Health

What is the recommended dosage for consuming Melatonin?

Can you overdose on Melatonin?

Can you overdose on Melatonin? Is it okay to consume Melatonin daily? Is it a safe drug? We all get such questions in our minds when trying some new medication. Today, the limelight falls on the drug Melatonin. Also, we are going to answer all these questions for you. Moreover, this article will clear all your doubts about this drug and its usage.

Let us begin with discussing “What is Melatonin and its uses”?

Is Melatonin a hormone?

That’s right! Melatonin is a part of the human body in the form of a hormone. The pineal gland releases it every night in our system. It is responsible for the regulation of our circadian rhythm, aka the Sleep-wake cycle. 

Moreover, it is used as a supplement diet to treat insomnia. You may consume it orally, and it is an excellent source to treat sleeplessness caused due to jet lag or rotational shifts.

Some studies show that it is one of the most effective drugs to improve the circadian cycle. But, on the contrary, a recent study showed no substantial effect of Melatonin on sleep patterns.

Canada and the US were the two countries that started selling Melatonin drugs. This began in 1958 when they began selling Melatonin as an OTC drug. OTC or Over Counterdrug is the one that needs no prescription. Consumers can buy it directly from a medical store. However, the Food and Drug Administration or FDA of the United States did not approve of it. Therefore, they did not recommend anyone to use this drug for medical purposes.

Image Credits: Medical News Today

Moreover, in Europe, Melatonin was for old age people who face difficulty in sleeping. However, the use of Melatonin was slightly different in Australia. In Australia, People started giving Melatonin to children and teenagers to treat insomnia. But, their government did not approve of its use in the medical field. Finally, the European Union approved its use in 2007 for medical purposes.

Melatonin: Uses

Some of the primary uses of Melatonin drugs include:-

  1. For the regulation of sleep-wake patterns or Circadian rhythms.
  2. Melatonin has plenty of plasma and mitochondrial fluid. Thus, it widely used as an antioxidant 
  3. Moreover, Melatonin, when it reacts with highly reactive oxygen and nitrogen, forms Melatonin metabolites. These metabolites are effective in the reduction of free radicals.
  4. Melatonin is a healthy drug for plants because it has plenty of antioxidant enzymes. These enzymes make Melatonin twice as powerful as Vitamin E.
  5. Also, Melatonin has excellent anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, it is very effective to make your immune system strong. Furthermore, it gives an incredible strength to our body to fight against viral and bacterial infections.
  6. According to a study, Melatonin can prove effective for treating HIV or even cancer.

That is all about its usage. Indeed, after reading this, Melatonin seems to be a significant drug. However, instead of using it, what if someone abuses it? I am certain that by now, we are all aware of the term drug abuse. Drug abuse is the excess use of any drug which can cause considerable damage to the human body. Mainly, drug abuse is about using medicine for personal pleasure, which may lead to harm.

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Now, the extended due discussion is can you overdose on Melatonin? What if you Overdose on Melatonin? Let us find out the answer together in the next section.

Can you overdose on Melatonin? Is it safe?

Well, many of us live with adults or even our grandparents at home. Almost every one of us has seen them taking 2-3 Blood pressure pills every day, didn’t we? Well, this is drug abuse and needs to stop immediately. They knowingly or unknowingly abuse the drug use, which can have horrible consequences.

Now, what happens if someone overdose on Melatonin? Is it okay?

Image Credits: Happy Sleepy Head

To start with, there is no proper or standard dosage for Melatonin. However, one thing is sure that taking too much of any drug is not safe. As a result, your sleep-wake cycle can lose its balance. Due to overdose, you may feel sleepy all the time. This is because your brain will stop working fast because of having Melatonin in the system.

However, the effect of Melatonin is different for everyone. Ust like alcohol hits very hard on someone, and nothing will happen to the other. Similarly, some people will start feeling cured after taking a small amount of Melatonin. However, others will feel nothing. Therefore, it is hard to decide at what stage Melatonin use becomes abusive. It somewhat varies from person to person.

Eventually, some can overdose on Melatonin, and some can not!

Now, check out what will happen once you overdose on Melatonin?

What happens if you overdose on Melatonin?

