Melatonin

[Timaca]

I'm interested in people's experiences with melatonin. If they used it to help them sleep,what dose, for how long, if it worked etc. Also if you tried it but couldn't continue with it I'd like to know why.

Thanks,
Timaca

 

[maddietod]

I recently tried a 3mg dose, twice a week apart, and both times it kept me up all night. In the past I had tried 1mg doses and time-release; it never did anything for me.

Madie

 

[heapsreal]

it use to help me fall asleep when i first started using it but then it stopped working for me, but i started using it again when i started getting into strange sleep cycles but i used it with other sleep meds as on its own it still didnt help me to get to sleep but helped with the funky sleep cycle. I also use it as its supposedly a good antioxidant and helps with free radical peroxynitrate, which is what some people use vit b12 for, so using melatonin with b12 could be a double whammy on free radicals, especially in the brain, supposedly?

cheers!!!

 

[Jenny]

Tried various doses - nothing.

Jenny

 

[taniaaust1]

I experiemented with different doses (of a normal release kind of melatonin) in the past and found out that raising doses higher then 1mg did nothing more for me (I experimented up to 3mg doses). So I was on just 1mg for a while which did really help my inability to get to sleep issue about 2 thirds or more of the time. I was so greatful for the help the melatonin gave me. I was on it for several months but then lost the doctor who used to prescribe it so couldnt get a script for it anymore.

Recently I managed to get melatonin again (this time it has been slow release melatonin) but found it stopped having any positive affects at all after the first couple of weeks. I had been taking my previous dose of 1mg. (I wonder if part the reason it isnt working as well for me is that my previous one wasnt a slow release one?).

Ive just doubled this dose to 2mg and now this dose which previously had no extra benefit for me, made it work (only a bit thou so I still have bad issues) again. Its currently bringing the start of my sleep cycle back from 6.30am to 4.30am when its at its worst.
......

so it seems that melatonin dosage can really vary even in individuals at different times. So it will have to be something you do trials with different dosages of 1-3mg to see.

best luck

ps also consider what kind of sleep issues you have. Melatonin is best for sleep reversal (out of sync sleep cycle) kind of issues and dont work so well for other kinds of insomina. Its more successfully used for those of us who have "Delayed sleep phase syndrome" (DSPS or DSPD) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_syndrome and for those who have "Non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-24-hour_sleep-wake_syndrome (my specialists are saying I have one of those).

With delayed sleep cycle issues .. melatonin (by studies) can bring ones sleep cycle backwards 30mins to a couple of hrs.

 

[caledonia]

When it was working for me, 1.5 mg (1/2 of a 3mg pill) was a good dose.

 

[svetoslav80]

I take it occasionally too. My dose is 1 mg.

 

[WestOzGirl]

I FIND MELATONIN HELPFUL

I find melatonin immensely helpful and I take it regularly; my dose being 1.25mg sub lingual and 1.5 slow release every night - sometimes I take more if I'm having a rough night.

I do not take any pharmaceuticals and have a simple protocol with melatonin being a big part of my own personal treatment program. This may be why I am more sensitive to the effects of melatonin???

The reason I take melatonin is I have read it is: a very strong antioxidant, non toxic, influences a number of sex hormones, inhibits several hormonal cancers, is able to reverse acalculous cholecystitis in guinea pig gallbladders (I have gallbladder issues), reduces the production of cortisol and is reported as being a fine-tuner of calcium homoeostasis.

PS. I also find drinking kefir at night a good aid in helping me sleep. I believe this is due to the high tryptophan content (precursor to serotonin and melatonin), not to mention it "buffs" up your gut flora.

 

[anniekim]

It's been very helpful with giving me a more normal sleep cycle. It's often not enough to help me sleep through the night and I have to supplement with other sleep meds too. My doc advises me to take it five nights out of seven.

 

[snowathlete]

Hello.

I started taking melatonin a couple of years ago, and still take it.

It helped me alot, helping me get to sleep, and making it harder for me to wake as fully. It wasnt a cure but it was a good treatment. I tried a variety od types and doses. In the US they take high dose stuff, 3-5mg at a time. Its just not necesary.
I take 1mg, and that is plenty. It is cheap. BUT make sure you get it from a reputable company, else it wont work cause its not good quality.

This made alot of improvement for me, but my starting point was shockingly bad sleep - like almost zero.
In the end i had a sleep study and got put oin Amitryptaline (spelling?) 20mg, and this made a miracle amount of difference.

The first two weeks are hell, because you get no sleep and terrible side effects. BUT persevere, because after three weeks the symptoms vanish completely and you get all the benefit. Its a particuarly common treatment for sleep improvement in patients with ME/CFS specfically, so speak to your doc.

Best

 

[mellster]

Melatonin works well for me, 2mg at a time as needed - can leave you a bit drowsy next morning and not sure how deep of a sleep it gives you, but it lets you fall (back) asleep faster.

