Melatonin for sleep

I posted a week or so ago about a study that was done using melatonin, magnesium and zinc for sleep. I decided to try it and it is REALLY working for me. I cannot believe how well I am sleeping.

I went to see my rheumy yesterday, just for a follow up, get a script and I told him about the sleep study and that I am using those supplements for sleep. He said they have NO side effects whatsoever but he did caution me. He said melatonin is produced in the pineal gland in the brain and like, thyroid, when you take thyroid medication, eventually the thyroid stops producing the hormone. He says the same holds true for the pineal gland and melatonin. So he recommends that I take this "cocktail" for four weeks, and then go off of it for four weeks, taking either Flexeril or Ativan, which I have been doing since I weaned off of Ambien/Flexeril/Ativan for sleep and continue the four week cycle, to "trick" my brain into not stopping production of melatonin.

Just wanted to share this with all of you.

be well

Miriam

Morning Karen,

I took Ambien for many, many years and realized it caused night eating for me, a kind of "sleep eating" but I was aware I was doing it but felt that I could not stop myself. I'd take the Ambien, fall asleep and within 1-1/2 hours, I'd wake and jump out of bed and go eat!! I know, crazy... I finally weaned off of it months ago. I'm just trying to find more natural approaches to a healthy balance, if at all possible. So far, this melatonin "cocktail" is working for me...fingers crossed it continues. I haven't slept this well in a very long time, and for five days in a row!

take good care

Miriam

I have tried so many things to help me get to sleep and stay asleep. So far the only thing that works is the ambien. And I, too, have had the eating problem shortly after taking it. I keep a drink and a small low cal snack near my bed and if I should wake up I will eat this and go back to sleep. As long as something is there I will not get out of bed and go hunt for something.

Maybe I can try the Melatonin again, maybe alternate it with the ambien and see what happens.

I tried melatonin by itself for awhile. It worked for a few weeks then stopped. I also was having muscle spasms all night long. My doctor put me on zanaflex which has been fantastic. My spasms have greatly lessened and I get better sleep since then.

Miriam,

My husband sleep ate too and he would hallucinate on the ambien. He would talk to me and not even remember the conversation. Actually it was kind of funny. When I fall asleep I stay in one spot till morning, I think... lol...

I think that melatonin is a good supplement. I use to drink "sleepytime" tea too and that helped a lot to get you to sleep.

Best wishes for a lovely day.

Hugs, Karen

When I asked my sleep doctor about melatonin, the only thing he said against it was the fact that isn't FDA approved.  That didn't worry me much.  Lunesta made me very groggy during the day, and Sonata just didn't seem to work as well for me.  I couldn't use Ambien, he wanted me on Ambien CR, which he felt was much better than regular Ambien...but it isn't gluten free, so I couldn't try it.  Then I tried Melatonin and seemed to do best with it.  I don't mind the colorful dreams, at least dreaming means you are sleeping! I still take Melatonin every night...I had never heard that using it would stop your natural melatonin.  I had read that we can have problems producing our own to begin with, so adding it is like taking vitamins.

I read the article too. The formula was 5 mg of melatonin, 225 mg of magnesium, and 11.25 mg of zinc.

You can google the study using the names of the ingredients. There were only 43 participants in the study which lasted 60 days. They were able to taste when they had the real ingredients.