So what have you decided, is melatonin good or bad?

[Flowerchild700]

So what has everybody deside about melatonin? What if you already have cirrhosis from HCV is melatonin good then? I took 3 mg with Vit. B6 last night and I sleeped better than I do with ambian.

[Lynno711]

Just discovered it, works much better than anything else I've tried both OTC and prescription meds.  I haven't noticed any sx but its only been a week or so.

Get it in 10mg. tabs, mint flavoured, let them melt under your tongue.  Still playing with dosage, bottle says 2 - 3, think thats too high.

Fall asleep right away, haven't noticed any weird dreams.

Finished tx. so I have not checked with Doc.  Sounds like that would be a good idea.

Good luck & Sweet Dreams - Lynne

[Rockerforlife]

Another serious bad side effect of Melatonin is its reported involvement with the development of autoimmune hepatitis.

[Rockerforlife]

People with high blood pressure, seizure disorders, depression or liver problems should be especially careful for side effects of Melatonin, as Melatonin may increase their symptoms


http://www.side-effects.eu/melatonin-side-effects.html

[Rockerforlife]

Melatonin should only be taken in its synthetic (man-made) form. The biological form, made from ground-up cow pineal glands, is rarely used because it may transmit disease.

[desrt]

Similar to my experience with melatonin regarding building a tolerance to it very quickly. I suspect this is a common problem as 20 years ago you could buy 200 microgram doses(1/5 mg) and nowadays it's hard to find 1 mg. tablets. 3 mg seems to be the standard. I've come to tolerate the vivid dreams better but I guess I'm easily amused.

[Flowerchild700]

I had to quit the melatonin, at least for now. Everynight it takes me longer to get to sleep. I've been having headaches and yesterday, when I went to the grocery store, I was dragging. I felt like I could hardly stand up. Maybe I just got some bad Melatonin. Maybe I'll try again maybe it was something else in it. I'll get another kind, maybe after I talk to my doctors.

[widner103]

I didn't like ambien.  I would wake up the next morning not remembering ever going to bed.  I've been taking melatonin for a few years, and I sleep pretty good.  I've read that it not only helps you sleep, but that it's also a brain antioxidant, and I'll take all the help I can get in the brain dept.  As far as how it affects your liver, I can't imagine it being any worse than ambien, but it's best to ask your doctor.

[Marcia2202]

In everything I've read, it says that you should consult your doctor if you have liver or kidney disease.

[BlueSkies]

Melatonin, when I take more than 2, makes me grit my teeth in my sleep!  I would wake up with sore jaw muscles.  weird, huh?  I stick with Benadryl to sleep, and if that didn't work back when I was in TX (6 years ago), my dr prescribed Ambien.  Worked like a charm.

[Houseofcats]

Scroll down in this link to where it says "The Rationale For Using Ribavirin With Interferon" and you can read about Melatonin and what it says.

http://www.moravek.net/ovisnosti/hepc.htm

My husband also takes 3 mg a night as well and usually has a great sleep without waking up and without being groggy the next day, it's great. His doctor has no problem with him taking it, either. Of course, since you can buy it over-the-counter, alot of doctors will probably say it doesn't work and to take what their pharmaceutical reps say to take. :) Just google it for more info but I haven't read anything bad about it at all.