Melatonin as sleep aid

[Pete]

Being back on 60 mg/day of pred, I'm having trouble getting to sleep and getting much more than 4-5 hours sleep at night. When I go to bed, I'm tired, but not sleepy. I usually get up between 3 and 4 am to go to bathroom, and then don't get back to a sound sleep.:mad1:

Thinking about trying melatonin as a sleep aid. Side effects don't look too bad, and I tolerate most drugs without side effects anyway. Any thoughts pro or con?

[Debbie C]

My boyfreind takes it on occasion and my mother just started on 3 mg. every once in awhile. Neither have any problems and say they sleep good. Hope it helps you.

[drz]

Being back on 60 mg/day of pred, I'm having trouble getting to sleep and getting much more than 4-5 hours sleep at night. When I go to bed, I'm tired, but not sleepy. I usually get up between 3 and 4 am to go to bathroom, and then don't get back to a sound sleep.:mad1:

Thinking about trying melatonin as a sleep aid. Side effects don't look too bad, and I tolerate most drugs without side effects anyway. Any thoughts pro or con?

The disturbed sleep cycle is often a reaction to higher pred meds. I think some of the chemical aids like benadryl or some of the minor tranquilizers like Seroquel can be helpful. Ask your doctors for what they advise. I still have this problem often even at a lower pred dosage.

[drz]

My post here just disappeared and didn't show up here or in my list of recent posts. Now it came back again???? But neither show up in my list of latest posts even after logging out and logging back in. The post is still here and shows up on my recent activity list but not on latest posts?????

Today it is showing up in my list of latest posts so I hope the system is working OK and will continue to do so again.

[pberggren1]

I would just try sticking to a schedule before trying Melatonin. That usually works for most.

[annekat]

Pete, I take a small amount of melatonin many nights to sleep. For me, I don't think it's the pred as much as just thoughts running through my head or being keyed up from the day's activities, maybe even drinking coffee too late in the day. Or it could be the pred. Anyway, melatonin is easy to get off the shelf in the vitamin/supplement section of any large store, and it is cheap. The pills I have are 3mg., but I cut them in quarters so I'm only taking .75mg. I have taken more but woke up feeling groggy, which I suppose could be a temporary side effect. I take it about half an hour before I want to go to sleep. I may wake up a few hours later for the bathroom or something but can usually get back to sleep. Occasionally, if my mind is really racing about something, it may not work. In your case, I might suggest taking 1.5mg. and see how it goes. If you don't have side effects you might want to take more. I understand melatonin is something the body creates naturally. I don't think it is considered a heavy duty drug, which is probably why it is so easy to get. I would give it a shot and see if it works for you at all.

[Alysia]

My post here just disappeared and didn't show up here or in my list of recent posts. Now it came back again???? But neither show up in my list of latest posts even after logging out and logging back in. The post is still here and shows up on my recent activity list but not on latest posts?????

I can see your posts drz. I also liked them so check the "likes" lists to see if they are there....

[Pete]

I would just try sticking to a schedule before trying Melatonin. That usually works for most.

I didn't mention that my daily routine doesn't vary much. Ideally, I get up around 7:30 most mornings. I go to bed between 11:30 and midnight. Lately, I've been taking a short nap in early afternoon because I get a little sleepy then (because I'm awakening around 5 am). I've tried to maintain this schedule since I retired with generally good results until now.

[Alysia]

[QUOTE=Pete;74521]I've been taking a short nap in early afternoon because I get a little sleepy then /QUOTE]


try not to nap.

[annekat]

Sounds like your schedule is predictable enough that melatonin could work for you, though I hadn't thought of that aspect of it, or wasn't aware of it. I'm not sure what to say about the waking up early and wanting to go back to sleep but not being able to. You could take a small additional dose, I suppose. But I'd be more inclined to keep it simple and just try to establish a regular rhythm with a dose that works for you, which sounds like what Phil was getting at. Maybe do some research on how melatonin works in the body, since it is something our bodies produce. If you don't have to go to a job, that will take some of the anxiety off as to whether it will work or not. Maybe it won't work and you'll need something stronger. But I get the feeling it is a safe alternative and have heard negative things about taking the drug in Benadryl all the time, for example.

[drz]

[QUOTE=Pete;74521]I've been taking a short nap in early afternoon because I get a little sleepy then /QUOTE]
try not to nap.

It seems strange to me but I often have trouble sleeping in early hours of morning and have to get up to read or something till I get tired enough to fall asleep again. But then in afternoons I can sleep hard with no problem it seems. Since I am not working I can sleep most of the time when I need a nap but I wonder why it seems easier to sleep in afternoon than at 4 am.

[annekat]

[QUOTE=Alysia;74524]

It seems strange to me but I often have trouble sleeping in early hours of morning and have to get up to read or something till I get tired enough to fall asleep again. But then in afternoons I can sleep hard with no problem it seems. Since I am not working I can sleep most of the time when I need a nap but I wonder why it seems easier to sleep in afternoon than at 4 am.

For me, there can be anxiety associated with thinking I should be asleep at a certain time of night or early morning. The anxiety can interfere with the sleep. In the afternoon, if I take a nap, it's because I'm giving myself permission to do so, and there is somehow less anxiety involved with that. I don't know if any of that could be true for you. Everyone is different.

[Wegetarian]

I used to take metatonin at times when I had difficulties sleeping. I liked it in the way I didn't notice any side effects. It didn't always work though, so dunno how much was a placebo effect. A vasculite from another support group warned me about melatonin, and said there were some issues for autoimmunity diseases and using melatonin but none of the doctors I asked said there would be any issues. Haven't needed any sleep aids since my pred was cut down, so haven't used it for a while.

[annekat]

True it didn't work that well for me last night. I had things going through my brain. Maybe I needed a higher dose, as .75mg is pretty small. One of our members, Deb, found something indicating that melatonin could HELP autoimmune diseases, and it is mentioned somewhere in her threads. So I guess this could be investigated further.

[Savva]

Pete,
I sleep 4 hours at night when I have sleep disorder. It happens mainly because I cant stick to the schedule for some reasons and it may last usually for 5 days. When this happens I take valerian in tablets. The funny thing is it will make you drowsy and sleepy, but when I go to bed it is always the same - I will sleep for more than 4-5 hours and will not necessarily fall asleep immediately. But do not worry, in 4 days of this "insomnia" you will go to normal. So, in my case valerian does not work at all. Kind of useless reply I make, just want to share with all the people :). Btw I am on 12.5 mg of pred and your thread caught my eye because right now I have this sleepless issue. I do not think taking sleeping pills or melatonin is a good idea, though I never tried melatonin and do not know if it has any unwanted side effects or addiction.

[annekat]

Melatonin is supposed to be something your body makes on its own. So taking it is just giving it a little boost. If it was addictive I don't think it would be so readily available on grocery store shelves. There are stronger things such as benadryl and prescription sleeping pills which may have worse side effects and addictions. And yes, I've heard of valerian and other herbs that may help. What works for someone may not work for someone else, as everyone is different.

[pberggren1]

Why want melatonin if you are sleeping so well. I know many people that would kill to have a schedule like that.