Melatonin

[davey72]

I have to admit that I am guilty of taking the full 3mg as well. I was taking it to see what the benefits would be and I slept like a log through the night. Waking up in the morning was a bit groggy but i have stopped using it after one night I took it and I started shaking, kind of like a jittery sensation that one might get from drinking an energy drink loaded with sucrose. Needless to say I may take melatonin again but in a lesser dosage as I did have some interesting dreams at the time. None that I can recall at this point.

Last night I had a dream about a UFO that was changing its lights in the sky. It was blinking and transforming into different things and I watched it as it landed and it transformed into a Ferris wheel? Then back into a UFO as it took back off from the ground. I woke up having to question my sanity ha. What I truly bizarre dream. Any comments? Not a Ferris wheel that I would choose to ride.

OMG. That is soo weird. I don't think i would have remembered my dream about that if i hadn't just read this. same thing, except it seams to me that it started as a ferris wheel. Don't remember much, just the ferris wheel, ufo part. Weirder still is i have had the melatonin thread in my " show new replies" for a long time, and just went straight to page eleven.

 

[davey72]

I have been taking melatonin for a week now and all that happens is I need to go to the toilet about 4 times a night.. anyone else?? I would love to sleep a whole night through at some time in this life!!
One of my clients also takes it and although she rekons she sleeps better, she is also up about 5 times a night on the loo??

That happens to me too. I think that's because the supplement I take has some magnesium, is that your case?

Mine doesn't, and i have the same problem, although not quite that often. lol
I should add that it seems to slow down, the longer i take it.

 

[davey72]

As far as i know, melatonin has nothing to do with the release of seratonin(perhaps someone can correct me if i am wrong), so i don't see any problem with the combo. To be sure, you could call your local health food store, or pharmacist, or both to check. :D

I think melatonin and serotonin go hand. The 5-HTP converts to serotonin, which converts into melatonin.

Thanks for the correction. :D

 

[VIFury]

That's interesting, I usually have trouble going to sleep, even when I'm tired I would go to bed and end up lying there for almost an hour before actually falling asleep so I took 3mg. Nothing. So I took 6mg. Nothing. So I bumped it up to 12mg that actually worked for me without the groggy effects. Don't know if that's my requirement or if what I got is crap! 3mg puts my lady out like a 1hitKO but she never had as much problems sleeping like I do.

 

[Alana]

That's interesting, I usually have trouble going to sleep, even when I'm tired I would go to bed and end up lying there for almost an hour before actually falling asleep so I took 3mg. Nothing. So I took 6mg. Nothing. So I bumped it up to 12mg that actually worked for me without the groggy effects. Don't know if that's my requirement or if what I got is crap! 3mg puts my lady out like a 1hitKO but she never had as much problems sleeping like I do.

Yes, it depends on the person. My partner used to need 10 mg of melatonin to go sleep, and i needed only 1.5. Since we started sleeping in complete darkness (as complete as possible) he takes half the dose, and i take it only once in a while.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

I have tried two different brands of melatonin now and have had very different experiences with them. The one I take is also the same one that my doctor takes.

I take 5mg every night of the Source Naturals sublinguals and wake up feeling very rested. I remember my dreams, but only vaguely. The ingredients on this one say: Vitamin B-6 (as pyridoxal-5 phosphate) 335mcg, Melatonin 2.5 mg, sorbitol, mannitol, natural orange flavor (), magnesium stearate, and stearic acid. Contains: soy.

However, I recently took some of my old brand (Puritan's Pride) melatonin and woke up for two days feeling dehydrated and with pressure on my forehead. I also could not remember my dreams and I felt like I had "slept like a brick." This version was in tablet form and my doctor recommends sublinguals, because they're much better, in her opinion. The ingredients on this one say: Melatonin (as n-Acetyl-5-Methodxytryptamine), dextrose, cellulose (plant origin), vegetable magnesium sterate, silca, croscarmellose.

This leads me to think that getting the right brand of melatonin can make all the difference in its effectiveness. I figure that some people might not like orange flavor, lol, or soy, but I just wanted to post my discoveries, for what they're worth.

 

[3DStudent]

Scarlet, if you didn't know, those sugars: mannitol, sorbitol, and dextrose are evil. I use Source Naturals time released melatonin. Mine doesn't have any of those sugars in it, fwiw.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Oh wow, thank you! I knew the ingredients weren't the best, but I just feel so much better with this brand. I haven't tried one labeled "time released" yet, but I will definitely check it out. Thank you so much for mentioning it here!!

 

[HiThere]

Scarlet, if you didn't know, those sugars: mannitol, sorbitol, and dextrose are evil. I use Source Naturals time released melatonin. Mine doesn't have any of those sugars in it, fwiw.

I agree that it would be better to avoid the above mentioned. But the Source Naturals time released melatonin (NutraSpray™ Melatonin Timed Release Sublingual™) still contains soy lecithin:

_http://www.sourcenaturals.com/products/GP1405/
_http://www.nutritionalsupplementshq.com/soy-lecithin-side-effects/

Seems like the product mentioned by Menrva in answer #135 is better: _http://www.needs.com/product/Pure_Encapsulations_Melatonin_3_mg_60/b_Pure_Encapsulations.

