Melatonin - New Info on Dangers, Dosage andPatient Selection

I take 5mg of Melatoin when I can't get to sleep after an hour because if I don't I will most likely be awake till 2 am or later. I don't take it every night but do have periods in which i use it most nights and long periods where I don't use it at all. I have read all the posts and still don't know what the dangers are other than hangover and dizziness. Which I have not experienced, not to say that others do experience these side affects. But what are the dangers??? I sure don't want to take something that might cause serious problems.

lilly747 wrote:I take 5mg of Melatoin when I can't get to sleep after an hour because if I don't I will most likely be awake till 2 am or later. I don't take it every night but do have periods in which i use it most nights and long periods where I don't use it at all. I have read all the posts and still don't know what the dangers are other than hangover and dizziness. Which I have not experienced, not to say that others do experience these side affects. But what are the dangers??? I sure don't want to take something that might cause serious problems.

One negative article does not make a consensus. Melatonin has so many anti-oxident benefits that the pros far outweigh the cons.

And the funny thing is -- the people that are against melatonin seem to be just fine with all the prescription medications such as Ambien, Lunesta, etc. Talk about DANGEROUS sleep aids!

Hi Sloop,

On a related note, what about healthcare professionals who claim that supplements are dangerous but then claim that meds are perfectly safe to take?

Personally, I take the view that you have to cautious of all medical claims whether they be mainstream or alternative. As this board knows, I had horrendous side effects while on psych meds. But I have also gotten bad side effects from so called harmless supplements.

As I mentioned previously, using 1mg of melatonin with mag/cal seems to work about 60% of the time when I am trying to get back to sleep after waking up prematurely. Doesn't help when I take it initially as I wake up too early.

Glad it works for you.

49er

Sloop wrote:

lilly747 wrote:I take 5mg of Melatoin when I can't get to sleep after an hour because if I don't I will most likely be awake till 2 am or later. I don't take it every night but do have periods in which i use it most nights and long periods where I don't use it at all. I have read all the posts and still don't know what the dangers are other than hangover and dizziness. Which I have not experienced, not to say that others do experience these side affects. But what are the dangers??? I sure don't want to take something that might cause serious problems.

One negative article does not make a consensus. Melatonin has so many anti-oxident benefits that the pros far outweigh the cons.

And the funny thing is -- the people that are against melatonin seem to be just fine with all the prescription medications such as Ambien, Lunesta, etc. Talk about DANGEROUS sleep aids!

49er wrote:Hi Sloop,

On a related note, what about healthcare professionals who claim that supplements are dangerous but then claim that meds are perfectly safe to take?

Personally, I take the view that you have to cautious of all medical claims whether they be mainstream or alternative. As this board knows, I had horrendous side effects while on psych meds. But I have also gotten bad side effects from so called harmless supplements.

As I mentioned previously, using 1mg of melatonin with mag/cal seems to work about 60% of the time when I am trying to get back to sleep after waking up prematurely. Doesn't help when I take it initially as I wake up too early.

Glad it works for you.

49er

Yeah for sure - all people are different and react differently to any substance. For instance, taking regular melatonin does absolutely nothing for me. I've even tried the time-release. And there are tons of the regular Melatonin on the market, so it must work for some people. But sublingual, that is a different story. I take two just before lights out and I am asleep within 5 minutes. 3/4 of the nights, I sleep straight through for around 7-8 hours. 1/4 of the time I might wake up after 4-5 hours sleep and get some water and then take one more 1mg pill and I quickly get back to sleep for the remainder of the night. If I don't take that extra dose, I find that I can't get to sleep because I've already had say 5 hours of real good sleep. I really don't like being the only person up on the East coast at 5 AM -- LOL

Ok I finally watched the video.

They don't tell you what is considered an overdose as in mg.s

The points being stressed seem to be directed at those individuals whom take it repeatedly throughout the night as in wake up, take another pill, ect...

So as far as applying this to my usage, it really didn't tell me anything being detrimental to taking a 5mg slow release, a 2.5 subliminal, or whatever as long as I take it only initially at bedtime and dont' wake up and take more.

The messages I took from the video were:

1. Most people do not need to take melatonin. Maybe shift workers and older people who are trying to reset their body clocks. I would add international travelers to that list as well.

2. The dose that you need to take should be as small as possible.

3. Do not take extra doses during the night.

4. Do not take melatonin every night for more than 2 weeks.

It is obviously a good thing to ignore much of the hype talked about melatonin. As it is a natural hormone we obviously need it, but we don't need a lot and certainly not a lot from a supplement.

