Melatonin - New Info on Dangers, Dosage andPatient Selection

[Wonderbeastlett]

As I was watching the link, it felt more to me like a show about not taking pills correctly than a show about how bad melatonin is. They kept repeating over and over that it is a regulator and not a "sleeping pill" and it has side affects. Every single pill you will ever take in life has side affects. Although, companies are marketing the pill as a sleeping pill, they can't blame the company for taking 3 or 4 in one night. We Americans have learned to buy into things way too easy for some reason. Just because it says "natural" on the bottle doesn't mean lets take 4 in a night!

I was also disappointed that they never said anything about possible reasons for them taking the pills. Nothing about sleep disorders or reasons. The only thing mentioned was stress and busy lives. We don't know how many of those women have actually seen their doctor but I can bet some of them did and were told to try melatonin! (or prescribed some other pill)

[robysue]

I was also disappointed that they never said anything about possible reasons for them taking the pills. Nothing about sleep disorders or reasons. The only thing mentioned was stress and busy lives. We don't know how many of those women have actually seen their doctor but I can bet some of them did and were told to try melatonin! (or prescribed some other pill)

Actually a small part of the show was devoted to talking about how melatonin is very useful for folks who must deal with shift work, short term treatment of jet lag, and use in the elderly. But you are right, at no point in the show did either Dr. Oz or the guest doctor even come close to mentioning that if you haven't been able to get a good night's sleep over a year, then it's time for a sleep test to see if the problem's real root is more than simple stress and and an extra busy life. No mention of OSA. No mention of restless leg syndrome. No mention of periodic limb disorder. Heck---there wasn't even a mention of the basic fact that most insomniacs sleep far more than they think they do---and often that knowledge is enough to let someone with mild insomnia learn to not worry about it and make the situation worse.

The focus of the show seemed to be on conveying the message that most of the melatonin supplements sold OTC are almost guaranteed to lead to people taking far more of the stuff than is strictly necessary. I ran into this problem myself when the PA who was dealing with me in spring 2011 suggested that I try a small 1mg dose of melatonin to see if it would help keep me asleep when my night time wakings had been reduced to maybe two or three wakes during the second half of the night. Unfortunately everywhere I shopped I found melatonin available in 5mg and 10mg pills. I eventually found one place (a local health food store) that stocked one brand with a 3mg pill. The pills were tiny---there was no way I could possibly split that 3mg pill even with a pill splitter. And at 3mg, I did have problems with additional teeth grinding, a feeling of being hung over, and weird dreams. In the end, it wasn't worth it for me.

[123.Shawn T.W.]

Video wouldn't play on my iPhone ...

Meletonin is basically a "trigger" to START sleeping, not to get you to STAY sleeping ... So, even if somebody has OSA they can't have an event until they START sleeping!

I use a pill which has a mixture of:
3mg Meletonin
250mg Valerain Root
75mg Hops Strobiles
50mg Skullcap Herb
50mg Passion Flower Herb
25mg CA Poppy Herb

Plus another pill which has 325mg St. Johns Wort

I take these 1-3 times per week, either because I've had a stressful day, or a crazy schedule ... I'm a long distance truck driver covering 24 hrs a day over three time zones ...! Oh, and I work for a bunch of idiots!

[ChicagoGranny]

You might want to watch the video. According to Dr. Breus you, and most of the melatonin-using population, are overdosing on melatonin.

Watch the video and try adjusting your dosage.

BTW, the rest of that stuff in your capsule is useless - my studied opinion.

[ems]

There may be some truth to this. For the heck of it, I cut my usual 5mg melatonin in half last nite. I felt very good this morning... didn't have my usual hangover feeling and felt more awake and alert. If this continues, I'll go down to 1mg. You learn something new every day.

[lazer]

There may be some truth to this. For the heck of it, I cut my usual 5mg melatonin in half last nite. I felt very good this morning... didn't have my usual hangover feeling and felt more awake and alert. If this continues, I'll go down to 1mg. You learn something new every day.

I might just do this myself for tonight as a test. And many thanks again to RobySue for your detailed explainations concerning my problems. I will try to work on things and especially the exercise.

[123.Shawn T.W.]

You might want to watch the video. According to Dr. Breus you, and most of the melatonin-using population, are overdosing on melatonin.

Watch the video and try adjusting your dosage.

BTW, the rest of that stuff in your capsule is useless - my studied opinion.

Can't watch it till I get home in two more weeks ... By then I'll probably have forgotten about it ...

