Melatonin Supplement

Question: Does a melatonin supplement increase your bodies ability to produce melatonin? Does a melatonin supplement increase your bodies ability to produce melatonin?

Answer: No. Melatonin supplements do not stimulate melatonin production, they are just adding extra melatonin to your body. Melatonin is a hormone that is normally produced in the brain that tells your body that it is time to sleep. If your brain is not producing enough melatonin, then supplements can help you fall asleep. However, once you stop taking the supplements, you may have a return of insomnia because you are going back to your own brain's deficient levels. Actually, prolonged use of melatonin could cause rebound insomnia when you stop, because you are used to higher levels than your brain would normally reproduce and so your body does not respond to the lower levels.

Question: If I have a blood test tomorrow, can I take a melatonin supplement tonight for the first time? I was going to start taking some melatonin supplements sometimes to see if it helps me sleep, but tomorrow morning I have a fasting blood test. Is it fine to take 1mg of melatonin the night before? Will that affect anything?

Answer: Depends on what the test is for. If it's routine testing you can take the med., it won't affect anything.

Question: Can I send the natural supplement Melatonin through USPS? I'm sending a package with the U.S. this week. I've searched for what I can and cannot ship through the post office, but I can't seem to find a definitive guide. Am I allowed to send Melatonin (a natural over-the-counter sleep aid supplement) and tea bags through the mail?

Answer: Absolutely yes. Ship it off. The list only contains items considered dangerous substances, and vitamins and tea bags are fine.

Question: Is it safe to take a melatonin supplement every night for sleep? I take just 1 mg and I go to sleep in less than 10 minutes and sleep soundly for at least eight hours. No hangover effect after I wake up. I do have more cartoonish dreams, though, but this is nothing new for me because I was having vivid dreams every night even before taking it.

Answer: I take up to 900mcg each night to get sleepy it works very well for me and no side effects noted been doing it for at least a year now. Also consulted 2 doctors on this and they said it was fine due to it being natural supplement. i work the night shift and sleep during the day, best thing i have found to date for insomnia.

Question: Is it safe for me to take Melatonin supplement? I'm a 17 year old female and I often find it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep during the night. I wake up constantly and never feel refreshed after sleep. Recently I heard Melatonin supplements help people who suffer from sleeplessness so I bought some...the only problem is that I read the label and it says people under the age of 18 shouldn't take the supplement. Is it a bad idea for me to use it? Would taking only half a pill every other night make it safer? Thanks

Answer: I'd take it. You never can predict things, but if you're near adult size/weight, you'll be fine. I'd try taking half a pill tonight. The worst it can do is make you really tired. If you're groggy in the morning, go outside. Sunlight signals the body to start breaking down melatonin. No lie. It's part of what helps keep us on a day/night cycle. Honestly, you may not be groggy at all

Question: What would happen if you took to many melatonin supplement pills? As in like 10, or 20? Wouldn't this cause liver failure, or death?

Answer: well first of all which strength did you take 30mcq, 2mg, 5mg or 10mg. second melatonin is a natural based sleep aid that is already in your body. worst your going to get is a headache or stomachache. but taking large quantities of anything could be bad for you.

Question: I took a melatonin supplement last night and then the room started spinning, what can i do? I also have a massive headache and not much energy to move around, but i need to know if water or something else could really help, because i have to go to work. one of the side effect of melatonin is dizziness.

Answer: Unfortunately, you just have to let it run it's course. Effectively you got too high of a dose of Melatonin (as that's more of a symptom of excessive levels of Serotonin, which Melatonin helps to produce)... whether you just took too much or if you're more sensitive than most people is hard to say, but I wouldn't take that dosage again. There is a possibility that something else you took may have augmented the normal impact of the Melatonin, but you didn't say if you took anything else around that time so I couldn't say. Regardless of why it happened, Serotonin is a hormone, so drinking water won't help to clear it out or anything... you've just got to ride it out. If it doesn't go away before work, you can't call in sick or you can try an OTC pain reliever for the headache and hope for the best (although you'll want to call a pharmacist to see which ones would be safest with the Melatonin and in your situation... but I don't think any of them will cause a problem with it). Good luck and I hope I helped!

Question: Can you tell me about the supplement Melatonin? I have trouble sleeping at night, and was considering taking the dietary sopplement Melatonin to help me get sleepy, but still be able to wake up in the morning with no trouble.

