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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Steve on May 17, 2000, at 23:22:15
Hi everyone,
As I've posted before, I find melatonin to help me sleep and be substantially more rested and calm in the morning when I wake up. And yet I worry about possible long-term side-effects of taking melatonin, not least because damage to the pineal appears to play a role in Parkinson's.
Does anyone know anything about what side-effects accompany taking it for years?
Steve
Posted by Cindy W on May 17, 2000, at 23:47:46
In reply to Long term effects of Melatonin, posted by Steve on May 17, 2000, at 23:22:15
> Hi everyone,
>
> As I've posted before, I find melatonin to help me sleep and be substantially more rested and calm in the morning when I wake up. And yet I worry about possible long-term side-effects of taking melatonin, not least because damage to the pineal appears to play a role in Parkinson's.
>
> Does anyone know anything about what side-effects accompany taking it for years?
>
> Steve
Steve, your post scares me, since I'm currently taking about 20 mg/day of melatonin to try to sleep (to counteract the Effexor-XR). I used to take kava kava but read that it interferes with serotonin. So would like also to find out whether there are long term side effects for melatonin!--Cindy W
Posted by kazoo on May 18, 2000, at 1:19:05
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Melatonin, posted by Cindy W on May 17, 2000, at 23:47:46
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> > As I've posted before, I find melatonin to help me sleep and be substantially more rested and calm in the morning when I wake up. And yet I worry about possible long-term side-effects of taking melatonin, not least because damage to the pineal appears to play a role in Parkinson's.
> >
> > Does anyone know anything about what side-effects accompany taking it for years?
> >
> > Steve
> Steve, your post scares me, since I'm currently taking about 20 mg/day of melatonin to try to sleep (to counteract the Effexor-XR). I used to take kava kava but read that it interferes with serotonin. So would like also to find out whether there are long term side effects for melatonin!--Cindy W^^^^^^^^^
Re. the damage: do you think for one moment the FDA would allow any substance OTC if it damaged anything? Case in point: the brouhaha
with a bad lot of tryptophan which only affected 2 or 3 people (made them sick).Also: 20 mgs of melatonin is a *WHOPPING* dose! Quite frankly, I've never heard of anyone taking THAT much! HEAVENS!
If you can't get results with just 3 mgs, even 6 mgs, then, perhaps, you should reconsider taking it at all.kazoo
Posted by dove on May 18, 2000, at 11:29:41
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Melatonin, posted by kazoo on May 18, 2000, at 1:19:05
I've written quite a bit about melatonin on this board. There appears to be no danger in prolonged use. There hasn't been any double-blind safety trials, at least not that I know of, but it has been used extensively in certain communities (for autism, insomnia, schizophrenia) for 30 years plus.
I have used sublingual melatonin for like 10 years or so, but no longer use it every night. It has enabled me to go to sleep at normal times even when I'm all wound up and edgy. It has literally been a life-saver, truly. There have been no negative reports in regard to prolonged regular usage.
>
> Also: 20 mgs of melatonin is a *WHOPPING* dose! Quite frankly, I've never heard of anyone taking THAT much! HEAVENS!
>
>I have to agree on that one, that is an incredible amount of melatonin :-) Maybe, you should consider a sedating AD to be used only at bedtime. Amongst the Autism community they have utilized these kind of dosages for many, many years with no bad outcomes. So, yes, it's apparently safe in these amounts, but personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable ingesting these amounts.
Are you sure it's 20 mgs, not 20 *mcgs*? Huge difference, truly, and a lot of melatonin is sold in *mcgs* rather than *mgs*.
dove
Posted by johnturner77 on May 18, 2000, at 15:26:09
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Melatonin, posted by dove on May 18, 2000, at 11:29:41
Also: 20 mgs of melatonin is a *WHOPPING* dose! Quite frankly, I've never heard of anyone taking THAT much! HEAVENS!
> >
> >
>
> I have to agree on that one, that is an incredible amount of melatonin :-) Maybe, you should consider a sedating AD to be used only at bedtime. Amongst the Autism community they have utilized these kind of dosages for many, many years with no bad outcomes. So, yes, it's apparently safe in these amounts, but personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable ingesting these amounts.
>
> Are you sure it's 20 mgs, not 20 *mcgs*? Huge difference, truly, and a lot of melatonin is sold in *mcgs* rather than *mgs*.
>
> doveThere is a wide range in sensitivity to melatonin. I rmember reading somewhere that some people require this dose range(20 mg) to be effective. Melatonin seems relatively free from overdose related problems. However, It has some stimulating effect on the immune system and might induce sensitivity in such a way as to cause anaphylaxis. I suspect that ER people should ask about this if someone has a reaction "out of the blue". I broke out in a severe case of hives after drinking Blue Gatorade. I couldn't prove it but think the melatonin I had been taking regularly at this time might have triggered it.
