I just read that in the UK ...

[DontTreadOnMe]

I just read that in the UK, melatonin is only available with a doctors prescription and only for short periods of time.   TIME Magazine said this HERE .   Is this true?    How crazy is that?   Here in America we can get it over the counter at 2mg, 5mg, and 10mg levels (maybe higher, I don't know) and the bottle is for 90 days and we can buy it as often as we want.   It's a supplement, not a drug.

I read about a study regarding long-term melatonin use causing heart failure.

Color me suspicious.
I read 2-3 articles about it.  All were short on details.
Most importantly, it did NOT mention what dose was too much.   Or how long is too long?

Sounded to me like those "reports" stating vitamin D and aspirin were all of a sudden quite dangerous.
I wondered at the time, and still to this day, whether these were legit or were studies to make us more dependent on our "healthcare" industry.

Me?
I plan on taking a low dose. 1mg or 3 mg.  Maybe take a week off every couple of months.
It improves my sleep quality, but not all that much.

Also, melatonin is a supplement taken by many long covid and ME/CFS sufferers.  Figures the MSM would want to discredit something giving relief to those sufferers.

[FlyersFan]

I read about a study regarding long-term melatonin use causing heart failure.

Color me suspicious.

I read 2-3 articles about it.  All were short on details.

 Totally agree with you.

Just read a few articles this past week.

All sorts of accusations .... and no clinical data or facts to back it up.

[Oldcarpy2]

 Totally agree with you.

Just read a few articles this past week.

All sorts of accusations .... and no clinical data or facts to back it up.

The data was in your source?

Melatonin is not a supplement, it's a hormone.

[FlyersFan]

The data was in your source?

Melatonin is not a supplement, it's a hormone.

There is no clinical data to back up that it causes heart attacks.
AND ... it's sold as a supplement here in the USA.

[sahgwa]

I take it every night before i go to bed. I wonder if that is a bad idea.
I sleep about the same with it or without but i am sure its in my blood now for a while. 5mg
hm

[FlyersFan]

I take it every night before i go to bed. I wonder if that is a bad idea.
I sleep about the same with it or without but i am sure its in my blood now for a while. 5mg
hm

That's what I take very night ... 5mg.
Been doing so for two years on advice from my doctor.
Without it I sleep 5-6 hours and sometimes have wonky dreams.
With it I sleep 8 hours and my dreams are just fine.

[IDELB2006]

There is no clinical data to back up that it causes heart attacks.
AND ... it's sold as a supplement here in the USA.

I did a quick search, and found the exact opposite. Melatonin is good for you, again.

NIH.gov

Melatonin as a Novel Drug to Improve Cardiac Function and Quality of Life in Heart Failure Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

ConclusionThus, melatonin, by increasing psychologic parameters and cardiac potency, could be advised as a novel drug for treatment and palliating heart failure patients.

[DontTreadOnMe]

I did a quick search, and found the exact opposite. Melatonin is good for you, again.

NIH.gov

The study that led to this thread came out in the last week or so.
https://scitechdaily.com/popular-sleep-s...tors-warn/

There were limitations to the study.   Some OTC in the USA, scrips in the UK, for example.
And:

“Worse insomnia, depression/anxiety, or the use of other sleep-enhancing medicines might be linked to both melatonin use and heart risk,” Nnadi said. “Also, while the association we found raises safety concerns about the widely used supplement, our study cannot prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship. This means more research is needed to test melatonin’s safety for the heart.”

[UltraBudgie]

I haven't taken any in decades, but I found melatonin useful for helping with jet-lag when travelling coast-to-coast. It helps reset the circadian rhythm I believe? Cup of evening coffee after going west, to stay awake 3 hours later, sublingual melatonin after going east, to get to sleep 3 hours earlier. I don't think I'd take it regularly.

[andy06shake]

I just read that in the UK, melatonin is only available with a doctors prescription and only for short periods of time.   TIME Magazine said this HERE .   Is this true?    How crazy is that?   Here in America we can get it over the counter at 2mg, 5mg, and 10mg levels (maybe higher, I don't know) and the bottle is for 90 days and we can buy it as often as we want.   It's a supplement, not a drug.

What do people in the UK do if they have insomnia? 
Drink warmed milk?  (then have to pee all night).   
A shot of whiskey?   
Count sheep?

Before melatonin I'd pray my rosary to go to sleep.  It would take forever but I'd get some prayer time in.   I think it was St. Terese of Lisieux who used to do that.   But isn't most of the UK protestant?   Well ... increasingly Muslim but that's for another discussion ... 

I have 5mg melatonin and have been taking it for about 2 years.   (Don't worry, it's non addictive)  Without it I sleep 5-6 hours a night and sometimes have stressful dreams.   With it I usually sleep 8 solid hours and have uneventful dreams.   Much better sleep.

Yes, it's prescription only in the UK.

Doctors prescribe it only when medically necessary and for short-term treatment.

You can still purchase Nytol, Sominex, and Kalms over the counter for the likes of insomnia.