Melatonin

purple32

http://www.denvernaturopathic.com/news/MelatoninandBreastCancer.html

Does anybody take this ?

If so, in what dosage amnd under whos advice ?
THX

loligag

The therapeutic dose is 20 mg a day as recommended by the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment and other naturopaths I have consulted.

Anonymous

I take it as directed, 3 mg about an hour before bedtime, per my pharmacist, to help me get to sleep at night.  (It makes me drowsy at 3mg, I wouldn't dare take 20 mg!!!)

exbrnxgrl

I take 3 mg before bed too and it works quite well. 20 mg would make me comatose!

Caryn

PLJ

20 mg is the therapeutic dosage recommendation, as per studies and my Naturopathic Oncologist. However, I take a 5 mg capsule (I like Thorne) and have never gone beyond that. A 3 mg dose and other brands did not work for me. Everyone's tolerance level is different. I suppose it all depends upon what your goal is: inducement of sleep or complementary treatment of breast cancer. Sweet dreams!

AlaskaAngel

Sometimes I take 1.5 mg by breaking a 3 mg and sometimes I take the full 3 mg. But I believe the amount one would need to take can vary also depending upon whether one takes any other stimulants or depressants (wine, caffeine, or prescriptions). I've taken ever since diagnosis in 2002 without recurrence of bc.

I gave up caffeine 7 years ago, and drink alcohol on rare occasion.

BikerLee

i've been taking melatonin to help with insomnia... and it works really really well.  i take a tiny bit, though, based on some of the research i've read about using it for insomnia.  i take one-quarter of a 3 mg tablet about an hour before i hit the sack. 

i drink no caffeine after noon.... and i do drink around once a week....

Infobabe

purple32

I have taken Melatonin for years.  Long before BC.  I usually break a 3 mg in half.  3 mg knocks me out.  I cannot imagine 20mg.   3 mg gives me nacalepsy.  Every time I sit down I fall asleep, and this lasts for days.  Not a good feeling.  

Currently I take Ateril which also includes l-triptifan (sp?) which occurs in turkey.  Also some other herbs.  All natural.  You should look it up on the net for more info.  Ateril suggests 2 capsules a night but that is too much.  One is enough.

A normal human body only produces 1 mg a night.  But this is for sleeping.  Therapeutic for is another question.

exbrnxgrl

I am not quite understanding what the therapeutic dosage would do. I realize that Melatonin effects each person differently but 20 mg. seems excessive. Will research it a bit. Caryn

SpecialK

exbrnxgrl - just had this conversation with my BS - his opinion is that 5-10mg is a really stiff dose but also appropriate if one is really struggling to sleep, and it seems that 3mg is pretty standard dose among people on these boards from what I see. I had also read about the vivid dreams associated with Melatonin and wondered if starting with a low dose and working up might alleviate this - any thoughts?

jenn333

I have an appointment with my integrative onc at UCLA on Monday to discuss my supplement regime and will ask about dosages for melatonin.

PLJ

"But I believe the amount one would need to take can vary also depending upon whether one takes any other stimulants or depressants (wine, caffeine, or prescriptions)."

I don't take any stimulants or depressants (wine maybe 2x/month, no caffeine) and need the full 5 mg dose to get a really good sleep. I do find that the hormonal treatment that I am currently having causes hot flashes but when I take Melatonin at night, the frequency is reduced.

Caryn: Studies have shown that 20 mg of Melatonin is supposed to be able to tame breast cancer cells and improves outcome.

http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20030714/hormone-melatonin-slows-breast-cancer

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/melatonin-000315.htm

http://www.cancer.gov/cam/attachments/MelatoninSummary.pdf

http://www.hopkinsbreastcenter.org/artemis/200111/feature.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/05/health/05iht-snmel.html

http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/66/20/9789.full

exbrnxgrl

Thanks, PLJ. Not all of the references mention 20 mg but the last one does. I am just amazed because within an hour of taking 3 mg I can't keep my eyes open. I can't imagine what 20 mg would do. I'm afraid I'd sleep for 24 hours. BTW, my daughter had very vivid and weird dreams while taking it and had to stop. Caryn

suzieq60

I was taking 3mg at night to help get to sleep - did that for about 10 months. Strangley I don't need it any more. I haven't taken it for about a month now and I'm having no trouble getting to sleep at all.

rk85

I take 3 mg also and I wish I had found this before BC.  I struggled to fall asleep and would lay there and worry about all the things I was too busy to worry about during the day.  Now once I lay down in the dark its lights out!  I hope I never develop a tolerance because I love being able to fall asleep when I have a stressful day ahead. 

Raili

My naturopath had me taking 20 mg a night and it worked well for me - I fell asleep easily but wasn't a zombie in the morning!  My understanding is that taking less than 20 mg per night does not help fight breast cancer.  I don't think of my melatonin as a sleep aid - it's an anti-breast-cancer supplement, with a fortunate sedative side effect.

JoanQuilts

Trader Joe sells a bottle of 500 mcg melatonin pills.  Can someone help me understand how this compares to the 3 or 5 mg. dosage that is quoted in this thread?

jenn333

I asked my integrative onc at UCLA about the dosage of melatonin yesterday. She said for advanced and stage IV BC the therapeutic dose was 20mg but for everyone else the standard 3mg was appropriate.

Husband11

500 mcg would only be 0.5mg.  mcg (micro or 10^-6) is .001 mg (milli or 10^-3)

Husband11

There's a small study where they gave women high dosages of melatonin and it reversed their resistance to endocrine therapy (for how long, unknown).  There's also a small study that showed high dosage melatonin reduced neuropathy caused by taxoteres.  Those high dosages were 20mg or more, but I'm going by memory on this.

JoanQuilts

So Timothy I would have to take 6 of these pills to get the 3 mg. dose recommended by many on this board, then?

Husband11

Yes, 6 of the 500mcg would equal one 3mg.  My wife and I take the 3mg slow release.  She takes two nightly, and took 7 or 8 at one time when she was on docetaxol.  She was getting very bad neuropathy pain.