Have you folks had more success with the regular melatonin capsules or the time release tablets?

Both work for me, but I prefer the regular type. I use 15mg/night. Blessings. lance

Some folks use a combination. Regular release to get them to sleep, time-release to keep them asleep.

I bought a brand called Natrol (10 mg) which has both the regular and time release combined in one tablet.

My cycle started 4 nights ago and I took 20 mg of melatonin and broke my cycle. That is a LOT of melatonin but it stops it for me. No headaches since the night I took it.

I took just a generic brand btw.

slacker032 wrote on Sep 9^th, 2011 at 4:07pm:

I bought a brand called Natrol (10 mg) which has both the regular and time release combined in one tablet.

I was just on the Natrol site and didn't see it listed. Where did you buy it? Thanks!

CDog wrote on Sep 12^th, 2011 at 1:38pm:

slacker032 wrote on Sep 9th, 2011 at 4:07pm: I bought a brand called Natrol (10 mg) which has both the regular and time release combined in one tablet. I was just on the Natrol site and didn't see it listed. Where did you buy it? Thanks!

Got it from a local health food store in SoCal but you can buy them online here:

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Thanks for the info!

Hello! Did you guys have your melatonin checked before trying this? Was it low or did you just take it based on info shared. Like you all I am willing to try anything to abort the cycle. I use O2 when I get them at night, so lucky the pain is minimal, but I am exhausted from the routine and a nap of course is out of the question! I am a stay at home mommy of a two year old which is exhausting enough! I hate it when she has to see me puff the O2 during the day!
Thanks for sharing!!

I did not have my melatonin levels checked.  It hasn't aborted my cycle yet but it has limited my night hits.

How many nights have you taken it slacker? Last night was my first and didn't help at all, even had some odd dreams. Will see if it helps any more tonight.

I was too tired on Monday to watch, but I hear you beat us... >:( ;)

It's been 4 nights for me.  Instead of getting multiple night hits, I've just been getting one and they've been much easier to abort with O2.

You're still on the lower side of CH dosage. Can you pick up some 3mg tablets and try upping the dosage by like 3mg every 3rd or 4th night? You might be able to bypass that one waker-upper.

Brew wrote on Sep 14^th, 2011 at 10:43pm:

You're still on the lower side of CH dosage. Can you pick up some 3mg tablets and try upping the dosage by like 3mg every 3rd or 4th night? You might be able to bypass that one waker-upper.

So you're saying I should bump it up to 13 mg? 

slacker032 wrote on Sep 14^th, 2011 at 10:44pm:

So you're saying I should bump it up to 13 mg?

Yep. There are some folks around here that take between 18 and 24mg while in cycle. You don't want to start there, but you could move up a little bit at a time. It might help.

Gotcha.  I'll give it a shot.

My experience with melatonin is that for people who produce enough of it naturally, even a small amount of it added artificially (like we do via tablets) will make them dizzy and even give them bedspins. For those of us who don't, it just helps us sleep better.

Salker,

I got my best results with 9mg regular, about one hour before bed. I went up to 12mg. Didn't see much difference. I take this even when not in cycle.

Dr. Rozen has told me to try different brands, as some seem to be more helpful. I found this to be true, I now use Natures Bounty 3mg tabs and get them at CVS Pharmacy.

Try different brands and strengths and see what works for you. We all apparently suffer from low melatonin levels and many of us find some night time relief with it's use.

Good luck,
Baer

I have 5mg er tablets, that I started taking while not in cycle. Two days later, I started a cycle. And everytime I take it now, I wake up to an attack, and have shadows all day the next day. I'm starting to think the melatonin caused this cycle, especially being over a month earlier than usual. If I don't take it, attacks are fifty-fifty. While on it, they're not as severe though. But they are guaranteed.

Took 13 mg last night and still got hit about 2 hours after falling asleep.  Going to bump it up to 14 mg tonight.