 

[Adster]

It's been really good for me, I take around 2.5mg. I think it is one of the more helpful supplements I've discovered. If I'm having trouble getting to sleep I take up to 6mg and even if I still don't get a proper nights sleep, it seems to help me not feel so terrible the next day. If I take too much, which I think is in part affected by how naturally sleepy I am when I take it, I get crazy dreams and confusion when I wake in the night.

 

[Timaca]

Thanks for everyone's response. I tried .5 mg the first night (cut a 1 mg tablet in half) and I slept well. The second night I cut the tablet in 4 pieces and took .25 mg. I also slept fine but that next day was very fatigued and depressed. So, I didn't take it again for awhile. Then I tried cutting the tablet in 8 pieces (very difficult!) and slept OK but not as well as before. I may try starting out with 1/4 tablet and see if I can sleep better but avoid the daytime issues I had before.....

Best, Timaca

 

[Snow Leopard]

I'm not a fan of doses >1mg as it gives me a bad headache. Low doses are ok, remember to take it at least an hour in advance.

 

[*GG*]

I take 3mg every night and have been for years now. I also take other meds at/for bedtime.

GG

 

[heapsreal]

initially melatonin was a good sleep aid but stopped working, i still use it as it has very good antioxidant qualities for the brain and it does seem to help some with other sleep meds to help maintain somewhat normal sleep cycles. I use 5mg a night. I have read that 20mg a day has immune stimulating properties but it was recommended under the supervision of a doc, arse covering i guess.

 

[taniaaust1]

I experiemented with different doses (of a normal release kind of melatonin) in the past and found out that raising doses higher then 1mg did nothing more for me (I experimented up to 3mg doses). So I was on just 1mg for a while which did really help my inability to get to sleep issue about 2 thirds or more of the time. I was so greatful for the help the melatonin gave me. I was on it for several months but then lost the doctor who used to prescribe it so couldnt get a script for it anymore.

Recently I managed to get melatonin again (this time it has been slow release melatonin) but found it stopped having any positive affects at all after the first couple of weeks. I had been taking my previous dose of 1mg. (I wonder if part the reason it isnt working as well for me is that my previous one wasnt a slow release one?).

Ive just doubled this dose to 2mg and now this dose which previously had no extra benefit for me, made it work (only a bit thou so I still have bad issues) again. Its currently bringing the start of my sleep cycle back from 6.30am to 4.30am when its at its worst.
......

so it seems that melatonin dosage can really vary even in individuals at different times. So it will have to be something you do trials with different dosages of 1-3mg to see.

best luck

ps also consider what kind of sleep issues you have. Melatonin is best for sleep reversal (out of sync sleep cycle) kind of issues and dont work so well for other kinds of insomina. Its more successfully used for those of us who have "Delayed sleep phase syndrome" (DSPS or DSPD) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_syndrome and for those who have "Non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-24-hour_sleep-wake_syndrome (my specialists are saying I have one of those).

With delayed sleep cycle issues .. melatonin (by studies) can bring ones sleep cycle backwards 30mins to a couple of hrs.

Update on my previous post above. Im still on 2mg just before I want to go to bed and after it putting my sleep forward a couple of hrs (6.30am-4.30am), after 3-4 weeks of that my sleep cycle jumped forward 3 hrs more (gone from 4.30am, now to 1.30am). So by this it appears capable of working even more over time and one may get another forward jump in sleep cycle.

Interestingly I also went throu a week where it wasnt working again at all (I think it was cause I was doing a lot of thinking at night) and I thought the 2mg dose had decided failed me as had the 1mg had done fortunately I didnt give up on it and its working again and even better then before

One important thing I find is to try to go to sleep as soon as I feel like its starting to work and to not get stressed about trying to sleep.

 

[taniaaust1]

Melatonin works well for me, 2mg at a time as needed - can leave you a bit drowsy next morning and not sure how deep of a sleep it gives you, but it lets you fall (back) asleep faster.

Consider switching to one that isnt a slow release one (I assume you may be taking a slow release melatonin seeing it is affecting you next morning).

 

[Valentijn]

I just started melatonin two days ago, and was getting some exacerbation of ME symptoms. So I checked into how it works, and apparently melatonin is a very bad idea if you have orthostatic intolerance. Whoops!

http://jp.physoc.org/content/551/3/1043.short

The 3mg dose they used in the study is about what I'm taking now (2.5mg).

It does seem to help me sleep though, as long as I don't mind feeling like crap the next day!

 

[biophile]

I have a similar problem. The first time I tried melatonin years ago, sleep was sort of weird. This year I tried sustained release melatonin. It made me feel slightly groggy but didn't seem to make much difference to sleep. Over a few weeks I worked up to the full 3mg SR dose but it wasn't really helping and when I stopped sleep wasn't worse. However, I recently tried half dose again after a break and this time within 30min I became so groggy I had to go to bed early. It helped me fall back asleep during the night but it made my dreams negative in tone and I remained really groggy the next day and felt worse so I didn't bother with it again.