January 1, 2009
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Why I hate melatonin.
A few weeks ago, I posted about my battle with insomnia and RLS. (You can see it featured on healthkicker today … yes, I am Ms. Cookie. 
)Many of you shared your own stories, and for that, I thank you. It’s always nice to know we’re not alone in our struggles. For some, melatonin seemed to be the solution.
Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain that helps regulate other hormones and plays a critical role in determining when we fall asleep and when we wake up. It is all-natural and non-habit forming—a change from my current prescription of Ambien CR. Also, at $7.50 for a 60-day supply, the thought of saving money was just an added bonus.
As I walked into my local GNC this past weekend, I was hopeful I had found a better solution to my sleeping problem.
I took the sublingual tablet Monday evening—it goes under the tongue for quick disolution and absorption—and within minutes, I felt it coursing through my body. But sleep wouldn’t come. In fact, it just made me more aware of the lack of sleep I was getting. My heart was beating through my chest, and even the smallest light from the wall’s smoke detector put me on edge. I had the worst headache imaginable, but I couldn’t move to fix it. My body was resting, my mind, awake.
When I “woke up” the next morning, I was groggy. I needed to go into work, but couldn’t. I ended up falling asleep some time later, and snoozed through most of the afternoon. So much for putting my sleep schedule in check!
Last night, I decided to give it another go. The doctor suggested taking two pills, so I did. But it didn’t help. In fact, the headache came faster, and the restlessness was more intense. I was lucky to be able to sleep a few hours this morning, but I’m groggy as hell. I had errands to run today, but I won’t be driving anywhere. Better safe than sorry.
Perhaps it’s because I have a more advanced case of insomnia and RLS, but melatonin just didn’t work for me. I really wish it would have, both for my health and my wallet.
Have you taken melatonin before? What was your experience like?
Comments (45)
I have used it before. It did work for me but after a few days I developed a rash. When I quit using it the rash went away. So no more for me!
I have actually. I don’t have a serious diagnosed case of insomnia but I go thru phases where I struggle with it. I had someone mention it to me and when I tried it I found my body temperature actually rose, making my body feel relaxed but achy and my mind, like yours, was still awake. I have a similar reaction when I take medications such as Sudafed. By the way, being the medical mystery buff that I am…I loved this entry…but I’m sorry you’re only writing it due to mysery. I hope you get some rest tonight.
@Hecalmsthestorm - LOL, now I’m gonna be checking myself for rashes … I think I’m getting a bit itchy … Seriously, though, I’m sorry that happened to you. What other things are you doing to help you sleep?
@jediwa72 - Ugh, it’s weird, isn’t it? And of course I’ll be resting well tonight, with Ambien by my side
Is Ben letting you rest much? He is just too cute for words, BTW!
I took melatonin for my insomnia and it didn’t help me one bit. I’m now on a medication called “trazodone” prescribed by my psych doctor. It seems to be working. I’m on 150 mg.
I use Walmart brand sleep gel pills. They work very well!
My mom suffers from insomnia, but she’s one of those people who don’t use medicine to treat issues. I wouldn’t have any medicine advice for you there.
I hope you can find something to work for you and catch some zzz’s!
Sams Club generic for Benedryl is what my guy and my best friend take when they cant sleep. 400 pills cost about $4. They sell them at Wal-mart too. The melatonin makes my friend wired, but my guy says it works for him
I take melatonin every night, and it does help, but I am a little groggy when I wake up in the morning. The groggy-ness seems to go away pretty quickly, though. Have you thought of having a sleep study done? My Dad recently had one done and it was a big help.
Hope things get better :]
@hannuuuuh - Yes, I had a sleep study done two years ago. That’s when I was formally diagnosed. I’ve been taking Ambien CR since then with most success, but I was looking for a more natural alternative.
@BarelyJen - Okay. That’s why I take melatonin, is because it’s natural and my Mom didn’t want me on sleeping meds since I’m only 15.
Maybe a different brand of Melatonin will work better? I may sound funny saying that, but you never know.
@hannuuuuh - That’s definitely worth a shot … if not, I’ve got something that works. I resigned myself a long time ago to the idea of being dependent on Ambien … ugh.
I would drink coffee
Coffee makes me extremely tired for some reason…
i’ve taken different brands of melatonin. one made me sleepy and the other one was just like you described. i felt like i’d pulled two allnighters but couldn’t fall asleep, and in the morning my boyfriend had to help dress me and put my shoes on because i could hardly move. so… i agree with hannuuuuh.
i take allergy medicine and it makes me sleepy…
Gosh! Sorry that it didn’t work out very well for you. Have you tried having your hubby “put you to sleep”?
snicker snicker blush
Happy 2009 New Year! Thanks for the add =)
p/s: wow your eyes are beautiful <3 i just have to say that =D
I’ve never used it before. I take Klonopin to help me fall asleep. Sorry its been a shitty couple of days for ya.
