Sleep reversal advice

[TrixieStix]

Maybe it is the dosage for normal people with mild sleep problems, not PwME, right ? I never tried that tiny dose. But if I take 1mg, I don't sleep at all or just a few hours and I wake up in the morning, not able to fall asleep and I swallow my melatonin pills again. There is certainly a tolerance that builds up, but I need to sleep !

Sometime, I have to wake up for an appointment, it is hard for me to take a nap in the afternoon or the evening. So I take 1mg of melatonin to take a nap and I usually catch up my lacking sleeping hours. I sleep around 8 hours per day, I really feel it if I sleep one hour less.

If one is using melatonin, especially such large amounts people should be aware it can have negative side effects, and that the safety of long-term melatonin use has not been proven.

 

[Hanna]

Paradoxical reaction to melatonin :

Last week I used melatonin for the first time - 0.3 mg time-released (6 hours).
I took it as written, about 30 mn before bed time. Then I had the worst night in more than 10 years : racing heart, insomnia the whole night, high level of anxiety (havn't experienced for y-e-a-r-s!). A sort of paradoxical reaction.
Has someone experimented something like this ?

Falling asleep generally isn't a problem for me. Staying asleep, yes. I tend to wake-up several times (pee/drink) and I am searching a solution and not a drug.

 

[CCC]

Paradoxical reaction to melatonin :

Last week I used melatonin for the first time - 0.3 mg time-released (6 hours).
I took it as written, about 30 mn before bed time. Then I had the worst night in more than 10 years : racing heart, insomnia the whole night, high level of anxiety (havn't experienced for y-e-a-r-s!). A sort of paradoxical reaction.
Has someone experimented something like this ?

Falling asleep generally isn't a problem for me. Staying asleep, yes. I tend to wake-up several times (pee/drink) and I am searching a solution and not a drug.

My sister (who doesn't have CFS/ME) has exactly that problem with sleep and with melatonin. She tried a few forms - instant, time release, 10 mg, 3 mg etc.

Then we gave her some of our Natrol 3mg time release, and it worked for her.

 

[Tunguska]

Been struggling with this for (1 - 1.5) decades too. I don't have a answer yet, but I think it's just a matter of (more) time until I figure it.

Melatonin fails at any dose/pattern, it's too weak, it only aggravates the following day. Inhibitory steroids help a little, but not nearly strong enough to adjust the cycle. Glycine puts me to sleep for about 2-3 hours, then I wake up wide-eyed and not a thing will get me back (I seen a few other reports of this problem, no real explanation, and one or two people reported it became permanent! this happened to me in the beginning but it went away). NAC keeps me awake. Antihistamines don't work out and too many side effects. No luck with prescribed stuff (quetiapine, trazodone, benzo). Combinations unsuccessful.

The only thing I've found out so far is that you absolutely cannot have a Vitamin A deficiency trying to fight this. It's tightly involved in circadian rythm regulation. Basically eating liver 1-2x/week prevents that and it becomes easier to wake up and survive despite the struggle.

 

[frederic83]

Melatonin was not working that well any more so I added Doxylamine (15mg before sleep) and I fall asleep more easily. Not a miracle, I still have the delayed phase disorder, but better. I tried doxylamine alone but it works much less than in combination, in my case. I've taken it for 3 months and no tolerance so far. I tried Calmaben, no side effect but not working at all. I also tried low dose Amitriptylin and this one I don't like, it keeps me awake.

Hope this helps.