13 replies to this topic

[mrak1979]

I just wanted to throw out a topic and get some feedback from experts here. Is melatonin worth supplementing in unnatural amounts for anti-aging purposes? Some say it's the most potent free radical scavenger known to man... others say that it has adverse effects on the reproductive system and may atrophy the pineal gland. I've been taking melatonin on and off basis for years in usually 1mg or 3mg doses at night. Just wanted to clear up some confusion.

[johnmk]

Most supplements carry some risk. I have determined that for my purposes the risks are small enough and clearly outweighed by the potential benefits, so I'm happy to supplement 500 mcg every night. I'm aware of others here who take much more than that, and I believe they'll likely contribute more in the way of specifics than I can.

[DukeNukem]

I've been taking melatonin for 6 years, every night. Helps me sleep deeper, thus letting my body rejuvenate more fully.

[xanadu]

I've used melatonin for about 13 years with no problem. It's found in the same form in every animal cell on earth. That is amazing since other compounds usually vary from life form to life form. For example hemoglobin which carries oxygen is different in humans than in animals and there are many variants of it. Melatonin is the same in bacteria as in humans as in bunny rabbits. It seems to be the one substance that we all need.

[mrak1979]

what do you guys think is the optimum nightly dosage for a young adult in the mid 20s? I have a feeling 3mg is too much.

[ajnast4r]

3 mg is way the hell too much for a 20 year old... in my opinion there is no need for a healthy young adult to take melatonin. i want to say i read that the body will decrease melatonin production when melatonin is being supplemented in young people.

multivitamin + supplemental tryptophan will ensure melatonin production.

[curious_sle]

hu hum... makes me rethink melatonin eh? ah well... i like 3mg i just sleep much better and am better rested afterwards. I always had trouble with falling alseep and that is almost entirely a matter of the past. I should go to sleep earlier since my personal peak seems to be at 11pm and i get less and less sleepy afterwards and when i stay up too long i almost can't fall asleep so this way i can keep my rhitm and still sleep well and fairly long for what i' used to (i always slept little, like 1am to 7am).

Suicidal? I hope not...

[syr_]

3 mg is way the hell too much for a 20 year old... in my opinion there is no need for a healthy young adult to take melatonin. i want to say i read that the body will decrease melatonin production when melatonin is being supplemented in young people.

I'm 29 and I havent started taking melatonin yet. I plan to, but not sure of the age I should start (i believe OVER 35).
Probably the only way to know is to have a bloodtest.

[johnmk]

hu hum... makes me rethink melatonin eh? ah well... i like 3mg i just sleep much better and am better rested afterwards. I always had trouble with falling alseep and that is almost entirely a matter of the past. I should go to sleep earlier since my personal peak seems to be at 11pm and i get less and less sleepy afterwards and when i stay up too long i almost can't fall asleep so this way i can keep my rhitm and still sleep well and fairly long for what i' used to (i always slept little, like 1am to 7am).

Suicidal? I hope not...

If it truly helps that much and you're not simply a good customer of the placebo effect, then I bet you're OK in taking it. For those who take it just for the theory, and who don't need it to sleep better, I counsel a low dose, 500 mcg to at most 1 gm.

[curious_sle]

gotta rethink that recent habit maybe? no prob as it is dirt cheap anyway so no big loss... might really reduce the dose...

thanks for the headsup :-)

[trh001]

3 mg is way the hell too much for a 20 year old... in my opinion there is no need for a healthy young adult to take melatonin. i want to say i read that the body will decrease melatonin production when melatonin is being supplemented in young people.

multivitamin + supplemental tryptophan will ensure melatonin production.

Re. "body will decrease melatonin production when melatonin is being supplemented in young people" - I'm unclear if you're alluding to a report or voicing a suspicion. I did a literature search using a variety of key words, and haven't come up with anything.

More to the point, the primary literature citations that seem to be uniform in their positive outcomes, using a variety of markers for health, and a variety of disease targets. Not that we should use this as an excuse to avoid being cautious.

Anyway, a refernece for the above would help.

Re. "+ supplemental tryptophan will ensure melatonin production", while you're accurate wrt the synthetic pathway, supplementing tryptophan is, arguably, more risky than supplementing melatonin. Trp limiting diets have shown increases in survival in rodents, as have Cysteine and Methionine limiting diets, though Met is by far the more reproducible result.

[syr_]

Which are the foods rich in methionine?

[ajnast4r]

Re. "body will decrease melatonin production when melatonin is being supplemented in young people" - I'm unclear if you're alluding to a report or voicing a suspicion.  I did a literature search using a variety of key words, and haven't come up with anything. 

i want to say i read that somewhere a long time ago... but ive got nothing official on it.

its my personal opinion that, in normal healthy people... its better to provide the building blocks, and let the body do the building instead of supplementing pre-built synthetics.

Re. "+ supplemental tryptophan will ensure melatonin production", while you're accurate wrt the synthetic pathway, supplementing tryptophan is, arguably, more risky than supplementing melatonin.  Trp limiting diets have shown increases in survival in rodents, as have Cysteine and Methionine limiting diets, though Met is by far the more reproducible result.

ive never heard anything about this. owing to the fact that tryptophan is pretty low in most diets, and the amount of competition aminos go through, ide bank that an extra 500mg of tryptophan before bed a few nights a week is not gonna decrease anyones lifespan. a good nights sleep will defintly increase it.

[animaguskatt]

3 mg is way the hell too much for a 20 year old... in my opinion there is no need for a healthy young adult to take melatonin. i want to say i read that the body will decrease melatonin production when melatonin is being supplemented in young people.

multivitamin + supplemental tryptophan will ensure melatonin production.

I'm in my mid-twenties and just started taking a 1mg melatonin suppliment a week ago. I've had problems sleeping since I was a teenager, and after trying all other conventional remedies I decided to try taking melatonin, along with another herbal suppliment that claims to promote sleep. I've sometimes had problems with insomnia, but ruled out most other sleep disorders. All I can say is that something is working, because instead of waking up 5-6 times a night (that I remember), I've been mostly sleeping through the night, and falling asleep much faster.