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Home > Community Treatment Reports and Side Effects > Melatonin Treatment Report
What is Melatonin?

Melatonin appears to be the primary sleep-regulating hormone of the body. It has been used by individuals suffering from insomnia, particularly when adjusting to shift-work cycles or jet lag. In the US Melatonin is available over-the-counter, however, it may require a prescription in some countries.

Reported Purpose & Efficacy

Reasons and Efficacy
Purpose # of patients
# of patients with evaluations Efficacy
Major
Moderate
Slight
None
Can’t tell
Insomnia 191 58 Efficacy_major Efficacy_moderate Efficacy_slight Efficacy_none Efficacy_cant_tell
Sleep problems 135 39 Efficacy_major Efficacy_moderate Efficacy_slight Efficacy_none Efficacy_cant_tell
Difficulty sleeping through night 53 9 Efficacy_major Efficacy_moderate Efficacy_slight
Other 30 4 Efficacy_major Efficacy_moderate
General health 22 4 Efficacy_major Efficacy_slight Efficacy_none Efficacy_cant_tell
ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) 16 3 Efficacy_major Efficacy_cant_tell

See all 454 patients currently taking Melatonin

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Reported Side Effects

Side effects as an overall problem

Severe
 5
Moderate
 8
Mild
 16
None
 104

Commonly reported side effects, conditions, and hospitalizations associated with Melatonin

Drowsiness 7
Depressed mood 2
Dizziness 1
Vivid dreams 1
Stomach pain 1
Daytime sleepiness 1
See all 16 reported side effects ▼ See top 6 reported side effects ▲

Reported Dosages

Frequently reported dosages based on patients currently taking Melatonin. See all 56 dosages ►

  2.5mg as needed 3mg as needed 5mg as needed 1 mg daily 2.5 mg daily 3 mg daily 5 mg daily 6 mg daily 9 mg daily 10 mg daily
  8 Number of Patients: 8 32 Number of Patients: 32 13 Number of Patients: 13 15 Number of Patients: 15 27 Number of Patients: 27 148 Number of Patients: 148 61 Number of Patients: 61 45 Number of Patients: 45 9 Number of Patients: 9 19 Number of Patients: 19  

Reported Stop Reasons

Why Patients Stopped Taking Melatonin (multiple reasons could be selected)
Reason # Patients Percentage of patients
Did not seem to work 41   Did not seem to work: 38%
Other 37   Other: 34%
Doctor's advice 14   Doctor's advice: 13%
Side effects too severe 11   Side effects too severe: 10%
Personal research 6   Personal research: 6%
Course of treatment ended 6   Course of treatment ended: 6%
Not indicated 4   Not indicated: 4%
Expense 2   Expense: 2%

See all 105 patients who’ve stopped taking Melatonin

Reported Duration See details about how long patients take this treatment ▼

Currently Taking Melatonin

A bar graph

0-1 month 1-3 months 3-6 months 6 months-1year 1-2 years 2 years or more

Stopped Taking Melatonin

A bar graph

0-1 month 1-3 months 3-6 months 6 months-1year 1-2 years 2 years or more

Reported Adherence, Burden & Cost See details from patient evaluations ▼

Adherence

Taking treatment as prescribed

Adherence of Melatonin

Always
 90 68%
Usually
 25 19%
Sometimes
 14 11%
Never
 4 3%

Burden

Difficulty being on treatment

Burden of Melatonin

Very
 0 0%
Somewhat
 5 4%
A little
 13 10%
Not at all
 115 86%

Cost

Paid out of pocket

Cost of Melatonin

$200+
 0 0%
$100-199
 0 0%
$50-99
 0 0%
$25-49
 8 10%
< $25
 74 90%

See more information, including instructions, precautions, side effects, and interactions.

Report created on February 11, 2012.