Melatonin

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2

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  • GinaRamp
    GinaRamp Posts: 16 Member
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    I take Melatonin and it helps me go to sleep and stay asleep and I have noticed no side affects.
  • DLKeeble
    DLKeeble Posts: 200 Member
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    I've taken the 3mg and it helps me to fall asleep, but I don't always stay asleep. I have a headache from it the next day. My sister said she also has a headache after taking it. I've also taken the 10 mg. and still do not stay asleep all night. I take 1/2 of 5mg of Ambien and do well with that. I do not have a headache and am not drowsy the next day.
    I understand that you don't want to take anything that can become addictive. As one of the other posters said, the bottle of melatonin says to take a break and not to take more than 2 wks.
  • IslandDreamer64
    IslandDreamer64 Posts: 258 Member
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    I have taken every prescription, over the counter, and herbal remedy for sleep and NONE of them work for me. Wait, that's a lie. Ambien *occasionally* seems to help a teensy bit. I'm at the point of considering getting a sleep study done to find out why I don't freaking sleep.

    Sorry, guess that didn't really answer your question!

    I know many many people who swear by Melatonin. A few even say it "knocks them out". It's pretty safe, so I say go for it.
  • jbrann911
    jbrann911 Posts: 19
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    My son used to be horrible to get to sleep he takes several medications for ADD and Bipolar plus his is Autistic and it used to be anywheres from 11 pm to 1 am. About 3 years ago someone suggested melatonin. That night it took him about 20 minutes afterwards was completely out we use the slow release from Natrol 10 mg and he stays asleep throughout the night.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    I take melatonin and valarian root (separate, not together) on occasion and they work well. I find that when I am having anxiety that the valarian root works better as it seems to give me a calming effect.

    Those of you who take nyquil to get to sleep and yes, there are lots of you out there, I used to be one of them. They now make a ZZZs formula to help with sleep with out the pain reliever in it. I highly suggest it because use of the nyquil with all the alcohol and acetaminophen will cause liver damage.
  • BrentJulius
    BrentJulius Posts: 89 Member
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    I've found if I take 3mg's it works okay but if I take more than that it actually keeps me awake. You can get Advil/Tylenol/NyQuil PM's sleep ingredient (benedryl) now without the pain reliever which is a good idea for your liver if you take it all the time. A few months ago I read that melatonin releases growth hormone if taken after working out so I tried it once after a workout and before work. Wasn't such a good idea to say the least lol..
  • junodog1
    junodog1 Posts: 4,792 Member
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    OP - why are you having a hard time falling asleep? A lot of the time I cannot go to sleep because my mind just wont turn off. I lay my head down and it goes into extra gear, cause it is no longer busy keeping me from tripping or saying something I shouldn't.

    If your brain is too busy here is a suggestion. Listen to an audio book. But you can’t play it on the radio next to your bed. That does not seem to work. I need to have ear buds in and the volume down low. It works for me. I think what it does is give my brain something to focus on, seriously. A nice dark room, the book being read quietly in my ear and *boom* I am asleep. (Even when I am trying to listen to a chapter. Sometimes it is actually annoying. )

    I get audio books for free downloaded to my iPhone. The app is Audiobooks and it links you into the Librivox. LibriVox provides free audiobooks from the public domain. (Copyrights are granted for a limited time, and eventually they expire, and the text enters the “public domain.” Meaning anyone can use that text however they wish.) Most of the books are over 100 years old.
    You are not going to get fifty shades of gray for free but is a great way to catch up on Twain, Hardy, Austen, etc..

    Anyhow, that may be an option for you that does not include ingesting anything. And it’s free!
  • Pandasarecool
    Pandasarecool Posts: 508 Member
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    I'm not sure why my tolerance is so high compared to everyone else's, but I'll take 10mg about an hour/90 minutes before bed, and then I usually have no problems getting to sleep and staying asleep for a good 6 hours, at least. No significant adverse effects either, although I believe if you take it for too long without taking the recommended week break every couple of months, it does lose its effectiveness.

    Me too, I take a 10 mg and it takes it at least an hour to start working. It also gives me very vivid and sometimes quite strange dreams. No nightmares yet, so that's good.
  • butterfly173173173
    butterfly173173173 Posts: 30 Member
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    I work night shift so in order for my body to fall asleep during the day I take a 3mg pill of melatonin supplement. It helps keep me asleep and works best when taken before 6-8 hours of estimated sleep time. Some people feel drowsy afterwards usually because they don't stay asleep for that long so the extra melatonin hasn't had time to leave their systems.

