High Dose Melatonin Therapy

[Franco]

Sorry for the confusion. The melatonin is to help with sleep. But initially there was some question about whether high doses made one's light sensitivity worse.

OK, maybe I didn't read throughly enough.

Will read the entire thread as I have experimented with Melatonin to fix my delayed sleep phase syndrome.

For that, taking a smaller dose at sunset or 6 hours before bed works better for me than lager doses closer to sleep time.

Melatonin also converts to serotonin and visa versa if that wasn't mentioned already.

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

With the information on Carbonate of soda and it's many benefits, it will be interesting to see how everyone finds their pH and what adjusting their levels will be. I would imagine the more correct we can get our pH, the more effective Melatonin will be.

I'm still amazed how two such basic protocols can do such wonders. Even if some of us are not suffering any auto-immune problems such basic adjustments must go a long way in counteracting todays pollutions. The fact that DCM led me to this site 5 years age is the true miracle for me., Thank you all.

 

[NewEngland Seeker]

Ark and I experimented for about a week. We found that taking it AFTER dark was best, so it was 3 doses of 30 mg at 6, 8 and 10, and then bed. It sure did something, but we stopped because it seemed to be affecting our day functioning. Like, I was incredibly sleepy and slow... I'll wait until we have some of the powder to experiment again. Maybe higher doses aren't so tiring?

One thing I CAN say, I now go to sleep MUCH faster and easier and don't have the problem with ruminating at night, and I AM sleeping more than I did before the experiment, which is a blessing.

I too experimented with higher doses and noticed that it slowed the blood flow of the entire body thus I too was slow and sluggish. Had to work harder to stay focused. It would clear with a hour of aerobic exercise and plenty of water. It maybe a good thing for cardiovascular health but it does require more exercise for me to clear its reduced cardio output.

I have stopped too to reset my balance. I plan now to take it intermittently.

 

[Chad]

I just finished reading "Extreme Dose Melatonin - The Miracle Anti-Aging Hormone, Anti-Alzheimer's Hormone, Anti Baldness Hormone, Menopause Reversal Hormone" by Jeff T. Bowles:

I'm about 1/3 of the way through the Melatonin book Gaby summarised and he mentioned at least one further negative side effect of the mega dosing protocol (not low dose supplementation, i think) that caught my eye (that i don't believe has been mentioned in the thread yet) was that he suspects that because melatonin slows down the rate at which your cells divide it may slow down healing in injuries and bruising.

There's also an interesting note on soft skin and flexible ears which is curious.

Extract from the book:

Babies have really high levels of melatonin. That is why babies sleep so much. If you take a lot of melatonin for awhile, you will also find that your skin gets as soft as a baby’s and your ears get really flexible--also like a baby’s. Melatonin suppresses most sex- related hormones like FSH, LH, testosterone and estrogen. And it suppresses your sex drive! It also makes injuries and bruises take a lot longer to heal. I think it slows down the rate at which your cells divide, and in this way might slow the aging process. Adding melatonin to the drinking water of mice increases their average lifespan by 20%. High levels of melatonin are what keep young children from going into puberty. As the melatonin levels drop with age, the gonadotropic hormones LH and FSH increase and drive the process of puberty. (Thus, one use for Lupron is to suppress accelerated (precocious) puberty, since it also

As has been noted in the thread and is repeated in the book, these side effects for people in the early stages of alzheimers disease are probably not of as much concern as AD itself and so they're a risk sufferers are willing to take.

 

[NewEngland Seeker]

Strange things have been happening since experimenting with >10mg Melatonin.

Dreams are very:

Strange​

Bazarro world like.​

Dark​

Threating​

Nightmarish​

Occasionally I can control the story line​

Foreboding​

Bleak futuristic​

My dreams last twice as long, and my nights seem twice as long.

I think it slows my breathing and heart rate so this maybe a side affect of low blood oxygen. Low oxygen does make me more negative, so I think this is dredging up my inner demons. It is a great opportunity for me to tackle these demons, so I have of figure out how to grow the light and counter my inner demons.

