Melatonin vs. Ambien

[trytryagain]

I'm trying to wean myself of Ambien as a sleep aid. It has worked great for me, but I don't want to be dependent on them. I cannot fall asleep on cpap without, YET. Although I am cutting them in half and doing okay. My question is, if our bodies produce melatonin naturally, is taking a melatonin supplement considered a sleep aid?

[kempo]

Sometimes your body doesn't produce enough melatonin. I would not be afraid of using it. Think about it. What will do your body more harm over period of months. Taking a melatonin tablet and getting a good night sleep or not getting enough sleep.

[jlk]

I quite often take 2 around 6:00 pm, that is the optimum time for it as your body kicks in making it at dusk in the natural form. I consider it safer than most other sleep aids because it is something your body makes anyways. john

[Shellie_p]

My sons doctor recomended melatonin after they increased his concerta and he had issues falling asleep.

Now most everyone in the family takes it from time to time, it works real well for us.

Just gotta be careful to not take to much of it. I did once when we bought a new bottle from a different company and didn't realize the doses were drasticly different and it made my heart race and made me jittery instead of sleepy. I have a perscription for ambien too that I'm supposed to use if the melatonin don't work, which I think in the last 3 years has been twice.. lol

[Nord]

Melatonin works for me... 3mg about 1 hour before bed. I have been using for about 3 months steady w/o side effects... it is a natural hormone produced by the pituitary gland in sufficient amounts when working properly and at a younger age. The pituitary gland produces less as we age. Some of us supplement the body and I now fall asleep within 10 minutes unless I forget to take melatonin...

Nord

[snuginarug]

I'm trying to wean myself of Ambien as a sleep aid. It has worked great for me, but I don't want to be dependent on them. I cannot fall asleep on cpap without, YET. Although I am cutting them in half and doing okay. My question is, if our bodies produce melatonin naturally, is taking a melatonin supplement considered a sleep aid?

There are two different answers for this question. Yes, melatonin is a sleep aid in that it does aid those seeking help with sleep. But it is a hormone, and therefore not technically a sleep aid, the way Ambien is. Are you concerned about being "hooked" on a sleep aid? Using melatonin regularly is simply increasing what the body normally produces. So using it regularly is not being hooked on something artificial as with the Ambien. My doc encouraged me to try melatonin as it doesn't have as many side effects as drugs like Ambien, Lunesta, etc. What does your doc say about this?

[Uncle_Bob]

Sound Sleep Sound Mind by Barry Krakow is an excellent book about bringing on the natural wave of sleep without using drugs.

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Sleep-Mind- ... 952&sr=1-1

[MarCn]

A friend recommended I take melatonin, and indeed I bought some and tried it, and thought it works well to put me to sleep (250 MCG) and I
don't feel too drousy in the morning, I was wondering if i should use it instead of Ambien for the nights before the exam (and not just only to deal with the jet lag prob) - if someone knows which one is better (or less worse), pls. let me know!!!

[meahmiller]

melatonin is a good sleep aid, but if you have trouble with depression or SAD then i would stay away from it. It can make those worse.

[Meghan]

Wow, I am in the exact same boat. I just bought melatonin today to try it out! I hope it works for you!

[Sloop]

Geez .. my favorite topic

To put it bluntly -- Ambien is a killer. Anyone who takes it long term might as well be getting their wheel gun out and spinning the cylinder. It is THAT dangerous. Speaking from first hand experience. Do a search and you'll dredge up my posts on the topic.
'

Melatonin is a very safe and extremely powerful antioxident. As for a sleep aid, I have found that ONLY the sublingual version works for me. It puts me under in a NY minute. I've been using it for almost a decade now with no bad effects.

[sleepnasta]

i've been taking melatonin for a few weeks to help me on sleepless nights. i take 2.5 mg at bedtime and am usually out in 15 minutes (as opposed to my usual 45+ minutes). i have no ill effects in the morning. my only advice is don't take it in the middle of the night. i did this once because i had spent hours tossing and turning and was very tired in the morning. as long as you have at least 6 hours to sleep it works great, for me at least. i also give about 0.5 mg to my four year old because she has a lot of trouble falling asleep too. this was what her pediatrician recommended.

[Sir NoddinOff]

A few years ago the older bottles of melatonin used to say "for nightly usage" on their back labels. Nowadays they mostly say "only for occasional usage". Apparently they can sometimes affect the normal regulation of the pituitary gland while overuse can lead to sleeplessness and a variety of sleep disorders, at least according to the the most recent internet medical info I've read. I therefore only use it as directed, which means occasionally. Ambien however is a whole different medication often referred on this forum as Z-meds. Search the internet or this forum for the term Z-meds to get more info.

[Sloop]

Let me give an explanation of what I meant by Ambien being a killer. The drug itself won't kill you, but what it does to your consciousness and mental acquity is alarming.

It will literally turn you into a zombie in the early hours of use. You will be pretty much unresponsive or at a minimum totally whacked out. If you take this stuff regularly, there will be times when you sleep walk, and will be found doing very bizarre stuff. I caught my wife burning bacon in a frying pan and the fire was so intense it almost burned down our kitchen. Another time I caught her stuffing all her jewerly in and out of several purses. But the worst was when she had eaten something earlier in the evening that didn't agree with her stomach and about two hours after going to sleep, she vomited and didn't wake up. She aspirated all the vomit into her lungs and was comatose for 5 days (total of 10 days in ICU). My wife is not the Lone Ranger with bad happenings because of Ambien. Do some research.

CAVEAT EMPTOR

[49er]

Let me give an explanation of what I meant by Ambien being a killer. The drug itself won't kill you, but what it does to your consciousness and mental acquity is alarming.

It will literally turn you into a zombie in the early hours of use. You will be pretty much unresponsive or at a minimum totally whacked out. If you take this stuff regularly, there will be times when you sleep walk, and will be found doing very bizarre stuff. I caught my wife burning bacon in a frying pan and the fire was so intense it almost burned down our kitchen. Another time I caught her stuffing all her jewerly in and out of several purses. But the worst was when she had eaten something earlier in the evening that didn't agree with her stomach and about two hours after going to sleep, she vomited and didn't wake up. She aspirated all the vomit into her lungs and was comatose for 5 days (total of 10 days in ICU). My wife is not the Lone Ranger with bad happenings because of Ambien. Do some research.

CAVEAT EMPTOR

Slope, I share your concerns about ambien and would never take it in a million years. By the way, when I told my ENT that relatives had suggested it would be a good option for me, she was horrified and said it is contraindicated with sleep apnea.

I am curious, did doctors initially believe it was the ambien that caused her frightening events? Or did they initially deny it could be the culprit?

Anyway, everything turned out but that must have been an extremely horrifying experience.

49er