Melatonin experience

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I was wondering what people's experience of melatonin? I've been taking it for two nights so it is still early days (or nights). I'm not sure how well it has worked. I guess I was expecting to feel more docile/tranquil but that is no the effect it has at all. I'm certainly not under for a while, but then again I'm not under for a long while anyway. I'm not sure if there was a difference there might be a marginal to moderate difference in terms of quality of sleep, because that is difficult to gauge. I'm not sure how much it cut off getting to sleep if anything. I'm not someone who knows how long it is going to take, only that it take hours, and if I check I'm not going to be a sleep for a while longer.

I’m on 1mg. From what I read there is no efficacy for the higher 2-3mg doses and appear to be fairly arbitrary why they were chosen, including some suggestion that beyond a certain amount there was no difference in effectiveness for treatment such as for jet lag.

I have taken it several times over a few years and these are my experiences. I took the sustained-release version which seemed more natural. I have never had much trouble falling asleep, but wake up frequently, although I do tend to fall back easily. Melatonin does not seem to help this at all. When I take it I fall asleep more deeply (which is good), but when I wake up later, I have a lot of trouble falling back asleep (negates the good part!) I also had the experience once or twice of getting a very agitated feeling not long after I took it. On the whole, it has effects for me, just not worthwhile ones.

I have had pretty good results with pzizz on my iPod, although not as impressive as my husband has. He has trouble falling asleep, but once he's out, he's dead to the world.

note: Benedryl works great on me, at really low doses, and doesn't leave me feeling drugged in the morning, but now I'm reluctant to take it after the whole dementia connection thing. So I guess I'm stuck with pzizz. I hope you can find something that works. For me, a good night's sleep is practically non-negotiable.

The first time I started taking it it went smoothly. The first week I had terrible headaches from it but I wasn't sleeping at all (only couple hour naps each day) so it was a blessing either way. The first night I took it I remember having a very vivid nightmare. Every night I took it I was getting very vivid dreams. I typically didn't sleep through the night, though (early awakenings). I became very tired after taking it. This was 3 MG tablet.

I stopped for long while. I started taking it again. No headaches. No "early awakenings" to the point of waking up fully. Now when I take it I wake up several times in the night, but I'm still half-dreaming so it's not like I get up or it lasts long. It's very odd. I've taken 3, 6, and even 9 MG during this time. The melatonin never made me feel tired, however. It seemed to work better simply adjusting my sleep schedule to normal than it did helping me asleep, which in the long run helped me sleep.

Melatonin has been great for me. I especially found it helpful when I was taking Strattera, a medication which causes insomnia as a side-effect.

I am now off Strattera, but I still take melatonin most of the time and intend to stay on it for a while until my present anxiety has settled.

I use the 3 mg tablets.

I have both the regular type and the slow release type, and I use whichever one I expect to need most that night. Regular is to put you to sleep and slow release is to keep you asleep. It's not that I don't wake up at all; it's just that I get back to sleep more easily if I do wake up. In the past I could lie awake for up to four hours in the middle of the night.

I have noticed no side-effects from melatonin and it does not make me feel drowsy the next day.

My former husband, who has struggled with insomnia for years and tried many different types of sleeping tablets, also found melatonin to work well.

Thank you for your insight very helpful people. Not heard of the slow release. Which brands do you recommend?

I think if anything I'm waking up slightly earlier, but that is good. Hopefully I will feel more refreshed as time goes on.

Any experience with dose wearing off? Those on high doses did you move up quickly?

My problem is not getting to sleep for a long while and not feeling refreshed from sleep. I don't have any respiratory problems and am physically fit.

it doesn't work on me at all

It is interesting those who take melatonin because they are on stimulant.

That is because stimulants have the opposite effect on me. Either they do nothing or they make me drowsy. Especially Dexedrine even though it is used to treat narcolepsy. Problem is it makes me worn out too.