<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

I've received a few questions & comments regarding my original post about melatonin.



-One person said her hubby gets help sleeping by taking large doses (500mg, if I recall correctly) of inositol at 6 & 9 PM.  This same person said her hubby used to get help sleeping from tryptophan before it was taken off the OTC market.  (Tryptophan is still available by prescription, but I'm not familiar with the dosing)  I don't know how much tryptophan is in 3 ounces of canned turkey, but I can't keep my eyes open after eating that stuff.  

-Two asked what brand of melatonin I take. I take Natrol brand, but am considering switching to NOW brand because they make a 5 mg tablet.

-Someone commented on unreliability of potency.  True, less expensive brands will vary more in potency from batch to batch, from pill to pill.  This is why Dr. Mixon recommends a mid price range brand such as Schiff, Twin Labs, Solaray, NOW, etc. as potency will be more predictable.  Supplement specialty stores such as The Vitamin Shop & Super Supplements offer quality supplements at about a 20 % discount.

-Someone else asked about my dosages.  Dr. Mixon says he takes none in the summer & works up to about 9 mg in the dead of winter.  I got very good results this past spring & summer by taking 4 mg at bedtime.  I've had to increase to 10 mg just recently to get the same results.  (We've had an unusually wet & dark autumn so far, and I my melatonin tablets may be less potent.)  I expect that I'll be able to reduce the dose again in the late spring.

-Be aware that dosage is age related.  The older we get, the less melatonin our brains will make so we will need to supplement with increasing doses over age 40.  (I didn't ask Dr. Mixon, but I suspect that the effects of autoimmune disease may increase the need for melatonin of celiacs.  My healthier hubby gets good results with about half the dose I take.) 

-A couple people recommended the use of therapeutic light boxes in the morning as an aid to better sleep at night.  I use a light box for 40 minutes every morning for S.A.D. & do find it very effective for lifting my mood, but I haven't found helpful for sleep.  I still need my melatonin.  ~Valerie in Tacoma
* Send administrative questions to mailto:[log in to unmask] *
Archives are at: Http://Listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?LIST=CELIAC