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COVID19 and Melatonin

YippeeKi YOW !!

Senior Member
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Second star to the right ...
This is a great article, @Sarah4, and thank you beyond words for posting it. If I could post a dozen 'Likes' I would, and joyfully ....

I struggled thru the link you posted (which is in Italian .... I'm rusty) for about half the article, then fnally figured out how to read it in English. Then had to fight my way to the info that's of most importance to me right now, and I'm posting it below for others who, like me, want to cut to the chase.

I'm also posting a link to the same article in English, hoping it works. If it doesnt take you to the English version, just poke around briefly and you should be able to find your way there ...

https://www.evolutamente.it/covid-19-pneumonia-inflammasomes-the-melatonin-connection/

Again, thank you so much for this, Sarah. I've googled my little keyboard to the bone trying to find anything that would help deal with this. It's particularly important to me right now because a few days ago, I started showing mild COVID signs, a little something that DB brought home for me apparently.

God knows I didnt get it leading my wildly fascinatin' life....



FROM 'EVOLUTAMENTE' ARTICLE THAT SARAH94 POSTED FOR US .... QUICK REFERENCE

Supplementing with Melatonin & Ascorbic Acid for COVID-19 – A Simple Guide
Please understand the following is NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. Please consult your trusted physician regarding COVID-19 treatment, especially if you have comorbidities like CVD, hypertension, diabetes, respiratory diseases and cancer.


Maintenance Dosages During COVID-19 Pandemic

MELATONIN
Exogenous intake during COVID-19 is recommended only because normal endogenous production for adults may not be adequate for protection against COVID-19. Children under nine are protected from COVID-19 because they have up to TEN TIMES the ‘normal’ amount of adults. Our high tech environment, light pollution at night have already vastly diminished the normally low level of melatonin in adults.


Supplementing with a minimum physiological dose during COVID-19 pandemic can provide additional protection against infections.

If you are an adult without major health challenges, you should take no more than the physiological dosage recommended below.

The following dosage is a range. The higher end of the range applies to people who are older or have slightly weaker health. So if you are a young healthy adult, you may require no more than the lowest physiological dose of 0.2 mg.


Physiological dose: 0.2 milligram to 0.5 milligram per day
Please take melatonin at night, about 1 to 2 hours before sleep and 2 to 3 hours AFTER your last meal. You should ideally finish eating before it is dark.


It is also extremely helpful if you can lower your ambient lighting at night, as the lowest amount of light will disrupt melatonin production. Melatonin is produced in all cells, including mitochondria, not just in pineal glands [100].


Ascorbic Acid
Again, your age matters because of the level of endogenous melatonin. If you are older or more susceptible to COVID-19 for various reasons, your maintenance dose should be one gram per hour, to total 10-18 grams per day, depending on your tolerance level. You will experience loose stools, or what is known as hitting Bowel Tolerance if you have saturated your system with ascorbic acid.


Dosage During COVID-19 Infection
If you suspect infection, notify authorities in charge and your physician immediately. If you are self-quarantined at home, the following dosage applies.


MELATONIN
Melatonin COVID-19 Infection Dosage: 5 milligrams to 50 milligrams

The lower range is for people with mild or no symptoms. The higher range is for older people or those with more severe symptoms.


IF you are taking ACE inhibitors, have cardiac conditions, hypertension, you need to consult your physician before taking high doses of melatonin. Melatonin may lower blood pressure and cause hypotension at higher dosages.
The Infection dose should ideally be divided into DAYTIME and NIGHTTIME doses.


DAYTIME – 40% of total daily dose, divided into small equal portions to be taken every TWO HOURS.
NIGHTTIME – 60% of total daily dose, divided into two portions taken 2-3 hours after dinner. The final dose at night should be completed by 10 pm (latest).


IF you are diabetic, or have insulin resistance, DO NOT TAKE MELATONIN before 3 pm. Melatonin is able to suppress insulin.

Please remember that oral dosage higher than physiological concentration is applicable during infections only. Supplementation of high dose melatonin MUST BE SUPPORTED by ascorbic acid. You may not experience full benefits of melatonin in the absence of ascorbic acid.

Ascorbic Acid
Ascorbic Acid COVID-19 Infection Dosage: 1 gram every 15 to 30 minutes, depending on severity of symptoms. Increase to 2 grams every 15 to 30 minutes if symptoms are not reversed within 12-24 hours.

IF you are infected, you will essentially have an ‘unlimited’ tolerance for ascorbic acid. Your tolerance may increase above 100 grams or more. That is normal.


During infection, rest, drink plenty of purified water. You may lose your appetite. Do not force yourself to eat if you are not hungry. Calorie restriction initiates mitophagy and autophagy, which will facilitate healing [101].

The journey ahead for everyone in every corner of the world will prove to be challenging. During this time of darkness, we must keep absolute faith that Nature has protected our ancestors for millions of years, even under extinction conditions. Nature will NOT fail us with COVID-19, as long as we stay true to her intentions. Blessings to all.
 
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Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,874
Interesting article, and it would be interesting to see if melatonin might protect against coronavirus in an animal model.

But it should be pointed out that there's no evidence at the moment that melatonin will help with SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection. And I could not find any other articles talking about melatonin and coronavirus. It's simply the author's suggestion that melatonin may help.



In any case, I've been taking 5 mg of melatonin every night for many years now. With my ME/CFS "wired but tired" mental state, I find it difficult to get to sleep unless I taken melatonin about an hour or two before my bedtime.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,874
Is this tied to the issue that generally when we sleep, the immune system is attacking the virus, so melatonin presumably improves sleep?

The article talks about the anti-inflammatory effect of melatonin on NLRP3 inflammasomes.

