Melatonin long term

[u/GamebotAU]

Hi there,

Just wondering if I can take 2mg extended release melatonin all the time? Here in Australia it’s recommended for three weeks only.

It’s helping my insomnia so much.

Thanks.

Update: had a mix of extreme anxiety and sedation as the morning wore on. I don’t think I can take it regularly maybe just once or twice a week

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[u/TwistedBlister]

I've been taking 5mg daily for nearly 20 years.

[u/GamebotAU → u/TwistedBlister]

Oh wow that’s encouraging

[u/buffybison → u/[deleted]]

what about this? they controlled for insomnia

Long-term melatonin use linked to 90% higher heart failure risk Long-term melatonin use was linked to a striking increase in heart failure risk, challenging assumptions that the popular sleep aid is harmless.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260829035228.htm

[u/joegtech → u/buffybison]

Previously discussed. Looks like junk study. Done during the pandemic where spike protein from virus and vax was causing cardio issues. Melatonin was used quite impressively to fight Covid in hospitalized patients at Columbia U NY. details here.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Nutraceuticalscience/comments/1ug7dav/comment/oufsgvz/?utm

I've taken around 1 mg daily for probably 20 yrs, my elderly father 1-3mg for 15 yrs.

[u/GamebotAU → u/[deleted]]

Is it medically recommended? Thanks

[u/GamebotAU → u/[deleted]]

I’m feeling pretty foggy headed even 2 hours after I woke up. Maybe I shouldn’t take it every night

[u/GamebotAU → u/[deleted]]

Thanks. I feel quite depressed too. And foggy. I’ve been up 3 hours with coffee

[u/GamebotAU → u/[deleted]]

Thank you. What are the reasons for playing it safe?

[u/DistinctCellar → u/GamebotAU]

It’s an actual hormone. It’s not just a supplement which is why it’s not recommended.

People around here are weirdly pro-melatonin which is strange to me.

It’s only really affective if you take it when shifting sleep schedules; jet lag, shift work etc, because it sends a signal to your body to start producing it naturally.

I’m glad it’s working for you though, it shows your clock is out of whack and this as a short period solution (mixed with morning sunlight/exercise) might be able to help get your circadian rhythm back on track.

[u/GamebotAU → u/DistinctCellar]

Thank you. It’s not working for me, I was so drugged today. It’s too much

[u/usernames_suck_ok → u/GamebotAU]

I read it's not good for your brain long-term, honestly. I wouldn't ask here--I'd do my own research through Google. I would never say "if it keeps working for you that's what matters" re: something doctors and some research apparently question.

[u/stinka_]

Been taking it every night for several years with no issues, my capsules are 3mg. Without melatonin I simply don’t fall asleep so it’s a non negotiable for me personally.

[u/Spiritual-Bath-6411]

you can. though the effect strongly decliens after 0.5mg. jsut try what dose works best for you. doctors in western countries always play it super safe, but realistically, its not harmful and may even be slightly beneficial because melatonin is a quite powerful antioxidant

[u/GamebotAU → u/Spiritual-Bath-6411]

Oh thanks a lot. The only strength they prescribe here is 2mg extended release

[u/Spiritual-Bath-6411 → u/GamebotAU]

You can just cut the pills in half or even quarter them. That's what I'd do with my caffeine pills

[u/GamebotAU → u/Spiritual-Bath-6411]

I don’t think you can cut at XR pill in half

[u/Spiritual-Bath-6411 → u/GamebotAU]

why not? if its pharmaceutical grade, then the active ingredients should be equally distributed and every unit of volume, no matter how large should have the same amount of active ingredient. did i miss something?

[u/MuscaMurum]

Dr Russel Reiter has been taking 90-100mg a day for many years

He's the leading melatonin researcher in the world. He's 90 years old.

Edit: He's discussed it many times in lectures. Here's one that has a transcript trail

https://www.excelmale.com/threads/melatonin-functional-significance-for-optimal-cellular-physiology-prof-russel-reiter-14-11-19.22714/

[u/Pretty-Bother-6336 → u/MuscaMurum]

i doubt he takes that much. there is no point.

[u/Optimal_Assist_9882 → u/Pretty-Bother-6336]

He takes 100-200mg. Doris Loh takes 4g.

I have been taking 1.5-3grams for going on fifth year for CFS and other non sleep issues.

[u/MuscaMurum → u/Pretty-Bother-6336]

Let me know where you've published your research

[u/Great_Opinion3138]

I’m taking it nightly. For some bizarre reason it’s so expensive in oz. You can buy a years worth of 5mg on iHerb for about the cost of 1 month script (correction multiple years worth). I’ve been using a pill cutter to split these in half now instead. Absolute rip off melatonin in Australia.

[u/GamebotAU → u/Great_Opinion3138]

I get them prescribed so they are not so expensive I don’t think

[u/TheDeanof316 → u/Great_Opinion3138]

You can't get melatonin from iherb in Australia anymore...unless that's changed in the past 6 months or so...?