Any time I've changed my dosage of melatonin, I've always waited 3 or 4 days before reevaluating my response to it. Don't be too quick to pull the trigger - you might want to stay at a dosage for a few days before deciding to go up or down.

Gotcha.  I'll give it a shot again tonight.

Two nights now, no help so far. Only about 4 hours of sleep each night.

Stuck with 13 mg (Natrol 10 mg controlled release + Nature's Bounty 3 mg regular release) and didn't get hit last night  :)

CDog wrote on Sep 15^th, 2011 at 10:02pm:

Two nights now, no help so far. Only about 4 hours of sleep each night.

Are you using the Natrol controlled release yet?

I just started using Natrol last night. In the 12 years that I've had CH, I rarely (maybe 2 or 3 times) have night attacks during a cycle. Well since Thursday night, I've been having two night attacks and one when I wake up in the morning. What a mess! O2 eliminated the night beasts within 15 minutes but I started the melatonin last night to see if I can avoid them all together. No luck last night, woke up 2 hours after going to bed with a Kip 9 that I'm still feeling this morning. I took 10 mg of Natrol last night with a 3mg of regular melatonin with it. I'll up that to 16mg tonight and see how it works. From experience I know not to expect 100% results the first night so I'll keep at it.

Went with 16mg of melatonin last night, 10mg of Natrol and 6mg of regular melatonin. No hits! I only woke up with a slight shadow the I shook easily on my morning run. I'll take the same amount tonight with hopes of having the same success. Thanks to those who have posted about melatonin usage, what a lifesaver!

How many hours do you sleep? I get 6.5 on a good night. So I have to be bright eyed and bushy tailed at 4AM. I took 3mg of melatonin and thought I might be over doing it.

ClosetCHer wrote on Sep 19^th, 2011 at 6:21pm:

Went with 16mg of melatonin last night, 10mg of Natrol and 6mg of regular melatonin. No hits! I only woke up with a slight shadow the I shook easily on my morning run. I'll take the same amount tonight with hopes of having the same success. Thanks to those who have posted about melatonin usage, what a lifesaver!

Glad you're having some success.  I've been doing well with 13 mg (10 mg Natrol and 3 mg regular).

I typically sleep 6-7 hours a night, just the right amount for me to feel great in the morning.

I've noticed a few things since I started taking the melatonin this past Saturday:
1. Night CHs have stopped, but I do wake up with a heavy shadow that sometimes requires O2 or a good run to get rid of.
2. I dream like crazy. I dreamed a lot before, but these dreams are very vivid and I've had them every night.
3. I'm not having any CHs during the day, just a lite shadow or two.

Still can't figure why my CHs switched from day to night over the span of 24 hours, but I was able to combat them with the help of you guys. Thanks!

ClosetCHer wrote on Sep 22^nd, 2011 at 8:06pm:

I typically sleep 6-7 hours a night, just the right amount for me to feel great in the morning. I've noticed a few things since I started taking the melatonin this past Saturday: 1. Night CHs have stopped, but I do wake up with a heavy shadow that sometimes requires O2 or a good run to get rid of. 2. I dream like crazy. I dreamed a lot before, but these dreams are very vivid and I've had them every night. 3. I'm not having any CHs during the day, just a lite shadow or two. Still can't figure why my CHs switched from day to night over the span of 24 hours, but I was able to combat them with the help of you guys. Thanks!

Great to hear!

I typically have vivid dreams while I'm in cycle even without Melatonin. 

I've been using melatonin for a long time.  It has helped me much more than not.  I've become used to the vivid dreams at this point, they're normal.  I still use 3 mgs nightly as a sleep aid even when not in cycle.  It's one of the least "dangerous" options for us.  Strong coffee oftentimes kills the morning shadow.  I also use time-released with normal melatonin when in cycle, using 9-15mgs at about a 50/50 ratio. 
Glad to see others are finding relief with it.