There’s a reason you don’t like Melatonin…it doesn’t work!!!
The best therapy for sleep disturbances is modifying your sleep patterns/behaviors. That’s what causes 90% of insomnia.
A couple of years ago, I was suffering from a horrific case of insomnia, partly b/c my mother was dying of cancer and I wasn’t dealing with it very well. ANYWAY, I tried melatonin and omgoodness it made me a nervous wreck. I had the jitters! And it felt like bugs were crawling all over my skin. It was horrible. Stay clear of it.
I took it at one point. It made me feel even more awake, my body sore, and it also made me twitch/shake a little. I took several others, but the one that REALLY worked for me was actually an anti-depressant (Remeron). It works in a weird way because the lower the dosage (so basically when you first start taking it at the lowest dosage), the more tired it makes you. I would seriously be passed out within a half hour.
My mom bought a ton of Melatonin because it was cheap and she thought it would actually work. It worked really well for her in the beginning and she didn’t seem to have any bad reactions to it, but it almost seemed like she built up an immunity to it after awhile. I think she still uses it every now and then, though.
i hated using melatonin. i’ve been on 6 medications for insomnia in the past few months, and nothing helps. :/
@losertasticx - Have you tried Ambien CR? The continued-release formula really helps you stay asleep (and gets you there comfortably).
I feel for you. I have bad anxiety and dread going to bed. It is worse when I lay down. I am trying to break the cycle by thinking positve thoughts before lying down and then while in bed. It is helping today and I feel less tension and pain in my chest and arm!! I never used to have trouble sleeping, but my ex used to take valium every night to sleep!
@BarelyJen - that sounds like something to try, i’ll talk to my psychiatrist!
First pill, it worked pretty well. After that, it did absolutely nothing for me.
I’ve never really had a problem sleeping. I have a problem waking up
I do hate it when my bodies Melatonin does it’s job and then I get awakened at the wrong time. They say once that window of Melatonin your body give you in that 30 minute window, it takes a long time to produce more, which is why catnaps can sometimes make you feel refreshed.If you fall too deep into the sleep and get awakened you feel aweful. My 24 year old takes Ambien, but she takes several other drugs. She is still having problem from her right leg being amputated 2 1/2 years ago.She is on about 6 drugs. I can’t pronounce half of them. Hope you find something that works. Reading puts me to sleep in no time, I bore myself to sleep LOL
Well, I’m sorry about your restless nights. I too suffer from insomnia and it, for lack of a better word, sucks. I have taken melatonin before, and had an experience similar to yours. As a result it was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back when it came to me and supplements.
Melatonin is a tricky beast that one must tame, and learn to work with. One makes me fall asleep, but the sleep is restless. Three puts me out cold for a good 12 hours. Two is a good balance- I sleep well, and usually remember my dreams, which is nice. But I have discovered that if I take it, I will often wake up early, before my alarm, and be Wide Awake- and if I go back to sleep to wait for the alarm, I’ll sleep THROUGH it altogether. So now I get up when my body tells me to get up. Other than waking up early, though, I love the stuff. I’d be a mess without it.
I use Melatonin all the time on weeknights because, as I have discovered far too many times, severe insomnia and 5:30 alarms are not friends. I find that it only really works with two tablets and I have to read before bed, because it does make your body fall asleep before your mind. But having that mental focus and stimulation helps get your mind down.
First off, did you taper off your Ambien? You could just be suffering from the withdrawal symptoms if you did not taper off of it appropriately.
Since melatonin considered a supplement and not a drug, it’s not sufficiently regulated by the FDA.That means that one brand of a certain supplement can be drastically different from another, and can even vary drastically from batch to batch. When it comes to these things try to stick with reputable brands and try to find ones that say GMP or “good manufacturing processes” on the label.
Also, have you tried looking at good sleep hygiene tips? i.e.: avoid caffeine in the afternoon, reserve your room for bedroom activities only (no tv, work, etc), do relaxing things before bedtime, don’t exercise too close to bedtime, try to sleep at the same time every night, if you struggle to fall asleep–leave the room and do something relaxing for 15-20 min and then try again, etc
I hope you find something that works for you. =)
Never had it. I did have problems with Abilify though. Gave me heart palpitations and almost caused a heart attack.