BUT the sublingual version still contains "Sorbitol, Mannitol, Natural Orange Flavor, Magnesium Stearate, and Stearic Acid. Contains: soy."
_http://www.needs.com/product/Source_Naturals_Melatonin_Orange_Flavored_Sublingual_25_mg_120/vsrgb_Source_Naturals

Does anyone know about a sublingual product without mannitol, sorbitol, dextrose, Magnesium stearate etc?

EDIT: Karuna manufactures melatonin, and the capsules don't have the undesirable additives if this link is to be trusted:

_http://www.synagen.com/products/Melatonin-3mg-60c-by-Karuna.html?

Don't know about sublingual though.

 

[treerocks]

Also here is the link about magnesium stearate, another one to avoid as well.

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,19313.msg236554.html#msg236554

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Karuna manufactures melatonin, and the capsules don't have the undesirable additives if this link is to be trusted:
_http://www.synagen.com/products/Melatonin-3mg-60c-by-Karuna.html?

Thank you for posting all of your research, Hithere! Has anyone tried this Karuna brand before? I've never heard of it, but their website looks legitimate. I'm apprehensive to try a different brand that Source Naturals for my melatonin right now, just because I've had such a positive response from Source Naturals with the sublinguals so far.

Also here is the link about magnesium stearate, another one to avoid as well.

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,19313.msg236554.html#msg236554

Thanks, treerocks! It seems like this one is impossible for me to avoid, considering it's in practically all of my supplements...

 

[Alana]

Also here is the link about magnesium stearate, another one to avoid as well.

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,19313.msg236554.html#msg236554

Thanks, treerocks! It seems like this one is impossible for me to avoid, considering it's in practically all of my supplements...

Unless I am mistaken, the magnesium stearate in capsules is so tiny, that it doesn't call for concern.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Also here is the link about magnesium stearate, another one to avoid as well.

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,19313.msg236554.html#msg236554

Thanks, treerocks! It seems like this one is impossible for me to avoid, considering it's in practically all of my supplements...

Unless I am mistaken, the magnesium stearate in capsules is so tiny, that it doesn't call for concern.

Thanks, Alana! I'm all for minimizing exposure to potentially harmful substances, but it just seems impossible to avoid them all.

I would like to note in this thread that I've been taking melatonin every night for over a month now, but last night I forgot to take it and still slept great! I didn't wake up in the middle of the night and I didn't remember having so many dreams either. Maybe my sleep troubles were caused by the fact that my body was so deficient on progesterone for so many years. My doctor said I would take melatonin every night for the rest of my life, but I wonder if one day I can be melatonin-free and still get restful sleep.

 

[Palinurus]

After reading this whole thread, I'm giving the details about my melatonin consumption just to illustrate how individually different the effects can be.
Introductory note: I'm sleeping in an almost fully darkened room for over 15 years now.

When I got trouble sleeping well some years ago, predominantly from nocturia or nycturia (taking leaks at night), my physician (GP) after examination suggested taking melatonin combined with some form of 'toilettraining' - i.e. containing or upholding as long as I could without it getting really uncomfortable or painful, before eventually rising to go.
Melatonin nowadays is freely available here (The Netherlands) without prescription in almost every drugstore, mostly in 0.1 mg tablets only (preferably sublingual intake).

After starting about 2½ years ago with 1 tablet (0.1 mg) per night and noticing no real difference whatsoever, I quickly got permission (by phone) to experiment a little with different dosages. Within a few weeks of try outs I settled for 3 times 0.1 mg per night (sublingual) taken one at a time at 22.30, 23.30 and 00.30 hours (approx.) and have been doing that ever since.
I usually go to bed between 00.40 and 01.00 hours and rise again around 09.00 hours the next morning. Have been doing that for decades.

This regimen reduced the urgency of leaking to one time per night max. over time (i.e. after just a few months) but no fixed pattern has established as to the time I have to get out. Those seem to be absolutely fully at random. I know this for sure because I have had to note down the details (weightloss included) every morning to show to my GP during regular checkup, around about every six weeks or so.

Nevertheless, I occasionally experience 'bad nights' wherein I have trouble getting to sleep again after leaking, and/or waking up at irregular hours several times a night. Those bad nights inevitably coincide with unbalances due to emotional or stress related situations in my daily life - so in a way are to be expected but never cease to amaze me when they happen.
Normally though, I have regained a solid night's rest with all the benefits those yield for daytime activities.

So for me melatonin continues to have a positive outcome without any side effects whatsoever up until now and I expect no change to that. No noticeable effects neither with respect to dreaming, remembering dreams or whatever.

 

[vortex]

Hi poeple
I bought melatonin from Kal with herbal aditivs and it is rely big relief to sleep correctly after quite long period becouse I work in nasty shifts,
It looks like this-06.00 to 18.00 one day and tomorrow from 18.00 to 06.00 after what I am free 48 hours.
Since I have quite sensibile inner clock (and eyerithing else) I was exhausted after some time and melatonin helped me to approach of at lest normal sleep wich helped me to increas energy to continue Work properly and becouse of that I am realy grateful on that information.