Melatonin. Has anyone tried this, for Insomnia?

My SIL travels to the U.S frequently for work.
He buys melatonin there over the counter and uses it to sleep so he can avoid jet lag.
He swears by it.

Hi. My GP prescribed it for me, but I had to stop due to rare side effects. I think it’s a good way to reset your body clock if you can take it. If I remember correctly, the GP can prescribe a course for 12 weeks. I wouldn’t advise using it on an ad hoc basis.

Anyway, after I couldn’t continue with it I was referred to the Sleep Clinic at the local hospital. This worked for me. It took about 3 months. It was all online and they sent helpful videos and had telephone consultations. I filled in a sleep & activity diary every day and submitted them as well.

Now, as long as I stick to the routine that suits me, I rarely have a bad night. I thoroughly recommend it. Try your GP and ask about it. I hope this helps.

I had some patches from Kind Patches which contained some melatonin - worked for me.

Yes, for both a bout of insomnia, but also for long haul air travel then to help with jet lag. No side effects. We can buy otc in Australia.

Melatonin supplements worked well for my grandson when he was younger. Autistics often have very low levels of melatonin so find sleeping difficult. It made life so much easier for him and his parents.

I’ve tried it and it helps a bit but it costs quite a lot if you take it constantly. It is available at chemists here, you don’t need a doctor’s script.

I got some (you can get it over the counter here in Germany). I tried it but it didn't help. Mind you, I only tried it once and it was probably quite a small dose.

In my job I worked with lots of young people who were prescribed melatonin for sleep disorders. They were handed out like smarties.
It does take time to build up in your system, however, and so many believed it was ineffective and stopped taking it. I don't understand, then, how people just take it as a one off and find it works for jet-lag! I think the placebo effect maybe at work.
All, that said it is quite a gentle and natural medication so won't do any harm.

My GP prescribes Melatonin tablets for me and I find them excellent- I drop off very quickly these nights. I am sleeping 7 to 8 hours with perhaps one bathroom visit each night.

My autistic grandson lived with us as a child. When he was five he was prescribed melatonin for sleeplessness by a specialist but when I found out that it was not generally prescribed by GPs , I stopped giving it to him fearing to put such medication into a young body. We put up with the wakefulness which was not distressing, and now at 18 he can sleep for England! I guess as an adult it might be helpful to you but I have heard that even now many GPs prefer to give it to those over 55 only. There must be a reason for this reticence. Insomnia is horrible though.

I buy mine otc when I go to Germany and take it on an ad hoc basis when I have to have an early night because I have to get up very early the next morning. Usually knowing I have to be up early stresses me out and I can’t get to sleep but I find Melatonin really helps.

I stock up on mine when I go to Canada. You can just buy them off the shelf there.
They have really helped me with lack of sleep.

I think that they can be really difficult to get in the UK as a lot of GP's won't prescribe them

The only thing that sorted my insomnia out was going to bed really late and reading in bed until I was very tired. I never wake in the night now but my sleep pattern is 2am until 9am or 10am. I can't change it and have tried many times to sleep earlier with another restless night resulting. If I have to get up earlier I nap in the afternoon. It's better than taking tablets or sleeping pills though. HTH

I bought some melatonin online from a UK travel clinic after completing a detailed medical questionnaire. I tried them for jet lag after a trip to the U.S. and they worked for me with no side effects.

I take magnesium before I go to bed and sprinkle some lavender oil on the pillow. I rarely have trouble sleeping.

I'm probably in the minority here, but like you l'm a chronic insomniac. Some nights l sit up all night and don't sleep and then other nights l get 2/3 hours, and like you l suffer from aura migraines. My GP gave me Melatonin to try last month. I have taken 3 so far. The first night they didn't work and for nights 2 and 3 l woke with a terrible painful headache and on the 3rd night l had blurred vision in one eye for about 30 minutes, which is a rare side effect. I am too nervous to try again as you will see from my user name l'm not a very calm person!! However, we are all different and for you they may well be just the thing. Why don't you try them and see how you get on? And like me if you get side effects there's no obligation to keep trying with them if you don't want to. Good luck and l certainly understand how you feel when you don't sleep!💐

Yes I take it all the time. I buy from US
No side effects that I’m aware of
I don’t understand the wariness of taking something / anything if it allows you to sleep.

I use it spasmodically when I can’t drop off to sleep and it works very well. You can buy it in many countries over-the-counter.
I’ve never had any side-effects and wouldn’t be without it.

sazz1

The only thing that sorted my insomnia out was going to bed really late and reading in bed until I was very tired. I never wake in the night now but my sleep pattern is 2am until 9am or 10am. I can't change it and have tried many times to sleep earlier with another restless night resulting. If I have to get up earlier I nap in the afternoon. It's better than taking tablets or sleeping pills though. HTH

That is me too, I was used to working until 2am for 40 years, so always went to bed at 3am, sometimes later, I now sleep from 2am, 1am at the earliest but never wake before 8am, mostly 9am. This means my days starts at 10.30-11.00am, which people do find difficult to understand.

I buy mine online and they've helped me a lot.

I tried it,it worked but I felt dreadful the next day.Have you tried Magnesium?I take it and it works a treat with no side effects.

I tried it but it gave me dreadful nightmares. It meant I dreaded falling asleep!

Hi, I have been taking Bimuno for a month now and after 2 weeks I felt that I was sleeping better. Michael Moseley said it improved his sleep.

I listen to Jason Stephensons Get Back to Sleep Fast on utube. It never fails to get me to sleep or get back to sleep if I wake up in the night.