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Where can I buy high-quality melatonin online? I am in the UK.

Messages
59
Hi there,

My ME specialist has recommended I start taking melatonin 3 to 5 mg to help with my sleep. Unfortunately melatonin is not allowed to be sold over-the-counter at UK pharmacies at this time so I will need to buy it online.

Can anyone recommend somewhere online I can buy high quality melatonin for a good price?

Thanks
 

godlovesatrier

Senior Member
Messages
2,545
Location
United Kingdom
pipingrock.com/life extension/iherb - I am in the UK too. I think you actually have to get life extension via iherb now, but that should work, I use the pipingrock stuff with success but it has some stevia in it so that's not ideal.
 

godlovesatrier

Senior Member
Messages
2,545
Location
United Kingdom
Assuming Ukrainian Pharmacys are reputable, it's potentially of a higher quality, but iherb should be just as good to my knowledge, although Life Extension and Piping Rock are probably decent brands to buy from.
 

BrightCandle

Senior Member
Messages
1,147
DoNotAge do one of the best ones in terms of the dose being what it says. I would also add that for sleep purposes in trial 0.3mg is the best dose and either side of that it reduces the effect of the sleep. Long release variant is also close to how the body works but personally I have got used to the normal one.
 

Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
DoNotAge do one of the best ones in terms of the dose being what it says. I would also add that for sleep purposes in trial 0.3mg is the best dose and either side of that it reduces the effect of the sleep. Long release variant is also close to how the body works but personally I have got used to the normal one.
Each of us is different, so the .3mg for sleep may vary from person to person.

Melatonin is also a mitochondrial antioxidant. I have been on between 10 and 30mg, prescribed by my doctors, through my cancer treatment and to support mitochondria. More doesn't make one sleepier more, but provides the other benefits.
 

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Messages
59
From my browsing so far, some of the things melatonin products are touting as reasons to buy their product include:
  • Testing for contaminants
  • Suitable for vegetarians and/or vegans
  • Gluten-free/wheat-free
  • Free of common allergens
  • Contains vitamin B6
  • Slow-Release and the so-called "two-layer technology"
  • Certified Non-GMO
  • Free of high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, artificial preservatives, and artificial colours
  • Glyphosate residue-free
  • Free of dairy
  • Free of soy
  • Free of sugar
  • Free of sodium
  • Free of egg
  • Free of peanuts
  • Free of magnesium stearate
  • Free of hydrogenated fat
  • Free of yeast
  • Contains magnesium, I-theanine, and GABA
How essential any of the above is I do not know. I would hope that all products are tested for contaminants and free of glyphosate. I am not sure how important slow-release is or so-called "two-layer technology" i.e. "helps you fall asleep and then stay asleep"?

Personally as a vegan the product being free of animal products would be something I want.

I am not clear how important it is for a melatonin product to contain vitamin B6? Some of the marketing claims that including magnesium, I-theanine, and GABA improves the effectiveness of melatonin e.g. "Research indicates that a GABA and l-theanine mixture has a positive synergistic effect on sleep quality and duration. In addition, supplemental magnesium has been shown to increase sleep time and efficiency."

Lastly, there is the amino acid L-5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). Apparently 5-HTP is "created from L-Tryptophan in the body, and is a precursor to serotonin and melatonin", and for melatonin products is "[d]erived from Griffonia seed, a West African shrub. 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for happiness and indirectly involved in producing melatonin, the hormone critical for sleep". I am not sure how important it is for a melatonin product to contain 5-HTP?

According to Wikipedia: "According to Harriet Hall caution is advisable, since quality control is a documented problem. 71% of products did not contain within 10% of the labelled amount of melatonin, with variations ranging from -83% to +478%, lot-to-lot variability was as high as 465%, and the discrepancies were not correlated to any manufacturer or product type. To make matters worse, 8 out of 31 products were contaminated with the neurotransmitter serotonin." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin#Dietary_supplement)


Edit 2021-August-22: Adding the Wikipedia information.
 
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Messages
69
I don't know who will ship to the UK. But one of the few brands which sells the correct dosage is Sundown. The correct dosage is 300mcg. Most brands sell tablets with 10 to 20, or more times the correct dosage in order to avoid paying the patent fee. Melatonin should be the most effect with the fewest side effect when taken in the physiological dosage which the patent is based on. Taking higher doses can result in daytime grogginess, sleep maintenance insomnia, indigestion, or other side effects.
 
Messages
59
Hi @scisolver,

Thank you for your reply!

Out of interest, where does your information that the correct dosage is 300 µg come from?

The reason I ask is, I am considering getting this product but I feel uncomfortable getting it if it is going to be 33 times the correct dosage!