Posted by Noa on May 18, 2000, at 17:31:47
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Melatonin, posted by johnturner77 on May 18, 2000, at 15:26:09
Dove, with the sublingual form, do you need a smaller dose?
Also, I think that one guy who knows a lot about melatonin is Dan Oren, MD, who is now at Yale and was at NIMH.
Posted by jacquie on May 18, 2000, at 18:51:34
In reply to Long term effects of Melatonin, posted by Steve on May 17, 2000, at 23:22:15
I used to take melatonin, but recently stopped because of taking anti-depressants and all (this was a personal choice) I took melatonin for over 4years every night, 3 mg. 20mg is very high. The FDA has a website for people who submit misc side effects. Melatonin is on there. It might behoove those who are curious to take a look. I did have enlarged red blood cells when I last had blood work. I called the pathologist and asked why.... he said the enlarged red blood cells you would see in a child as they are developing, but rare in an adult. They are young cells when they are enlarged. I could only attribute this to melatonin as it has some apparent anti-aging affects, so I have read. I could merely be a useless fountain of ambiguous tidbits on melatonin, but it is still a drug...no tests, no trials, it is just out there and is worth researching I think. The FDA site can be a bit scary, but it is there to view and may interest those of you are are curious. I hope I have helped and not harmed anyone. Melatonin helped me sleep very well. Best of luck to everyone- jacquie
> Hi everyone,
>
> As I've posted before, I find melatonin to help me sleep and be substantially more rested and calm in the morning when I wake up. And yet I worry about possible long-term side-effects of taking melatonin, not least because damage to the pineal appears to play a role in Parkinson's.
>
> Does anyone know anything about what side-effects accompany taking it for years?
>
> Steve
Posted by Cindy W on May 18, 2000, at 23:48:34
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Melatonin, posted by jacquie on May 18, 2000, at 18:51:34
> I used to take melatonin, but recently stopped because of taking anti-depressants and all (this was a personal choice) I took melatonin for over 4years every night, 3 mg. 20mg is very high. The FDA has a website for people who submit misc side effects. Melatonin is on there. It might behoove those who are curious to take a look. I did have enlarged red blood cells when I last had blood work. I called the pathologist and asked why.... he said the enlarged red blood cells you would see in a child as they are developing, but rare in an adult. They are young cells when they are enlarged. I could only attribute this to melatonin as it has some apparent anti-aging affects, so I have read. I could merely be a useless fountain of ambiguous tidbits on melatonin, but it is still a drug...no tests, no trials, it is just out there and is worth researching I think. The FDA site can be a bit scary, but it is there to view and may interest those of you are are curious. I hope I have helped and not harmed anyone. Melatonin helped me sleep very well. Best of luck to everyone- jacquie
>
>
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> > As I've posted before, I find melatonin to help me sleep and be substantially more rested and calm in the morning when I wake up. And yet I worry about possible long-term side-effects of taking melatonin, not least because damage to the pineal appears to play a role in Parkinson's.
> >
> > Does anyone know anything about what side-effects accompany taking it for years?
> >
> > SteveKazoo, I'm taking a combination of 2 mg sustained release tablets (usually 3) along with 3 mg sublingual tablets (usually about 5). The reason I take 20 mg is that I tried smaller doses, but it didn't help me to sleep. On various websites, I read that 20 mg is safe, so I just titrated it up until I can usually sleep. In the AM, I take Effexor-XR 375 mg/day, and at night, I take 50 mg of Serzone which helps but doesn't quite let me sleep. Will check out the FDA site that Jacquie recommended.--Cindy W
Posted by kazoo on May 20, 2000, at 0:23:20
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Melatonin, posted by Cindy W on May 18, 2000, at 23:48:34
> Kazoo, I'm taking a combination of 2 mg sustained release tablets (usually 3) along with 3 mg sublingual tablets (usually about 5). The reason I take 20 mg is that I tried smaller doses, but it didn't help me to sleep. On various websites, I read that 20 mg is safe, so I just titrated it up until I can usually sleep. In the AM, I take Effexor-XR 375 mg/day, and at night, I take 50 mg of Serzone which helps but doesn't quite let me sleep. Will check out the FDA site that Jacquie recommended.--Cindy W
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Greetings to Cindy W.
I never said that 20 mgs. of melatonin was unsafe. If this is what you need, then so be it.