SleepyToo2 wrote:The messages I took from the video were:

1. Most people do not need to take melatonin. Maybe shift workers and older people who are trying to reset their body clocks. I would add international travelers to that list as well.

2. The dose that you need to take should be as small as possible.

3. Do not take extra doses during the night.

4. Do not take melatonin every night for more than 2 weeks.

It is obviously a good thing to ignore much of the hype talked about melatonin. As it is a natural hormone we obviously need it, but we don't need a lot and certainly not a lot from a supplement.

"Although melatonin is commonly known for its sleep-inducing properties, many individuals are unaware of its other very important physiological functions including anti-aging, antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. Unlike other antioxidants like vitamin E (lipid only) and vitamin C (aqueous only), melatonin works in both lipid (fat) and aqueous (watery) parts of the cell neutralizing the damaging effects of free-radicals, highly disruptive chemicals that damage mitochondrial DNA, lipids and proteins through oxidative stress. It?s melatonin?s ability to work in both mediums, which makes it such a potent antioxidant."


http://www.everydayhealth.com/forums/al ... rties.html

Sloop wrote:

49er wrote:Hi Sloop,

On a related note, what about healthcare professionals who claim that supplements are dangerous but then claim that meds are perfectly safe to take?

Personally, I take the view that you have to cautious of all medical claims whether they be mainstream or alternative. As this board knows, I had horrendous side effects while on psych meds. But I have also gotten bad side effects from so called harmless supplements.

As I mentioned previously, using 1mg of melatonin with mag/cal seems to work about 60% of the time when I am trying to get back to sleep after waking up prematurely. Doesn't help when I take it initially as I wake up too early.

Glad it works for you.

49er

Yeah for sure - all people are different and react differently to any substance. For instance, taking regular melatonin does absolutely nothing for me. I've even tried the time-release. And there are tons of the regular Melatonin on the market, so it must work for some people. But sublingual, that is a different story. I take two just before lights out and I am asleep within 5 minutes. 3/4 of the nights, I sleep straight through for around 7-8 hours. 1/4 of the time I might wake up after 4-5 hours sleep and get some water and then take one more 1mg pill and I quickly get back to sleep for the remainder of the night. If I don't take that extra dose, I find that I can't get to sleep because I've already had say 5 hours of real good sleep. I really don't like being the only person up on the East coast at 5 AM -- LOL

I think you and 49er hit the mail on the head, lol.

A dose as low as 0.5mg has been shown to interfere with the metabolism. Melatonin has both an anti- as well as a pro-oxidant potential. Probably depending on its dose, the age of an individual, the health status of a person, and other considerations. It surely isn't the harmless substance some people claim it is, or that it is unconditionally beneficial, as it has been implicated in inflammation, stress hormone release, metabolic disruption, hypertension, higher mortality, etc. (review Tryptophan Side Effects: L-Tryptophan Is Far From Harmless ).

Rolf Hefti wrote:A dose as low as 0.5mg has been shown to interfere with the metabolism. Melatonin has both an anti- as well as a pro-oxidant potential. Probably depending on its dose, the age of an individual, the health status of a person, and other considerations. It surely isn't the harmless substance some people claim it is, or that it is unconditionally beneficial, as it has been implicated in inflammation, stress hormone release, metabolic disruption, hypertension, higher mortality, etc. (review Tryptophan Side Effects: L-Tryptophan Is Far From Harmless ).

Wait?!? I thought Melatonin and L-Tryptophan were two different substances?

What about 5-HTP? I used to use that.

lazer wrote:

Rolf Hefti wrote:A dose as low as 0.5mg has been shown to interfere with the metabolism. Melatonin has both an anti- as well as a pro-oxidant potential. Probably depending on its dose, the age of an individual, the health status of a person, and other considerations. It surely isn't the harmless substance some people claim it is, or that it is unconditionally beneficial, as it has been implicated in inflammation, stress hormone release, metabolic disruption, hypertension, higher mortality, etc. (review Tryptophan Side Effects: L-Tryptophan Is Far From Harmless ).

Wait?!? I thought Melatonin and L-Tryptophan were two different substances?

What about 5-HTP? I used to use that.

You are totally correct. L-Tryptophan converts to 5-HTP which converts to melatonin.

http://home.bluemarble.net/~heartcom/tr ... tonin.html

So providing a link to the dangers of tryptophan proves nothing about whether melatonin itself is dangerous or not.

As far as the dangers of melatonin, I wonder if those are because people take way too much of it. It is my understanding that sticking to a range of .25 to 1m is best.