Well ... One thing I've learned is that different people react differently to the same treatment ... My results are much better getting to sleep when I need it, than straight meletonin ...

My wife on the other hand gets wired and can't fall asleep if she takes meletonin ...

I never have had drosiness or hangovers from my occasional "overdose" of 3mg ...

[49er]

Meletonin is basically a "trigger" to START sleeping, not to get you to STAY sleeping

Exactly.

I heard of a sleep doctor telling patients for whom he has suggested melatonin to take it at sundown as part of the process to start preparing for sleep. He also advises that his patients take .25 to .50mg.

On the odd occasion, it has worked with cal/mag to get me back to sleep when I wake up prematurely and can't get back to sleep no matter what I do. But it has never worked two days in a row.

I am also horrified at how it is misused by the general population. I have heard of parents giving kids up to 10mg of it. No, I am not making this up.

Also as an FYI, when I was tapering off of antidepressants and tried taking melatonin due to withdrawal insomnia, it caused severe depression. So be aware of this if you are taking ADS.

I take these 1-3 times per week, either because I've had a stressful day, or a crazy schedule ... I'm a long distance truck driver covering 24 hrs a day over three time zones ...! Oh, and I work for a bunch of idiots!

Sorry you work under these conditions. I hope it gets better.

49er

[lazer]

There may be some truth to this. For the heck of it, I cut my usual 5mg melatonin in half last nite. I felt very good this morning... didn't have my usual hangover feeling and felt more awake and alert. If this continues, I'll go down to 1mg. You learn something new every day.

I might just do this myself for tonight as a test. And many thanks again to RobySue for your detailed explainations concerning my problems. I will try to work on things and especially the exercise.

Just an update. No exercise yet but I have been cutting the melatonin 5mg's in half for the past week or so and have found no negative reaction to my ability to get and stay asleep. I may try another taper soon - give a week or so longer and 1/4 them so I'm down to about 1mg a night and depending what other crap my psychiatrist pushes on me this Tues as he's no help when it comes to the "herbel" or "natural" supplements so I'm on my own with the Melatonin experimentation.

[chunkyfrog]

I have never tried it; but I could take a nap right now if my boss hadn't just walked through.

[ems]

There may be some truth to this. For the heck of it, I cut my usual 5mg melatonin in half last nite. I felt very good this morning... didn't have my usual hangover feeling and felt more awake and alert. If this continues, I'll go down to 1mg. You learn something new every day.

I might just do this myself for tonight as a test. And many thanks again to RobySue for your detailed explainations concerning my problems. I will try to work on things and especially the exercise.

Just an update. No exercise yet but I have been cutting the melatonin 5mg's in half for the past week or so and have found no negative reaction to my ability to get and stay asleep.

Cutting 5mg in half hasn't made a difference for me either. Going to buy 1mg next week. So far, only place I found them was on Amazon.

[lazer]

There may be some truth to this. For the heck of it, I cut my usual 5mg melatonin in half last nite. I felt very good this morning... didn't have my usual hangover feeling and felt more awake and alert. If this continues, I'll go down to 1mg. You learn something new every day.

I might just do this myself for tonight as a test. And many thanks again to RobySue for your detailed explainations concerning my problems. I will try to work on things and especially the exercise.

Just an update. No exercise yet but I have been cutting the melatonin 5mg's in half for the past week or so and have found no negative reaction to my ability to get and stay asleep.

Cutting 5mg in half hasn't made a difference for me either. Going to buy 1mg next week. So far, only place I found them was on Amazon.

Yea and I had ordered some of these prior to this discussion getting deeper: http://www.swansonvitamins.com/source-n ... g-120-tabs



Now I'm not sure what to do with them - if to try cutting those in half or just give them a try as is.

[ems]

Well, that depends... are you ready to drop further? If you are, try putting them in a pill cutter and try to cut as accurately as possible. Then you'll be taking very close to 1.25mg. Actually, doing it that way is a lot less expensive than buying the 1mg. I think the 1mg on Amazon was almost $20. Don't remb how many in the bottle tho.

[The Choker]

I found 1 mg at WalMart very cheap - 180 for under $4. They are easy to cut with a razor knife into two equal halves.

I am experimenting with half a pill and it certainly seems to help and there is no hangover. Before this thread I had tried 3 mg tabs and they did leave a hangover.

Thanks Therapist for posting this!

[Sloop]

I've been taking two 1 mg sublinguals every night for what must be 10 years now. I average 8.5 hours sleep a night and wake refreshed.
I am pushing 70, so perhaps I do need the stuff more than younger people.