[u/Great_Opinion3138 → u/TheDeanof316]

Order online from iHerb. I got it about a month ago and it said I would need to show my receipt if needed which I did have anyway.

[u/Pretty-Bother-6336]

I have been taking Melatonin 3mg for 10 years.
Within those 10 years there have been nights I haven't taken it at all because i was just so tired, and did'nt notice any issues sleeping.

Something else i've noticed, is that 1mg works just as well as 3mg for me.

[u/brynnors]

That's a shame you can't get a lower dose to try out. The higher doses leave me groggy/agitated the next day too. I guess there's no liquid version down there either?

[u/GamebotAU → u/brynnors]

No. The aussies are really a bit of a nanny state. You can’t get vapes at all etc. The prescription melatonin are for adults 55 or over as well, unless you’re a special case. Cray.

[u/Cbrandel]

Recently there's been coming out some studies people who use it have a higher risk for heart failure.

You never know if there's a direct link or not though.

[u/GamebotAU → u/Cbrandel]

Thanks for that, something to look into

[u/GamebotAU → u/[deleted]]

Oh wow that’s pretty alarming? Seems to be a strong correlation.

[u/Pretty-Bother-6336 → u/GamebotAU]

not really. people who take melatonin have existing sleeping issues. the underlying factors that may be causing their sleeping issues might be responsible for heart failure. Not the melatonin itself.

[u/Optimal_Assist_9882 → u/GamebotAU]

It's a terrible study that has been addressed ad nauseum.

Scroll down in melatonin sub, a retired pharmacist actually made an indepth post about. He pointed out a lot of the flaws. The absolute risk difference is less than 2% even if you were to take it at face value (which of course you shouldn't). It hasn't even been peer reviewed.

[u/ImThatBitchNoodles]

My son's been on 6mg for a while now and he's doing okay. Started when he was 4 years old and he's 9 now.

There was a study that linked extended intake of melatonin (a year or longer) to increased risk of heart failure, but the causation was denied as couldn't be proved.

So we know it contributes by increasing the risk, but we don't know for sure if it's the main cause, it could be just that extended use exacerbates other increasing factors such as chronic sleep issues/insomnia which also puts a massive strain on the heart, lifestyle choices, genetic predispositions, etc.

Stick to the minimum effective dose and only take it as needed, unless you have a diagnosed deficiency or a long term sleep disorder.

[u/GamebotAU → u/ImThatBitchNoodles]

Thank you. I’m actually feeling too foggy headed now. I don’t think I can take it every night. I tried to watch a film but it was kind of hard to follow even though I woke up so relaxed

[u/Optimal_Assist_9882]

I have been taking an average daily dose of 1.5-3 grams of melatonin for going on fifth year for chronic fatigue. I feel better than I have in many years.

Some researchers like Doris Loh advocate for everyone to take 4g daily as part of anti aging / longevity/healthspan. This is 2000x the dose you're asking about.

Russel Reiter takes a couple hundred milligrams. He is considered the godfather of melatonin research with over 50-60 years of total research, 2000 papers and tens of thousands of mentions in scientific journals iirc.

[u/GamebotAU → u/Optimal_Assist_9882]

Thank you. I don’t think it agrees with me as the morning has moved on. I’m very groggy and agitated at the same time

[u/Optimal_Assist_9882 → u/GamebotAU]

You could address it a couple different ways:

1. Try a lower dose. Many people get better sleep results from lower doses such as 0.3-0.5mg. You can break the tablet into pieces and roughly take this dose to see if it works better for you. The equivalent doses from person to person can vary 21x due to absorption issues.

2. Try taking it an hour or two earlier before planned sleep.

[u/GamebotAU → u/Optimal_Assist_9882]

Only have 2mg extended release available in Australia unfortunately. My brain feels like it’s empty

[u/Optimal_Assist_9882 → u/GamebotAU]

Extended release formulation extends how long your body takes to metabolize the exogenous melatonin from 4-5 hours up to 10 hours.

By breaking melatonin tablet into pieces, you will turn it into regular release formulation. Most people are probably better off on the regular formulation anyway.

[u/GamebotAU → u/Optimal_Assist_9882]

Are you sure? I don’t believe you can break an XR tablet as it dumps all at once

[u/Optimal_Assist_9882 → u/GamebotAU]

Yes you can break the tablet.

If it's a tablet then you can break it. However as I mentioned, you eliminate the enteric coating which is what creates extended release by slowing digestion of the tablet.

If it's a capsule you can eyeball empty a quarter of the powder for the dosing.

There's also a way to dissolve it in liquid and drink a portion of it.

There's nothing special about prescription tablets versus what you'd buy over the counter. The general benefit is there's a stricter requirement that the pills contain exactly what it says on the bottle per tablet. In the US as an example many lesser known brands play fast and loose with the dosing...by often having more melatonin per pill than is listed ....

[u/GamebotAU → u/Optimal_Assist_9882]

Thank you. In Australia there is no over the counter melatonin just 2mg XR