Dangerous interactions could occur. The supplement could also interfere with other important medications, including blood thinners, diabetes drugs, immune system-suppressing drugs, anti-seizure drugs and some contraceptives.
Generally safe
Your body likely produces enough melatonin for its general needs. However, evidence suggests that melatonin supplements promote sleep and are safe for short-term use. Melatonin can be used to treat delayed sleep phase and circadian rhythm sleep disorders in the blind and provide some insomnia relief.
Melatonin can cause adverse effects at higher doses, but it is unlikely to cause a lethal overdose. In adults, higher doses may cause uncomfortable side effects such as headache and nausea. Melatonin overdose in children is a growing concern with increasing hospitalizations.
In the UK and most of Europe, it's classed as a medicine, not a health supplement and as such, requires a prescription. This is because melatonin is considered “medical by function” which means that it requires a drug licence.
Among banned substances are melatonin, which is taken to ease the effects of jetlag, and codeine, a common ingredient in pain relief medication. Possession may lead to a jail sentence of up to 15 years.
OTC melatonin has been banned for years in the United Kingdom (UK), European Union, Japan, Australia and most recently Canada. Exogenous melatonin is not outlawed by these countries but regarded as a medicine, available only by prescription.
Regardless of whether it truly helps with sleep or not, Dr. Ramkissoon doesn't recommend taking melatonin long-term.
Do not use melatonin if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or have an autoimmune disorder, a seizure disorder or depression. Talk to your health care provider if you have diabetes or high blood pressure.
Melatonin is generally safe for most people, and many people won't experience major complications when taking too much. Even so, an overdose can cause unpleasant side effects. Keep your dose to no more than 1 to 3 mg per night.
Most people overdo it with melatonin by taking upward of 10 milligrams or more prior to bed and then claim it doesn't work. Taking too much melatonin can actually cause rebound insomnia —either rendering the supplement ineffective or worse, exacerbating your already sleepless nights further.
Melatonin is a hormone that your brain produces in response to darkness. It helps with the timing of your circadian rhythms (24-hour internal clock) and with sleep. Being exposed to light at night can block melatonin production. Research suggests that melatonin plays other important roles in the body beyond sleep.
Melatonin is deemed safe for most people when taken under the guidance of their medical professional, with far fewer side effects compared to a sleeping pill.
Melatonin does tend to have less risky potential side effects than certain prescription sleep aids, Grandner says, but he adds that “melatonin is not a good alternative to prescription sleep medications. It does not work as a sedative and it is ineffective in most cases of insomnia.”
It's sold as a complementary medicine and comes as standard capsules, tablets or a liquid that you drink. However, these supplements are not authorised for sale in the UK and it's a prescription-only medicine. Ordering melatonin online is not recommended.
In general, melatonin should not be given to healthy, typically developing children under age 3, as difficulties falling and staying asleep in these children are almost always behavioral in nature.
Furthermore melatonin has been shown to have valuable effects on cardiovascular health, blood pressure, and endothelial function and it might benefit patients with heart failure.
Studies show that melatonin is not only good for helping you sleep, but it also has been found, in laboratory studies using rats and mice, to be an antioxidant, which can help slow the aging process. However, we do not know the long-term consequences of taking melatonin.
Melatonin supplements are fast-acting sleep aids that can last up to five hours.
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French authorities are urging certain populations to avoid consuming food supplements containing melatonin after incidences of adverse effects were reported to the country's nutrivigilance scheme.
The NDPSC considered that insufficient information was available on the safety of melatonin to allow it to remain exempt from scheduling for human therapeutic use and that it should not be available without prescription.