Melatonin
Health Benefits

  1. Home
  2. Supplements
  3. Melatonin

Melatonin Side Effects: What You Need to Know

| Modified on Aug 07, 2024
Add New Post Comments
Melatonin Side Effects

Melatonin is a popular supplement millions use to improve sleep quality and combat insomnia. While generally considered safe, it's important to be aware of potential melatonin side effects to make an informed decision about its use. This article covers the key side effects, providing a comprehensive guide for those considering melatonin.

Common Side Effects of Melatonin

  1. Drowsiness: The primary function of melatonin is to regulate sleep-wake cycles, so drowsiness is a common effect. It's advised to take melatonin 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime to avoid feeling sleepy during the day.

  2. Headaches: Some users report mild to moderate headaches after taking melatonin. This could be due to the body adjusting to the supplement or a sensitivity to its ingredients.

  3. Dizziness: A feeling of dizziness or lightheadedness can occur, especially when getting up quickly. To minimize this effect, rise slowly from a sitting or lying position.

  4. Nausea: Melatonin can cause stomach discomfort or nausea in some individuals. Taking the supplement with food may help reduce this side effect.

  5. Vivid Dreams or Nightmares: Some users experience changes in dream patterns, leading to more vivid dreams or nightmares. If this becomes troublesome, consider reducing the dosage.

Less Common but Notable Side Effects

  1. Mood Changes: Melatonin may affect mood, leading to feelings of depression or anxiety in some users. If you notice significant mood changes, it's important to consult a healthcare professional.

  2. Hormonal Effects: Since melatonin is a hormone, it can impact other hormonal processes in the body. Women may experience changes in menstrual cycles or breast milk production.

  3. Daytime Sleepiness: While melatonin helps with nighttime sleep, some users may feel excessively sleepy during the day. Adjusting the timing or dosage can often mitigate this effect.

  4. Interaction with Medications: Melatonin can interact with various medications, including blood thinners, immune suppressants, diabetes medications, and contraceptives. Always consult with a healthcare provider before starting melatonin if you are on other medications.

Who Should Avoid Melatonin?

  • Pregnant or Breastfeeding Women: Due to limited research on its safety in these groups, it's recommended to avoid melatonin unless advised by a healthcare provider.
  • Individuals with Autoimmune Disorders: Melatonin can stimulate the immune system, potentially exacerbating autoimmune conditions.
  • Children and Adolescents: Melatonin can affect hormonal development, so it's best used under medical supervision in younger populations.

Tips for Safe Melatonin Use

  • Start with a Low Dose: Begin with the lowest possible dose to see how your body reacts. Common starting doses range from 0.5 mg to 1 mg.
  • Time It Right: Take melatonin 30 minutes to an hour before your intended sleep time.
  • Monitor Your Body’s Response: Keep track of any side effects and adjust the dosage or timing accordingly.

Conclusion

Melatonin is a helpful supplement for improving sleep, but it's crucial to be aware of potential side effects. You can use melatonin safely and effectively by starting with a low dose, timing it properly, and monitoring your body's response.

Continue reading the comments below to learn how melatonin has caused various side effects in our readers. Let us know if you've ever had melatonin side effects!

Related Links:

The Health Benefits of Melatonin

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Sort by Default New Loved

6 User Reviews

5 star (1) 
  17%
(5) 
  83%
Write a review
Posted by Bindi (New Jersey) on 08/06/2024

HI Art,

I've tried melatonin a couple of times. Each time the side effects were terrible: nightmares, unable to breathe as I struggled to wake up, dizziness and nausea. felt I was drowning .the dose was 1.5 mg.

I suffer from Ibs, fibromyalgia, arthritis, anxiety and a lot of stress. Would this have interfered with neurotransmitters/hormones?

Thank you.

Replied by Art
(California)
08/07/2024
2333 posts

Hi Bindi,

If 1.5 mg of melatonin caused you that much distress, then all forms of supplemental melatonin should be off your list of supplements! All is not lost though. Instead, you can get your melatonin from the earlier morning and later afternoon sun exposure, foods rich in melatonin and red light therapy. These natural forms of melatonin seem to avoid any potential side effects of melatonin and the sun can improve your circadian rhythms also.