I just find 20 mgs. to be a bit excessive in view of the fact that 3 to 6 mgs. usually does
it for most people.Also, are you sure that you're giving the melatonin enough time to work? The first week I
tried this chemical, it didn't work *as expected*, and this is where I think the
problem arises. Most people think this natural substance will work as a drug; i.e., make
you feel drowsy thereby *inducing* sleep; however, it doesn't do that. *You* have got to
help it along by *wanting* to sleep. In other words, don't expect melatonin to make you
want to sleep any faster because it won't; what it *will* do is work with your body's
natural tendency (for the lack of a better word) to sleep, but only when you want to.If this doesn't make any sense, let me know. I'm a bit frazzled tonight.
Also, someone mentioned that you might be better off with a mild, generic benzo, and I
agree with this.Happy snoring ... I remain, a frazzled,
kazoo
Posted by Cindy W on May 21, 2000, at 1:43:46
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Melatonin, posted by kazoo on May 20, 2000, at 0:23:20
> > Kazoo, I'm taking a combination of 2 mg sustained release tablets (usually 3) along with 3 mg sublingual tablets (usually about 5). The reason I take 20 mg is that I tried smaller doses, but it didn't help me to sleep. On various websites, I read that 20 mg is safe, so I just titrated it up until I can usually sleep. In the AM, I take Effexor-XR 375 mg/day, and at night, I take 50 mg of Serzone which helps but doesn't quite let me sleep. Will check out the FDA site that Jacquie recommended.--Cindy W
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Greetings to Cindy W.
>
> I never said that 20 mgs. of melatonin was unsafe. If this is what you need, then so be it.
> I just find 20 mgs. to be a bit excessive in view of the fact that 3 to 6 mgs. usually does
> it for most people.
>
> Also, are you sure that you're giving the melatonin enough time to work? The first week I
> tried this chemical, it didn't work *as expected*, and this is where I think the
> problem arises. Most people think this natural substance will work as a drug; i.e., make
> you feel drowsy thereby *inducing* sleep; however, it doesn't do that. *You* have got to
> help it along by *wanting* to sleep. In other words, don't expect melatonin to make you
> want to sleep any faster because it won't; what it *will* do is work with your body's
> natural tendency (for the lack of a better word) to sleep, but only when you want to.
>
> If this doesn't make any sense, let me know. I'm a bit frazzled tonight.
>
> Also, someone mentioned that you might be better off with a mild, generic benzo, and I
> agree with this.
>
> Happy snoring ... I remain, a frazzled,
>
> kazoo
Kazoo, thanks for the post! Last night, for the first time, I was able to sleep with only 6 mg of melatonin. I took just the sublingual type, and not the sustained release type, and slept great! Of course, I was exhausted from not sleeping right all week, so that helped. But I'm trying to find the minimum amount of melatonin that will let me sleep enough without going crazy. I'm trying to stay away from benzos and similar medications because they are addictive. Recently, prior to a breast needle biopsy, I took 3 mg of Ativan, and really enjoyed the anxiolytic effect. SO I know I should avoid such things. I need to feel the anxiety so I can work through things (I have OCD as well as depression, and if I just medicate away the anxiety, I won't change). What do you do to help you sleep, since you mentioned you are frazzled? -- Cindy W
Posted by dove on May 21, 2000, at 11:00:45
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Melatonin, posted by Cindy W on May 21, 2000, at 1:43:46
Just got done reading an article in Discovery magazine about Melatonin. Melatonin has been identified as *preventing* Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. It works by mediating the production of nitric oxide, a chemical transmitter integral to breathing. The nitric oxide is suppose to help regulate our night-time breathing. So, this new info sounds very interesting to me, Melatonin good, yea!!!
dove
Posted by Theresa Pye on May 22, 2000, at 6:41:59
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Melatonin, posted by Cindy W on May 17, 2000, at 23:47:46
To Cindy:
I would be more worried about the long term side effects of the high dose of Effexor you're taking. And to the other comment about Melatonin and it not being approved by the FDA. Just because it has initially been approved by the FDA doesn't necessarily mean it's safe. Look at the medications that were once approved by the FDA and later pulled from the market. ALso look at the number of adverse side effects associated with medications when were approved but later discovered afterwards. My point, Effexor and SSRIs. An example would be that withdrawal symptoms associated with these medications was not known prior to them being released.
> Steve, your post scares me, since I'm currently taking about 20 mg/day of melatonin to try to sleep (to counteract the Effexor-XR). I used to take kava kava but read that it interferes with serotonin. So would like also to find out whether there are long term side effects for melatonin!--Cindy W
This is the end of the thread.
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