What's going on? Melatonin is no longer available in the EU???

Miss Isness

Miss Isness

Jedi Master
I've been doing searches for melatonin in the EU, and I keep finding sites saying that it is only available by prescription now. According to one person long term high dose melatonin use reduces seratonin levels, and that's why it's been taken off the market!

Edit: It's apparently still available in Italy over the counter, who knows for how long, but is no longer (legally) available over the counter in the UK. All the UK melatonin sellers have been taken off of e-bay, sigh.
 
Hi Miss,

yes it's still available here in Italy, just go to any herbal shop (erboristeria) and there you have it. The 3 mg. sublingual 'phoenix' melatonin pills are the most commonly sold around. Don't need to buy it on the internet.
 
In the US, there are 'health stores' that carry lots of melatonin, as well as collodial silver. Surprised
me, as I did not even expect that (CS). But what worries me is the truth in the label, is it made correctly,
is it unaltered, no additives added, and so on. I just do not know who/what to trust as far as the label
goes.

My "health store" is Vitamin World: _http://www.vitaminworld.com
A search for melatonin produced various bottles and even tea.

The reason I provided this information is because I wonder if you can get it
cheaper since maybe US exchange rate is lower and also there are some price
reductions right now. Have a look, yourself.

_http://www.vitaminworld.com/pages/iq.asp?searchtext=Melatonin&xs=42774D10A0BA47D59F87E0A5CE83789C&Image1.x=0&Image1.y=0
 
Hi Dant,

importing any kind of vitamins or supplements is very problematic in Italy. I found that out a couple of years ago when I ordered vitamin C from the U.S. because it was A LOT cheaper. I ended up having to pay something like 60 Euros for a 'medical inspection', and a big fee to UPS for covering the expense of said inspection until the package was delivered, I had to get a doctor's prescription, and fax it to customs + pay the usual IVA and duty charges. The whole process was incredibly time consuming too. When that happened, I started buying my melatonin from the UK instead of the US. It was more expensive in the UK, but still a lot cheaper than it is in Italy.
 
It is still available here in Saudi Arabia.

When I read this thread yesterday I was on my last pill. Got my new 3 mg bottle this morning from the local drug store :)

If western governments start to restrict melatonin, Saudis will follow suit. As long as it is freely available here I am going to enjoy it.

Just out of curiosity, how much does it cost in your countries?

I paid SR 113 for my bottle of melatonin which is US$ 30.13 at current exchange rate.
 
Miss Isness said:
Hi Dant,

importing any kind of vitamins or supplements is very problematic in Italy. I found that out a couple of years ago when I ordered vitamin C from the U.S. because it was A LOT cheaper. I ended up having to pay something like 60 Euros for a 'medical inspection', and a big fee to UPS for covering the expense of said inspection until the package was delivered, I had to get a doctor's prescription, and fax it to customs + pay the usual IVA and duty charges. The whole process was incredibly time consuming too. When that happened, I started buying my melatonin from the UK instead of the US. It was more expensive in the UK, but still a lot cheaper than it is in Italy.
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yes we all suffer, if I buy something on eBay from USA or Asia I have to pay considerable amount in duties and then also value added tax
therefore I have to focus on ordering from EU which means lesser choice

but as far as I know melatonin is still available without prescription here in Malta, and also in UK and Holland, wouldn't know about other EU countries.
 
I just found a fairly good deal for Italy - 5 mg X 60 tablets for Euro 5.20, and if you buy 50.00 Euro worth shipping is free.

Not as good as 3 mg X 240 tablets for 5.00 Euro, like I was getting on e-bay from UK sellers before, but still about 50% less than the normal price in Italy.

It is also important to check the ingredients before buying. Some Italian brands actually have aluminum, or hydrogenated oil in them.

The U.S. is still the cheapest place to buy melatonin and dietary supplements by far, but it's also essential to check the quality and provenance. A lot of them are being produced in China these days, and can contain toxins.
 
Deckard said:
but as far as I know melatonin is still available without prescription here in Malta, and also in UK and Holland, wouldn't know about other EU countries.
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Melatonin is also available without prescription in Slovakia. I tried to find a useful website in English but there don't seem to be many. The one I found ( _www.multivitamins.sk/ttpharm/index.php?ID=641 ) had melatonin mixed with other additives. Their prices start around 6-7 Euro for 30 tabs.

And by the way, Central and Eastern European countries are pretty expensive compared to 'Western' Europe for these types of products. On a different thought, I wonder if in the near future there will only be melotin from China, which will be full of all kinds of yummy extras.
 
Apparently, melatonin was only available on prescription in the UK since 1995. Someone must have informed ebay or the authorities caught up with them. What happened to the UK in 1995 looks like its hapened in the EU now, which has probably reminded everyone about its status in the UK.

_http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/features/article1011206.ece
...the reaction was more sceptical, and in 1995 melatonin was classified as a medicine and over-the-counter sales were banned. So although it is widely available in America, in the UK the Department of Health has prosecuted shops and websites for selling melatonin (websites registered outside the UK cannot be prosecuted).
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Hi everybody

Here in Spain there isn't more melatonin aviable. I was surprised when i was told in the shop that the melatonin was being reviewed, and i get shocked when a few weeks ago the salesman confirmed that the melatonin had been banned in EU.

When i buy it (last times), i was from italy, but right now there isn't more supply.
 
Hi pirataloko,

pirataloko said:
Here in Spain there isn't more melatonin aviable. I was surprised when i was told in the shop that the melatonin was being reviewed, and i get shocked when a few weeks ago the salesman confirmed that the melatonin had been banned in EU.

When i buy it (last times), i was from italy, but right now there isn't more supply.
Click to expand...

They have been going in this direction for a long time now. :mad: Check out this post, perhaps you can try the same trick in Spain. I'm afraid though, that even if you succeed it can be a temporary solution only. :(
 
If you have a credit card, or can borrow one, you can get melatonin easily online in many places. If you like amazon, then amazon.com, amazon.co.uk and amazon.de all have it for sale at a reasonable price.

So there doesn't seem to be a ban on melatonin in the EU.
 
In the Netherlands Melatonin is available in low dosage (0,1 mg) as supplement at local pharmacists, health stores etc.
when looking for something with a higher dosage, you have to get a prescription here. Since June 2007, Melatonin in Europe is registered under the name 'Ciradin', but that only goes for the type you get with a prescription, as far as I know.
 
I have not trouble ordering Melatonine from Ebay, Amazon or else to Belgium.
Although it is very difficult to obtain if you don't have a credit card because it is only on prescription and I don't know what kind of Melatonin you'd get.
 
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