Does taking 6mg of melatonin long term have any deleterious effects of the reproductive system, or body in general?
My apologies if this topic has been covered already.
tfranc,
Tough question to answer when “body in general” is tacked on to the end, as this requires an extensive review of all organ systems. While I haven’t seen any data indicating weird effects of melatonin on tissues I haven’t thought about, I would hesitate be 100% confident in this.
With respect to reproduction, melatonin supplementation has actually been studied in the setting of IVF with some promise there. Little to no data investigating melatonin in men’s reproductive function, though there’s no real reason to think it would have any relationship either.
As an aside, 6mg is about 6x the dose I recommend for short-term use for insomnia or circadian sleep phase disorders. I do not think melatonin is beneficial with long term supplementation and do not recommend it.
-Jordan
Thanks for your response. Really interesting regarding IVF.
I never meant to go up to 6mg as per seeing your 1mg recommendation a while ago, but clearly I’m masking whatever is causing my insomnia by piling on more melatonin. Thanks for that clarity and your time as always.
Tim
Yea, I don’t think that higher doses actually mask anything per se’ and I don’t think they work better- maybe worse in some cases. I think there are other things at play, e.g. labeling accuracy, contamination, and so on. I think long stretches of insomnia, while somewhat common, deserve a good work up by your physician.
I see. Are you suggesting that the “extra sleepiness” (for lack of better phrasing) I feel when I take more melatonin is just placebo? Not trying to argue against your expertise or recommendations at all, just genuinely curious. The melatonin I take is USP and GMP checked.
And thanks for that recommendation to talk to my physician about it. Will get on that
The onset of sleep is a few minutes faster for people taking melatonin than taking a placebo, which doesn’t make me feel too confident. In any case, the half life of supplemental melatonin is about an hour so it’s in and out pretty quickly.
Wow, is it really only a few minutes? I’m obviously not a doctor or researcher, but it’s hard not to see how profound the placebo effect is for at least some people taking melatonin (including myself). I absolutely think I feel much more tired much more quickly after taking melatonin vs not taking it, but based on actual study showing little effect, I seem to be hyping it up in my own head. Crazy
Yea. I think it can be useful for jet lag and sleep phase disorders, but I’m not convinced about regular ol’ insomnia.
For sure. Thank you!