Melatonin-My Hero

Good idea - and you must have someone really good who is willing to consider such treatment. Talk it over, and I hope you come up with something that continues to make melatonin your hero! Good luck!

ProfessorSleep wrote:Good idea - and you must have someone really good who is willing to consider such treatment. Talk it over, and I hope you come up with something that continues to make melatonin your hero! Good luck!

Thanks for everything, Beth!

Sleepless on LI wrote:
Thanks for everything, Beth!

Anything for you, Lori. You hooked me up with the Aura. AND you said I looked young!



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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): Aura

ProfessorSleep wrote:

Sleepless on LI wrote:
Thanks for everything, Beth!

Anything for you, Lori. You hooked me up with the Aura. AND you said I looked young!

I"ve said it before and I'll say it again, I call 'em like I see 'em.

I have taken melatonin for a couple of years, way before I knew I had OSA. I only take it when I want to make sure I sleep well, in fact I took it during my titration study, worked better then a sleeping pill. I always chopped a 3-mg in half, cause the three made me groggy the next day, in fact the 1.5-mg does also. I wonder what it would do to take about .5mg daily to help with better rest, I know you could buy it in 1mg. I always wake up at about 3:00 AM, the guy thing you know.

I was guested earlier. You can find the sublingual at most health food stores in 3 and 6mg doses.

Just do a google search, or call your local health food store. I have found them at GNC also. The brand I use is Source Naturals. I also take Magnesium Asporotate at 600mg , both 10 hours before my desired waking time.

If I can find them in Wisconsin, I am sure you will have no problem locating them in LI.

Trust me on this one......the subs are much better and the poster who stated 3mg is too much is right, you will overload your system with much more melatonin that your pituitary gland will ever make in a day. This will cause you to not respond to ANY dose as your body will get used to it.

Good Luck!

SLPYHED,

Thank you so much for the information. I guess I will cut my 3 mg. in half tonight and hope it works well. I guess as long as you aren't lacking in melatonin, you should not have any sleep disruptions because of it.

So you don't take it every day? What happens on those nights when you don't take any? Do you notice a difference in your sleep pattern? I just am stumped now as to how much to take and how often to take it. Here I thought I found the answer, but it's only one piece to the larger melatonin puzzle. I think I'll go check the Internet...thanks again.

I am sorry for the mistake earlier. it is the Pineal gland. Whoops!

I did not want to discourage you whatsoever. as with CPAP, melatonin is not a one size fits all dose since our bodies are all different producing NATURAL melatonin at different amounts.

I too jumped in at 3mg right off the bat a few years ago and saw immediate results. After just a few weeks it was like a sugar pill. I quit taking melatonin for a few monts and then started again at 1 mg and then finally settling at the 1.5mg dose. I take it three days a week, but never back to back. I take the OTC dramamine (2 pills) and the Mag 2 nights and 2 nights I take nothing.

Again this is what works for me and you may very well be ok with what you are doing now.

Look up Rozerem online. it is a SUPER melatonin coming out in a week or so. I may give it a try since it is not a sedative which I will not take. Anyway the website has some useful info what melatonin does.


Melatonins effect:

The word “circadian” literally means a period of approximately 24 hours.

Circadian rhythms influence a wide range of biologic functions, but the influence on the sleep-wake mechanism is the most familiar. Circadian rhythms are influenced by the light-dark cycle, but are generated by the expression of “clock” genes in the body’s internal master clock, which is located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN.1-4


During the day, the SCN emits an alerting signal that stimulates the circadian wake system. This process is directly opposed by the homeostatic process, which increases the need for sleep the longer a person is awake. With the onset of darkness, the pineal gland releases melatonin, thus suppressing the SCN alerting signal and allowing sleep to occur.

Slpyhed

Slpyhed,

I have never been more confused in my life. I did an extensive amount of research before on melatonin and NONE of the sites never mention anything about getting used to it if you take it every day, yet the information I'm getting here contradicts that. Ozij even gave a site and quote from that site about that same subject.

I have also read that for insomnia and sleep disruptions, 3 mgs. is the dose to take DAILY. However, taking into consideration what I've heard on this site, if one risks becoming immune to it after taking that dose for awhile, that is a very risky thing. Then they quantify it by saying everyone is individual and different people need different amounts. That is too vague for me. I need someone to say, "Take X amount this many times a day or week." And there is not one place that conclusively states anything close to that. As these sites put it, start off at 1.5 mgs. daily and increase IF NEEDED (that's a quote, by the way).

I guess, at the risk of not sleeping as well, I will try to cut down the dose tonight to 1.5. Will that be too much since I took 3 mgs. two nights so far in a row? Who the *&^#% knows! I don't think anyone really does. Will I end up causing myself to become immune? Maybe. Should I stop taking it after tomorrow and take it every other day? Who knows!!!

