different direction.

I wasn't looking for another supplement.

In fact, NeuroBalance isn't a supplement company.

I was looking for a way of understanding why different children can present so differently.

Why is one child unable to concentrate?

Why is another constantly anxious?

Why does another have no motivation?

Why can one child fall asleep but wake again shortly afterwards?

And could we support some of the underlying systems involved rather than simply chasing each symptom?

That led me to amino acid therapy.

Amino acids are involved in many processes within the body, including the production of neurotransmitters.

Some neurotransmitters are particularly relevant when we're thinking about things such as:

Focus → motivation → mood → calm → sleep.

The NeuroBalance approach is therefore not:

"Every child with ADHD needs the same amino acid."

It's the opposite.

Every child is different.

The aim is to identify the areas that appear to need support and then consider whether targeted amino acid support may be appropriate.

This is why I don't believe in simply buying a generic "ADHD supplement" and hoping for the best.

The right support needs to be individualised.

One of the things that fascinated me about amino acid therapy was the idea that we aren't necessarily looking to provide a substance indefinitely.

The approach I use at NeuroBalance is based around targeted support over a 28-day period, followed by a review.

The areas we may be looking at include:

🎯 Focus & Concentration

For the child who struggles to stay with a task, loses their train of thought or finds it difficult to get started.

🚀 Motivation & Drive

For the child who knows what they need to do but simply can't seem to get themselves to do it.

😌 Calm & Stress Regulation

For the child whose nervous system seems constantly "on".

🌙 Sleep

Looking at the biological pathways involved in sleep and relaxation, rather than simply trying to make a child sleepy.

❤️ Mood & Emotional Regulation

Supporting the systems involved in mood and resilience.

The concept is that amino acids provide building blocks that the body can use to make neurotransmitters.

After a period of targeted support, we can then review what has changed and whether continued supplementation is actually necessary.

That is very different from saying:

"Take this forever."

And importantly, 28 days is not a guarantee that the body's natural production will permanently "kick in" afterwards.

Some people may experience meaningful changes; others may not.

The evidence for amino acids as an alternative treatment for ADHD remains much less established than the evidence for licensed ADHD medications.

That's why I see amino acid therapy as a complementary approach to explore, not a miracle cure.

Amino acids were one part of my journey.

Neurofeedback was another.

Neurofeedback is essentially a form of brain training.

Sensors measure brain activity and provide real-time feedback, giving the brain an opportunity to practise regulating its activity.

At NeuroBalance, I use ILF neurofeedback, with the aim of supporting regulation and resilience.

So, very simply:

Amino acids → nutritional building blocks

Neurofeedback → brain regulation and training

They are completely different approaches, but for some children they can potentially complement each other.

This is the message I wish someone had given me when I was waiting.

Waiting for an assessment doesn't mean you have to wait to learn about your child's brain.

Waiting for medication doesn't mean you have to do nothing.

And exploring alternatives doesn't mean you are anti-medication.

You can continue down the NHS pathway.

You can stay on the waiting list.

You can speak to your GP, paediatrician or ADHD specialist.

And you can also explore what else might be appropriate for your child.

Because while the paperwork is moving through the system, your child is still living their life.

They're still going to school.

They're still trying to concentrate.

They're still struggling with emotions.

They're still trying to sleep.

And you're still trying to work out how to help them.

I didn't start NeuroBalance because I thought I had found a magic cure for ADHD.

I started because I was the mum waiting.

I was painting my kitchen because I felt completely powerless.

Then I read The Body Keeps the Score.

That book made me start looking at the brain and body differently.

That eventually led me to neurofeedback.

Then amino acid therapy.

And gradually I realised something important:

We don't have to choose between seeing a child as a diagnosis and seeing them as a whole person.

We can do both.

We can acknowledge the ADHD.

We can understand the neurobiology.

We can work with the NHS and conventional medicine.

And we can explore other evidence-informed and complementary approaches where appropriate.

Because sometimes the question shouldn't simply be:

"How do we treat the ADHD?"

It should also be:

"What does this particular child's brain need?"

That's the question behind NeuroBalance.

Regulate. Release. Restore.

NeuroBalance provides complementary support and does not diagnose ADHD, prescribe medication or advise families to stop prescribed treatment. Amino acid therapy should be discussed with an appropriately trained practitioner/healthcare professional, particularly where a child is taking medication or has an existing medical condition. Melatonin use in children should be discussed with the child's healthcare professional.