I’m thinking of meditating on the sun before sleeping and recite a plan to do a dream interruption with positive affirmations while in the dream and looking up to the sun or invoking the sun. Maybe, flooding the dark dreams with light I’ll work through this propensity to dark dreaming.

Any further advise on this will be greatly appreciated.

 

[anartist]

@Stoneboss ,

If you have coax cable in your house (some older homes have it) there is also another possible solution called MOCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance).

The cost is comparable (mine was $59.99 per unit) to power line converters but much faster and stable.

I posted about it in the EMF Exposure thread here, here and here. If you don't have coax already installed the power line solution might be better for you.

Yes, we are using MOCA here as well. We get fiber to the house, and using existing cable pipe it to each floor with MOCA, and then to a router on each floor. it is great, and no wifi unless we want to turn it on. I would stay away from the over-the-electric wiring idea though, creates dirty electricity I beleive.

 

[anartist]

How do I find out what's appropriate for my age bracket? Did I miss that bit of information in this thread?

My understanding is that Melatonin production begins to go down as you get older, say over 40. That's when you can increae your melatonin supplementation.

 

[SMM]

Some really interesting research, thank you everyone for sharing. I've been working my way through it at a rate slower than ideal (time constraints), which is better than nothing I suppose. I get confused when different health camps say one thing is bad for you, and another say the exact same thing is good for you - experience, case histories, logic and research definitely provide more information and insight.

I ordered Now Foods Melatonin 3mg from iHerb. As I have issues with sleep, low level infections, general metabolism, hormones, digestion and possibly unidentified autoimmune diseases, going to see what low dose melatonin supplementation in the evenings will be like and report back. A little reticent about increasing the dosage, and need to read on to see how necessary ot is and how much to take it up to. From what I've read so far, 30mg is a reasonable maximum in my particular case maybe. I'll continue reading and see where it goes, and make a point of asking when uncertain for clarity.

Hormones and the Endocrine System: fascinating stuff!

 

[anartist]

I got the Bowles book as well. I think I will follow his protocol and get up to 125 mg of melatonin and see what happens. I've already been at 3mg a night, so I am starting with 6mg. then 12mg the next week, then 24mg, then 48mg up to 125mg. His book is a fascinating read really, but is all over the place, he dips into acetylcholine story in dealing with Alzheimers (pharmadrugs are used to disable the enzyme that chops up acetylcholine, making more acetylcholine available to the brain, and he actually talks about the benefits of smoking in this regard. He also mentions caprylic acid(from coconut oil) in Alzheimers treatment to provide an alternate fuel source for the brain (ketones) that can not handle glucose as well as it used to.

 

[Laura]

Here it is again:

I just finished "The Melatonin Miracle" by Walter Pierpaoli, MD. etc and William Regelson, MD. It's pretty much about the basics of melatonin, where it is produced, what it does, interactions with body systems, that sort of thing. The book talks about how they came to the idea that it can reverse aging and also that it is an anti-cancer element in the body. The solution presented is supplementation.

There are no real details about any cases that tell you how much of anything was given, for how long, etc, so don't get it expecting that. I only took a few notes as follows:

Pineal gland senses and reacts to other types of EM fields besides light; this can interfere with the production of melatonin which may be one factor behind the increase in cancer since the beginning of the widespread use of electricity, artificial lighting, appliances, etc. It may not be just light... EMFs may trigger the growth of cancer cells by blocking the anti-cancer action of melatonin.

Melatonin helps normalize cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

Zinc supplements are needed by older people; melatonin is closely involved in zinc transport, so the fall of levels of one is associated with the other.

For insomnia or restless, broken sleep:

Tak 1 mg melatonin. If you are not asleep in 30 minutes take another 1 mg. If in 30 min, not asleep, repeat with another 1 mg, up to 5 mg. (I guess if 5 doesn't work, you could start higher the next night with 2 mg, then another 2 mg in 30 min, and so on.)

Anyway, after you finally do get a night's sleep (having found the amount that does the job), continue taking that amount every night for 2 weeks for a reset, and then, if you are in the "anti-aging" set, go to your normal supplementation amount.

