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My wife has used it mainly prior to CPAP and said it helps. I don't think she takes it any longer now. I have never tried it. I suspect it is quite safe to use in recommended dosages which your doctor should provide. On a quick Google check it seems taking too much can have a negative effect, so the NHS recommendation is to start low (2 mg) and increase to a maximum of (10 mg) if required, with the objective of taking as little as possible. Other sources suggest starting as low as 0.1 mg! Some links to explore:
The second credible looking link I found is a pdf download, and I can't figure out a direct link for it. It is from the UK NHS, and you will find the link by Googling the following:
Ruby
+0 points
·
almost 6 years
ago
Sleep
Commentator
But reading stimulates your brain, which should make you more alert during the day and that's a good thing, right? Be careful what you wish for--"I want someone to tell me what to do"! In my world, too many people do that already! LOL
Ruby
+0 points
·
almost 6 years
ago
Sleep
Commentator
Then we are well matched as I can be a crotchety old woman! Sierra has good, quality information and I really appreciate her posts. But sometimes information we ask for is overwhelming. I can't wrap my brain around all of it, especially when someone is TELLING me something. I need it in writing so I can go back and take it in parts. Hope your nap was good!
Sherry
+0 points
·
almost 6 years
ago
Sleep
Commentator
Melatonin is very natural and helpful for getting to sleep and staying asleep. There are different forms of Melatonin. There is a brand that is time released throughout the night. Melatonin will quiet my mind which helps me to fall asleep more quickly. I would encourage you to visit a health food store which I seem to trust more and try out different brands and dosage amounts until you discover what works best for you.
Ruby
+0 points
·
almost 6 years
ago
Sleep
Commentator
I would say that most on here are mainly concerned with CPAP and issues from that. For most they haven't looked at anything else that might help sleep overall. At least not yet.
I've been using 5mg melatonin for about a year. Doctor said ok and no side effects or interaction with other medications. It is a hormone, not a drug. It works for me about 90 % of the time to help me get sleepy before bed.
For me it works great for now, but in the first few months of usage i suffered from a lot of side effects. It is getting way better now. I get mine from this shop but i dont know whether this does make any difference at all. All in all im quite happy with using melatonin.
Biguglygremlin
+0 points
·
almost 6 years
ago
Original Poster
Sleep
Enthusiast
Thank you for your suggestion Vulegnarts
I guess there must be more behind the site than what I'm seeing because from here it looks like a clever marketing strategy but not much useful information.
Is it really scientific research when this supposed peer review seems to have been undertaken for the primary purpose of creating a legal argument for a patent and license application.
How can you patent a dosage? It seems a misuse of the whole concept of patents and deliberately obstructive to everybody else.
I didn't read this (see my earlier link) from a Patent Litigation perspective. Figuratively speaking, even if the bath water strikes some as murky must the baby be thrown out too?
Read thoughtfully, I had hoped some might discern valid, pertinent and useful recommendations regarding melatonin.
I have considerable personal experience with taking melatonin and find it helpful - in prudently small doses - for falling and staying asleep with CPAP. Isn't that the trick?
Biguglygremlin
+0 points
·
almost 6 years
ago
Original Poster
Sleep
Enthusiast
I think the reason I created this thread was to find out if the side effects were relevant to dosage.
As well as if the side effects were impacted by other things like food or time taken.
I also wanted to know if and/or at what rate the side effects diminished.
For most people a few side effects might be irrelevant and that is largely true of me too.
What do I care if I have a perpetual headache or spend my days in a new type of fog.
Those things I can deal with but the dreams are a whole other issue.
When I dream I act and it was with the mistaken belief that it would help with RBD that I began using Melatonin in the first place.
The last thing I need is more dreams so I have been forced to quit altogether until I can find a safe way forward.
I think I need to start again at a higher dose and persist until it either works or I am forced to quit again but it would be easier to endure if I knew how long it was likely to be before the side effects subsided, presuming that they do subside.
So the bottom line is that most research is not really informative when it comes to the questions I need answers to and it is not usually relevant to RBD which appears to require higher doses of Melatonin than most other applications.
Ruby
+0 points
·
almost 6 years
ago
Sleep
Commentator
I have looked on-line for information but even though Mayo Clinic and National Sleep Foundation have that it isn't the same as real experiences from others. I have tried it but couldn't see any real benefit but then I am not comfortable trying new things (even though it has been around for ages). This forum is great for the most part but once you get off CPAP use and questions it tends to drop off. I think that could be because so many on here are new to the whole sleep apnea world and so don't have a lot of experience to share.
Sierra
+0 points
·
almost 6 years
ago
Sleep
Patron
We probably discussed this in your other thread about REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder, but what dose did your doctor suggest for the melatonin? From what I read it is typically higher than that needed for insomnia. This link to an article about "How Melatonin Can Treat REM Behavior Disorder" suggests a dose of 3 mg to 12 mg. Another link I read said that any side effects tended to be dose related. 3 mg seems to be the common dose available over the counter, but I have seen some at 1 mg. I expect those could be fairly easily split to 0.5 mg. If you are having issues perhaps it would be worth a try to start as low as 0.5 mg and then work your way up to what is effective in treating the RBD.
Biguglygremlin
+0 points
·
almost 6 years
ago
Original Poster
Sleep
Enthusiast
Your usual mix of sound logic and precision Sierra. Thank you. :)
The link you posted was interesting in that it tried to define just what Melatonin might be doing in the equation.
"In studies, melatonin reduced muscle tone during REM sleep (people moved less during this stage of sleep) which means a decreases ability to enact dreams."
That implies that the goal might not be to prevent events but simply to restrain the events. I might have to think that one through a bit more but my new toenail reckons it's a step in the right direction.
My doctor prescribed 2 mg but I doubt that she knew much about treating RBD. Nobody I have met so far has much knowledge of the subject and certainly no prior experience.
I took 2.5 mg for a few nights then reduced it to 1.25 for a number of weeks but the side effects were not survivable and there was no purpose in continuing at that dosage. (I have no problems getting to sleep)
It's doubtful that I will have the courage to give it more than one more try so when I'm in the right place I will take 10 mg per night for a couple of nights and then halve it to 5 mg and continue on that dosage for as long as I can to see what happens.
I figure that gives me the best shot at reducing the side effects and still having an effective dosage.
What I don't understand is what I should be looking for. What outcomes? How to quantify any changes.
I had originally presumed the goal was less events but if it's just events that are less violent that will be a lot harder to evaluate.
The following article was interesting but unfortunately my experiences so far seem to have been the same as the "one patient for whom melatonin increased both the frequency and severity of RBD episodes."
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