    I also recommend trying out Neuro Sleep drink. I thought the whole, "it'll put you to sleep" promotion was just a cute way of selling a new beverage, but that thing knocked me out like no other. I drank the whole thing before I went to study hall one day and halfway through the session my face was on the desk. The teacher told me I obviously needed some sleep and to go home. I kept thinking, "Why the heck am I so tired tonight?" and then I got home and stared at the empty Neuro Sleep bottle on my desk and realized that the melatonin and other ingredients in that drink really work. http://drinkneuro.com/products/sleep

    And definitely don't drive, operate heavy machinery, or do anything else that requires alertness because melatonin will make ya super-sleepy.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
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    My doctor tells me to just turn off my brain and I can sleep. I haven't found the switch yet.

    I have taken melatonin for years. I have no side effects at all unless I double dose it with Tylenol PM and anything else that is on the cabinet for sleep. It worked great for many years but then I had to up the dose and now its iffy at best.

    You can try the sleepytime tea or any other drink with Valerian root. That is also for sleeping. I like melatonin and for the most part does help me although it is getting less.
  • ang3h
    ang3h Posts: 185 Member
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    I took 1.5mg last night for the first time and it knocked me right out.
  • caro1275
    caro1275 Posts: 198 Member
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    I decided to try the Melatonin since I saw so many good reviews from this site! Unfortunately for me, it just didn't work. It helped me fall asleep just fine- however, I woke up at 6am each morning I tried it with a terrible headache ( I tried it 3 times over the course of week). And like others mentioned- I had some really strange strange and vivid dreams (normally never remember my dreams).
  • ilyahna
    ilyahna Posts: 96 Member
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    I take melatonin almost every night, but a kind with valerian root in it. Valerian, if it works for you, is probably a better first try than melatonin.

    I'm not sure what your life-schedule is like, but if you can, before you go to bed, dim the lights (or turn them out) while you're watching TV or checking your email ... melatonin forms in the brain as a reaction to darkness. Some people think it's a bad idea to alter the natural production, but in all honesty I fall asleep just fine without it, just not as quickly.

    I don't notice side-effects unless I don't get at least 4 hours. Then I'm just groggy.
  • Chameleone
    Chameleone Posts: 281 Member
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    I've taken melatonin. It helped a lot! It didn't really give me any side effects, but I would only take it when I was for sure going to be able to get at least 8 hours or else it left me groggy all day. But other than that it was great.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    Anybody take Melatonin? Do you have any side effects? Since I stopped taking champix, I can't sleep unless I take some Advil PM and I'm looking for alternatives. My doctor seems to think I should just go to sleep...I wish!

    Full supporter and works great for ADHD, Autistic, and HSP children/adults.
  • cyndymar
    cyndymar Posts: 73
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    Love the stuff and yes it absolutely works !!! Oh and no side affects why because your body already has melatonin it what aids you to sleep so nope no side effects
  • PunkyG210
    PunkyG210 Posts: 94 Member
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    I take 10mg of Melatonin AND 50mg of Amitriptyline and can toss and turn for hrs before I actually fall asleep.
  • JessFehr
    JessFehr Posts: 27
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    side note - I find chamomile tea really helps for sleeping as well.

    Wish that worked for me. I take Soothing nature garden sleep remedy chewable tablets. They consist of melatonin, lemon balm, chamomile and lavender.

    I usually can't fall asleep till 2 a.m. It sucks!
  • om3guz
    om3guz Posts: 48
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    I take 3mg of melatonin every night. The supplement I take also has chamomile extract and valerian extract. I sleep very well when I take melatonin. I don't get the vivid dreams. Other sleep aids make me groggy and I am sensitive to antihistamines.
  • PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot
    PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot Posts: 596 Member
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    Personally I can't take it. When I do I have very vivid and very disturbing dreams. Certainly not the desired effect. However, it is mostly natural and shouldn't cause any long term side effects. It may take a couple nights of use to notice a difference but hey, it's worth a try.

    Exactly my reason for stopping taking it. While it did work for sleeping, the disturbing/outlandish nature of the dreams themselves would wake me up. Strange! Glad I wasn't the only one.

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