Thanks
 
Messages
59
I asked Biovea.com to answer some questions about their product 'EuroVital MELATONIN 10mg (Fast Dissolve) (Natural Fruit Flavor) 60 Vegetarian Tablets' (https://www.biovea.com/uk/product/d...--natural-fruit-flavor--60-vegetarian-tablets) and here is what they said:

1. Has it been tested for contaminants and confirmed that it is free of them?
"The tablet is tested for Heavy Metals and Microbiology Specifications that include Aerobic Count, Enterobacteriaceae, Yeast and Mold and Staphylococcus Aureus."

2. Is this product vegan?
"Yes."

3. Is this product gluten-free and wheat free?
"Yes."

4. Is this product certified as having no genetically modified ingredients (non-GMO)?
"Not certified but Non GMO per document from raw material supplier"

5. Is this product free of artificial sweeteners, artificial preservatives, and artificial colours?
"The product does not contain any added artificial sweeteners, preservatives or colors."

6. Has this product been tested for being glyphosate free and confirmed it is free of it?
"This testing is not performed"

7. Is this product free of sugar, sodium, hydrogenated fat, and yeast?
"Product is not tested for sugar, sodium, hydrogenated fat. There is a specification allowed for Microbial Yeast"

8. Has this product been tested to confirm it contains the labelled amount of melatonin?
"Yes, we do test the assay of this product by HPLC."
 
Messages
69
@daveu You may be able to try an alternative approach that does not use melatonin. Some D3 for blood levels between 60ng/ml to 80ng/ml and magnesium glycinate may help. You can also try B-complex vitamins, but B6 can be dangerous, so I would avoid that, which is unfortunate because it can be the most beneficial for sleep. You could try getting B6 from beef though, which will probably only be 1 or 2mg per day at most whereas a low dose B6 supplement may have at least 10mg a day. Reports have shown as little as 24mg being toxic. I thought P5P form of B6 was safe, but some more research shows it is not as they can convert forms in the body. Unfortuantely, B6 is one of the B vitamins destroyed by heat along with B1, B5, and B9, so I'm reading, so eating the beef rare may help.
 
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Messages
69
@daveu The 300mcg is coming from the Sundown bottle. I'm pretty sure that is the exact patented dosage. It may be 270mcg or something, but that is right. Some of their bottles even had a logo saying patented level.

I learned about this from reading an article many years ago talking about the correct dosage and how the over the counter products were selling a much higher dosage. I further corresponded with the patent holder, who is the neuroscientist who did the research and he confirmed that this information was correct. He also mentioned that one brand. I have a bottle of that brand, but have not used it in many years, except for a few times recently as my sleep cycle has been pushed forward about 6 hours too far. You could possible take a higher dosage and many people do, and say they don't have problems with it, but I personally did have sleep maintenance insomnia and daytime grogginess. Before I knew about the right dosage the I took a popular dosage and it worked a few times, but very quickly I started falling asleep very quickly with it, but I would wake up in the middle of the night and couldn't fall back asleep. Taking too high of a dosage has a rebound effect.

A b-complex without B6 is really not available, and buying the others individually is much more expensive I believe, but could very well be worth it if you can find dosages of 50mg for short term or lower for long term. I just ate some beef which was seared quickly on the outside to warm it up as well as some I ate raw and just seared the outer ridge to kill any bacteria from the package. There should be some B6 in there, as well as B5.

The D3 you need to take will depend on your current level, but if you aren't taking any you might start out with as much as 15,000 IU and after a month or two it will only take 4000 IU to maintain a level of 60ng/ml to 80ng/ml. If you want to test make sure to use the mass spectometry liquid chromotrography test, not the immunoassay method since the latter is not accurate above 40ng/ml. To convert from ng/ml to nmol/L, which is used in the UK, you just mutiply times 2.5.

The magnesium may not be needed, or may cause side effects, but may synergize well with the B6 and D3 for sleep. But, I suggest a very low dosage. I know I took magnesium about 200mg a day or something years ago and it resulted in an electrolyte imbalance and my muscles were twitching all the time. So, if you can take just 10 or 20mg that may be good. Magnesium oxide is not good. Magnesium glycinate, or magnesium citrate should good. The magnesium is supposed to have a relaxing effect as well. I've heard some people call it natures valium.

The complete b-complex could be very useful though to help regrow the microbiota in the digestive system to help with sleep and IBS. There is a Dr. Gominack which talks about this protocol using B vitamins and D3. However, she recommends taking B50 vitamin for 90 days which is roughly 50mg of B1,B2,B3,B5,B6 and 400mcg of B7, 500mcg of B9, and 50mcg of B12. Then followed by a multivitamin after 90 days and some other complex things. She sells a workbook which is way overpriced. Her method may work, I don't know, but I'm not recommending it. It just feels like too much for me right now and I don't want to supplement B6. I may be over cautious. I'm starting basic. She believes B5 is very important though for the microbiota.