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This sleepy summary continues . . . . z z z z z z z z
I have been taking Melatonin for years and I think that it works great. It
has not been recommended by a doctor, I just take it on my own. I was
taking 3 mgs, though recently I have been adding 1 or 2 more. But, it is
not enough for my serious sleep problems, I also take trazodone, between 50
and 200 milligrams a day. Trazodone is a mild anti-depressant. From what I
can tell, almost no one would take it by itself for depression because it's
just not strong enough, but
they might take it with something else, or else take it for sleep or pain
therapy. The two things in
combination usually work pretty well for me. I used to lie awake for hours
trying to get to sleep. Now I fall asleep in 5-10 minutes. Sometimes I
still wake up between 2:30 and 5:30 and can't get back to sleep. I'm trying
to track that now to see if it follows my monthly cycle. I recently had
someone suggest that to me, and that it could be another symptom of poly
cystic ovary syndrome (poor sleep, that is). I already know that it's a
symptom of fibromyalgia. Not much helps me sleep well at all when I'm away
from home. Karen
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Something else that has helped my husband is to take (2) 500mg capsules of
Inositol about 3 hours before bed. It is a member fo the B vitamin family
used for its calming effects. It is being tested clinically for use in
anxiety. Anyway if you take it at 5, 6 or 7pm and go to bed about 2&1/2 to 3
hrs later it has helped him quite a bit. We also use melatonin.
You did not mention if you use sustained release or quick acting. My
husband has used both. Sustained release helps him stay asleep at night but
if he is keyed up he uses fast acting at the beginning of the night. We
used to use tryptophane but that was outlawed by the FDA after a
Japanese company making it with cloning technology had problems with
contamination that killed a couple of people. tryptophane is a precursor to
melatonin which is used to make serotonin I think. Anyway people with
certain medical problems including celiac tend to not have enough serotonin,
have depression, and sleep problems.
You are right that melatonin is a wonderful treatment to restore
good sleep. Paula in Pa.
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Take the ones that dissolve under your tongue. They work faster and you can
take a smaller dose. I use Source Natural brand (they sell them at Whole
Foods). They're peppermint flavor. Look for the word "sublingual" on the
label. RP
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I buy from Swanson's, simply because it's the only capsule form I can find.
I've been using Melatonin for years. My dose is 3 capsules, repeated if I
still have problems. I've never heard anyone give a top limit on dose for
Melatonin, so I guess it won't hurt me. Susan in Ohio
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One respondant mentioned this:
I've heard rumblings about melatonin & autoimmune disease.
This is my response to that: There is a lot of negative hype about
melatonin on the internet, much of which I suspect is drug company
propaganda. Melatonin is so popular, it out sells aspirin! So as usual,
when a dietary supplement is so popular, it cuts into the sales of pricey
drugs, the drug companies fight back with fear tactics. There's this
seriously stern warning not to use melatonin if you have autoimmune disease.
Why? I wanted to know. I searched & searched for the reason(s) for this
warning. I finally found the origin: there has been ONE case of a person
developing autoimmune liver disease while taking melatonin. So what? 1000s
of people develop autoimmune liver disease every year who DON'T take
melatonin. My dad was one of them! That doesn't mean that melatonin caused
autoimmune liver disease. Chances are before this poor soul developed liver
disease he/she also took tylenol or ibuprophen or may have eaten bread,
carrots or peas, or French fries, too! So why blame the melatonin? Unless
there's been a huge spike in autoimmune liver disease exactly corresponding
with the increase in melatonin use and nothing else, there's no proof of a
causal link.
Besides that, there's 1000's of people who developed autoimmune disease
(celiac) while eating gluten. But, I don't see any stern warnings on bread
& pasta!
Another thing to think about, there has been an increase of the number of
people who get pancreatic cancer while taking aspirin. Pancreatic cancer is
the most deadly cancer known to man. So why isn't there a warning on the
label of aspirin bottles that says "May increase your risk of pancreatic
cancer."? Valerie in Tacoma
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You might want to check out www.iherb.com I've gotten products from them
3-4 times now. Information on ingredients is usually readily available, you
have lots of choices & prices are reasonable. Shipping via USPS on orders
over $20 is free. Orders come from California...I order on Monday, it
arrives in Milwaukee on Friday. Much simpler to compare brands and it's
also cheaper & faster than driving to several health store trying to find
what I want. Bev in Milwaukee
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My psychiatrist says that melatonin works in parallel, chemically, but does
not actually affect the seratonin in the way that it is supposed to.
However, Valerian does seem to help. Sandy
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