This is not the first time I've read about MELATONIN and its relationship to bc. Two years ago--shorty after my dx--I asked my onc if it was okay for me to take MELATONIN as a sleep aid. I have struggled with insomnia for years and had been taking MELATONIN on an off for at least 15 years. She directed me to Sloan Kettering's website that had information about a study using as much as 20 mg of MELATONIN as a tx for breast cancer. I have never taken more than 5-6mg at a time and can't imagine what 20mg would do to me, but I did find it very interesting that there was a possible link.

The University of Maryland Medical Center has this informative page about MELATONIN and possible links to several different conditions.

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

I found it very informative. I was struck by the fact that MELATONIN is linked to at least 4 health issues I have experienced. Its link to ANOREXIA was of particular interest to me as I suffered with anorexia/bulimia for a number of years.

They might really be onto something here. MELATONIN is inexpensive and accessible. It is considered to be relatively safe at levels up to 6mg daily. I wonder if my "self-medicating" with MELATONIN in the years leading up to my dx with bc and mets slowed the disease process? There is evidence in my medical records and my experience that I had physical changes consistent with bc at least 15 years prior to my dx--just couldn't get the right doctor to listen to me. hmmmmm

I wonder if the fact that MELATONIN is so cheap and readily available is going to keep it from being investigated thoroughly, though?? 

Whoa.

Well, I've had a fair amount of light coming through the window in many apts in New York.

But to top it off, I developed a habit of SLEEPING WITH THE LIGHTS ON, starting on September 11, 2001.  No family history. 

I'm blaming my fear of the dark for this one!  And ordering my 4 younger sisters to get blackout curtains!

There is also a study showing that women who have types of blindness that suppress any light from entering the eye - have a lower incidence of breast cancer because they have higher levels of melatonin.  Several years ago I got into the bad habit of sleeping with the television or lights on. I am not making a direct connection between this and my breast cancer. But I'm aware of it now and sleep in a dark room. My naturopathic physician put me on 20 mg of melatonin at bedtime and I've taken it for several months now.  Don't buy those lower dose 5 mg. melatonin tablets off the shelf and take 4 of them because there are probably other ingredients in them and who knows whether taking a large amount is safe.  A pure 20 mg. melatonin tablet can be purchased through a naturopathic physician or other health care provider - can't be purchased directly by a patient.

Thanks for sharing this research!

I've been taking 20mg of melatonin since I got my dx, mainly because tamoxifen made sleeping impossible. All my research lo those many years ago indicated it could be beneficial and that some studies used upwards of 200mg without toxicity. I have found 10mg tablets and/or capsules (even walmart sells 10mg) and I just take 2.

Thanks for the links to the studies and the article, JohnSmith. That Huff Post article is interesting. Surprising that the optimal dosage as a sleep aid is only .3 mg. I take 5 mg nightly and have never noticed a "hangover effect" (although I think they said it only happens to a minority anyway). I do think it helps me sleep through my husband's snoring, though! The tone of the article seemed a little overly critical to me, considering there's not much evidence of harm that she could actually point to.

I've read that melatonin can be produced by the gastrointestinal tract from many foods (oranges, bananas, oatmeal, walnuts, tart cherries, etc.), so that may be an alternate way to get more melatonin for anyone not wanting to take a supplement.

I'll be interested in what you find out from Drs. Wurtman and Grander, JohnSmith! Thanks for contacting them.

I usually only take less than a dropperful (ca. 0.7 mg), mostly in the summertime, as I seem to have more problems then with falling asleep. If I take the regular dose I have vivid dreams and sleep paralysis.

Thank you John for the article. I guess I'll start taking the 5mg melatonin I bought.

I really hope more doctors will start encouraging their patients to take melatonin, like many of them are doing with vitamin D.

There are some studies showing that melatonin can synergize with various BC treatments, and may provide benefit as an anesthetic agent (which I will post later).

Very few clinical trials so far, but the one that I've seen involved radiation dermatitis, so I would hope doctors would start by encouraging patients to take it with radiation therapy.

Melatonin for Prevention of Breast Radiation Dermatitis: A Phase II, Prospective, Double-Blind Randomized Trial.

"The occurrence of grade 1/2 acute radiation dermatitis was significantly lower (59% vs. 90%, P = 0.038) in the melatonin group. Women older than 50 had significantly less dermatitis than younger patients (56% vs. 100%, P = 0.021). The maximal radiation dermatitis in the study group was grade 2 in 15% of the treated patients."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27228641

(Ben-David, 2016)

These studies indicate the benefits may go beyond preventing radiation dermatitis:

Melatonin sensitizes human breast cancer cells to ionizing radiation by downregulating proteins involved in double-strand DNA break repair.

Pretreatment of breast cancer cells with melatonin 1 wk before radiation led to a significantly greater decrease of MCF-7 cell proliferation compared with radiation alone. Melatonin pretreatment before radiation also decreased G2 -M phase arrest compared with irradiation alone, with a higher percentage of cells in the G0 -G1 phase and a lower percentage of cells in S phase. Radiation alone diminished RAD51 and DNA-protein kinase (PKcs) mRNA expression, two main proteins involved in double-strand DNA break repair. Treatment with melatonin for 7 days before radiation led to a significantly greater decrease in RAD51 and DNA-PKcs mRNA expression compared with radiation alone. Our findings suggest that melatonin pretreatment before radiation sensitizes breast cancer cells to the ionizing effects of radiation by decreasing cell proliferation, inducing cell cycle arrest and downregulating proteins involved in double-strand DNA break repair.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25623566

(Alonzo-Gonzalez, 2015)

Melatonin enhancement of the radiosensitivity of human breast cancer cells is associated with the modulation of proteins involved in estrogen biosynthesis.

We demonstrated a role of melatonin in mediating the sensitization of human breast cancer cells to the ionizing radiation by decreasing around 50% the activity and expression of proteins involved in the synthesis of estrogens in these cells. Thus, melatonin pretreatment before radiation reduces the amount of active estrogens at cancer cell level. Melatonin 1 nM induced a 2-fold change in p53 expression as compared to radiation alone. The regulatory action of melatonin on p53 could be a link between melatonin and its modulatory action on the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to ionizing radiation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26497762

(Alonzo-Gonzalez, 2016)