melatonin

javaide · Post by **javaide** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 6:39 am

As I wrote earlier, I am suffering from severe sleep fragmentation. I have tried various sleeping pills like ambien, rozerem, sonata etc. However, the best medicine which could give me relief is melatonin. However, I was only able to get 3 mg tablets, whereas, I think, I was most comfortable at 1/4th of 1 mg, which I tried by breaking 1 mg tablet with great difficulty. Could any of my friends on this commendable forum advise where I could buy melatonin tablets of less than 1 mg strength. If time release is available so much the better. My second question whether long term use of melatonin is likely to harm me anyway. My present age is about 65 years.

WearyOne · Post by **WearyOne** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 7:33 am

I bought 1 mg melatonin for my son at a local Vitamin Shoppe. If you don't have one locally, the have it online, too, at:

http://tinyurl.com/3bkchj

I've never seen one less than 1 mg, but you can easily cut it. I have seen time-released there as well, but not time-released in 1 mg. (I think the lowest time-released I've seen in 3 mg.) If you're not using a pill cutter, they have them at places like CVS, Target, etc.

Good luck!

Pam

DeltaSeeker · Post by **DeltaSeeker** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 8:30 am

Puritan vitamins has a 200 mcg size (I believe that's 1/5 of a mg - someone correct me if wrong). Here's the URL:

Melatinin 200 mcg

Linda

WearyOne · Post by **WearyOne** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 9:58 am

200 mcg (micrograms) would be 0.2 mg (milligrams).

Thanks for that information, Deltaseeker. I'll have to pass this on to someone on another board that's been breaking up the 1 mg into fourths.

Pam

DeltaSeeker · Post by **DeltaSeeker** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 10:05 am

Pam, glad you were able to confirm my thinking/assumption. Getting a smaller pill is soooo much easier than cutting pills. That's why when I went to 1.5 mg of one of my prescriptions I had the doctor order .5 mg pills! (it only comes in .5, 1, and 2 mg). And with pill cutting you're never quite sure you're getting the right dose! BTW, that site has buy 1 get 2 free.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:32 am

DeltaSeeker, Ooh, I'll have to look again at by one get one free! My son is using melatonin and that would be great.

I know about the pill cutting! I have a pill cutter and it never has cut straight! The little metal blade is a tad off-center.

Pam

WearyOne · Post by **WearyOne** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:33 am

Oopos, "Guest" was me, WearyOne. I don't do that often!!

DeltaSeeker · Post by **DeltaSeeker** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 12:11 pm

Wearyone wrote:DeltaSeeker, Ooh, I'll have to look again at by one get one free! My son is using melatonin and that would be great.

Pam, it's buy one get TWO FREE!!! Definitely look at it again

WearyOne · Post by **WearyOne** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 12:12 pm

Oh, thanks again, DeltaSeeker! I either need to get new glasses or learn to read better!

DeltaSeeker · Post by **DeltaSeeker** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 12:15 pm

WearyOne wrote:Oh, thanks again, DeltaSeeker! I either need to get new glasses or learn to read better!

Heck, we can always use the excuse that we're sleep deprived

Bert_Mathews · Post by **Bert_Mathews** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 7:20 am

OKAY I have only used melatonin 200 mcg for two nights...... Cost was under $3 for 60 pills but "It WORKED!! " So I keep using -- Just wondered if the larger dose was better or dumb???
In my world the LATTER is almost a rule!
BERT

socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 10:39 am

I did some research on melatonin in the 90's. At that time research had shown that 300 mcg was the optimal dose. But it is always hard to find that dose in stores. As you have found 1 to 3 mg is much more common. 300 micrograms is 0.3 mg, I believe.

There had been some controversy about its long term safety. I don't know if that has been resolved in the last decade.

It really used to work for me when I suffered from insomnia about 10 years ago.

Jen

kavanaugh1950 · Post by **kavanaugh1950** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 11:20 am

I use melatonin from time to time and it has always worked well. my vet even told me to give it to my dog for thunderstorm anxiety once a day from april to october- made a big difference. pat

goose · Post by **goose** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 11:01 pm

I have to preface this with "I'm not a Doctor".....I did do a bunch of research on melatonin in the 80's when it was the "in thing".....I'm a natural skeptic!!!
It does work!!! (at least it seemed to work with me)
Melatonin is a substance that your body makes naturally in varying amounts. Babies create an abundance of melatonin, hence they sleep a lot (though I'm sure there are some parents that would argue with me on that point -- understandably - but that's what "science" tells us).
As we get older our bodies create less and less as the need for sleep diminishes (or so we're told).
One of the caveats of melatonin is darkness. It is produced in our bodies when it gets dark. If you take supplemental melatonin and try to sleep in a room with a light on, it is not very effective. I always found it didn't make me sleep as much as it made the bed VERY comfortable.
All this said, you will find that science poo poo's melatonin as a sleep aid, and in most of the research that you'll find, shows it has no effect one way or another.
Science can be as it may, I still believe that it helps -- for me, even if it's placebo, I don't care -- it works.
Oh -- the normal dose that I've seen is between 300mcg and 1mg. You can't really OD on the stuff (I used to take the 3mg dose without adverse affect -- took it for years) and I've never heard that it will hurt you, but take that with a grain of salt.
Google on Melatonin and see what you find (I haven't looked recently as I no longer use it -- but it's still in the medicine cabinet!!!!)
Hope this helps some - at least in some perspective.
Good luck
cheers
gg

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