Melatonin?

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Anyone here take melatonin to help them fall asleep?

Oh man I am suffering in agony from insomnia/hyper mind problems. Please let us know if melatonin helps!

i started taking melatonin in place of clonadine... worked wonders

I primarily have trouble getting to sleep (once I'm out I don't wake up). I think melatonin is a godsend for this type of insomnia. I find 3 mg to be ideal for me (I'm 230 lbs). I took 6 mg once and it gave me such incredible nightmares that I woke up every hour.

The only down side is it doesn't help as much for people who have a tendency to wake up early. Paradoxically melatonin actually makes it more likely for me to wake up early... but that's a good thing for me since I have a tendency to oversleep in the mornings.

Last edited by marshall on 06 Apr 2008, 11:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Be warned that taking melatonin replaces your body's natural production of it. If you're getting it externally, you will stop producing your own. That means that you would have to take it forever if you start taking it and take it for too long (I've heard that one month is the limit).

Like the previous poster stated, if you take it artificially, you are just replacing what your body already makes. THIS applies only if you are a night sleeper, because our bodies follow circadian rhythms, and start producing melatonin at the time we need it most. If you are a day sleeper (like me) you may benefit from artificial melatonin because your body isn't programmed to make it during the day.

True, but the other drugs are much worse for me. I got so dependent on Ambien that I started having withrawal side effects during the day after only a month. I got headaches all day from that damn Ambien.

With melatonin all that happens from withdrawals is not being able to sleep well for a few days until your natural production increases again. That's my experience anyways.

I have taken Melatonin many times in the past. Even though it does work, it often makes me feel sick, like I've been poisoned. So I've made the decision to not take it any more.

Melatonin is produced naturally in the body in response to darkness. Taking melatonin is like switching from sleeping in a bright room during the daytime to sleeping in a completely dark room. It's especially great if you work at night and have to sleep during the day. If you sleep better when your room is darker, melatonin is likely to help. It's best to try 300mcg dose at first.

One randomized controlled trial of melatonin for children with autistic spectrum disorders and sleep problems found it to be effective at improving sleep. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16919138

I used to take melatonin, but 5-HTP works a lot better for me (once I got past the first few weeks of jolting awake from extreme dreaming)

I use melatonin when I remember, which is usually once or twice a week. It helps a little, but there's still nights when I can't sleep. I usually take 6-9mg (6mg to begin with, and then another 3mg if it's not working). I've been taking it for about two years, and it's worked better than anything else I've tried (mostly herbal/traditional stuff - I'm not big on taking pills).

What you have said contradicts the studies I have read about melatonin. There have been no known effects uncovered for melatonin which does not say a whole lot because as a relatively new substance, we do not know much about it. 1-2 mg works wonders for me though. I have been taking it for a few months now and it has been a godsend. Do you have a source that can back up what you have said? Since I take melatonin every night, I would want know if in fact regular use will replace my body's natural production of it.

Just out of curiosity, where do you all acquire melatonin? I've tried some from CVS (3mg, but it also has 10mg of vitamin b6), and sometimes the 3mg does not seem to help much, but I don't want to take 6mg since I'd be taking 20mg of vitamin b6 (recommended daily value = 2), so I would like to try some sans the vitamin b6 and see if works better.

There have also been no long term studies on the effects of taking melatonin, so I'd be wary taking it regularly long term.

Sargon: I think you can order it over the internet from Kirkman.

I do!
It gives me no side-effects and it actually WORKS (without making me feel foggy)

I get it at health stores mostly

My son takes a Benadryl allergy pill before bed. Helps make him groggy enough to doze off.