Melatonin?

[SunlitSunflower]

Anyone use it to sleep? Thinking about trying it out to help.

 

[Jaded]

I do, love it. It can give people weird very vivid dreams though, so be aware of that if it's something that could be a problem. It's not magic though, like it won't knock you straight out. (At least it doesn't for me) but if I take it about a half hour before bed I go to sleep more easily.

 

[SunlitSunflower]

I do, love it. It can give people weird very vivid dreams though, so be aware of that if it's something that could be a problem. It's not magic though, like it won't knock you straight out. (At least it doesn't for me) but if I take it about a half hour before bed I go to sleep more easily.

I read to take about 3mg 2 hours before bed. The only ones I had were 5mg so I've taken that hoping to get to bed at like 11-12 tonight. Hope it helps!

 

[StarfoxJ]

I cant live without it. knocks me out everynight. I already had fucked up dreams. so thats not a issue for me. weee : )

 

[JenniLeigh]

Just don't take it regularly, you'll build up a resistance/fuck your system.
My ADHDers use it often during the school year to battle their natural (genetic, we're all fucked) insomnia. (Under the suggestion/guide of a doctor, no one send me hate mail...)

 

[SunlitSunflower]

yolo

 

[stuffalleysays]

One of my daughters takes medicine for ADD throughout the school year. The medication had caused some issues with sleep so the pediatrician told us to use melatonin because it was safer than benadryl etc... I have tried it a few times when I had some trouble winding down at night and found that it is sometimes helpful, more so if you are actually sleepy but can't get to sleep. Just be careful, I took more one night thinking it would be more effective and it made me feel icky.

 

[ZerdaFennecus]

I take it nightly and it helps prevent migraines and does help me sleep.

 

[Theta Carinae]

I read to take about 3mg 2 hours before bed. The only ones I had were 5mg so I've taken that hoping to get to bed at like 11-12 tonight. Hope it helps!

You're, uh, probably going to have some crazily fucked up dreams to tell us about tomorrow, just to warn you. I also have insomnia and I have found it to be greatly helpful...at 500 mcg. Every time I've ever taken more than that I have basically dreamed the plots to entire horror series. :/

(Though it sounds like folks who posted before me have vastly differing reactions to the stuff, so it could be I'm an outlier and you'll be fine.)

 

[SunlitSunflower]

You're, uh, probably going to have some crazily fucked up dreams to tell us about tomorrow, just to warn you. I also have insomnia and I have found it to be greatly helpful...at 500 mcg. Every time I've ever taken more than that I have basically dreamed the plots to entire horror series. :/

(Though it sounds like folks who posted before me have vastly differing reactions to the stuff, so it could be I'm an outlier and you'll be fine.)

See I already have super strange vivid dreams. I'm just hoping it doesn't give me night terrors like Valerian root in decent doses did. I would wake up but be seeing bugs and shit at like 2am. Scare the ever living fuck out my husband and I would have no idea come morning.

Edit: I took it 1:30 ago and I am definitely tired. Now if this is just me being tired or it kicking in idfk. But I'm here for the ride.

 

[Theta Carinae]

See I already have super strange vivid dreams. I'm just hoping it doesn't give me night terrors like Valerian root in decent doses did. I would wake up but be seeing bugs and shit at like 2am. Scare the ever living fuck out my husband and I would have no idea come morning.

Edit: I took it 1:30 ago and I am definitely tired. Now if this is just me being tired or it kicking in idfk. But I'm here for the ride.

:/ I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but dude, you might wanna be prepared for the worst. I also tend to have weird long vivid dreams, and taking too much melatonin gave me hands down the worst nightmares I have ever had in my adult life.

The good news is that, if anything bad does happen to you at all, getting the dose right makes it into no more than a very effective sleeping pill. You'll probably have to look online - I've never seen doses below 1mg in brick and mortar stores - but small-dose pills do exist and are pretty rad things.

 

[SunlitSunflower]

:/ I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but dude, you might wanna be prepared for the worst. I also tend to have weird long vivid dreams, and taking too much melatonin gave me hands down the worst nightmares I have ever had in my adult life.

The good news is that, if anything bad does happen to you at all, getting the dose right makes it into no more than a very effective sleeping pill. You'll probably have to look online - I've never seen doses below 1mg in brick and mortar stores - but small-dose pills do exist and are pretty rad things.

Well, fuck. I'm hoping it treats me like benadryl does and just puts me out light a light. I 'inherited' this bottle from my husbands grandma who passed away and figured how bad would it hurt to give it a shot. One night of nightmares (if it does) wont be tooooo bad. I will update with how it goes though in the morning! I'm actually very sleepy so I think I'm about to lay down. Here's to hoping it goes well!

Thank you and thank everyone for their info!

 

[El Pablo]

I put it in my wine

 

[ZombieMom]

I've tried various amounts of melatonin and not had it do anything. Same as valerian root. The only thing that works for me is Zzzquil and even then I build up tolerances quick enough that I basically need a bottle to help sleep. Unfortunately the sleep inducing ingredient in it is alcohol, so I was basically just becoming an alcoholic lol. So now I just suffer through the night and am lucky if I fall asleep before the sun comes up.

 

[sinon]

I haven't got any in a while but when I was, I'd buy the Olly Sleep gummies. They work like a charm.

 

[SunlitSunflower]

No strange dreams! I slept like a fucking ROCK. Minorly groggy when I woke up, but I did sleep in a bit longer then I wanted to but I feel rested for once! Great shit.

