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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Cluster Headache Specific >> Melatonin can help during day?
        
(Message started by: black on Aug 31^st, 2007, 5:21am)

Title: Melatonin can help during day?
Post by black on Aug 31^st, 2007, 5:21am

sorry once again.i am nowdays in verap 360mg(3*120) and switched today from neurontin to lyrica(one pill per night as a start.my interest though is in melatonin as i read a lot about it here.most of the time i sleep well even without meds.beast attacks me during day and as i read melatonin is being taken before night time for a safe sleep.could it be taken morning time as a precaution during day and what are the results , side effects etc.is it a pill or injection?pls some lights here would be deeply aprecciated.

Title: Re: Melatonin can help during day?
Post by chewy on Aug 31^st, 2007, 7:05am

on 08/31/07 at 05:21:00, black wrote:

could it be taken morning time as a precaution during day and what are the results , side effects etc.is it a pill or injection?

I doubt it.

Its an OTC pill.

Title: Re: Melatonin can help during day?
Post by pattik on Aug 31^st, 2007, 7:24am

Here is a link to a pretty good overview of melatonin supplements, including information on precautions.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-melatonin.html

It is mostly available in pill form, and dosing during the day will probably make you sleepy enough to need to avoid certain activities. Melatonin probably works for CH by helping to reset the circadian rhythm, so you probably wouldn't want to dose during the daytime unless you work at night.
Patti

Title: Re: Melatonin can help during day?
Post by E-Double on Aug 31^st, 2007, 8:11am

It is my understanding that melatonin is naturally produced during the day but released at night and that clusterheads have extremely low melatonin (I may be off base) so when we take it at night in much higher doses than is recommended for sleep we actuallt as Patti stated reset our rhythm whihc helps prevent nocturnal attacks.

If you are sleeping then I do not seeing it being beneficial.

Good luck

Title: Re: Melatonin can help during day?
Post by Neil_C on Sep 4^th, 2007, 12:06pm

As this is my first response to any post, I hope it is a useful one.

A Melatonin dosage in the morning/day will tire you out and is as already quoted as being needed by the body during the night. It will help you sleep better and also helps the body to repair itself. From what I understand is that Melatonin should be taken on an empty stomach 2-3 hours before going to sleep pending on the type of supplement you get your hands on. You can get slow release versions which I understand are the prefered ones. They have to be taken on an empty stomach because then they dont have to compete with other aminoacids and proteins being absorbed.

Im going to ad another guy to the equation here so just bare with me :)

A certain amount of Serotonin is converted in the brain into Melatonin in the evening/night. This process can be negatively affected by being in bright rooms in the evening/night which includes TV and computer screens. Serotonin production is light related. As some of you may know, Serotonin is considered as "a molecule of happiness" and is a neurotransmitter. A large amount of antidepressants work by increasing Serotonin levels in the body - a natural happy drug. It helps people with memory problems, concentration loss and aids the brain in coping with pain. Its found in the brain as well as blood platelets and in the small intestine. Its also a natural anti-oxident and some research has been done in regards to its effects in softening tissues and vessels in the body.

From what I have read, Clusterheads have been known to have low Melatonin levels and increasing Melatonin has been documented as beneficial in some. What I cannot find is the effect of Serotonin on CH sufferers and whether the low Melatonin levels in CH'ers is because of a Serotonin deficiency. It would be interesting to find this out.

Serotonin can not be ingested, however 5-HTP can be taken as a supplement which is then converted in the body into Serotonin. 5-HTP is extracted naturally from a west african plant species.

Ive personally ordered some 5-HTP to up my Serotonin levels, to help my mood and maybe it will also increase my Melatonin levels in the evening as well. Theres no proof that I can find out there but the theory and the logic is telling me it might help.

Anyway - some food for thought

GL

Neil_C

NOTE/ADDITION/WARNING: After reading more info on 5-HTP, like everything else that hasn't been properly researched, 5-HTP may not do what it says on the bottle. From what I have read, it could very well be dangerous over time so please do your own research before coming to a conclusion like mine. Also 5-HTP should not be taken with Melatonin

Title: Re: Melatonin can help during day?
Post by Neil_C on Sep 4^th, 2007, 12:21pm

Another thing that I forgot to mention is Melatonin production/levels are negatively effected by pseudoephedrine and its salts. Pseudoephedrine is a stimulant found in OTC decongestants. Some research also suggests that other stimulants such as Nicotine and Caffiene may also have the same effect. Yesterday, I found a very good listing of medical products that actively decrease Melatonin but I cant find it anymore. There was a good few of them.

So, some more food for thought

N

Title: Re: Melatonin can help during day?
Post by BMoneeTheMoneeMan on Sep 5^th, 2007, 10:30am

I dont think it would help much during the day. It probably would make you tired as hell.

I have not heard of different forms of melatonin, such as slow release. I just take regular melatonin about 45 mins before bed on an empty stomach. It seems to work great for me, I also take 50mg of benadryl along with it. I sleep incredibly well with this cocktail at night. I can get 4 or 5 hours of sleep and be completely rested.

An empty stomach is key for me. A full stomach means it takes several hours to take effect, and then takes many more hours to get out of my system, so I wake up dead tired.