Chronic misuse of melatonin creating health concerns, experts say

It’s hard to find someone who isn’t struggling with getting enough sleep. But, new research is raising new questions about the popular sleep supplement melatonin. A study last year showed sales of melatonin shot up 150% between 2016 and 2020. According to the National Institutes of Health, most research on exactly how helpful the supplement can be is inconclusive. But that hasn’t stopped the increase in use and increased dosages. “Five, 10 milligrams, 15 milligrams, 20 milligrams. That’s way too much melatonin,” said Dr. Kenneth Sassower, a sleep medicine specialist at Mass General Brigham.He says one milligram will do the trick for most people, allowing the supplement to work with the melatonin your brain is already producing. Sassower added that most people are actually using melatonin for the wrong reasons. “The conditions where it’s most effective are what we call the circadian rhythm sleep clock issue,” he said. “In other words, folks who are typically our night owls who don’t go to bed until maybe two or three in the morning. This helps advance the clock earlier.”Sassower said melatonin is not meant to ease anxiety or to be taken for long periods of time to deal with chronic sleep issues. “When it starts becoming protracted and where sleep becomes really more difficult in the course of weeks to months, then I think bring it up to the primary care physician,” he said. Melatonin is considered a dietary supplement, which means it’s not regulated as strictly by the FDA. Researchers recently tested 25 samples of melatonin gummies and found all but three of them weren’t accurately labeled. They contained anywhere from 74% to 347% more melatonin than was listed. If you’re taking other medications, Sassower said that can be dangerous, especially for people on blood thinners or with epilepsy. “There are a lot of medications that you can’t take with melatonin,” he said. “Folks who are taking blood pressure medications, sometimes that can elevate their blood pressure.”Some people have also reported reactions to high doses of melatonin, including exceptionally vivid dreams or emotional responses like depression or sudden mood swings. Sassower said the key is treating melatonin like any other medication or supplement and discussing it with your doctor. If you are taking melatonin and you have kids in the house, remember it’s not harmless to them either. Last year, a study showed over a 10-year period, more than 4,000 children were hospitalized after taking the supplement, mostly accidentally.

BOSTON —

It’s hard to find someone who isn’t struggling with getting enough sleep. But, new research is raising new questions about the popular sleep supplement melatonin.

A study last year showed sales of melatonin shot up 150% between 2016 and 2020. According to the National Institutes of Health, most research on exactly how helpful the supplement can be is inconclusive. But that hasn’t stopped the increase in use and increased dosages.

“Five, 10 milligrams, 15 milligrams, 20 milligrams. That’s way too much melatonin,” said Dr. Kenneth Sassower, a sleep medicine specialist at Mass General Brigham.

He says one milligram will do the trick for most people, allowing the supplement to work with the melatonin your brain is already producing. Sassower added that most people are actually using melatonin for the wrong reasons.

“The conditions where it’s most effective are what we call the circadian rhythm sleep clock issue,” he said. “In other words, folks who are typically our night owls who don’t go to bed until maybe two or three in the morning. This helps advance the clock earlier.”

Sassower said melatonin is not meant to ease anxiety or to be taken for long periods of time to deal with chronic sleep issues.

“When it starts becoming protracted and where sleep becomes really more difficult in the course of weeks to months, then I think bring it up to the primary care physician,” he said.

Melatonin is considered a dietary supplement, which means it’s not regulated as strictly by the FDA. Researchers recently tested 25 samples of melatonin gummies and found all but three of them weren’t accurately labeled. They contained anywhere from 74% to 347% more melatonin than was listed.

If you’re taking other medications, Sassower said that can be dangerous, especially for people on blood thinners or with epilepsy.

“There are a lot of medications that you can’t take with melatonin,” he said. “Folks who are taking blood pressure medications, sometimes that can elevate their blood pressure.”

Some people have also reported reactions to high doses of melatonin, including exceptionally vivid dreams or emotional responses like depression or sudden mood swings.

Sassower said the key is treating melatonin like any other medication or supplement and discussing it with your doctor.

If you are taking melatonin and you have kids in the house, remember it’s not harmless to them either. Last year, a study showed over a 10-year period, more than 4,000 children were hospitalized after taking the supplement, mostly accidentally.

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