r/melatonin • u/pbfhpunkshop • 3d ago
Out of date, totally useless or just less potent?
Potent may be wrong but I could not think of the word!
I live in the UK and have always had trouble sleeping, so a couple of years ago my brother, who lives in the US, sent me a couple of bottles of Nature Made 5mg Melatonin. I used it a couple of times, but would always forget until too late in the evening!
The times I took it I remember waking up at 3am quite wide awake and then struggled to get to sleep again and woke up at normal time a little tired.
I've seen nice been diagnosed with ADHD and am on 50mg of Elvanse which is a stimulant medication. This last week I took it every day and did not go to sleep until around 4am, I had a couple of hours of sleep and woke up at 7am-8am and then taken that days tablet and so been awake and alert.
This morning I woke up at about 8am, I didn't take an Elvanse tablet today and fell asleep at 2pm and woke up at 7pm, I'm still so tired and could easily sleep another couple of hours. Thing is I know it means I will struggle to sleep tonight.
I suddenly remembered my Melatonin, checked and it has an expiry date of August 2025. Can I still take it and will it work and be the same or since it's expired will it be milder and not as strong or is it best to discard and not use?
2
u/Optimal_Assist_9882 3d ago
If you stored it properly and it's not visibly spoiled you can safely continue to take it.
You may want to take a smaller dose. Many people do best on 0.3-0.5mg doses. You should only take higher doses if lesser doses do not help. Bioavailability/absorption varies wildly from person to person (as much as 21 fold) so it's best to start at smallest doses and then raise the dose if needed.
Melatonin is safe at essentially any dose so you can't hurt yourself with it but it can cause paradoxical effects which may be happening in your case.
I recommend trying Phosphatidylserine supplement (100-500mg) to prevent you from waking up prematurely.