The active substance of CIRCADIN, melatonin (not of plant or animal origin), belongs to a group of naturally occurring hormones produced in the body. Melatonin works by controlling the circadian rhythms and increasing the propensity to sleep. Your doctor, however, may prescribe CIRCADIN for another purpose.
What is Circadin? Circadin is a medicine that contains the active substance melatonin. It is available as white prolonged-release tablets (2 mg). 'Prolonged-release' means that melatonin is released slowly from the tablet over a few hours.
Each prolonged-release tablet contains 2 mg melatonin. Excipient with known effect: each prolonged-release tablet contains 80 mg lactose monohydrate.
The active substance is melatonin. Each prolonged-release tablet contains 2 mg melatonin. The other ingredients are ammonio methacrylate copolymer type B, calcium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate, lactose monohydrate, silica (colloidal anhydrous), talc and magnesium stearate.
With its prolonged release formulation, the melatonin in Circadin is designed to mimic the body's natural melatonin secretion and help improve your sleep quality and morning alertness.
Melatonin doesn't cause withdrawal or symptoms of dependence, unlike other sleep medications. It also doesn't cause a sleep “hangover,” and you don't build up a tolerance to it. In other words, it doesn't cause you to need more and more as time goes on, which is a hallmark of addiction.
You should not get any harmful discontinuation or withdrawal effects if you stop taking melatonin. However, you may get your old symptoms back. If you are on a high dose, then the doctor may wish to reduce the dose slowly before stopping it completely.
The most common melatonin side effects include: Headache. Dizziness. Nausea.
If you take it too late, you may feel drowsy or groggy the next day.
Doses of 10 milligrams or higher can cause side effects like drowsiness and headache. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov . Other symptoms of melatonin overdose. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov include changes in blood pressure, dizziness, headaches, nausea, and vivid dreams or nightmares.
If you stop taking Circadin
There are no known harmful effects if treatment is interrupted or ended early. The use of Circadin is not known to cause any withdrawal effects after treatment completion. If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
OTC melatonin can stay in the body for 4–10 hours, depending on the dose and formulation. People should avoid taking melatonin at or after their intended bedtime. Doing so can shift their sleep-wake cycle and lead to daytime sleepiness.
Similarly, most people will feel the effects of supplemental melatonin about two hours after taking it. Most research has studied melatonin given one to two hours before bedtime.
Circadin dosage
The standard recommended dose of Circadin is just one tablet (2mg melatonin) once a day.
Take CIRCADIN only when prescribed by your doctor.
The standard dose of CIRCADIN is one tablet once a day. There is no evidence that taking more than the recommended dose will increase the effect of CIRCADIN.
For sleep problems in adults, the usual dose is one 2mg tablet. Take the tablet 1 to 2 hours before bedtime. This is because the medicine takes a couple of hours to start working.
If you've been drinking alcohol, it's also not safe to take melatonin. Melatonin is also not for you if you're pregnant or breastfeeding. Researchers simply don't have enough data to know if it's safe for fetuses or breastfed babies.
Less common melatonin side effects might include short-lasting feelings of depression, mild tremor, mild anxiety, abdominal cramps, irritability, reduced alertness, confusion or disorientation. Because melatonin can cause daytime drowsiness, don't drive or use machinery within five hours of taking the supplement.
Are there any risks involved with taking melatonin every night? According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) , short-term use of melatonin supplements appears to be safe for most adults and children.
CIRCADIN is used to improve sleep quality and morning alertness in patients over 55 years of age with poor quality of sleep. The active substance of CIRCADIN, melatonin (not of plant or animal origin), belongs to a group of naturally occurring hormones produced in the body.
What is Circadin used for? Circadin is a prolonged release melatonin tablet for the short-term treatment of primary insomnia*, characterised by poor quality of sleep, in adults aged 55 years or over.
In addition to inconsistent dosing, researchers have also found serotonin present in these products. Taking an unknown dose of serotonin for a long time can affect your heart, blood vessels, and brain.
Rapid release formulation can also be obtained on prescription from a compounding pharmacy or by crushing the Circadin. Melatonin (Circadin) is now available over the counter for people aged over 55 years. For younger age groups, melatonin tablets need a doctor's prescription in Australia (but not in North America).
Does long-term melatonin use lead to health risks? The health risks of long-term melatonin use are still unknown due to a lack of high quality studies. But from what has been studied so far, melatonin doesn't seem to cause any serious problems.