Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 2, 2026

High-Throughput Small Molecule Drug Screening For Age-Related Sleep Disorders Using Drosophila melanogaster
05:59

High-Throughput Small Molecule Drug Screening For Age-Related Sleep Disorders Using Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: October 20, 2023

Administration of melatonin mixed with soft food and liquids for children with neurodevelopmental difficulties

T Shah1, Apy Tse, H Gill

  • 1Department of Pharmaceutics, The School of Pharmacy, University of London, London, UK.

Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
|August 30, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Melatonin capsules can be safely mixed with various foods and drinks for children. This study confirms melatonin stability in common vehicles for up to 6 hours, ensuring reliable medication for pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • Pediatric Medicine
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Background:

  • Children often struggle to swallow medication capsules, necessitating alternative administration methods.
  • Melatonin is frequently used in pediatric populations, particularly for sleep disturbances associated with neurodevelopmental disorders.
  • Ensuring medication stability when mixed with food or drink is crucial for accurate dosing and therapeutic efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the compatibility and short-term stability of melatonin capsules when mixed with common foods and liquids.
  • To develop and validate analytical methods for quantifying melatonin and its degradation products in various administration vehicles.
  • To determine if mixing melatonin capsules with specified vehicles compromises drug integrity for up to 6 hours.

Main Methods:

  • Melatonin capsules were mixed with water, orange juice, semi-skimmed milk, strawberry yogurt, and strawberry jam.
  • Extraction of melatonin from these mixtures was performed, followed by analysis using a validated analytical assay.
  • Stability was assessed by monitoring for drug degradation over a 6-hour period at room temperature.

Main Results:

  • High recovery rates of melatonin were achieved from all tested administration vehicles, ranging from 89% to 111%.
  • Melatonin demonstrated excellent stability in water, orange juice, milk, yogurt, and jam for up to 6 hours.
  • No significant degradation peaks of melatonin were observed in any of the tested mixtures within the 6-hour timeframe.

Conclusions:

  • Melatonin capsules are compatible with a range of common liquids and foodstuffs, allowing for flexible administration in children.
  • The stability of melatonin in these vehicles ensures that its therapeutic efficacy is maintained for at least 6 hours.
  • These findings support the use of mixed melatonin in pediatric trials, such as the Use of Melatonin in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Impaired Sleep study, without compromising drug integrity.

More Related Videos

A Treatment Package without Escape Extinction to Address Food Selectivity04:23

A Treatment Package without Escape Extinction to Address Food Selectivity

Published on: August 21, 2015

Related Concept Videos

Management of Insomnia01:19

Management of Insomnia

The sleep cycle, an integral part of human health, consists of several stages with distinct characteristics and functions. It begins with a transition from wakefulness to sleep, known as the light sleep phase, followed by the restorative deep sleep phase, essential for physical recovery and growth. The cycle concludes with the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase, characterized by high brain activity and vivid dreaming. Insomnia, a prevalent sleep disorder, involves difficulty falling asleep, staying...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption01:23

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption

Understanding the physiological differences in the pediatric population is crucial for effective pharmacotherapy. Neonates, infants, and children exhibit significant variations in gastric pH, gastric emptying time, intestinal transit time, and biliary function. These variations profoundly affect oral drug absorption, necessitating a nuanced approach to pediatric dosing.Neonates present with a unique physiological profile, having a gastric pH greater than 4 and faster and more irregular gastric...
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents01:17

Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Miscellaneous Agents

Sedatives and hypnotics encompass a wide range of substances, each with its unique mechanism of action, uses, and potential adverse effects.
Melatonin congeners like ramelteon (Rozerem) and tasimelteon (Hetlioz) selectively bind to melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and thus mimic the actions of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Tasimelteon is primarily used for non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder, common in blind patients. They are also used to treat conditions like insomnia...
Drug Dosing: Infants and Children01:29

Drug Dosing: Infants and Children

Pediatric patient dosages diverge from adults due to disparities in body surface area, total body water, and extracellular fluid per kilogram of body weight. The dosing regimen considers the variations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacology across distinct age groups, encompassing preterm newborns, infants, young children, older children, and adolescents. Calculation of pediatric patient doses is predicated on determining body surface area, which exhibits a superior correlation with the child's...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion01:26

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion

In pediatric medicine, understanding the renal function and drug elimination nuances is crucial for administering safe and effective treatments. Newborns, in particular, display markedly slower renal functions than adults, profoundly affecting how drugs are cleared from their bodies. This slower drug clearance requires clinicians to extend the dosing intervals for many medications to prevent drug accumulation and toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.One key area where these adjustments...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism01:24

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism

In pediatric care, understanding the nuances of hepatic drug metabolism is crucial, as it significantly differs from that of adults. This divergence is primarily due to the developmental stage of drug-metabolizing enzymes, which affects how medications are processed in the body. In neonates, for instance, the activity of Phase I enzymes—critical for the initial breakdown of drugs—is markedly reduced, functioning at just 20–40% of the levels seen in adults. This reduction poses a challenge in...