And it mentions this 2016 study in which melatonin is found to reduce acute lung injury in animals via its effect on NLRP3, which may have significance in the context of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is the cause of death in many cases of COVID-19.

And it refers to this 2014 study which found in rats melatonin reduces the damage from ARDS.



It's an interesting article, and on the basis of it, I'd probably up my dose of melatonin if I were to catch SARS-CoV-2. I can't see that melatonin would do any harm, and it may well help.
 

Gingergrrl

Senior Member
Messages
16,171
@Hip Is there anything in the article that says that melatonin or ascorbic acid are prophylactic against catching COVID-19 (if you are exposed to it) versus that it can help mitigate the symptoms and severity if you already have COVID-19? I just want to make sure I understand it correctly.

I already take one gram of Vit C per day (unrelated to COVID-19 risk). In years past I have not done well w/melatonin (it dropped my already very low BP, caused headaches, and actually caused sleep problems and in general, sleep is not a major problem for me).

I am technically immunocompromised from Rituximab even though I have never once caught any infection and have been on it since mid-2017. I still skew toward autoimmunity for whatever reason. My doctor said we'll postpone my next infusion (which would've been the first week of June and I only do it once per year now) if COVID-19 is the same or worse by June-- which we assume it will be. He also said I am not at any increased risk than the general population b/c no one on earth has B-cell antibodies to COVID-19 since it's a brand new virus.

If melatonin was a prophylactic, I would certainly consider taking it but wasn't quite sure from this thread? Thanks, Sarah, for posting the info!
 

Gingergrrl

Senior Member
Messages
16,171
I don't think either will reduce the risk catching an infection if exposed, but I posted elsewhere that echinacea and allicin may well be able to reduce this risk.

Thank you for the link @Hip and I just read your post there (but have not read that entire thread). I just Googled Allicin and Echinacea and they both seem contraindicated in autoimmunity. In general, I am to stay away from anything that could push my immune system back toward autoimmunity (which is currently in remission). Although, at the same time, I obviously do not want to get COVID-19 :nervous:!
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,874
I just Googled Allicin and Echinacea and they both seem contraindicated in autoimmunity.

You would not necessarily have to take them all the time, but just on days you might have a higher risk of exposure to coronavirus, such as after a shopping trip. When I was healthy decades ago, I would only take echinacea when I felt a cold coming on. I'd take a high dose once or twice on that day only, and that would usually stop the cold from manifesting.
 

Cipher

Administrator
Messages
873
Thank you for the link @Hip and I just read your post there (but have not read that entire thread). I just Googled Allicin and Echinacea and they both seem contraindicated in autoimmunity. In general, I am to stay away from anything that could push my immune system back toward autoimmunity (which is currently in remission). Although, at the same time, I obviously do not want to get COVID-19 :nervous:!

Another intervention that might reduce ones risk of getting COVID-19 (or at least reduce the severity) is glucosamine (more info here). I've not read that glucosamine increases inflammatory/autoimmune tendencies, rather the opposite. :thumbsup:
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

Senior Member
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16,047
Location
Second star to the right ...
It's simply the author's suggestion that melatonin may help.
Before making this assumption, you might want to review some of the 102 references attached to the bottom of the article.
I find it difficult to get to sleep unless I taken melatonin about an hour or two before my bedtime.
That's not enough to ward off, or minimize, COVID-19. Read the dosage and timing intervals presented in the article itself for a better protocol.
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

Senior Member
Messages
16,047
Location
Second star to the right ...
Is this tied to the issue that generally when we sleep, the immune system is attacking the virus, so melatonin presumably improves sleep?
Not really, tho that may have some effect. Read the article exerpts I posted above if you're not up to reading the whole article .....

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland, and while its primary function is to regulate the sleep/wake cycle, it functions on several levels in our system, none of which I understand particularly well.

I've been using the protocol for almost 2 days now, and my symptoms seem to have at least been halted in terms of expanding or worsening, and am hoping for more impressive improvement over the next few days.
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

Senior Member
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16,047
Location
Second star to the right ...
Sorry @YippeeKi YOW !! , the link was in English for me!
Sooooo not a problem, @Sarah94. I'm very grateful to you for it, and would be if it had been posted un Sumerian.


It was, at least to me, a stunning article that made infinite sense, particularly in view of the puzzle of why children under the age of about 12 were almost impervious to COVID, and from 12 to about 15 seem much less liable to contract it, and in much milder forms, a puzzlement that DB and I bounced back and forth between us, grasping at answers, and never coming close to this one. My only assumption, pretty palid, was tht the younger you are, up to a point, the stronger your immune system.

I was able to stumble thru part of the article before it occurred to me that you wouldn't have posted an article in another language, soething must have gone south when I hit the link. I started looking around for another option, and found it pretty quickly.

I've posted a link to your thread here pretty much everywhere that COVID is even mentioned. I think it's important information ....
 

Mary

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Southern California
THIS THREAD VEERED WIDELY OFF-TOPIC AND WE THEREFORE HAD TO DELETE A HOST OF OFF-TOPIC POSTS.

THE TOPIC OF THIS THREAD IS COVID19 AND MELATONIN. PLEASE STICK TO THE TOPIC AT HAND. ANY FURTHER OFF-TOPIC POSTS WILL BE DELETED.
 
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Gingergrrl

Senior Member
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16,171

anne_likes_red

Senior Member
Messages
1,103
Really interesting @anne_likes_red and thx for sharing it. I’m now debating if I should purchase melatonin before the world reads this article and hoards it all and it becomes unavailable!
It was pretty much unavailable to international buyers when I tried to find some a week ago. Doris Loh was suggesting Now Brand and one or two others. I did get some locally in the end. A little goes a long way if you're using it as a preventive measure rather than a treatment.

PS Thanks @Mary for steering this thread back on track.