A sleep doctor out of my area who I would see in a heartbeat if he was nearby, uses a low dose as part of the process to prepare for sleep for people who have trouble sleeping.

49er

49er wrote:

lazer wrote:

Rolf Hefti wrote:A dose as low as 0.5mg has been shown to interfere with the metabolism. Melatonin has both an anti- as well as a pro-oxidant potential. Probably depending on its dose, the age of an individual, the health status of a person, and other considerations. It surely isn't the harmless substance some people claim it is, or that it is unconditionally beneficial, as it has been implicated in inflammation, stress hormone release, metabolic disruption, hypertension, higher mortality, etc. (review Tryptophan Side Effects: L-Tryptophan Is Far From Harmless ).

Wait?!? I thought Melatonin and L-Tryptophan were two different substances?

What about 5-HTP? I used to use that.

You are totally correct. Ok, if I understand this correctly, tryptophan converts to serotonin which converts to melatonin. 5-HTP does the same thing but does a direct conversion to serotonin which I believe there is a step in the process of the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin.

I know I am missing something but unfortunately, Dr. Google's search function is malfunctioning on my computer. I am also too lazy right now to double check my facts.

As far as the dangers of melatonin, I wonder if those are because people take way too much of it. It is my understanding that sticking to a range of .25 to 1m is best. Of course, your mileage will vary.

49er

I did know there was some relation between them, however, I did not realize that all were now being considered EQUALLY dangerous for supplementation and based on the OP = original message concerning Melatonin in it's form.

Seems like ALL my favorite supplements are being deemed evil these days. What are we to do? Stick to the the BIG PHARMA meds and ditch all the other stuff

Curious conversation this is leading to...

lazer wrote:

49er wrote:

lazer wrote:

Rolf Hefti wrote:A dose as low as 0.5mg has been shown to interfere with the metabolism. Melatonin has both an anti- as well as a pro-oxidant potential. Probably depending on its dose, the age of an individual, the health status of a person, and other considerations. It surely isn't the harmless substance some people claim it is, or that it is unconditionally beneficial, as it has been implicated in inflammation, stress hormone release, metabolic disruption, hypertension, higher mortality, etc. (review Tryptophan Side Effects: L-Tryptophan Is Far From Harmless ).

Wait?!? I thought Melatonin and L-Tryptophan were two different substances?

What about 5-HTP? I used to use that.

You are totally correct. Ok, if I understand this correctly, tryptophan converts to serotonin which converts to melatonin. 5-HTP does the same thing but does a direct conversion to serotonin which I believe there is a step in the process of the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin.

I know I am missing something but unfortunately, Dr. Google's search function is malfunctioning on my computer. I am also too lazy right now to double check my facts.

As far as the dangers of melatonin, I wonder if those are because people take way too much of it. It is my understanding that sticking to a range of .25 to 1m is best. Of course, your mileage will vary.

49er

I did know there was some relation between them, however, I did not realize that all were now being considered EQUALLY dangerous for supplementation and based on the OP = original message concerning Melatonin in it's form.

Seems like ALL my favorite supplements are being deemed evil these days. What are we to do? Stick to the the BIG PHARMA meds and ditch all the other stuff

Curious conversation this is leading to...

I don't think anyone can make the claim that they are all equally dangerous. Each one has be evaluated on its own merit and how it fits your situation.

Evaluate the situation as best you can and go with your gut instinct as to what is best for you.

Personally, I don't think either supplements or meds work long term for insomnia for alot of people. But that is just my opinion and I don't have a citation to prove I am right or wrong.

49er

49er wrote:
Evaluate the situation as best you can and go with your gut instinct as to what is best for you.

Personally, I don't think either supplements or meds work long term for insomnia for alot of people. But that is just my opinion and I don't have a citation to prove I am right or wrong.

49er

The Melatonin is what I once used to try to counteract the insomnia. The 5-HTP also, but in addition, I bought a book on it and read many of it's presumably other benefits including diminished anxiety and weight-loss aid.

I now used the FDA doctor approved 'generic' Ambien in place of the evil Melatonin for my insomnia and it seems to be working fairly well.

The Melatonin is what I once used to try to counteract the insomnia. The 5-HTP also, but in addition, I bought a book on it and read many of it's presumably other benefits including diminished anxiety and weight-loss aid.

I now used the FDA doctor approved 'generic' Ambien in place of the evil Melatonin for my insomnia and it seems to be working fairly well.

If ambien is working for you, that is all that matters. And if melatonin is working for someone else, I don't think they should stop it unless they are taking a huge dose or simply don't want to take it any more.

49er