Anti-aging:

Age	Dose 30 minutes before sleep time
40-44	.5 to 1 mg
45-54	1 to 2 mg
55-64	2 to 2.5 mg
65-74	2.5 to 5 mg
75 plus	3.5 to 5 mg

If groggy next day, reduce your dose by 1/2 mg. Try that, if still groggy, reduce again. Obviously, if the suggested amounts don't do the job, you can try upping it by 1/2 mg at a time.

Now, this book says that everyone in the above age brackets should be taking melatonin in these amounts or something close because it is by that much that the pineal's ability to produce it declines at those ages. Book says if you do this, you can reverse aging and prevent cancer and a host of other problems.

Synthetic melatonin is preferred.

 

[Saman]

Been taking melatonin on and off since I think early 2002 or 2003. Haven't taken it regularly for the past 8-10 years or so though. Used to take a 1mg or 3mg capsule, gently open it, and put either half or a quarter under my tongue. I use the Life Choices brand which is the purest one I could find available for purchase locally. Recently for the past three days, I have started taking 4x3 3mg capsules and not opening them anymore. Just drinking them down with my Magnesium Citrate powder drink. So as for me, I think 12mg with the 4x3 3mg capsules is the so called 'magic' number. Thank you for sharing Laura. Definitely heading to bed now since I took my personal dose approximatly over an hour ago.

 

[Laura]

Just another reminder: unless you have some condition that provokes you to think you may need very high doses of melatonin, as described in the books and papers, it is probably best to stay within the age range dosing and give things a little time to correct.

 

[anartist]

Just another reminder: unless you have some condition that provokes you to think you may need very high doses of melatonin, as described in the books and papers, it is probably best to stay within the age range dosing and give things a little time to correct.

Well I don't know about a condition. I am 63, and sometimes that feels like a condition all on its own! I am not concerned with a diminished sex drive, or increased dreaming, but I will take it slowly (unlike my experience with iodine!) and back off if it seems problematic. Folks like Jack Kruse and T.S.Wiley are against melatonin supplementation, as they are concerned about our bodies not producing endogenous melatonin if it has an exogenous supply. However, if my melatonin production is going down because of my age, and I can increase it and keep LH low (as per Bowles) and not suffer 'side effects' then I might as well give it a shot.

 

[goyacobol]

Well I don't know about a condition. I am 63, and sometimes that feels like a condition all on its own! I am not concerned with a diminished sex drive, or increased dreaming, but I will take it slowly (unlike my experience with iodine!) and back off if it seems problematic. Folks like Jack Kruse and T.S.Wiley are against melatonin supplementation, as they are concerned about our bodies not producing endogenous melatonin if it has an exogenous supply. However, if my melatonin production is going down because of my age, and I can increase it and keep LH low (as per Bowles) and not suffer 'side effects' then I might as well give it a shot.

@anartist,

I have tried increasing my one 5 mg tablet to taking two for about a week. I was thinking some of the numerous other benefits might make it worth doing. I noticed more dreams but the ones that stand out have been more towards the nightmare side. Although some nights seemed to give a more rested sleep, for the most part, I am more sluggish in the mornings.

I think for now I will go back to the one 5mg dose.

My range in the chart Laura posted was:

65-74	2.5 to 5 mg
75 plus	3.5 to 5 mg

I am 71 so the 5 mg is in the recommended range.

I wish you all the best and look forward to what you learn.

 

[Laura]

Well I don't know about a condition. I am 63, and sometimes that feels like a condition all on its own! I am not concerned with a diminished sex drive, or increased dreaming, but I will take it slowly (unlike my experience with iodine!) and back off if it seems problematic. Folks like Jack Kruse and T.S.Wiley are against melatonin supplementation, as they are concerned about our bodies not producing endogenous melatonin if it has an exogenous supply. However, if my melatonin production is going down because of my age, and I can increase it and keep LH low (as per Bowles) and not suffer 'side effects' then I might as well give it a shot.

I think you can get the benefits you are seeking with the recommended dose for your age and just a little time.