i was trying to find a natural sleep aid so i tried melatonin.
whoa, baby....not for me.
i got so jittery i was shaking, got dizzy and weak, my heart rate shot up and i thought i was really going to pass out.
no way could i even sleep with that stuff. it was like drinking 100 cups of coffee.
so how come??
Posted by jamieL (Member # 16563) on :
I have never gotten much effect other than a slightly sleepy, hiungover feeling the next day.
Randi, that's weird. Sorry that happened to you.
it kind of makes me think you were allergic?
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
I don't know why, but often medications that are suppose to make me sleep work the exact opposite on me.
And vise versa. Even pain meds to control pain were increasing my pain levels for some unknown reason.
For that and other reasons I will avoid taking many meds and hesitate to try new ones.
Wish I had an answer for you ... but at least you know you are not alone.
Posted by sutherngrl (Member # 16270) on :
I have also had meds do the opposite from what they are designed to do on me. I guess a supplement like melatonin could also have this reaction.
How much did you take? I think it is suggested to start on a very low dose and work up.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
How many mg did you take?
Posted by map1131 (Member # 2022) on :
I too tried melatonin. I purchased it and then opened and took recommended dosage that night. I didn't read label and the warnings until after I became jittery. Dumb, I know.
Do not take with thyroid conditions. I've been hypothyroid for 20 yrs and on meds since.
Many OTC meds make me hyper that would make others sleep. Sinus meds, cough meds etc also have warnings about taking with thyroid conditions.
Pam
Posted by Pinelady (Member # 18524) on :
Sounds like it messed with your adrenalin.
Posted by Amy C (Member # 19297) on :
My son took this for several months. At 1st it worked then it stopped working and we had to keep increasing the dosage because it would only work temporarily.
Then at some point it did the opposite and made him more awake then not taking it.
Many people told me if you take too high of a dosage it can cause insomnia instead of help you sleep.
He doesn't take it anymore. I actually have some that I never opened and can't return.
He now takes an herbal mixer of some calming herbs to help sleep. It works pretty good but not perfectly.
Herbs like valerian root, passion flower, hops are a few that is in this mix.
This is what he takes for sleep: Valerian-Passion Flower Kid from Eclectic Institute
He also takes this for his adrenals: Adrenal Support Tonic from Herb Pharm
I think the combo of these helps him sleep now. The sleep herb is available in adult formulas also.
Hope this helps!
Posted by TerryK (Member # 8552) on :
According to what I read below, infection is probably why you reacted the way that you did.
http://tinyurl.com/ygpj333 "One caveat: a very small percentage of people have an idiosyncratic reaction to melatonin. That means, they have an unexplained adverse reaction--opposite of what should be expected. In these folks, melatonin actually makes them hyper and jittery. Those people, unfortunately, can't take melatonin--but for most people, it's an extremely safe, beneficial hormone."
"The proposed mechanism of most idiosyncratic drug reactions is immune mediated toxicity. To create an immune response, you must have a foreign molecule that antibodies can bind to (ie. the antigen) and you must have cellular damage."
"Very often, drugs will not be immunogenic because they are too small to bind antibodies. However, a drug can cause an immune response if the drug binds a larger molecule. Some unaltered drugs such as penicillin will bind avidly to proteins. Others must be bioactivated into a toxic compound that will in turn bind to proteins."
"The second criteria of cellular damage can come either from a toxic drug/drug metabolite or it may come from an injury or infection. These will sensitize the immune system to the drug and cause a response."
Terry
Posted by treepatrol (Member # 4117) on :
It did that the first time I took it the second and 3rd time way less by then it didnt do it at all. I think because its such a super antioxident it cleans your system out thats my take on it . I still take it now not as much but still taking it. It did almost exactly what you said I felt like I was herxing to some degree but like I said it stopped doing that fairly fast . It deffinatly helps me. I wrote a whole post on this when it happened to me the first time. Seemed like no one gave a crap so I really sidnt say anymore about it.
[ 01-11-2010, 08:48 AM: Message edited by: treepatrol ]
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
well shoot, tree, if i had done more research i would have found your post. sorry about that.
i cut the pill in half. i don't think it was over 1 mg tho.
i do that with most meds and that's why i cut everything in half or the doc adjusts them for me.
ever the zebra....
Posted by treepatrol (Member # 4117) on :
or different strokes for diff folks Posted by pab (Member # 904) on :
My son & I were talking to his psychiatrist about sleep meds. I told her I had a really bad experience with melatonin - nightmares. She said I may have a very low melatonin level, and my body was "shocked" when I took it.
The nightmares were really bad. I get very vivid good/bad dreams with Trazodone. The melatonin nightmares were much worse.
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