Please remember everyone who takes the same aunt of Melatonin doesn’t need to show the same symptoms. It is possible that one can feel nothing except cured. However, the other will have adverse effects after consuming too much of it. Let us take a look at what does the overdose can do:-

  1. Disruptive sleep patterns.
  2. Feeling of headlights and sleepiness all the time.
  3. A strong desire to sleep will cloud the mind. Moreover, you will feel trapped in some trance.
  4. Other symptoms include nausea, uneasiness, frequent headaches, watery bowels or diarrhoea, irritation, feeling annoyed all the time, nervousness, anxiety. Fast heartbeats, migraine, restlessness, psychomotor agitation, high blood pressure, dry mouth ulcers, dizziness, sweating during sleep, heartburn. Skin inflammation, itching and pain etc
  5. Mood swings, fatigue and early menopause are the most common symptoms in females overdosing on Melatonin.
  6. It is prohibited to use during pregnancy and lactating period. It can have adverse effects on the infant.

Therefore, it is crucial to know how much dosage is acceptable for you with no adverse effects.

Let us check out some of the recommendations on How much Melatonin should be consumed.

How much Melatonin should I consume? How can I make sure that I am not overdosing on Melatonin?

There is no such recommended dosage for this drug. However, as per some studies, the dosage ranging between 1-10mg is adequate. This is the standard quantity that will not lead to an overdose in Adults. It is prohibited for children to take this drug in any case. However, If the doctor prescribes it for your infant, make sure that the quantity ranges between 0.2- 1 mg. Moreover, the excess dosage in children may result in unconsciousness or seizures.

Can you overdose on Melatonin

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It is better to keep the quantity of melatonin low for every age group starting from 0.2-5 mg.

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Also, the increase in the dosage depends upon the body, weight, height and other characteristics.

Combinations you should never try with Melatonin.

Taking Melatonin with alcohol or Caffeine can have disastrous effects on the human body. Alcohol and Melatonin both can slow the human body so that it can sleep. 

The combination of both can affect the human mind very severely. Moreover, it can damage the sense of thinking from the mind if overdosed.

On the other hand, Melatonin with Caffeine can destroy your will to sleep. Melatonin is a drug that promotes healthy sleep, and Caffeine is against rest. Therefore, the combination of both seems lethal.

As we know, Melatonin is already present in the human body in the form of a hormone. Therefore, high levels of Melatonin may result in fatigue, sleepiness, laziness etc. On the other hand, a low level of Melatonin can cause restlessness and little or no sleep at night. Therefore, it is essential to balance it.

If you are on Birth control pills, do not take Melatonin. This is because birth control pills already increase the level of Melatonin in the body.

Therefore, whenever someone asks you if they can overdose on Melatonin? Tell them not to take any. The use of Melatonin should be minimal. You may use it only in emergency proposals.

 Instead, take a look at some remedies that will help as a replacement for Melatonin:-

How to avoid overdosing on Melatonin? What are the replacements?

  1. The main reason we start taking Melatonin in the first place is not being able to sleep. Therefore, it is essential to work on your sleep patterns.
  2. To avoid the use of Melatonin, start exercising regularly. Exercising will keep your body healthy and balance the level of Melatonin in your body. Besides, sweating is the best way to tire your body and prepare it for a sound sleep.
  3. For those who do not fall asleep at night, stop taking naps in the daytime. Instead, start waking up early in the morning. Moreover, start your routine to wake up early on holidays not to have a long day ahead. But, the condition is that you will avoid sleeping during the daytime. 
  4. Waking up early is the one thing. But sometimes, after waking up early, we feel unenergetic and lazy all day. As a result, we could not do anything productive. This may leave us with no purpose in life. Therefore it is imperative to concentrate for at least 15-20 minutes in the morning. This will balance the Melatonin in your body and boost your energy.
  5. It is very important to keep the stress level low. Especially in females, depression or stress levels can disrupt the hormones. As a result, melatonin level decreases resulting in early menopause, weight gain, sleepless nights etc.
  6. Stay away from all the junk and processed foods. They are enough to disturb your sleep patterns alone.

Image credits: Amerisleep

You may try these remedies at your home as they are effective. Once you regulate the melatonin levels in your body, everything will fall in place

Moreover, please beware of overdose on Melatonin as it can leave you hurt and medical damaged eventually.

Conclusion: Can you Overdose on Melatonin?

In the end, I think today’s article was full of knowledge for all age groups. Today, we got the clear and descriptive answer to the question about “Can you overdose on Melatonin”? Moreover, we discuss the basics of this melatonin drug and its uses. Also, we got to know its adverse effects in case of overdose. This article also defines more about the replacements and remedies for Melatonin. I hope you enjoyed today’s topic! Take care and be safe!

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