Dosage and Facts about Melatonin..

[Guest guest]

Hi from Sue,

This is one of two more links from the same newsletter.

.. & from Virgina Hopkins website.

Dosage: More Melatonin is Not BetterLike all hormones, taking more melatonin is not better. For help with sleep, for resetting your biological clock, and healthy aging maintenance, a dose of 0.3 to 1 mg appears to be the optimal amount recommended by most experts. Even a 1 mg dose can produce blood levels that are 100 times higher than peak levels produced naturally, which is not something to be desired if you’re aiming for a physiologic (what the body would make) dose. The time to take melatonin is at night, half an hour to an hour before going to bed.

Higher doses should be considered medicinal not supplemental. There has been much research done with higher doses of melatonin on the immune system, cancer, migraines, Alzheimer’s and inflammation, but results are inconsistent and indications are that, over time, it has both beneficial and harmful effects at high doses.

Some research has shown that EXCESS melatonin can free up bound iron to harmful levels, and DEPLETE GLUTATHIONE, an amino acid that’s essential for good liver function.

It may also boost parts of the immune system to the point where ALLERGIES can go from moderate to SEVERE, and immune system diseases become WORSE.

Another finding with HIGH doses is that beneficial effects WEAR OFF over time. Without good research to the contrary, I can’t see any reason to “mess” with your biochemistry with high doses of melatonin.

Forms: Tablets, Sublingual, Cream, Time ReleaseMelatonin is fat soluble, so using a transdermal (skin) cream will work, but it hasn’t been shown to be a particularly effective delivery system. Taking it sublingually (under the tongue) is probably an effective delivery system, but may also lead to a quick spike in levels followed by a quick drop, much like progesterone. There’s some evidence that time-release melatonin can help extend sleep, but the majority of research shows that a 0.3 to 1 mg tablet or capsule works just fine.

References

Brzezinski A, “Melatonin in humans” [a review] NEJM 1997 Jan 16;336(3):186-95.

Clapp-Lilly KL, MA et al, “Melatonin acts as antioxidant and pro-oxidant in an organotypic slice culture model of Alzheimer's disease,” Neuroreport 2001 May 8;12(6):1277-80.

Osseni RA, Rat P et al, “Evidence of prooxidant and antioxidant action of melatonin on human liver cell line HepG2,” Life Sciences 2000 Dec 15;68(4):387-99.

Pandi-Perumal SR, Zisapel N et al, “Melatonin and sleep in aging population,” Exp Gerontol 2005 Dec;40(12):911-25. Epub 2005 Sep 23.

Pappolla MA, Sos M et al, “Melatonin Prevents Death of Neuroblastoma Cells Exposed to the Alzheimer Amyloid Peptide,” J Neuroscience Volume 17, Number 5, Issue of March 1, 1997 pp. 1683-1690.Wu YH, Swaab DF, “Disturbance and strategies for reactivation of the circadian rhythm system in aging and Alzheimer's disease,” Sleep Med 2007 Sep;8(6):623-36. Epub 2007 Mar 26.