This is just too much for me to handle. This morning I was thrilled, thinking I've finally figured out why my body was waking up and had finally found a cure. Tonight I'm totally confused and disgusted over the fact that they tell you to use something that may or may not work and you can take this much or that much, but maybe you shouldn't take it every day, or you should take it every day or...this is just too gray for me.

I thank you for your input and sharing what you do with me. As far as what I'm going to do? I don't have the slightest idea; and, unfortunately, it's my sleep and feeling rested that will pay the price if I make the wrong choices.

Aw, Gee, Lori - I feel terrible that you are now so frustrated. However, you hit the nail on the head that things just aren't that clear cut. A few years ago the best minds in medicine told us that cholesterol was terrible. Then there was good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. Then maybe there were more kinds than that. Then it didn't matter because it was genetic anyway. Hormone Replacement Therapy? Either saves you or kills you, depending. You get my point. Research never proves anything, and ultimately what makes a good health related decision is a combination of science, clinical experience, really knowing the person and having excellent communication and rapport, and a little bit of luck. In the case of things like melatonin and nutraceuticals and other "integrative or alternative" therapies, we know even less. There isn't 70 years of history or research behind it like there is with some of the germ-related stuff. For myself, I'm rather fond of an incremental approach. Take enough to be therapeutic, but not any more than that. If that turns out to be not enough, up the dose or try another concoction (not to be tried with antibiotics). Melatonin has worked wonders for many people, and your response indicates that you may be one of those. So the current status, since you already have your doc.'s ok, would be not to quit altogether, but maybe try a lower dose to see what works for you. If that works, you can take it for quite awhile before any resistance is built up. By then you will have discussed it again with your doc. to get more advice. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) there aren't tests to show how your pineal gland is working, what your normal cycle of melatonin is, whether you have a 24 hour circadian rhythm or something else (that isn't standard for everyone), etc., etc. In the absence of that (and even then I'd say how you feel is a good key), trial and error and incremental changes make sense. I've worked with tons of people who take 3 mg nightly with no problem. Many of them are elderly, however, and I think that does make a difference in how much they need. Many people take melatonin and feel no difference. Some get headaches and a hangover, some do just fine. Given the safety and possible beneficial effects, I don't see any reason why you couldn't try it on a short term basis and then talk with your doc. to get a recommendation about how to continue. Good luck, and please don't give up!

Disclaimer: As before.

Beth,

Thanks for the encouragement and trying to talk me down off the ledge here...I still may jump, though. Don't stand under me!!!

No, all kidding aside, I will try a half dose tonight at the risk of not sleeping as well as last night. That will only make me wonder, IF it works, should I take it again on Sunday night? Too many if's in this scenario.

I hear what you're saying about not enough research to know if anyone can even be conclusive yet about this. It's just upsetting to think you've found the answer, at the suggestion of your doctor who you trust, no less, only to be given information the next day or so that leads you to doubt everything you were doing that you thought was correct.

I am so afraid of rocking the boat when it seemed the waters had just calmed down, but we'll have to play this one day at a time, like everything else. I will cut it down tonight and then talk with my doctor on Monday. I hope she knows enough about this and can steer me in the right direction.

Off topic, hope your night with the Aura goes well. Remember the panythose leg if you feel leaks before you shut off the light. It will guarantee a leak-proof night. Me? I have a cold coming on, or REALLY bad allergies. Just set up my hh, which I never use, and pray I'll be able to use the machine tonight. I haven't missed a night in four months. I'm a bit worried if I don't use it one night, but it may be a strong possibility since I don't own a ff mask. I think I need to look into one, although how do you have a runny nose under a full face mask and not have a huge problem??? Let me know how your night goes, please.

Professor Sleep

Good post -- reading in depth for all of us! You brought up many points that beg to be explored. Thank you!

ditto what fnorette said...excellent info, ProfessorSleep!

ozij, you rock, too!!

Good luck, Lori. I know you were thrilled at those two first nights at the high dosage of Melatonin, but it sounds like slow and steady wins the race more often than not with this supplement.

Slpyhed, I've also heard that the sublingual melatonin works better than tablets. Thanks for mentioning that.

Lori,
If you google (without quotes) "meltonin +300" You'll find a number of sources selling 300 microgram (which 0.3 milligram) tablets of melatonin. I have no idea how reliable those sources are but it's a start in getting the info.
O.

ProfessorSleep wrote:There is a big difference between taking 1 1/2 or 3 mg now and then to help sleep and taking .05mg nightly to account for a disruption in the body's normal production of melatonin.

Beth, didn't an extra zero creep in there ? Did you really mean .05mg? or was that 0.5mg? The study I quoted mentions 300 micorgrams which is 0.3 milligram - one tenth as much as Lori is taking not 1/100th...

O.