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.

I remember buying Lem-Sip, an over-the-counter cold medicine with codeine in it in the UK.

(11-11-2025, 11:00 AM)FlyersFan Wrote: 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.

Your source seems to raise concerns over long term use.  Isn't it a hormone?

(11-11-2025, 11:25 AM)Oldcarpy2 Wrote: Your source seems to raise concerns over long term use.  Isn't it a hormone?

 

Quote:Melatonin is a hormone that’s an important part of your ability to sleep. The pineal gland produces it. Natural melatonin your body makes is also known as endogenous melatonin. It helps regulate your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, which makes you feel tired at the end of the day and wake up after resting.
Melatonin can also be made synthetically in a lab and sold as a dietary supplement. It’s called exogenous melatonin.

I can't take the stuff. It gives me some seriously weird dreams.

My youngest Son is 27 and has insomnia, so his Dr did a blood test and he's low on Magnesium. They put him on a supplement and he says it helps a lot.

(11-11-2025, 11:25 AM)Oldcarpy2 Wrote: Your source seems to raise concerns over long term use.  

Yeah ... nothing substantiated ... just stuff that may or may not be connected with heart stoppage over long term use.  Could be ... but also just as likely not to be.

(11-11-2025, 11:35 AM)David64 Wrote: I can't take the stuff. It gives me some seriously weird dreams.

Really?  For me it's just the opposite.  
Calms them right down and I sleep soundly.

Using melatonin is not addressing the underlying issue, whatever that may be.
It can make your eyes light sensitive.
It can mess with your energy metabolism and your immune system.
You can't get natural melatonin, it's synthetic.
It's contraindicated for people with auto-immune diseases, liver and kidney issues, hence the reason it is only available on prescription in the UK.
There are excellent essential oils (adaptogens) which can adjust your circadian rhythms.
Rainbows
Jane

(11-11-2025, 12:19 PM)FlyersFan Wrote: Really?  For me it's just the opposite.  
Calms them right down and I sleep soundly.

I tried melatonin for sleep, I was awake all night with a pounding heart. Some people it works for!

I just read transcripts of Court Judgments.

Trust me, it works a treat.

Especially the tax related ones.

(11-11-2025, 12:28 PM)angelchemuel Wrote: You can't get natural melatonin, it's synthetic.

Well, you can, but it comes with some drawbacks...