 

[minkyboodle]

No strange dreams! I slept like a fucking ROCK. Minorly groggy when I woke up, but I did sleep in a bit longer then I wanted to but I feel rested for once! Great shit.

I'm glad it worked and you got some rest!

Yeah, they won't happen every night/time but when they do it can get weird. Learning about lucid dreaming can help, as you can control/get out of the dream once you get good at it. Or having a self-care/self-soothing routine in place for bad dream nights, which I recommend to anyone familiar with nightmares/night terrors.

If you find yourself too groggy on any of the mornings after you've taken it, I recommend Walgreen's brand of quick dissolve melatonin, so you can bite/break it in half instead of taking a full dose. (Walgreen's has BOGO vitamins, which is when I stock up.) I do that sometimes when I'm already a little sleepy but still need the melatonin because my brain's running 1000mph. As others have said, it's good to take a night or two off of it so your tolerance doesn't keep it from working. I'm no medical professional (obvs) but I find that on those off nights meditation, sipping a beer or two, or taking an ibuprofen PM will have the same effect. (Self-medicating lifelong insomnia issues ftw!)

To anyone who takes SSRIs or similar drugs, be very careful about taking melatonin...or rather, don't take it at all/talk to your doctor first. I had some issues when I took Cymbalta, because I didn't consider the melatonin's impact on serotonin. I was lucky and just got REALLY physically uncomfortable with the side effects, but serotonin syndrome can be dangerous.

 

[SunlitSunflower]

I'm glad it worked and you got some rest!

Yeah, they won't happen every night/time but when they do it can get weird. Learning about lucid dreaming can help, as you can control/get out of the dream once you get good at it. Or having a self-care/self-soothing routine in place for bad dream nights, which I recommend to anyone familiar with nightmares/night terrors.

If you find yourself too groggy on any of the mornings after you've taken it, I recommend Walgreen's brand of quick dissolve melatonin, so you can bite/break it in half instead of taking a full dose. (Walgreen's has BOGO vitamins, which is when I stock up.) I do that sometimes when I'm already a little sleepy but still need the melatonin because my brain's running 1000mph. As others have said, it's good to take a night or two off of it so your tolerance doesn't keep it from working. I'm no medical professional (obvs) but I find that on those off nights meditation, sipping a beer or two, or taking an ibuprofen PM will have the same effect. (Self-medicating lifelong insomnia issues ftw!)

To anyone who takes SSRIs or similar drugs, be very careful about taking melatonin...or rather, don't take it at all/talk to your doctor first. I had some issues when I took Cymbalta, because I didn't consider the melatonin's impact on serotonin. I was lucky and just got REALLY physically uncomfortable with the side effects, but serotonin syndrome can be dangerous.

Thanks for the info! I lucid dream a bunch so it's never too bad. I just hate the night terrors where I wake up but am 'seeing' things. That's my main gripe with most sleep drugs.

I'll look into getting it from walgreens. I saw Dollar General sells the same bottle I have for like 4-5 dollars. With the ibuprofen PM stuff and taking this more often I'm just worried about getting hooked. That maybe I wont be able to sleep without it if I take it too much. I dont want to be dependent on it so for now I'm just going to take it sparingly.

I'm happy that I've never had to take SSRIs. I might need them but I dont have insurance so fuck it? I've got a decent chemical imbalance that just makes life kinda shitty but not 100% shitty. And anxiety out the ass! Life is fun.

 

[minkyboodle]

Thanks for the info! I lucid dream a bunch so it's never too bad. I just hate the night terrors where I wake up but am 'seeing' things. That's my main gripe with most sleep drugs.

I'll look into getting it from walgreens. I saw Dollar General sells the same bottle I have for like 4-5 dollars. With the ibuprofen PM stuff and taking this more often I'm just worried about getting hooked. That maybe I wont be able to sleep without it if I take it too much. I dont want to be dependent on it so for now I'm just going to take it sparingly.

I'm happy that I've never had to take SSRIs. I might need them but I dont have insurance so fuck it? I've got a decent chemical imbalance that just makes life kinda shitty but not 100% shitty. And anxiety out the ass! Life is fun.

It's oddly comforting to know I'm not the only one who hallucinates after night terrors. It's effing weird and unfortunately, most sleep meds make it worse.

I have a Walgreen's card so little purchases here and there add up and I save my points, so I tend to get mine free or really cheap with the rewards. If you don't take nights off, getting hooked is a possibility. If I don't have work the next day, sometimes I will skip taking anything and just ride the insomnia train into the weirder parts of youtube and sleep in the next day. The good news is not sleeping is the only side effect I've found from not taking melatonin. There are still nights I am able to sleep without it too though, if that helps. That's also where the quick dissolve "chewable" types are nice, because you can break them in half.

I'm happy that you've never had to take them either. They have their place and can be helpful for some, but my body has always had incredibly bad reactions to them so I hate them and only take them temporarily on an emergency basis. (Especially Cymbalta...my god, the brain zaps..) Since antidepressants and such just treat symptoms anyway, you may look into cognitive behavioral therapy or emdr in your area. I know mental healthcare is balls across this nation, but I hunted and hunted until I found a free/low-cost clinic here in my city. CBT changed my life, and I would not have survived April if not for the skills I learned with it. (Not just being dramatic, I swear.) There may be a similar place in your area you can look into.

 

[themildone]

I've never used it, but my sister gives it to her 5 year old. She'll even request it some nights because she has a hard time settling down/being hyper even though she's tired. The melatonin gives her that little bit extra sleepiness so she can actually fall asleep.