I wrote an article awhile back that describes a few natural ways to get melatonin here :

https://www.earthclinic.com/supplements/how-to-increase-melatonin-naturally.html

Art

Side Effects
Posted by Deb (Treasure Island, FL) on 07/24/2021

I have noticed nose bleeds with melatonin

Side Effects
Posted by Kenny H (TN) on 03/17/2021

For many years, I had trouble sleeping and took Melatonin and always felt groggy and a hangover from taking it, but since pot is not legal in TN, what choice did I have? And then all of a sudden, my whole system flipped and then suddenly I couldn't get enough sleep! Suddenly 8 hrs was not enough and I always felt exhausted! What a nightmare! Not saying the melatonin had anything to do with it, but it what I was taking and it scared the holy hell out of me!

Now I'm fighting diabetes and liver damage and thyroid malfunction which came on all of a sudden also and while I am overcoming that slowly but surely by alternate day fasting, cutting ALL wheat products out of my diet, and the old timey cottage cheese and oil (Flax, black seed & Hemp oil) medicine cancer cure remedy!

But I'm not my old self by any stretch as before I started taking melatonin every night and so am very leery about ever taking melatonin again! Besides it always makes you feel so tired and groggy and who the hell needs that when your 65 yrs old? Certainly not me! So the jury is still out on that one! The side effect of melatonin is it makes you drowsy and tired, and I need just the opposite of that!

Replied by Art
(California)
03/17/2021
2333 posts

Hi Kenny,

Yes, there are people who can not tolerate melatonin as I have mentioned many times on EC, but the majority of people do tolerate melatonin as shown in many studies. Generally, as soon as you realize that there is a negative reaction to melatonin or you are not tolerating melatonin because of symptoms such as you described, it is probably a very good idea to stop using melatonin immediately rather than continuing. It is sort of like your body is trying to let you know that this is not compatible with you.

Art

Denise E
(Crescent City, CA)
03/29/2023

I doubt I'd wake up at all if I took as much as some folks do, I am shocked don't mind saying. I took a 10mg tablet and felt groggy for most of the a.m. so please be careful with trying it out.

I need something to help me sleep as I am weaning off clonazapam and melatonin was again suggested. I was having a hard time at night, not upping to my usual dose of 1 mg of clonazapam, so I'd just fall back into the 1 mg per day. I'm hoping just a smaller dose of Melatonin will help me and not leave me hungover, or groggy.

I found some bottles of 5 mg Melatonin, but then I kept looking, and found 3 mg bottles so I bought the later. Very inexpensive and I am hoping. It these don't work for me, then I guess I'll have to find another hopefully safe sleeping supplement.

Art
(California)
03/29/2023
2333 posts

Denise,

Amazon has melatonin down to .3 mg. for some people that is all they need for sleep. I take 132 mg/night, but I had to work my way up otherwise I felt very tired the next morning. Even now, when I move my dose up above 132 mg, I will feel it the next morning.

https://www.amazon.com/Landau-Melty-Melatonin-300-Tablets/dp/B07LDVJXSQ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2MNKLHN4LMNO3&keywords=melatonin+.3+mg&qid=1680133910&sprefix=melatonin+.3+mg,aps,128&sr=8-3

In one study it showed that just 2 mg of melatonin before bed could reduce nocturia, which is very helpful in getting more restful sleep.

I think if you have not already been taking melatonin for awhile and then just take 10 mg, it will likely make most people feel tired in the morning. Also, not everybody can tolerate melatonin, even at low doses. For those people it is better to use the natural ways to increase your melatonin levels because melatonin made in the body does not cause side effects. I wrote about how to do that here :

https://www.earthclinic.com/supplements/how-to-increase-melatonin-naturally.html

Art

Sam
(Miami)
04/01/2023

Denise, Google Mexidol. Also chinese herbal formulas: bupleurum&dragon bone is one of what it is called “shen tonics” that is very good. Better yet see an acupuncturist/herbalist. Never buy any supplements on Amazon. Mexidol is an exception-you can only buy it on Amazon. It might take up to 3 years to get off clonazepam.

Side Effects
Posted by HisJewel (New York) on 01/31/2021
 ★★★★★

Regarding Melatonin Side Effects,

Melatonin was a big help in starting my fight to get well even with side effects.

I decided to reorder some more Melatonin, because I was glad that I had it on hand to meet a possible emergency during my coughing fits. As I mentioned I took about 100mgs of Melatonin for each of 3 days. I took 4 to 5 pills a few times a day and once at night. They were 5mgs each. No, my brand did not make me sleep or sleepy; however, I found that when I was ready to sleep they let me sleep at least an hour or two at night. The side effect I had was loose stools.

