Dangerous interactions could occur. The supplement could also interfere with other important medications, including blood thinners, diabetes drugs, immune system-suppressing drugs, anti-seizure drugs and some contraceptives.
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.
Melatonin has been linked to headaches, dizziness, nausea, stomach cramps, drowsiness, confusion or disorientation, irritability and mild anxiety, depression and tremors as well as abnormally low blood pressure. It can also interact with common medications and trigger allergies.
You Might Increase Your Risk for Some Health Issues
Even though melatonin is a hormone, not a supplement, it still has side effects and medical interactions, notes Dr. Weiss. "For example, some people might experience side effects after taking melatonin, including drowsiness, stomach aches or dizziness," says Dr.
In the UK and most of Europe, it's classed as a medicine, not a health supplement and as such, requires a prescription. This is because melatonin is considered “medical by function” which means that it requires a drug licence.
The NDPSC considered that insufficient information was available on the safety of melatonin to allow it to remain exempt from scheduling for human therapeutic use and that it should not be available without prescription.
French authorities are urging certain populations to avoid consuming food supplements containing melatonin after incidences of adverse effects were reported to the country's nutrivigilance scheme.
Furthermore melatonin has been shown to have valuable effects on cardiovascular health, blood pressure, and endothelial function and it might benefit patients with heart failure.
In several clinical trials, melatonin was found to be well tolerated and not associated with serum enzyme elevations or evidence of liver injury. Despite wide scale use, melatonin has not been convincingly linked to instances of clinically apparent liver injury.
Melatonin is possibly safe when taken long-term. It's been used safely for up to 2 years. But it can cause some side effects including headache, sleepiness, dizziness, and nausea.
Do not use melatonin if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or have an autoimmune disorder, a seizure disorder or depression. Talk to your health care provider if you have diabetes or high blood pressure.
Melatonin is a hormone that your brain produces in response to darkness. It helps with the timing of your circadian rhythms (24-hour internal clock) and with sleep. Being exposed to light at night can block melatonin production. Research suggests that melatonin plays other important roles in the body beyond sleep.
Melatonin does tend to have less risky potential side effects than certain prescription sleep aids, Grandner says, but he adds that “melatonin is not a good alternative to prescription sleep medications. It does not work as a sedative and it is ineffective in most cases of insomnia.”
Natural alternatives to melatonin, such as magnesium, valerian root, l-theanine, chamomile, and passionflower, are all-natural remedies that have been used for centuries to promote relaxation and help people get a better night's sleep.
Stomach Problems Melatonin also causes stomach discomfort in some people. This may include cramps, nausea, and diarrhea. Dizziness Some people who take melatonin also report mild dizziness, lightheadedness, or vertigo. Irritability Too much melatonin can also affect mood.
Melatonin's target sites are both central and peripheral. Binding sites have been found in many areas of the brain, including the pars tuberalis and hypothalamus, but also in the cells of the immune system, gonads, kidney, and the cardiovascular system (39, 40).
A 2017 review stated that low doses of melatonin accelerate intestinal transit time, which is the time food takes to travel through the intestines. However, high doses of melatonin may decrease gut motility, which refers to the movement of food through the digestive system.
In general, melatonin should not be given to healthy, typically developing children under age 3, as difficulties falling and staying asleep in these children are almost always behavioral in nature.
Melatonin may increase blood pressure in individuals taking medication for hypertension and increase blood glucose levels in diabetics. Melatonin can also increase the sedative effect of central nervous system depressants and diminish the effectiveness of immunosuppressive therapy and medications for epilepsy.
Single melatonin intake can lower BP, but only when melatonin is taken during the day, when general SCN neuronal activity is high and endogenous melatonin levels are low. This effect could be mediated via an immediate inhibition of SCN–neuronal activity inducing a state resembling nocturnal SCN output.
Melatonin is generally regarded as safe for seniors by physicians and pharmacists because its side effects are mild, it's not habit forming, and it does not cause withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it suddenly.
If your levels are too high (for example, if you have recently got off a long-haul flight), you can go out into the light in the morning and do some exercise in the evening. Melatonin pills are available in Australia. Currently, you need a prescription from your doctor for melatonin.
Among banned substances are melatonin, which is taken to ease the effects of jetlag, and codeine, a common ingredient in pain relief medication. Possession may lead to a jail sentence of up to 15 years.
OTC melatonin has been banned for years in the United Kingdom (UK), European Union, Japan, Australia and most recently Canada. Exogenous melatonin is not outlawed by these countries but regarded as a medicine, available only by prescription.