Melatonin dosages

[PaulaO2]

I have pretty good luck falling and staying asleep with a supplement called Deep Sleep by Herbs etc. No hangover the next day. I only take one pill, not two like they recommend on the label.

I can also recommend that you try Cognitive Behavioral treatment for insomnia. If you find someone who knows it well they can help you shut down the mind chatter and help you change your sleep phase if need be.

Good luck!

Yep, been through the behavior treatment. I have a plethora of tricks I use. Being unemployable now means I can adjust to my own sleep schedule. Sleeping 1 or 2am - 9 or 10am seems to be the best pattern for me.

I'll check out the supplement. Thanks for the suggestion.

[PaulaO2]

It seems like I've had difficulties falling asleep and staying asleep for a very long time. A few years ago I mentioned my insomnia to the Nurse Practitioner I was seeing at the time, and she said "You can try it if you want, but don't take anymore than 9 mg at any given time." I did try the Melatonin starting at a lower dose and increasing it to 5 and then to 8 mg.

Melatonin is a natural hormone we produce ourselves. The theory behind taking it is to kickstart our own production of it. It also helps to reset our internal clocks which is why it is great for jet lag. So the idea is to just take it for a certain amount of time then allow the body to produce it on its own.

The list of reasons to take it is quite long. The Mayo Clinic page lists 59 of them (over age of 18) ranging from cancer patients to Alzheimer patients to sleep disorders to adults with autism. As a hormone, a lot of different systems rely on it. But the highest time frame I could find just by glancing through was 2 yrs and it was not related to sleep.

[luckydxx]

I've had an even split of patients who have success with melatonin and then the ones that do not. I hope it works for you! Your plan to start on a low dose and work your way up is a great idea, that way if it works you can hone in on the lowest effective dose. Make sure you check the expiration on the bottle if you got them awhile back as expired meds tend to lose their potency. Good luck on your journey!

How long will it take to know if low dosage (such as 3mg) will work? My mom is taking Benzodiazepine type of med, will low dosage melotonin still work?  

thanks

[kiwii]

That member has not been to the forums in 2.5 years.

A pharmacist should be able to answer this question for you, or your mom's doctor.