Some years ago, I had ordered some Melatonin from eBay. I am not sure why I bought them, I do remember reading a book back then that said it was good for stopping any further memory loss in its track. Anyway, this Melatonin product was from overseas, it was a powder, and a very high mgs per tiny scoop. I do not remember the company. I remember going to sleep that night and not waking up until morning. In the garbage it went. As I used to do all night prayer often and too much sleep would interfere with my work. The interesting thing is I do not remember having any side effect, only what it said it would do give me sleep.

The Melatonin that I had on hand when I was sick this month, I bought last year because Earth Clinic, Art and others posted Melatonin benefits for COVID 19.When I decided to buy more, I noticed that I needed to find out what "Other ingredients" are in each brand and kind of Melatonin. The company that I got mine from had at least 3 different kind of Melatonin mixtures. I did not want any artificial sweeter in mine so I was reading the labels. Then it dawn on me that perhaps one of the" Other ingredients" in the brand that I already had was what caused the side effect that I encountered. So please read the label.

HisJewel

Replied by Art
(California)
01/31/2021
2333 posts

Hi HisJewel,

Thank you for the feedback on melatonin!

What I have noticed is that some people can develop diarrhea from HDM [High Dose Melatonin], but in the few people I have seen or heard of this side effect, that delay, can vary from 3 days to 3 weeks. In either case, the delay makes it possible to use melatonin long enough to help achieve the desired result with Covid-19 and it may be possible to use melatonin for a very brief period even if diarrhea does occur in an attempt to have maximal effect on Covid-19. Stoppage of HDM seems to allow a fairly quick recovery from the diarrhea. I still feel that the combination of melatonin plus the addition of the Xlear Nasal Spray, suggest the potential for a quick recovery.

Here is a link to what I wrote about Xlear Nasal Spray and Covid-19 : Https://www.earthclinic.com/xlear-for-covid-recovery.html

Art

Side Effects
Posted by Gertjr (Madison) on 09/16/2020

I've been taking a, for me, high dose of melatonin for insomnia. I've been taking 10 mg at 7, another 10 mg at 8 and one more at 9, then off to bed. The first night I slept fine, next night not so great and, but the third night, was having stomach troubles. So, I backed off for a week. I then to 10 mg at 7 and, at 9, took a 10 mg timed release tablet. I kept waking up but my concern is that I was dizzy. I had to be careful getting up and then was fine. So I stopped it for several days.

Then, last night, I took a 5 mg regular tablet and, during the night, woke up dizzy. Even at the gym this morning, doing barbell bench presses, I was dizzy upon sitting up. So, is this the melatonin or something else? I stay hydrated and my blood pressure was good (I took it several times), so it's not that.

Possibly low blood sugar? I had not eaten for some time when it happened. Any thoughts? I swim, so wonder if it's not my ears? I do not have vertigo during my normal day, only upon rising from flat to sitting (of course I don't stand until it passes). I don't want to visit a dr until I've eliminated other causes. Thanks. I really need relief of the insomnia! I've taking benadryl and want to stop.

Replied by Bbhe
(Nyc)
09/21/2020

I definitely feel your pain. I had insomnia for years. Turned out it was gluten. (Yeah, I thought I'd tried eliminating it, but I guess I hadn't. If I get even a pinch of flour, ping, eyes wide open all night long.) Melatonin makes me loopy as well unless I take a tiny tiny dose. Also, if I do high intensity workouts sometimes that makes it worse, especially if I'm fasted.

GOOD LUCK and SWEET DREAMS.

Side Effects
Posted by Manti (Tulsa, OK) on 07/31/2009

I was wondering about the use of melatonin..some use it as a sleep aid and i've heard it works really well..is there any other uses..are there any side effects of the oral form, is there any longterm side effects noted from using it?

Replied by Stacey
(Greensboro, Nc)
08/04/2009

Hi Manti,

I use to take melatonin, but stopped because of two side effects. One side effect was that it acted as a diuretic, so I really didn't get much sleep b/c of running to the bathroom. The other was very real dreams. It got to the point that I could not figure out if I had really had conversations with people in my dreams versus reality. Melatonin is actually a hallucinagen your body naturally produces. I guess when you add more of the chemical to your body, it coases you to dream more realistically.



Please note that we use cookies necessary for the functioning of our website, cookies that optimize the performance. To learn more about our cookies, how we use them and their benefits, please read our Privacy Policy