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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> Starting Dose
        
(Message started by: tracyboo on Oct 14^th, 2006, 7:56pm)

Title: Starting Dose
Post by tracyboo on Oct 14^th, 2006, 7:56pm

Decided to add melatonin to the mix. ;) What is the recommended starting dose? Also taking Kudzu.

Thanks all!

Luv and Hugs [smiley=hug.gif]

Tracy

Title: Re: Starting Dose
Post by Richr8 on Oct 14^th, 2006, 8:59pm

I believe 6-9mg os a good starting dose. Some go as high as 12.

Title: Re: Starting Dose
Post by BB on Oct 14^th, 2006, 9:18pm

Also need to be patient, may take a week to work properly, can change dose after say 2,3 days if not yet effective.

Annette

Title: Re: Starting Dose
Post by tracyboo on Oct 14^th, 2006, 9:22pm

Thanks all. I wasn't sure so I gave him 3mg. The bottle says no more than 3mg but I assume that's just for those "regular" people... [smiley=laugh.gif]. Anyway, tomorrow, I think we'll try 6mg. He's been able to ride out the daytime attacks but the nite ones are like clockwork. Hopefully, this'll (is that a word? looks funny)
work.

Title: Re: Starting Dose
Post by chewy on Oct 14^th, 2006, 10:01pm

I use 9 mg when in cycle

Title: Re: Starting Dose
Post by Lizzie2 on Oct 14^th, 2006, 10:48pm

I've been told you can go fairly high, but I don't feel comfortable posting the dosing range recommended to me here, as that would constitute medical advice. However, if you ask the doc, they should be able to give their own advice about how high you can go on melatonin! I personally stopped at 12mg, but I was told I could still go higher than that.

Hope it works!
Carrie :)

Title: Re: Starting Dose
Post by BMoneeTheMoneeMan on Oct 15^th, 2006, 12:05pm

I started with 6mg, meds work pretty well for me. The unfortunate thing is that now I am addicted, and unless I take my nighttime sleep aids, I cant sleep. So I take either 3mg or 4.5mg when not in cycle, and when in cycle, I generally take either 6mg or 7.5mg. Sometimes I have taken 9mg.

B$

Title: Re: Starting Dose
Post by chewy on Oct 15^th, 2006, 12:19pm

Addicted to Melatonin?????

Title: Re: Starting Dose
Post by Jonny on Oct 15^th, 2006, 3:15pm

on 10/15/06 at 12:19:04, chewy wrote:

Addicted to Melatonin?????

LMMFAO!!! [smiley=laugh.gif]

Title: Re: Starting Dose
Post by donoholdt on Oct 15^th, 2006, 6:07pm

But my MD said melotonin does absolutely NOTHING for ANYTHING. So is it working for those of you who are recommended dosages?

Title: Re: Starting Dose
Post by Richr8 on Oct 15^th, 2006, 6:12pm

Works for me. 6-9mg in cycle definitely gets me some zzzzzzzzzzzzz's

Title: Re: Starting Dose
Post by Lizzie2 on Oct 15^th, 2006, 7:16pm

on 10/15/06 at 18:07:04, donoholdt wrote:

But my MD said melotonin does absolutely NOTHING for ANYTHING. So is it working for those of you who are recommended dosages?

Not true!

Here's just one abstract:

Quote:

1: Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2006 Apr;15(4):367-75. Links
Potential therapeutic use of melatonin in migraine and other headache disorders.

Peres MF,
Masruha MR,
Zukerman E,
Moreira-Filho CA,
Cavalheiro EA.
Brain Research Institute, Instituto Israelita De Ensino E Pesquisa Albert Einstein, Brazil. marioperes@yahoo.com
There is increasing evidence that headache disorders are connected with melatonin secretion and pineal function. Some headaches have a clearcut seasonal and circadian pattern, such as cluster and hypnic headaches. Melatonin levels have been found to be decreased in both migraine and cluster headaches. Melatonin mechanisms are related to headache pathophysiology in many ways, including its anti-inflammatory effect, toxic free radical scavenging, reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokine upregulation, nitric oxide synthase activity and dopamine release inhibition, membrane stabilisation, GABA and opioid analgesia potentitation, glutamate neurotoxicity protection, neurovascular regulation, 5-HT modulation and the similarity in chemical structure to indometacin. The treatment of headache disorders with melatonin and other chronobiotic agents, such as melatonin agonists (ramelteon and agomelatin), is promising and there is a great potential for their use in headache treatment.
PMID: 16548786 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

If melatonin did nothing for anything, then they wouldn't have invented drugs like ramelteon (rozerem). It certainly does. Like anything, it works for some and does not work for others, but that doesn't mean that it is completely useless. It is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain, but the pineal gland does not secrete melatonin in the presence of daylight. It helps to regulate sleep patterns. As far as non-headache uses, many people use melatonin to treat insomnia or even conditions like restless leg syndrome or other more minor sleep disturbances. For headache, melatonin has been shown to be useful for cluster, migraine, and several other headache disorders.

It is not addicting..........last I knew........

Jonathan's (Floridian) cluster headache handbook link on melatonin:
http://www.med-owl.com/clusterheadaches/tiki-index.php?page=Melatonin

Title: Re: Starting Dose
Post by BMoneeTheMoneeMan on Oct 16^th, 2006, 10:28am

on 10/15/06 at 12:19:04, chewy wrote:

Addicted to Melatonin?????

Maybe addicted isn't the right word.

Dependant is the right word. I depend on melatonin, otherwise I can't sleep.