I have used melatonin for my RLS and for jet lag. I pretty much became immune to it after a few weeks. My Dr wanted me to take a multi vitamin and Selenium. The Selenium seems to work better than other things I have tried. I take Requip every night and wish I could get away from it. I seem to have less symptoms if I only have caffeine up until noon then no more the rest of the day. I joined RLS.org and they have some great ideas to try to cope with this awful condition.
When I was taking it I had to take 4-6 for them to work, but then I was groggy in the morning.
But I did sleep all night and didnt get up but I would sleep in and be in a faze for part of the day.
Needless to say I dont take them.
I have floating insomnia. It is usually triggered by excess stress and will often keep me up for days and then crash me hard after I burned through it. I tried regular Ambien but I was actually worse off for it because it burned through the night too quickly and it wasn’t a full night’s rest. I was going to take Ambien CR but I have to wait for doctor approval after I started having chest palpitations early in 2008 and I’m on beta-blockers now.
I have RLS, a seriously bad case of it, and Mirapex takes care of the symptoms. My doctor was hesitant to prescribe the dosage I told her that I needed, as it can cause drowsiness in some people. Taken an hour before bedtime, Mirapex helps me so much that I am tempted to build a religion around it.
I have severe insomnia. I take Imovane (also known as Zopiclone) 7.5mg every night to fall asleep. Otherwise, my mind will not shut off and I will be up all night.
When this first started to happen to me, my doctor refused to give me any prescription sleeping pills, and instead, started me on melatonin. It made me more aware of not sleeping, and my insomnia symptoms were not alleviated in the least. It made me stress more because here I am, taking these sleep hormones, and yet they are not producing SLEEP. I took 2 a night, for a week. Then three a night. Then I said “screw it” and went to another doctor.
It was seven days of severe insomnia symptoms (I looked white as a ghost and very sickly/green) and my doctor sent me to specialists and put me on Imovane. My sleeping problems have been slim since.
I’d suggest first off, checking your label very carefully. I just recently learned that supplements like that don’t have to be FDA approved. Therefore, some of them are outright lies….
Melatonin works for me. It gives me very vivid dreams, and I learned the hard way that I really shouldn’t take it when it’s storming and my windows are rattling. The one time I did that, I had really vivid nightmares about people breaking into the apartment, and I was up for hours.
I have taken Melatonin before. My experience was similar to yours.
At night I took the tablet and minutes later I was anxious, “on edge”; irritated. I became more aware of my breathing and my heart raced. Through the whole night I remained in a panic, yet sedated state. I woke up confused and hysterical. I felt as if I couldn’t move, I was terrified.
I asked my doctor and she had no explanation for the “episode”. A year later I asked my psychiatrist and she explained that because I was on an anti depressant at that time and serotonin (from my meds) and melatonin combined was a bit too much and caused a ‘happy chemical’ overload.
<3 hope everything works out and your sleep gets regulated.
I use melatonin all the time. Ordinarily, I have no problem with it, although I have found that it will not work if you ingest anything with caffeine shortly before you take it or if you’ve already slept within the previous four hours. It is, after all, a sleep aid and not a tranquilizer.
I used it when I was in extreme pain for 2 years straight. I was on so many other pills I was hesitant to add another Rx. It worked for me. It didn’t make me groggy at all, it was just like my brain said “time for sleep” and I was able to sleep most nights.
Glad you have something that works, but I understand the wanting something more natural as well!!
i have insomnia also, and the dr prescribed me ambien but i am scared to take it since i am here by myself with the kids while the hubby in iraq. i have taken melatonin before but it gave me headachs also and sure i’d sleep, but it was broken sleep. the only over the counter thing i have found that works for me is excedrin pm when i am achy, and unisom when i’m not achy but just cant sleep. i use the extra strength unisom and it works like a dream. no pun intended
Melatonin made me depressed.
It seems to me that no on here knows how little melatonin is neccesary. An MIT study found that people only need .3 mg of melatonin for it to work. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2005/melatonin.html
Also, using more than you need will have the opposite effect. Get the 1mg sublingual tabs shown above and first start by splitting them in eights with a pill splitter (.125 is often enough for sensitive types like me). You can always take a little more if you do not feel much after an hour or so.I am appalled that this hormone is sold in 3 mg tabs when 1/10 is all it takes. Too many people assume that if a drug does not work that they need more…..often you need a lot less and are simply poisoning yourself.
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The same thing happened to me.. the first pill worked well for me then after that it just didnt kick in all the way. I would get tired but not sleepy. Augh..i dont know what to try anymore.. i am getting sick of sleeping the day away and being awake during the night.. any suggestions?