Answer: I used to work with an anti-aging physician who recommended Melatonin for his clientele with sleep problems. Unless you are a shiftworker or 40+ years old, Melatonin will probably not help you. It only helps when your body's own natural supply of Melatonin is depleted. Young people...unless they are jet lagged or shiftworkers...just don't have that problem. Their insomnia is generally caused from something else, so Melatonin doesn't help them. Having said that, if you do fall into one of those categories, Melatonin is very safe. The only time I've heard of people having drowsiness the next day is when they are taking a Melatonin supplement that has other additives in it, like Valerian root. I'd suggest starting with 3 mg 1/2 hour before bedtime. If you wake up during the night and don't think you'll be able to get back to sleep, repeat with a 1/2 tablet. Try that dosage for a few nights. If it doesn't seem to work for you, increase it to 6 mg at bedtime and 3 mg during the night (if needed). If that doesn't work for you, your insomnia is probably caused by something else.

Question: What's your experience taking the supplement melatonin? I was hesitant to, but nothing else was helping with my insomnia, and I feel great on it. Can it be used long term safely? Will I have to keep increasing the dose (I take 3 mg now) to get the safe effects ( refreshing sleep without grogginess)?

Answer: It differs from person to person. Since it is a natural product it is safe to use long term. Although in my personal experience the longer I used it the less effective it has become, so I have had to increase the dose. It also causes some people to have very bizarre dreams.

Question: Is it safe to supplement with melatonin? Lately I have had trouble staying asleep at night but no problem falling asleep. I already exercise daily and have tried everything from changing my diet(removing all caffeine and eating healthier) to eliminating all my stress. I don't want to start taking those otc sleeping aides with all that crap in it that can develop dependability. Melatonin has been working great at giving me a full nights sleep and have seen no signs of dependability after i stopped using for a couple days. Is it safe to continue to use this?

Answer: they have only done studies, and proven nothing. ginger is a great source of natural melatonin. i would try something like that first in combination with other herbals like valerian, hops... if your lack of sleep is from stress try magnesium. about 30 mins before bed and in a powder form is best. a product called CALM work great. but plenty of people do great on melatonin with no side effects. holding your tongue to the roof of your mouth also naturaly releases melatonin. you will notice you do this when you start fall asleep naturally.

Question: Is it bad to supplement with melatonin? Lately I have had trouble staying asleep at night but no problem falling asleep. I already exercise daily and have tried everything from changing my diet(removing all caffeine and eating healthier) to eliminating all my stress. I don't want to start taking those otc sleeping aides with all that crap in it that can develop dependability. Melatonin has been working great at giving me a full nights sleep and have seen no signs of dependability after i stopped using for a couple days. Is it safe to continue to use this?

Answer: Melatonin is a natural chemical produced in your brain. I think you'll be safe as long as you follow the directions =)

Question: If I take a melatonin supplement will my brain stop producing it naturally?

Answer: To an extent... You'll develop a "high tolerance to it..." The bottle says to use no more than a few weeks, and then take a week off...(I know...I use it every now and then, but only if I'm tossing and turning really bad...it's best to just "tough out" a mildly sleepless night, because the next night, you'll be able to sleep because of exhaustion, and I noticed I don't need it when I get plenty of physical exercise during the day...) Like any pill... There's no good substitute for the real thing...

Question: where does melatonin supplement come from? Does it come from animals?

Answer: no it dosen't come from animals, its just one of the thousands of syntheticly made supplaments out their, from plants and chemicals.........

Question: melatonin supplement and chest pain? I have stopped taking it, however I am curious to know if anyone else had the same problem. I would take the melatonin supplement and the next day I would just have these sharp chest pains that came and went for a short period.

Answer: That's actually one of the rather rare and serious side effects of it. According to http://www.drugs.com/sfx/melatonin-side-effects.html "Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Melatonin: Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); confusion; depression; fast heartbeat; hypothermia (fast breathing, shivering)." I'm glad you stopped taking it, but yeah, if you're that allergic to it, you'll want to stay away from any external source of Melatonin. Good luck and I hope I helped!

Question: Will the herbal supplement melatonin show up in a urine drug test?

Answer: No, it will not. It is legal and can be bought by anybody OTC, so why would they look for it and why would it matter?

Question: why is melatonin supplement illegal in some countries? you know, the stuff you take to fall asleep

Answer: Different countries have different laws. In the US a substance that isn't classified as a drug can be sold as a dietary supplement. Drugs have to be tested and shown to be safe and effective.